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“That sort of thing happens in fantasy only, Hennessey. I’ll see you soon.”
I nod and shake his hand. This one is not much of a hugger, and I respect that, but he still holds my hand in his for a bit longer than necessary. I’m not sure how Carter and I got close. Maybe because we’re almost complete opposites, maybe because we balanced each other. Maybe because I see a bit of me in him. Somewhere deep in there.
He moves to Annika, and she looks at him, a bit unsure.
“It was… bittersweet,” she says, but I have no idea what she’s talking about. Carter nods—he seems to know.
“I’m glad you stayed as long as you did,” he tells her.
“How long have you known we were planning to leave?”
“Five weeks and three days.”
That’s specific.
“Five weeks?!”
Finn makes all our heads turn. He mutters something under his breath and shakes his head.
“It was not my secret to tell. I saw no benefit in it. It would not have changed the outcome.”
“At least I would have known,” Finn seethes.
“I needed time with you, brother…” I tell him, and his stern look pierces me.
He knows as well as I do that he would have been too angry or stopped talking to me. I wanted this period of time to be… normal.
Vin steps in front of me, gives my shoulder a squeeze, and shakes my hand. “We could have protected you here. She would have been safe. Plenty of people have a family in this underworld.”
“I don’t doubt that, but this is my responsibility, not yours. I know there are other solutions, but… sometimes these things, love and the mind, they defy logic.”
“I like logic.”
I tighten the handshake and pull him to me, whispering in his ear.
“Someday, that girl with hair made of fire will come back into your life, and all logic will disappear.”
His fingers dig into my shoulder bone, and when he relaxes, and I pull away, the black of his eyes is an entire abyss. There’s nothing there but darkness, no hope, no shining light… but there’s a slither of red that cuts through.
Katya follows. I brought her into this when she was running a tiny business all on her own. I offered her protection, a home, and it feels like I’m abandoning a child, even if she is older than me.
“Take care of him,” I whisper as I pull her into a hug.
She pulls away slightly and looks at me.
“You should have told me, Ronan. I had a right to know. I could have…”
“Done nothing to change my mind.”
She puffs and shakes her head. “I know. But this feels so extreme.”
“It feels right to me. We’ll be on an island, a house on the beach… a tiny town. Paradise.”
“So that’s it, then. Just like that… it feels more like abandonment.”
“Only if you stop talking to me.” I kiss her cheek, and she smiles.
“We’ll see, I guess. Take care of her, and I want photos and updates.”
