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“What? I can’t take that. Your inheritance belongs to Holter.”
Holter’s face brightens. “You’re my mate too. That makes it yours, not mine.” He pushes the envelope across the counter.
“I can’t take this. It’s too much.” She pushes it back.
“Annabelle.” Nico’s tone is deep and warning.
She sighs and picks it up. “When do I go?” She clutches it to her chest, then touches a box next to a chair. “I guess we shouldn’t have gotten all this stuff.”
“It’s fine,” I say. I want to make her feel better. I don’t care about the money.
She stops next to another box. “I...” Her braids shake. “I’ll change.” A few steps. “What should I change into?”
“We’ll be going to Athens. Something that will fit in with humans.” I try not to look at Holter and Nico. I can feel them breathing on the other side of the room. Annabelle glances back at them. “Holter can come and drop you off,” I say without thinking.
Her shoulders relax. “I’d like that.” She heads into the hall.
“Why did you tell her that?” Nico barks in a hushed tone.
“He can. Milo is going to drive thesolo. There’s room.”
“Alder,” Nico growls.
“I can get Jonas or Soren to sit with Alder.” Surely my brother owes me that.
Nico nods. “Okay, okay,” he says in a way that makes me wonder if he’s thought all of this through yet. “It’s important to get her to Athens safely.”
“I agree.” Holter stands like a soldier, and I can’t help but wonder what he’s going to do once his father is doing okay. “This is what she’s wanted all along.”
“I’m ready.” Annabelle is standing in the doorway wearing what looks like... she looks homeless.
“What is that?” I motion my hand up and down.
“They’re human clothes. What I left Boston with.” She’s wearing black leggings and an oversized T-shirt.
“Belle.” Holter takes her hands. “You look wonderful.”
“She looks like a kraken dressed her,” Nico huffs.
“My assistant in Athens can get her some things for the plane.”
“Oh right, a plane. Plane! I don’t have a passport.”
“Look in the envelope again.”
She pulls out the passport, ignoring the bank documents. I had the ID made. “This isn’t mine. I have a stamp when I went to Canada. They weren’t going to stamp it, and I made them. Because I figured I wouldn’t be going anywhere for a long time.”
“It’s a duplicate.”
“You mean a fake.”
“A fake that no one will be able to spot because it’s an exact duplicate.” I also made sure to enter her leaving the country into the government system too. I didn’t want her to get held up at customs when she landed.
“An almost duplicate.” She looks from the empty pages to me. “But if you can do all of this, a passport is easy.” She opens up her arms. “This is what I came with. This is what I’m leaving with.”
“Are you sure, Belle?”
“I’m sure.”
