Page 58 of Incoronate
Dominic was off the mantle in an instant, his glass slamming down hard enough that I was sure it cracked. “That will never happen,” he said, his voice dropping into something flat and final. “I will tear this world apart before anyone lays a single finger on her. Roderick sisters included.”
“Then I suggest you find a way to hold her back,” said Anita, meeting his furious gaze without flinching. “By any means necessary.”
“I mean it,” I pressed, speaking over both of them. My hands were shaking but I kept my voice level. “If it comes down to protecting that baby or protecting me, you choose him. Every time. Do you understand me?”
Trace reached for my hand, but I pulled it back into my lap. I needed them to hear me. To really hear me.
“Do you understand me?” I repeated, desperate for her to acknowledge it.
Anita studied me for a long moment, something passing behind her eyes that almost looked like respect. Or maybe just recognition. Like she was looking at someone willing to makethe same kind of sacrifices she had. “Hopefully,” she said at last, her tone less cold than before, “it won’t come to that.”
She rose from the chair in one fluid motion, smoothing the front of her fitted black pants as she stood.
“That’s it?” I asked, shooting up to my feet. “You’re leaving already?”
“I’ve done what I came to do. The rest is up to you.” She started toward the doorway, but paused at the threshold and glanced back over her shoulder. “When the call comes again, don’t try to fight it alone. You’ll lose.” Her eyes softened almost imperceptibly. “Trust your tethers. They’re the only thing standing between you and the abyss now. I’ll be in touch.”
And then she was gone, leaving nothing but the echo of her footsteps and everything she hadn’t said hanging in the air behind her.
I sank back onto the sofa, my hands trembling as I pressed them against my thighs.
“Don’t,” said Dominic, his voice low and tight with barely contained fury. “Don’t you ever stand in front of a Roderick and offer up your own death again. Not while I’m still drawing breath.”
I lifted my eyes to his, taking in the rage and pain warring across his face. “Dominic, I had to—”
“No,” he cut in sharply. “ You didn’t. You choose to. There is a difference. And it is not one I will tolerate again.” The muscle in his jaw feathered furiously. “I refuse to live in a world that does not have you in it. So whatever this is, this constant willingness of yours to sacrifice yourself for everyone else’s salvation, it stops. Tonight.”
“He’s right,” added Trace, his voice rough beside me. “We’re not losing you. Not to her or anyone else. Not without a fight. I don’t care what it takes.”
I wanted to argue. To make them see that there were lines I would not let them cross, even for me. Especially for me. But the fierce determination in their eyes told me it would be pointless. We’d just go in circles for hours and end up exactly where we’d started. And I didn’t have hours to spare.
“In the meantime,” said Dominic, his voice gentling. “We’ll find a way to break the connection and sever the anointment for good. And we’ll protect that baby without sacrificing you to do it.”
“You can’t promise that.”
“Can’t I? Watch me,” he said, those onyx eyes burning into mine.
“We’ll figure it out, Jemma. We always do as long as we stick together,” added Trace, his thumb brushing across my knuckles in slow, familiar passes. “You heard what she said. The deeper we let the bond go, the better chances we have of fighting them off.”
I wanted to believe him. I really did. But I’d been a soldier in this war long enough to know that some battles couldn’t be won, no matter how stubbornly you fought them. With the Horsemen regrouping, the entire town locked down like a supernatural prison, and Anita giving me a window of hours before the next round of hell came knocking, I wasn’t sure there was much left to figure out.
We were trapped here, every last one of us. Including Nikki and her unborn baby. And whatever was coming for us was already on its way.
The only question now was whether we’d still be standing by the time it got here.
19. A GAME OF WILLS
By early evening, Gabriel had decided that sitting around and waiting for the Horsemen to regroup wasn’t a luxury we could afford. Not that I’d expected him to handle it any other way. Gabriel didn’t do helpless. He did focused, methodical, and impossible to stall, even when there was no clear road to walk down.
He’d spent nearly an hour after Anita left pacing the living room like a caged animal, his mind clearly working through scenarios and strategies while the rest of us tried to process the reality that we were trapped in a warded town with no way out. Not that running away had ever really been in the cards for us anyway, but knowing the option was completely off the table made everything feel that much more terrifying.
When he finally stopped pacing, he fixed me with a look that said he’d made a decision and there would be no arguing with it.
I loved that for me.
“Training. Now,” he said, already heading for the door. “If the Horsemen are preparing, then so are we. We need to make sure you’re ready when they come back.”
I hadn’t argued. Mostly because I knew he was right, but also because a part of me needed the distraction. Needed to focus on something I could control instead of spiraling about everything I couldn’t.
