I want this to be a safe haven for her, for us, but I know better than to hope. Anything that looks too good to be true typically is, in my experience, and I doubt this will be any different.
Atlas taps my shoulder, gesturing to his watch and back towards the ring. It’s harder than I imagine, peeling myself away, but I do. It’s so serene that I just want to lie here and observe them a little while longer, but I manage to fight through the compulsion and drag myself back to my feet. We wait until we’re far enough away before speaking, but Dorian beats me to it.
“Did anyone else feel...weird? Like this strong sense of peace that you’d do anything to preserve?”
I’m glad I’m not the only one affected, but it leaves a sour taste in my mouth, knowing my feelings aren’t my own. I’ve struggled enough dealing with all of these extreme reactions Cambria draws out of me, I’m not ready to discern what’s fabricated and what’s authentic.
Her face is scrunched up in contemplation, though she doesn’t look upset. “Whatever that was, it was like someone was actively using an ability, similar to how I mesmerize people, but infused into the glamour concealing the place. I didn’t know something like that was possible, but unless someone was watching us and we didn’t realize it, that’s my best guess. It’s genius, if so. It would make anyone coming to attack them less inclined to do so, maybe slow them down enough for the people to notice before it was too late and they were slaughtered.”
The ring comes into sight as we continue to walk, preparing to head home. “Do you think it’s worth the risk to try and settle there?”
There’s a heavy beat of silence as we all stop outside of the crossover, the charred circle just beyond our toes. “I do,” Atlas announces first, eyes hard with determination. “If I’m wrong, we’ll run, but I have a good feeling about that place, and I haven’t felt that way about anything else since meeting the fae.”
I turn to Dorian for his vote, because of any of us, he’s more prepared to deal with this sort of scenario. Slowly he nods, hesitantly giving his support to the idea. “But it’s clear Cambria’s not one of them. We need to be prepared for them to lash out as soon as they see her, if they really are hiding from Elorie and the rest of the light court. They’ll think she’s the enemy and get defensive, so we’ll need to proceed with caution.”
Cambria bites her lip before nodding as well. “If it comes down to it, I can get us out of there. I don’t want to, and you might need to keep me from spiraling, but I won’t let them hurt you guys.” At my stern look, she backtracks. “Won’t let them hurtus.I need to get past my hang-ups and anxiety eventually, more so now that we’re being hunted. Just don’t let me kill anyone if we can avoid it, please?” The last part is spoken quietly, full of the pain she’s carried throughout her life.
I wrap an arm around her waist and step into the crossover with her at my side. “I’ll find a way to keep your hands clean if it kills me. Promise.”
Just let me protect her. For once, let me be enough.
Chapter 6
Dorian
––––––––
“Come on, I won’t tell,” Cambria begs, batting her eyelashes at me, but I remain steadfast.
“Nope. Sorry, gorgeous, but Luce will kill me if I tell you where the safe is.”
She’s been at this for over an hour, tearing the house apart in her boredom. With all three of us out of work now, it leaves far too much time on our hands. As the saying goes, idle hands are the devil’s plaything. Cambria is a poster child for the phrase and I pull out my phone, searching for something to do around town. If she’s this bad, dear lord, I don’t ever want to meet a fae toddler; it would make me go prematurely grey.
“Then at least tell me what’s in it?” she attempts, flopping onto the couch beside me, a part of her giving up at last.
“Dragon dildos,” Atlas answers seriously, not even looking up from his phone. “Lucien just doesn’t want you to know his dirty secrets.”
