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“Be mad all you want, but I need you to come with me. It’s about to get ugly.”
“What do you mean? What’s happening?”
I shook my head. “It’ll be easier if you don’t know.”
She got up, balling her hands into two small fists. “Don’t you get it? This is exactly the problem with you. You keep thinking you need to protect me from everything. Yeah, I get sick easy, but I’m not an idiot. I can handle some of the burden. I can handle the truth—about you, about whatever’s going on.” She was breathing hard, and I wondered if she’d prepared some version of that little speech.
“There’s no time for this. I need to do something and then you can hate me if you want when it’s done, but you’ll be safe. That’s all I care about.”
“Riggs,” she said, grabbing my arm with both hands. “Tell me what you’re planning.”
I stared down at her. “No. I need you to live, and you’ll only try to talk me out of doing what’s smart.”
“There’s more to life than living,” she shouted. Then she grinned, throwing her hands up in frustration. “Okay, I know that sounds kind of stupid. But hear me out. Whatever you’re planning must be bad if you won’t tell me. What if it’s a price I’m not willing to pay to save myself? I deserve a say. Maisey deserves a say. It’s not your decision to make.”
I touched her cheek. It felt so soft and delicate against my calloused skin. “I’m not willing to risk your life. Lazarus gave me an option that will mean you’re safe, and I have to take it. Even if it makes you hate me.”
“Riggs,” she said, punching both fists against my chest. “Stop that. Just talk to me. Talk to me like a person, not some prize you’re worried about people taking. If this is all about my life, then let me decide if I’m willing to let you pay the price.”
Annoyingly, she had a point. Worse, I wasn’t sure I even believed what I’d said. Was I really willing to do something she’d hate me for? Not if there was another option to save her life…
“Lazarus wants me to kill Victor,” I said finally. “He’ll let all of us go and promise to leave us alone.”
“Wait, is everyone else okay?”
“Yeah, but Lazarus’ people have them right now.”
“Maisey, too?”
I nodded. “At least that’s what he says.”
Sylvie looked like she was about to faint. I put my hands on her shoulders and eased her to sit on the edge of the bed. Her smooth forehead scrunched in thought for several long moments. “The guy creeped me out, but I can’t let you kill him to save us. No way.” She looked down to the floor, then her eyes snapped back to mine. “And you realize how that would look, right? They let us in here and then suddenly the Prince winds up assassinated? And then we disappear right after? You’d start a war, Riggs. No. No way. I’m not going to let you do it. I know Maisey wouldn’t want it that way, either.”
“This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you.”
She put her fists on her hips. “Well, you did. And I’m putting my foot down.”
Despite the pain in my ass she was causing, I couldn’t help grinning at the sight of her. She was ridiculously small next to me and about as imposing as an angry grasshopper. I could’ve flicked her out of my way, but somehow she had me by the balls, didn’t she? I could feel it in my chest.
This little fucking woman had woven her way into my mind and heart so firmly that I hardly recognized myself anymore. She was making me a better person, but I had a sinking feeling it was going to get us all killed.
“What do you suggest, then?”
“Tell Victor everything.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Okay. You’re fired from the planning committee.”
“No, think about it. What would you do if you were in Victor’s position? You’d see it as an olive branch. It’ll help cement you as allies, and we’d be able to continue staying here. If Lazarus and the Coven could move openly against this place, they’d do it, right? They wouldn’t sneak in to try to bribe you into doing their dirty work for them.”
We spent a few minutes bouncing ideas around, but I couldn’t think of anything better than Sylvie’s plan. Lazarus would have friends, and I couldn’t rely on brute force to find him, find the others, and save them all without risking too much. Getting Victor and the rebels help, as much as I hated to admit it, was our best bet.
“Fine,” I said. “I’ll go to Victor. But we still need to know where he’s keeping the others, and I have an idea for that.”
