Page 68 of Fallen Court

Ciara was perched on the counter of the nurse’s station, studying a worn copy of Vogue. She tossed it back in a stack as I approached and hopped down. “You look really serious.”

“I think you’re supposed to look serious when your brother has been shot.”

But she rolled her eyes. “My brothers get shot all the time.”

Okay, maybe I didn’t need to hear that. “That is not reassuring.”

“Sorry.” But her smile was anything but apologetic. It was a fact of life for her.

I guess that made it a fact of life for me, too. Not that it wouldn’t take some getting used to.

Once we’d gotten into the car, I barely noticed her driving as she headed across town toward the Avalon.

My decision was made before we were out of the French Quarter. I was part of both worlds, like it or not, and I was never going to survive—we were never going to survive—if our whole lives were built on secrets. I needed to seek answers about my ring, about my parents, about everything, even if it meant finding something I didn’t like. Romy had given me a name: I would start there. But that would take time, and seeing Channing in the hospital had reminded me how instantly life could change. I’d kept the truth about my bargain with Lach from him, and it had nearly cost my brother his life. I wouldn’t make that mistake again.

“I think Channing should move into my place,” I mused as she turned on Iberville. “We can keep an eye on him there.”

“About that…” Ciara hesitated for long enough that I knew more bad news was coming. “When Channing was shot, it became a crime scene…and the landlord might have had you evicted.”

“Evicted?” I shot forward so fast that my seat belt locked, practically strangling me. “How could he even do that?”

“It’s not a big deal.”

But it was a very big deal to me. One more chapter in my old life had ended, the book closing without me even realizing it.

“Lach wouldn’t have let you go back there,” she said when I remained quiet. “We got all your stuff. It’s boxed up in your old room at the Avalon.”

I tried to force a smile but couldn’t get my lips to obey.

“And don’t worry about Channing. He’s family. We’ll get him on his feet and keep him out of trouble,” she promised.

Because that’s what families did.

And my family no longer consisted of just Channing. Ciara was my family, and Shaw and Roark. Even Fiona—whether she liked it or not. I was one of them. That’s what Lach had wanted me to see, but I saw what he didn’t.

We needed to keep our families close, not push them away. “I have to tell you something.”

The car slowed, Ciara glancing nervously at me. “The tone of your voice tells me that maybe I shouldn’t be driving.”

“Maybe not.” Emotions bottled inside my throat. Maybe my ring belonged to a fallen court. Maybe it didn’t. It was easy to keep a secret that didn’t feel like mine. No, it was the other secret that weighed me down. If I didn’t have some help carrying it, I wasn’t certain that I could.

Ciara swerved the car into a spot on the street, half her tires on the curb, and spun toward me. “Out with it.”

“Something happened.” Was I really going to tell her? Because admitting it might be the first step in accepting it, and that was a whole different problem. “And I don’t really know how to feel about it.”

“Is everything okay?” She clasped my hand. “You can tell me anything.”

Somehow, I knew that. Somehow, I’d always known that. Because Ciara had been like a sister since the day we met. So it made sense that she was the one I would share this with.

And maybe I needed her to inject a little joy into this situation, because I was still a little numb. “I don’t want Lach to know that I told you.”

She nodded her head solemnly, crossing her heart with her free hand.

I considered covering my ears, but in the end, I just braced myself for the imminent squeal.

“Your brother and I are mates.”

Chapter Seventeen