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While I knew I was still weak in comparison to the new leagues I’d been thrown into—with the likes of Noctus and the Paragon—I was already starting to see the way my abilities could be advantageous, like helping the elves when they were cut off from their magic while downtown.
Yes, I needed to keep on leveling up my skills so I could protect my family from any threat, but I already had the potential to protect them. (Even the tracker knew that—it was why he was so upset whenever he fought me.)
It is my fault that I’ve been so passive in all of this, but I guess it’s time that Pat and Joy stop seeing me as the cute kitten from our childhood. They don’t have to understand how hard I intend to train so I can protect them, but I’m not going to put up with them trying to pry me apart from Noctus. I just got him back.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chloe
Idropped my hands to my side and frowned at my siblings, trying to figure out how to tell them all of this. “Have the two of you ever stopped to think about what I can really do?”
“What do you mean?” Joy warily asked.
“I beat up not one, buttwofae monarchs, after breaking into a compound full of fae without getting caught,” I said.
“Unseelie and Seelie monarchs are the least powerful of the fae rulers,” Pat started. “Even we know that—”
“How many supernaturals on your task force could have done what I did?” I asked. “On their own, without help?”
Pat looked at his feet. After several long, uncomfortable moments, he sucked in a deep breath. “Not many.”
“The tracker had to take hostages—multiplehostages—in order to pin me down. He had to cheat because he knew he couldn’t face me head on,” I reminded them. “In the supernatural world, the elves were the bogeyman to everyone, and I, as a shadow, am the bogeyman to the elves. Only I could be even scarier than my ancestors, because I’m elf-trained.”
Joy’s eyes were crinkled at the corners—not with joy, but pain. “Chloe…I’m sorry if you thought we don’t think you’re competent. It’s not that. It’s just…”
“We’re humans,” Pat said. “Even though we’ve tried our best to learn everything we can, we’re not supernaturals.”
“Yes,” Joy agreed. “And since we can’t ever fully understand what you go through…all we can do is try to help you. Although maybe, in our own fears, we’ve been a little suffocating.”
I softened my stance, the stiffness leaving my shoulders. “You’re not ignorant. Being a supernatural isn’t like an exclusive club or anything, it’s just…” I started plodding up the rest of the stairs, trying to buy myself time to think. “It’s just that you two make decisions and you don’t ask me. I didn’t know how you’d react to Noctus, and even if we ignore the danger factor and that it was partially his decision to make, or that in telling you I would have been dooming you both to a life in an elf city—”
“There are worse fates than that,” Joy muttered behind me as we reached the top of the stairs.
I wanted to grin, but I made myself push forward—this was important. “Recently, whenever I talk to you about any trouble I encounter, you two create an action plan that you think is best without even consulting me, and expect me to roll with it.”
We reached the top step, Pat and Joy both wearing thoughtful expressions.
“Normally I don’t mind following your leads, but I should get to have a vote, too,” I said.
“We should have told you what we were planning with our careers,” Pat abruptly said.
Joy had been playing with one of her silver bracelets, but with Pat’s declaration she grimaced. “We didn’t want to make you feel like you owed us,” she said. “But I guess we should have talked to you about it.”
“I’m so happy you guys moved here.” I stopped outside the door to my bedroom. “I love living near each other again. But…I need to be able to make my own decisions, and I need to be able to talk to both of you and know you’ll listen and not try to make the decision for me.”
They nodded, and the last bit of tension between us evaporated.
“Our little sister is all grown up.” Joy reached out and pulled me into a hug. “It’s simultaneously so amazing, but weirdly emotional.”
I hugged Joy back, laughing when Pat ruffled my hair.
“You’re a good kid, you do great for yourself,” he gruffly said.
“Just remember that, because I’m including romantic decisions in this discussion,” I warned him.
Pat made a face. “Let’s talk about something else, please.”
I scrunched my nose at him. “You’re the one who keeps interrupting me whenever I try to talk to Noctus.”
