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Nero snapped his fingers, starting a fire in the fireplace. “I need to check on Harker.”
At the mention of his name, Bella stirred under the blankets. Dread coated her face like a funeral mask.
“Harker will be fine,” I assured her.
Nero returned several minutes later with his best friend. Harker’s leather chest armor was ripped half open, but he wasn’t bleeding anymore. His eyes were focused, his face set for battle.
But Harker’s expression softened when he saw Bella. “Are you all right?” He rushed over to her, kneeing beside the sofa. He set his hand on her forehead. “Nero told me what Ava did to you.”
“And he insisted on coming here right away,” Nero commented from the doorway. “The doctors didn’t want to let him go. We almost had to fight our way out of there.”
“Bella?” Harker said gently.
She groaned and hid her face under the blanket.
“Were you hurt?” Harker asked her.
“No.” She peeked over the edge of the blanket. “I hurt people.”
“We need to get back to the gods’ hall to assess the situation. Are you two going to be all right here alone, or should I send backup?” Nero asked Harker.
“It would be better if we’re alone,” he replied. “I don’t think Bella wants to be around other people right now.”
“I don’t want to be around any people, ever again!” she squeaked, then covered her face.
“Don’t worry.” I sat down next to her, giving her a smile. “We will figure out how to fix this.”
“And in the meantime, Harker will keep you safe,” said Nero.
Bella winced. “No.” She looked up at Harker, tears leaking from her eyes. “You shouldn’t stay. It’s not safe. You aren’t safe with me.”
“I’m fine.” He peeled back his torn armor to show her the smooth skin beneath. “See?” He smiled at her. “All healed up.”
“This time,” Bella said glumly. “But what about next time?”
I’d never known Bella to be so pessimistic. To give up so easily.
“Hey, we’re a team. A family.” I took her hand and squeezed it. “And families don’t give up on one another, no matter how bad things get. We work out our problems until we find a solution.”
She hiccuped. “What if there is no solution?”
“There is always a solution,” I insisted. “How many times have we faced the end of the world and stopped it? How many times have things seemed hopeless and we still found hope?”
“It’s different this time.” She clutched the blankets like they were a shield. “This time, I am the enemy. I am the threat. To save everyone, you have to put me down.”
“Never.” Harker captured her hand, holding it to his chest.
“Bella, we will never ‘put you down’,” I told her. “So you’d best erase that thought from your mind right now. We’ve had loved ones go off the rails before, and we found a way to make things right without killing them. Remember the time Stash went berserk and tried to start a war? Or when I got the Fever and made all the Legion soldiers around me turn into violent, vicious savages? We got through all of that, and we will get through this too. I promise.”
“But—”
“No buts. Don’t argue with me, Bella. I’m way more stubborn than you are. I’m also the Angel of Chaos, and the Angel of Chaos always finds a way.”
Bella buried her face under the blankets again.
“Will she be ok?” I asked Nero as we left her in the cabin with Harker.
“Of course,” he replied, linking our hands. “You will make her ok. You are the Angel of Chaos. But more than that, you are her sister.”
