nodded and, with a grunt, motioned for the other Chenilles to follow him, which they did. Their steps were lumbering, as if trying to balance oversized bellies as they walked.
When they were well out of sight, Gilly uttered an incantation that sent the ferry back to Algiers for Viv and Evee to board. She waited at the water’s edge, nervously biting her nails, her insides shaking. Her nerves were already shot with all that had been going on, but thinking that her sisters might get hurt by a stalking Cartesian en route made her nerves so bad, she thought she’d vomit.
“They’ll be fine,” a man’s voice said behind her. And it took a nanosecond for Gilly to recognize it as Gavril’s. He put his hands on her shoulders and leaned closer to her ear. “I promise. They’ll be fine. And as soon as they return, they’ll have Nikoli and Lucien at their sides at all times. That I assure you.”
“But what if—”
“You can ‘what if’ until the cows come home,” Gavril whispered into her ear. “But the key is to think positive. Visualize them back here safe and sound. Nothing will happen to them.”
Gilly turned toward him, Gavril’s hands still on her shoulders. “Nobody can know for sure. Crap happens, you know?”
Gavril let out a chuckle. “That’s one thing I like about you, Ms. François. You do speak your mind, no matter what crosses it.”
“It’s not funny,” Gilly said. “They’re alone out there and—”
“Look,” Gavril whispered and turned Gilly around. There in the distance was the ferry, already headed city side. From the light of the moon, Gilly easily made out Viv and Evee, both standing near the landing gate. She let out a breath of relief she didn’t even realize she’d been holding.
Instinctively, Gilly reached up and covered one of Gavril’s hands with her own. The spark of electricity that went through her when they touched shocked her, and Gilly quickly removed her hand. She thought of the Elders’ warning not to be intimate with the Benders, as doing so might be their undoing. Yet she couldn’t help but think of Evee and Viv. Both had received the same warning but continued their relationships with Lucien and Nikoli.
Gilly helped maneuver the ferry into its slip and hugged each of her sisters as they walked off the ferry.
“What’s with the mushy stuff?” Viv asked with a laugh. “We only saw you a few minutes ago. You’re acting like you haven’t seen us in a year.”
“Mushy stuff, huh?” Gilly huffed. “Just glad both of you are safely here.”
“Me, too,” Evee said, with a worried expression on her face. “Me, too.”
* * *
Gavril watched as Gilly greeted her sisters, and felt his heart swell. As tough and independent as Gilly might have come across to the rest of the world, Gavril had been fortunate to see more. He’d seen how hard she could love, how deep her loyalties ran, her tenderness when the moment called for it.
Simply watching her interact with her sisters now, Gavril could not deny the fact that he was falling for Gilly and falling hard. This filled his heart and took him aback at the same time.
Gavril had dated more than his share of women over the years, but not one of them had affected him the way Gilly did. This had him walking in unfamiliar territory, which made him a bit nervous. He didn’t want to move too fast or too slow, and knowing either with Gilly was a hard call. Aside from that, he had to keep his mind on the matter that had brought him here in the first place—the Cartesians.
Worrying about how to approach Gilly with his feelings had to come second. His first order of business had to be protecting the Triad and the remaining Originals from the Cartesians. The problem was, every time Gavril saw Gilly, his mind took a hard left without permission, and all he could see or concentrate on was her.
Regardless of how he felt, he had to gain control over his emotions and focus on protection. He’d tried comforting Gilly earlier by telling her to focus on Evee and Viv returning on the ferry safe and sound. The whole time he’d been trying to convince her that they would return safely, he’d been worried about their safety. Both Evee and Viv had been out alone without a Bender to protect them from Cartesians. And having a Triad member out alone when the Cartesians were after them along with their Originals was like teasing a catfish with a fat, juicy worm.
He was just as grateful to see them return safely as Gilly had been. Now, however, things had to change. No more outings without a Bender in tow. And no matter what it took to make that happen, even when it came to feeding the Originals, Gavril would make sure it did.
“What now?” Gilly asked as she, Gavril, Viv and Evee walked away from the docks.
“More hunting,” Gavril said. They crossed a broken piece of sidewalk, and Gavril placed a hand on the small of Gilly’s back to maneuver her around it.
“Our hunting skills suck,” Gilly said.
“Yeah,” Viv said. “All we’ve gotten out of hunting for our missing Originals is more missing Originals. There has to be a better way to tackle this.”
“I think it’s time to hit our Grimoires,” Evee said, referring to their book of spells. “Read through them to see if there’s not a spell we’ve missed or one we can alter slightly that might help us.”
“You can’t just alter a spell,” Gilly said gruffly. “You change it, and it changes the outcome.”
Evee frowned. “It was just a thought.”
“And a good one,” Viv said. She gave Gilly a warning scowl, and then she laid a hand on Evee’s shoulder, trying to reassure her. “It wouldn’t hurt for us to look at our Grimoires. I vote we go through them...just to be sure.”
“Well, if that’s the case,” Gavril said. “I’ll walk the three of you home, then go to the hotel and meet up with Nikoli and Lucien to make sure the arrangements are set up for Ronan. Knowing Nikoli, the details have already been set in stone, though.”
“Then why go?” Gilly said and then felt embarrassed for asking.
“Support,” Gavril said. “Everyone can use some from time to time. The three of you look through your books, and we’ll go back to the hotel and wrap up a few things regarding Ronan with our families. Let’s say the six of us meet up in front of St. John’s Cathedral in a couple hours.”
“Sounds good,” Viv said.
“Fine. Two hours,” Gilly said, and the she turned on her heels and started for home. She made sure she stayed at the lead as she didn’t want Gavril to see the disappointment on her face. She didn’t like the fact that he was leaving—for any amount of time.
“Slow down, will you?” Evee said as they neared the Garden District. “We’re not running a marathon.”
Gilly tsked and glanced over her shoulder at Evee. “No, but the sooner we’re off the streets, the better.”
When they finally
