Annie patted his cheek. “You’re welcome.”
“Stop teasing him, Annie.” Claire’s faint voice had all of them leaning forward. Marcus checked her pulse, took her free hand. “Hey,” she whispered. “Looks like I made it.”
“By too narrow a margin.” Marcus kissed her forehead, relieved by the hint of warmth under her skin. “Don’t you ever dare such a ridiculous stunt again, do you understand?” He cradled her cheek. “I almost lost you, sweet.”
“You lost part of me, when the demon—”
“No.” Zach’s quiet, angry denial cut her off. “You’re still you, Mom.”
Claire closed her eyes, tears slipping free. “Thank you, sweetheart. And thank you for bringing me home.” She took in a ragged breath, looked at Marcus. “We need to bury Simon.”
“Claire, the priest at his church has already—”
“No. We are his family. And he was the closest to a brother I will ever have. I want to do this for him. To say goodbye—”
“We’ll take care of it, honey.” Annie brushed hair off her forehead, tears edging her voice. “You rest, let me do this for you. For Simon.”
“Where is he?”
Marcus let out a sigh, knowing she would not let go until she was satisfied. “The church rectory. The priest there promised to work out the details. He asked no questions, and said he would look after Simon.”
Claire nodded, squeezing his hand. “I need to take care of a couple of things, but I want to bury him as soon as we can.”
“I will contact the priest.”
“Where is Eric?”
Annie pushed wild curls off her forehead, taking a sudden interest in the bed linens. “He—he’s getting rid of what’s left of the deck. And—killing the card we had.”
“No—” Claire tried to sit. All three of them moved at the same time, but she dropped back to the bed, her face white. “God above, I hurt everywhere.” She swallowed, focused on Annie. “Tell me.”
“He seems to be the least affected by the cards, when compared to the rest of us. And I won’t get any sleep until that last card joins the others, and the ashes are buried in a giant container of salt.”
“Thorough.”
“I thought so.” Annie smiled when Zach snorted. “You would have done the same, if you hadn’t just fought a greedy bastard and tried to jump off a cliff. Again.”
“Won’t go for a third try. Promise.”
“You better not. My heart won’t take it.”
“The knife,” Claire said. “What are we going to do with—”
“Bury it,” Zach said, his voice cold. “In a box so covered in wards it will be invisible.”
Claire nodded. “Very thorough.”
“Zach’s idea,” Annie said. She leaned in and kissed Claire’s cheek. “On that note, we’re going to leave you two alone. I’m hungry,” she cut off Zach’s protest with a glance. “And I’m seriously craving a juicy roast beef sandwich.”
Zach all but bounced off the wall, hand pressed to his side. The injury didn’t seem to affect his enthusiasm. “I could get it for you.”
“Only if you get one for yourself. Or two—if you think you can carry them.”
The first real smile Marcus had seen since they left the cliff crossed Zach’s face. “No problem.” He moved to the door, slower than his usual sprint, and turned in the doorway. “Mom? Did you—”
“None for me, sweetheart. My stomach isn’t quite ready yet. Though I imagine Marcus will not pass one up. If you can carry that many.”
“I can handle it.” He disappeared down the hallway.
“My purse is on the counter!” Annie called after him, and grunted as she pushed herself up. “Lord, I feel fat. And not a single snide word, Jinn. Not even in your head.”
“I will force myself to refrain.” He smiled at her. She scowled, and made her way to the door, closing it behind her. “She will be an intriguing mother.”
“Never a dull moment.” Claire pulled free of his grasp. “Help me sit—no argument, Marcus. I know I will be spending more time in bed than I want to. For now, humor me.”
“One sign that you need to rest—”
“And I will. Stubborn Jinn.” A smile lit the silver blue eyes.
He returned the smile, ignored the ache at seeing the evidence of the demon, so close to the surface. Lifting her, he shifted the pillows before he settled her against their support. “Better?”
“Much.” She twisted her fingers around the sheet, staring at her hands. “Now ask your questions, Marcus.”