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Before the trees officially cut us off, he drops his head and clenches his jaw, and the sharpness in my chest intensifies.
Fifty-Two
CAZ
When I can no longer seeher, I make the trek back to my house. The door is already open, and Juniper stands there with a bloom in her hand, pulling from it.
“Don’t start,” I grumble, walking past her.
“Why’d you let her go?” she demands, following me. Not that I didn’t expect her to. She can be relentless.
“Shehadto go.” I march to my office, picking up my transmitter.
“Did she?” Her question is laced with sarcasm.
“Yes. The longer she stays, the worse it becomes for me.”
“Is that so? Because it seems the more she’s around you, thebetterit is for you. She humanizes you.”
I glance up, and she pulls from her bloom, a smug smile on her lips.
“Just leave me alone please, Juniper. I have work to do.” I don’t look at her, and I expect to hear her footsteps drifting away, but she doesn’t go. She’s still here, and I sit in my chair, pinching the bridge of my nose.
“I see the way you look at her, Caz.” She steps deeper into the room. “The way you are when she’s around, I’ve never seen you like this with anyone. You’re so fiercely protective of her.”
“She was my responsibility until I sent her back home. I couldn’t just let her die.”
“Oh, don’t feed me that bullshit! I know you, Caz. And I know how you are with women. You don’t treat her like the others.”
“Look, Juniper, you’re filling your mind with these romantic ideas to please yourself. None of what you’re imagining is true.”
“You know, the Caz I know would’ve found a way for her to stay, or at least found a way for her to pay us visits. Why? Because the Caz I know is selfish, and what he wants, he takes.”
“Not the case here,” I sigh, picking up a bloom of my own and sparking it. “She’s not meant for repeated visits to our world. You saw her last night. She almost died from a fucking suppressant.”
“Sure, but you saved her. Who hasn’t almost died here?” She takes a step closer. “Yes, it’s dangerous in Vakeeli, and sure there will be people here who will try to hunt her down, but she’syours, Caz, and we all see it. She was made for you.” She scoffs, shaking her head. “I mean, seriously, I wish the universe would toss me a man who is my soulmate. If only it were that easy!”
“Shecouldn’tstay.” The words fall from my lips, but even I don’t believe them. Surely there could’ve been a way, but what would be the point? I saw how fragile she was in the bathroom, how broken and alone she felt, and I feel that every day. Here, it would drive her mad. At least in her world, there are established relationships and people she can rely on who aren’t so…violent, as she puts it.
Juniper sighs, as if annoyed, then turns away to leave the office. Before she’s gone, she stops and says, “She may not be fit for our world, but she’s fit for you, and that should be all that matters.”
She’s gone, and I finally hear those footsteps drifting away. I lean back in my chair, pulling from my bloom, hoping it’ll ease the ache inside me, but it doesn’t. Willow is leaving. She’ll be a world apart, and I’ll be…here. That’s how it’s supposed to be.
Juniper is a hopeless romantic. She wears her heart on her sleeve, hoping someone will see her for who she really is. She’s the soft one, and I suppose that’s why she fits here. She keeps us men practical when all we want is to be impractical...unless she’s triggered. Then she becomesworsethan us. But I don’t have time for love. Love is a disadvantage I can’t afford, and Willow is…different. She deserves far better than this world will give her. She deserves better than me.
Fifty-Three
WILLOW
“Did he give you the chant?”Killian asks, stopping in the middle of forest. It’s the same place I’d fallen when I came to Vakeeli. The path looks different this time of day. Light filters through the leaves, not as yellow as the sunlight, but more like a brighter moonlight.
“Yes.” I pull it out of my bra and unfold the paper.
“Right. Go on then.” Killian takes a few steps back, folding his arms.
I look Killian up and down, and ask, “Is there a reason you don’t like me?”
He frowns then blows a breath, clearly annoyed. “It’s not that I don’t like you. You’re just a distraction we can’t have.”
