“Stop,” Maines orders.
Oak steps back to create distance.
“Do not push us away right now,” Oak grinds out.
I’ve never seen Oak this angry, and Silas pauses for a moment, realizing that fighting him isn’t what we need right now.
Silas exhales sharply, stepping back. "Fine. I’ll give you an answer. Briar was ready to listen to Kalix. She was going to let her take over.”
They all stare at me, their gazes burning into my soul. I slam my eyes shut, swearing I can still feel the delicate flowers brushing against my legs. I see Barlowe in the distance, his calm face watching me, and my heart splits in two. I let out a long, shaky breath. I crack open my eyes, and heavy tears rest on my bottom eyelids, threatening to spill over.
“I wasn’t going to.”
“I felt it.” He glares at me, accusation in his stare. “I could feel everything you were experiencing. Barlowe wasn’t real.”
His words strike me like daggers. Maines and Oak look toward us in shock.
“B-Barlowe?” Maines gasps.
“I know he wasn’t real, Silas. Believe me, I fucking know that,” I respond, my voice rising. “But, it was calm, and I wasn’t in pain. I’m tired. I’m so tired of fighting every single fucking day.” My head falls into my hands.
Maines and Oak walk to my side, allowing me to cry momentarily, and give Silas a nasty look. Silas stands back, and I can see his chest rising and falling quickly. He’s unbelievably upset with me. He understands that I’m not telling the truth—which keeps the others from panicking—because he’s right. I considered it.
I thought about letting go and living blissfully unaware of the pain, and for a moment, I almost accepted that decision. The guilt hits me.
Silas tilts his head and walks to his bedroom. The door slams shut with a bang, and I don’t chase after him. He needs a moment to process what just happened, as do I.
“Is that true?” Oak asks.
The others wait for my response, and the anticipation fills the room with a thick tension.
“No. I…I wouldn’t do that.”
They nod, but I can sense that no one in this room genuinely believes me. I don’t even believe myself.
Maines pulls me into a tight hug, “Are you alright?”
I shake my head. She knows I’m not okay, physically or mentally.
“Just give him a minute. He’ll be fine, but he needs to calm down.” Maines’s composed words ease my racing heart. “I’m not sure what happened, but you seriously scared him.”
I grab my back, feeling the ache settling in. I glance at Larkin, and his face is still pale as he refuses to meet my stare.
“Your shoulder has almost healed. The tattoo turned out fine, and Larkin did an amazing job,” she continues. “I can tell that it’s healing on its own, but it’ll be noticeable for a while. We’llneed something to hide it from Malachi.” Maines grins over my shoulder. “I can grab you a shawl to bring with you.”
Oak smiles as he leans his hip against the table. “After witnessing that, I’d prefer being haunted over experiencing getting that thing tattooed on my body. No offense, Larkin, but you’re not getting anywhere near me.”
Larkin moves closer to me while I’m still perched on the table. He walks behind me, examining his work. His rough hand grazes the fading ink, causing me to flinch. I hear him exhale, as if relieved that I’m sitting here with them right now.
“It’s healing nicely. You did well, until you didn’t, but right now, your body seems to be reacting well to the poison,” Larkin’s relaxed voice states. “And no offense taken, Oak. You aren’t my type, anyway.”
Oak’s jaw drops. “What? I’m everyone’s type.”
Maines laughs loudly. “Finally, someone is helping me check Oak’s wild ego. Do you know how often I tell him that?"
I glance at Larkin, a gentle smile spreading across my lips. “Did you just make a joke?”
For the first time, he smirks at me. “I do have the ability to be funny.”
