“We were just talking,” Enoch tells me as he leans back in his chair, defeat radiating in the sudden slump of his shoulders.
“Oookay,” I respond, unsure.
“Why don’t you fill her in, Enoch? I mean, ultimately this does affect her too. Shouldn’t Vinna get a say in all of this?” Kallan asks Enoch, and the anger in his tone takes me by surprise.
I study Kallan for a minute and then look expectantly at Enoch.
What the hell is going on?
Enoch runs a tired hand over his face. “Sauriel thinks the tribunal will vote against the Sovereign’s order to have us all killed.” He pauses and then doesn’t say anymore.
“And that’s a bad thing?” I ask, perplexed as to why there’d be an issue with that.
“No, of course not. But once that happens, we have a decision to make,” Enoch goes on, and a light bulb goes off in my head.
“Ah, okay, I get it.”
We all go quiet, and uncertainty and tension settle at the nape of my neck. I open my mouth to say something and then close it, Getta’s words from earlier resonating in my mind. I stare at the flickering fire for a minute and swallow down my feelings about the situation. Kallan’s right in the sense that this does affect me, but he’s wrong when he says I have any say in the matter.
“Have you guys pro-conned it?” I ask quietly.
Becket snorts and leans his elbows on his knees. He cradles his head in his hands and chortles. That’s pretty much what we’re doing now,” he informs me, and I give him an understanding nod.
“Should I go?” I ask them awkwardly, getting the impression that I might not be welcome in this conversation. I feel like I’m intruding, and this is now uncomfortable as fuck. Part of me wants to know just what pros Suryn could possibly have in their eyes, but the logical side of me is screaming that it’s none of my business. I push off from my armchair perch and stand up.
Enoch jumps up out of his chair at the same time. “No. Kallan is right. We should be talking to you about this too. Don’t leave,” he implores, and I’m stuck between listening to him and bolting for the door anyway.
We stare at each other for a moment, and then I slowly sink back down onto the arm of Kallan’s chair. Oddly, Enoch doesn’t look relieved. He does, however, look seriously fucking nervous as he also sinks back down onto the cushions of his chair. Nobody speaks for a bit, and I’m left looking around at all of them, not sure where it’s safe for my gaze to land.
“Why does this feel so fucking weird?” I ask in an effort to lighten the mood and gauge what’s going on.
Nash and Becket both give me a gratuitous amused snort, but Enoch and Kallan both just sit there staring off at nothing.
“Because it’s all like some fucked up arranged marriage, and none of us can agree on what to do,” Becket supplies, and this time I give him a humorless chuckle.
“Well, we’re all adults here. We’ve been through some shit together, and we all care about each other. So just get it all out there. This room is officially a safe space, and what’s said in here will stay in here,” I offer.
“Fuck, this is weird,” Kallan admits as he breathes out a sigh. “Okay fine, we’re all adults, and we can be mature about this shit. We’re split fifty-fifty on whether to stick with you or jump ship and go with Suryn.”
“It’s not jumping ship, stop calling it that,” Nash irritably growls.
“Maybe not to you, but that doesn’t meanI’mnot allowed to feel that way,” Kallan snaps back.
“Okay...” I interrupt, seeing why things felt so strained when I walked in here. “I’m assuming Becket and Nash are for Suryn and you and Enoch are for me?” I query in an effort to get the lay of things.
They all go quiet again, and it’s clear I just got the split wrong.
“Becket and I are for you. Nash and Enoch are for Suryn.”
“Oh,” I chirp, surprised by that information. I look at Becket, who kind of just glowers at me, and then to Enoch, who won’t make eye contact. I’m not sure how I feel about this. Enoch was so insistent before that he and I weresomething, and I’m shocked that he would choose Suryn over me.
“Are you pissed?” Enoch asks me as he stares at the fire.
“No...I’m just confused,” I answer honestly. “You’ve been pushing so hard to convince me that you are my Chosen…” I trail off.
“Yeah, but you’ve been telling me that it doesn’t feel that way for you. I can stay with you and be on the outside of what I want forever. Or go with her and...who knows?” Enoch replies.
“And who knows?” I parrot back quietly. “She thinks you're filth. What the fuck kind of relationship do you think you’ll have with her?” I ask him, suddenly irritated and trying to understand why.
