“More careful,” I press.
“And I need you to trust me,” she counters.
There it is. The line we keep hitting. The one neither of us is willing to step back from.
“This isn’t just about trust,” I say.
“No,” she agrees. “It’s about control.”
My jaw tightens.
“It’s about keeping you alive.”
“And I’m helping with that,” she says, gesturing to the notebook. “Or would you rather I sit quietly and pretend none of this is happening?”
No. I wouldn’t. And that’s the problem. Because she’s right. And I hate that she’s right.
“Fine,” I say finally. “You help. But you don’t take unnecessary risks.”
Her lips twitch slightly.
“Define unnecessary.”
“Tessa—”
“I’m kidding,” she says quickly. “Mostly.”
I exhale slowly.
This—
This is what this is going to be. A constant push and pull. Between instinct and independence. Protection and autonomy. And I don’t know which one wins.
But one thing is clear. The rogues aren’t waiting anymore. They’re moving. And every second we spend reacting?—
They’re getting closer to whatever endgame Damon has planned. I glance at the door, toward the street beyond it. Toward the forest just past that.
“We’re running out of time,” I say.
No one argues. Because they feel it too. The shift. The pressure. The inevitable pull toward something we can’t avoid. War isn’t coming. It’s already here. And now?—
We either hold the line. Or lose everything.
23
TESSA
At first, it’s nothing. That’s the problem. If it were obvious—if someone walked in wearing a villain cape and twirling a mustache—I’d know exactly what to do. Call Archer. Lock the doors. Panic in a productive, structured way.
But this? This is subtle. Quiet. Easy to miss if you’re not looking for it. And now?—
I am.
The bell above the bookstore door jingles, and I glance up automatically, my hand still resting on the open notebook in front of me.
Suspicious behavior log.
Still feels ridiculous. Still feels necessary. Two women step inside, laughing softly, their arms full of shopping bags from other stores along the street. Tourists, at a glance. Normal. Harmless. But I don’t look away right away. I watch.
