“I really don’t want to stay, no. Okay? I think it would be better if I went upstairs.” I turned and started walking up the steps.
“Maddy? Please. I’m sorry.”
I ignored him and walked into the bedroom, slamming the door behind me. The sound of wood banging into wood was nice. Cathartic. It gave my anger some weight. After a couple of deep breaths, I grabbed a smallish backpack from the closet and started looking for items I’d need to take along whenever Sinthy was strong enough to teleport us.
I’d begun opening my drawers when the bedroom door opened. A new, blazing flash of anger boiled inside me. Nico couldn’t even give me a few minutes to calm down? I shook my head, not looking at the door, and said, “I swear to God, you better get out of here before I throw a fucking shoe at you.”
“Me?” Abi asked.
I spun on a heel and saw Abi looking at me with wide eyes. My shoulders sagged. “Sorry. I thought you were Nico.”
She raised her eyebrows as she stepped in and closed the door. “Trouble in paradise?”
Rolling my eyes, I went about folding the clothes. “Just men being men. You wouldn’t think having all that extra flesh between their legs would drain that much of their brain power, but here we are.”
“Did those clothes also piss you off?” Abi asked, nodding to the pair of jeans I wasn’t so much folding as punching and slapping in anger.
I sighed and threw them into the bag. “Basically, he didn’t believe me about a thing I thought was really important. It turned out I was right, and he was wrong, but him not believing me really hurt.” I went on to explain exactly what had gone down out in the forest.
Abi’s eyes went wide. “You mean there’s a witch down the hall from me?”
“Oh my god, Abi. Yes, now let’s focus on the big thing.”
“The… the thing bigger than the real live witch in this house?” she asked, frowning.
I bobbed my head back and forth. “Okay, yeah that’s pretty crazy, but I’m trying to vent about Nico. We can do all the Halloween jokes later.”
Abi held up her hands in defense. “I get it, all right. I know everyone is on edge. Especially you, but I still trust your judgment. I’d never think you’d make up a story like that. I can see why you’re pissed. I would be too.”
My shoulders slumped. It was like someone had finally heard me. It was a relief to hear, but it made me angrier at Nico. Why hadn’t he listened? How come he couldn’t look in my eyes and see I wasn’t imagining things or making shit up? “Thanks,” I murmured.
“Now, that being said, you might want to give him a break this once. Everyone is wound tightly right now. It might be best to overlook this one misstep, right? There’s a lot more to worry about than being pissed at your boyfriend… er… mate, or whatever.”
“You’re probably right. Speaking of which,” I said, pointing at her. “Have you talked to Sebastian?”
Abi’s smile vanished, and she looked away. “I’ll talk to him when I stop having nightmares.”
“You can’t keep holding this grudge against him. He fucked up, yeah. Even then, he’s not the reason you got kidnapped. Christ, it could have been worse. What if he’d been there to protect you and gotten killed, and you still got kidnapped? That would be way worse, wouldn’t it? I mean, if there’s anyone you need to be angry with, it’s me.”
Abi’s head snapped back up. “Don’t you do that, Maddy. Don’t you dare try to put this on yourself. You didn’t make those assholes do this to me.”
I tossed a shirt into the bag and sat on the bed, suddenly exhausted. “I’m the reason you were in danger, Abi. Not Sebastian. If it wasn’t for me, none of this would have ever happened. That’s a fact.”
Abi shook her head vehemently. “No, no, no. It’s not your fault, and it isn’t fair for you to place the blame on yourself.”
“Then, how is it fair for you to place all the blame on Sebastian?”
Abi’s mouth was already open for a retort, but then my words sank in. Her lips closed slowly as some kind of realization set in. I could almost see it in her eyes. “I—” She frowned.
I nodded. “We’ve all got healing to do, bridges to mend, lives to get on with. You need to get on with your life by forgiving Sebastian.”
We sat there in silence for several moments. Abi twisted her fingers together, thinking and staring at the floor. Finally, I leaned over and put a hand on her arm. “Are you good?”
She blinked as though she was coming out of a dream. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay. I’ll work on things with Sebastian. I promise.” She got up to go, but I grabbed her and wrapped her in a hug first.
The sound of a throat clearing came from the door. I glanced up to see Nico standing there. He looked like a kicked puppy. Abi disentangled herself from my arms and left, giving Nico an awkward shrug as she passed him. Nico, still not meeting my eyes, gave a cursory knock on the door frame. “Is it safe for me to come in?”
I groaned. “Don’t be an idiot. Yes, it’s safe.”
