There was no evidence of the battle that raged on the other side of the veil. No noise leaked through, no one else followed me. I continued staring at the spot where the veil had appeared until the sounds of the secluded park began poking through my consciousness. Spring peepers and the hoots of owls worked against a wall of silence that threatened to drive me mad.

“Leathal?” Victor asked, his voice as gentle as I remembered.

It was nearly impossible, but I tore my eyes away from the place where the veil had been. I turned around to stare into Victor’s warm brown eyes. He smiled, holding his arms open. It was an invitation I couldn’t resist. My tears blotted out any recognizable features of the park in the pitch-black darkness. I tripped over the twisted roots of ancient trees and collided with Victor, nearly knocking him off-balance.

“Shh,” he said, holding me.

Feeling his body against mine gave me a sense of hope that things weren’t as dire as they seemed. I clung to him the same way I’d done during my deepest despair over losing my father.

When Dad died, Victor had been there to set me right. He promised me life was still worth living, giving me the support I needed to navigate a world that had suddenly made no sense. When I was stronger, Victor had given me the courage to fly without a net. After that, no matter where we were or what we were doing, I could always count on him to pick me up whenever I fell. So I indulged myself, allowing my false sense of bravado to slip away as my arms locked around the boy who would always make everything better.

Victor had the patience of a saint. I wasn’t sure how long we stood there, but he soon stood a little taller and tipped my chin. He soothed my hair away from my face, unable to hide the worry in his expression.

“What are you doing out here?” he asked. “I admit it’s kinda cool and all, that big boulder with all the hieroglyphics.”

“Petroglyph,” I corrected automatically. “It’s a petroglyph.” I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was terribly wrong for me to be here with any boy other than James.

“Okay, but since when did you care about that kind of stuff? I don’t remember you ever talking about this place.”

I could think of no explanation, so I let his question hang in the air.

“It’s getting chilly,” he said. He wrapped me in his jacket, then draped an arm around my shoulder.