2
KEIRA
Imake it halfway down the hall before I hear him.
"Keira, wait."
"Go away, Declan," I say as I continue walking.
I hear his footsteps get faster.
"Keira."
His hand catches my elbow, and I spin on him, yanking my arm free.
"Don't touch me."
He holds up both hands, palms out. "Just listen."
"No." I take a step back. "You don't get to follow me out here and play peacekeeper. Not after you sat in there and agreed with him."
Declan's jaw tightens. "I agreed because he's right."
"Oh, fuck off." I turn away, heading toward the staircase.
"Keira, stop being like this and listen."
I turn and start walking again.
"You know I'll just follow you, so…"
I roll my eyes.
"You know he doesn't mean it the way it sounds," Declan says. "Callum. He's just, you know."
"Still, Dec."
"Look, he's scared." Declan's voice is softer than I expect. "We all are." He says and I stop and turn to him. "This shit is real. You know that. And when is having someone watch your back a bad thing?"
"You know it's not about that."
"Isn't it though?"
I rub my forehead. "You sat in there and let Callum make decisions about my life like I'm some goddamn liability. Like I can't handle myself. Like I haven't been handling myself just fine."
"You have." Declan's voice drops, quieter now. "But that doesn't mean you should have to keep doing it alone."
"I'm not alone. I have you two breathing down my neck, clearly."
"What I'm saying, me and Callum, is that you're strong, strong enough that you think you don't need help. And that's what's going to get you killed. If you're going to be going into the storm, I mean, shit, no one runs in alone."
The words hit harder than I expect, and for a moment, I just stare at him. My twin. The one person who's supposed to understand me.
"I'm not weak," I say, and I hate how my voice wavers.
"I know." Declan steps closer. "But you're also stubborn as hell, and you'd rather burn yourself out than ask for help."
"Because every time I ask for help, it turns into this." I gesture back toward the study. "Into you and Callum making decisions for me. Treating me like I'm something that needs to be managed instead of trusted."
