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We all turn at the sound of Hanna’s voice, as she and Annika walk back in. They’ve gained a bit of color back in their complexion, but not near enough for me to stop worrying about my little witch.
“We have to go. This is on us. Our mistake. Our problem. We’re not bringing this on you.”
“What the fuck, Hanna?” Finn rasps. “Just like that, you want to fucking leave me?”
She shakes her head and smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. I extend my arm, willing Annika to come to me, and like in a trance, she complies in a heartbeat, sitting back down.
“Of course I don’t want to leave you,” Hanna replies to my brother. “But I also don’t want you to take the fall for us. I can’t have any of you hurt.”
I pull Annika’s chair as close as I can, and she settles into my side, her small hand on my thigh, and I can’t help but cover it with mine. Just as I want to cover her, wrap myself around her, and keep her safe forever.
“We can’t force you into this, into our mistake.” She sighs. “We know Bartiste. It could turn so, so ugly. We cannot be the reason why something happens to you.”
“While I appreciate the sentiment, little witch, I’m helping you. Whether you like it or not.”
“Weare helping them,” Finn rasps.
“He’s right,” Maddox says. “We are helping you.”
Silence descends upon the room. Annika looks around to all of us with red, tired eyes, worry painted far too vividly within them.
“Thank you. Really, thank you.”
“We’re still leaving, though,” Hanna says. “Anni and I talked about this already. I think we should go back to Bovely Island.”
It’s not the worst idea. Vin nods, Madds cocks his head, pondering, and Carter’s stance is unchanged.
“We’ll send as many men as we can spare with them for protection. Bartiste obviously caught a trail to them into Queenscove, but there’s a smaller chance for him to be aware of that island. We’ll go to old man Bovely, explain to him how important it is to keep his mouth shut, and maybe even take him into hiding to be safe.”
“This is absurd!” Finn rages. “How the fuck will they be safe if we’re not there to protect them?! It’s madness!”
“We have to go…” Annika says to me and me alone. Like she knows that I understand somehow.
“I don’t want you to.”
“We won’t be that far, only Bovely. We can’t be in your way. I’ll never forgive myself if something happens just because I dragged you into this.”
“Annika, baby, you may be a witch, but even you don’t have that sort of power over me, the ability to drag me into something I don’t feel like doing.”
“You gotta be kidding, Ronan!” Finn turns to me now. “Fuck!”
“I’m considering it because there is a big chance Bartiste is unaware of the island. No matter what, we’ll go head-to-head with this guy, and we don’t know what to expect from him. Not now anyway.”
“What if he finds them and we’re nowhere near there?!”
“How is it different with him sending his men here while we’re out there fighting?”
He’s stunned into silence finally, pondering my words. I know why he’s arguing, I want to argue with myself on this too, but… fuck, I don’t know.
“Finn, listen, I’m not saying that this is the best solution. I want them close too, but what if Bartiste comes with more firepower than we can handle? Or more men? We don’t know this guy. The only advantage we have over him is the fact that we know our territory and he doesn’t. At least… as far as we’re aware.”
My brother is stretching this silence for an uncomfortable amount of time. Enough for Madds to get restless, the tapping of his foot making a hollow noise on the wooden floor, while doubt starts to creep in the quiet threads of my mind.
“What if—what if he finds them, and we’re not there to save them? I just can’t stop thinking about that possibility. Fuck, Ronan!” He gets up and starts pacing around the table.
Annika still looks a little pale, further making me question my point of view on the matter. I need to be with her. How can I abandon her when this whole thing just makes her sick?
I pull her harder into my side, pressing my lips to the top of her head.
