Page 27 of Resolve
“I can take it.” He pulls me into his lap, separating my body from touching anything but him. Some of his skin is already healed over, scales emerging along his sides and neck.
I bury my face there, releasing the anger and sadness as he holds me like that. As I let go, cocooned in his warmth.
The funeral for Harvey later is a complete turnaround from Vera’s. Guild members show up wearing whatever black clothes they could find in their closets, whether it was jeans, leggings, sweats, or tops. I’m the one overdressed compared to the others, and I almost chew Aiden out for not telling me until I remember the way he’d looked at me in the dress.
Fabian and Evie escort Alice to the front row and sit on either side of her like guards. She has a plain black dress on, and her face is tight as she takes in the Hall, the decorations, and the people in it. Onceshe spots the urn, though, she doesn’t look away the entire service.
When members take to the stage to talk about Harvey, they share silly stories that make everyone laugh at what they’d done together or something Harvey had said or done. After eating a buffet of his favorite foods—which were mostly snacks and tacos—everyone splits to various tables to play some of his favorite games. The Guild Hall is loud and rowdy, laughing as they play and continue to share stories of Harvey when another one comes to them.
I learn more about Harvey tonight than I knew when he was alive.
Eventually, members retire to their apartments for the night. Alice approaches us with Evie and Fabian at her sides. Her face is still red and splotchy as if she’d just finished wiping away a fresh set of tears. They’d been bouncing between tables to hear more stories all evening, but I hadn’t seen her speak to anyone. She’s been soaking in everyone’s stories of Harvey without a word.
She looks at me, then Dane. “Thank you for this,” she murmurs, then spins on her heel and walks away.
We migrate to one of the lounge areas under the glass half-dome. The lights in the Hall are dimmed, allowing some of the brighter stars to shine through the windows. A tiny gas fire dances over colored beads at the center of the low table we’re sitting around.
“How many siblings did he have?” Silas asks, pinching a bit of lint from the couch he’s lying on and tossing it in the fire.
Evie smacks his hand. “Stop that.”
A sly smile stretches across his face as he looks up at her, his fingers going back for another one. She grabs his hand.
“Ten,” Aiden answers absentmindedly, swirling the bourbon in his glass.
“And another on the way,” I add, remembering when Charlestold Harvey he could have time off when his newest sibling was born.
Gabe leans back against Zedd, who’s strumming softly on his guitar, and claps. “Eleven, wow! That man sure gets busy. You hear that, Zeddy? We’ve a lot of cleaning to do.”
Zedd’s hand freezes over the strings. “Why?”
“They’ll needsomewhereto go after we rescue them. You can be the stern no-nonsense figure, and I’ll be the cool, keeping-it-hip one.”
“No.”
Kellan laughs, stretching his arm behind me on the couch. “You think you can handle that many kids and teenagers who can turn invisible and were trained to stay hidden?”
Gabriel pushes off Zedd, balancing on the chair arm. “Can I? You should have seen the way I single-handedly turned a group of bloodthirsty fans into a gaggle of giggling besties by the end of one night!”
“You bribed them with stolen jewelry and snacks,” Zedd deadpans.
Tinsley titters with laughter, and Silas snickers in the ensuing silence.
“They always say the best way to someone’s heart is through their stomach,” Gabe presses on, unperturbed.
“Accurate,” Fabian chimes in, a bag of chips in his lap.
Aiden sighs.
“We have bigger things to worry about before that,” Dane cuts in, running his fingers through his hair on the other side of Kell. “Taking down the board members and elects, for starters. Charles, on his own, is going to be difficult, and then there’s the rest of Gifted Enterprise operating all over the world, handing out gift-blockingjewelry to the highest bidder.”
Wait. Gift-blocking jewelry. Something wiggles at the back of my mind, trying to remind me of something.
“Damn. When you say it like that...” Silas grumbles.
The machine Vera made. She said it could mass-produce those, but also...
“Oh!” I exclaim, the memory coming back in a rush. All eyes turn to me. “Vera.” My gaze inadvertently slides to Dane. His face tightens. “She told me they’re weaponizing gifts. Dane’s, of course, but others’ too if they have their blood. And they made her program a machine that can synthesize gifts from blood samples into objects.” I seek out Tinsley to confirm what I’ve said, and she nods.
