Page 27 of Reverie

He misses a few times before Veronica helps him up by his hind legs.

Kitty immediately goes to lick my cheek, and I don’t say anything as I clutch onto him, shaking as I try to soak in calm.

One.

One-two-one.

One-two-three-two-one.

Kitty sniffs at my bandaged shoulder, then plops down to settle into my lap with a distressed whine. When I push my fingers through his fur, he huffs.

Still, a fine tremor runs through his tiny body.

“Veronica, I….”

The room tilts at an odd angle, and the urge to vomit is so strong that I bend sideways to hover over the edge of the bed. A kidney basin appears from nowhere right as I heave.

I retch once, twice, and when I feel I have a reprieve, I look up at my best friend.

“Veronica,” I choke out, and she jumps into action without me needing to say anything further.

“All right! Everybody give her some space. You,” Veronica says, and the masked nurse turns. “You’re stressing her out.Leave. You.” She points at Luna. “Go find Hunter and bring his ass back here.”

Luna cocks a hip out and puts her hand on it.

Luna and I had a brief moment together the last time I was at Misha Hroshko’s home. She took me to their garden, having heard that I love flowers. That feels like years ago rather than a little over a week.

The grounds on Misha and Luna’s estate are expansive, rivaling Amelia Manor.

But their garden is nothing like the one back home.

Home.

Is Amelia Manor still standing? Before we flew away, it sounded like bombs were going off at the front of the mansion.

I swallow, my throat dry, but when I close my eyes, the image of the man I shot right there in my beloved garden greets me.

Breathe, Winter. Just breathe.

“He’ll be here in a minute,” Luna says.

Veronica lets out a closed-lipped chuckle, but it’s anything but humorous.

“A minute is too long. Go get him so that Winter can chill.”

Luna’s eyes narrow as she bores her gaze into Veronica.

“Please,” Veronica adds.

Luna still doesn’t move.

“Pretty please with cherries on top?” Veronica pastes on a bright smile.

Luna grumbles something unintelligible but heads for the door nonetheless.

“Do you know what’s happening with August?” I ask Veronica once Luna is out of the room.

“Everything is okay, Winter. August is resting in one of the guest rooms. You, on the other hand, need to lie down. In case you haven’t realized, you’ve been shot.”