Page 63 of Spears and Shadows (Defenders of the Light)
“Only because I had to,” Adam said, his face crumpling. “I know it doesn’t make anything better, but it was killing me not to tell you the truth.”
Nora began to sway where she stood. Before she could fall, Drew’s hands shot out to catch her shoulders. She was so numb that she barely felt him wrap her arm around her so he could support more of her weight.
“If you give me a chance, I can explain everything,” Adam pleaded. He looked devastated but it didn’t matter. He had looked trustworthy before and that had turned out to be a façade as well.
“I want to go home,” was Nora’s only response. She dropped her eyes to the pavement at her feet, but Adam’s desperate eyes still bore into her.
Thad’s voice came from somewhere in the group. “You should at least let us take you to the Sanctuary to make sure you’re all right.”
“I want to go home,” Nora repeated more forcefully.
“I can take care of any injuries at her apartment,” Drew interjected. He tightened his grasp on her as Nora began to shake. She wasn’t sure if it was from the cold or the shock, but she was glad for his solid presence either way.
“What about a debriefing? We don’t even know what happened down there,” argued a voice Nora didn’t recognize.
“For goodness’s sake, can’t you see that she’s in shock!” Drew erupted next to her, “There’s time for that later. Right now, she just needs to rest and feel safe.”
“Okay.” Adam was the one who responded, and Nora’s head snapped up. “She can go home if she needs to.” He sounded so defeated that Nora almost felt guilty, but not enough to stop her from looking back down at her feet without responding.
There was a flurry of activity that Nora didn’t pay attention to, simply leaning into Drew’s side and trying not to collapse. Nora was nudged forward and ushered into a cab that somebody had hailed before Drew slid in beside her. She turned and buried her face in the warm flannel of his shoulder, and it wasn’t until she noticed the fabric was wet that she realized she was crying.
Drew rolled down the window and leaned out to ask somebody, “What about a guard for tonight? Will she be safe?”
Adam’s sad voice drifted in through the window.
“I don’t think the Shadow will come after her. Something tells me the agent got everything he wanted from her tonight.”
