Chapter 4 #2
“Mostly.” The word sounded like a curse on Jaik’s lips. “There’s nothing to argue about and nothing to run from. We’ll try exorcising the goddess tonight and if it doesn’t work, we move to the next plan.”
See? They want to rip me out. They might love you, but if they don’t listen to you, that love will destroy us both.
My shadows flickered, responding to the spike of fear and rage. I tried to organize my thoughts through the chaos. “It’s not that simple.”
“Hanna, you didn’t choose this—thing—and it doesn’t belong in you. If it’s hurting you, then we—”
“She’s not hurting me!” The words burst out. “She’s part of me now. What if you rip her out and rip out my magic?”
Jaik and Zehr exchanged a look.
“Why do you think that would happen?” Honor asked, her voice concerned.
She thought the goddess’ thoughts were mine, that I was being controlled somehow.
“We’ll find someone who can separate you safely.” Jaik’s voice was firm, certain. “We lock down the palace and send the children somewhere—”
“Jaik.” Thorne’s voice cut through, quiet but absolute. “You’re talking over her.”
Jaik’s jaw tightened. “I’m trying to help her.”
“You’re trying to control her.” Thorne disagreed.
The tension in the corridor spiked. Honor’s eyes widened, and even Zehr looked wary.
The ice dragon is making it worse. They’ll never trust him. Never trust any of them.
But Thorne’s hand was still steady on my shoulder, and when I looked at him, his eyes were calm. Waiting.
“She’s been trapped long enough,” I told Thorne quietly.
He understood immediately. Turned to Zehr. “Release them. Please.”
Zehr hesitated. “If I do—”
“Your point’s been taken. Scary shadow king will make you talk about your feelings.” Thorne promised him.
Zehr’s lips quirked slightly.
Jaik’s expression was thunderous, but he gave a curt nod.
The shadows dissolved.
And just in time, because the goddess was raging about being trapped in someone else’s shadows, and my own shadows lashed around us. Feel them wanting to explode outward in a show of power that would only prove Jaik’s fears right.
Thorne felt it too. His fingers tightened, a silent reminder. I’m here. You’re in control.
I breathed. Forced the shadows back down.
“If the goddess were in control of her,” Thorne said into the silence, “we would not be having this conversation. Hanna would be gone, and none of you could stop her.”
“You don’t know that,” Jaik said.
“I do.” Thorne’s voice was absolutely certain. Then he looked at me. “What’s wrong with trying to move the goddess out of your body?”
“Nothing,” I said softly. “As long as they’ll stop if I say stop.”
“They will.” Thorne’s gaze studied them all in turn. A world of threats and promises were in those two simple words.
“How do we know if you’re saying stop or the goddess is?” Jaik’s question was harsh, but there was no hiding his tension and fear despite his commanding presence. “I love you as my own sister, Hanna. But I will not allow you to endanger my family.”
“And I won’t allow you to cage my queen.” Thorne’s voice was deadly.
Jaik’s hands curled into fists. His gaze swung to Thorne, and something dangerous flashed in his eyes. “You have barely known her and you are going to act as if you know how to handle it when she is possessed by a god? We are her family. You’re nothing.”
“Jaik.” Honor’s voice cracked like a whip. “That’s enough.”
“We can’t trust them.” Jaik spat. “They think the goddess will win their war. They’ll let it possess Hanna in order to take Edric off the throne.”
See how easy it is? How quickly they turn on each other over you? You’re poison to them.
“That’s not true.” Honor told him quietly. She cupped his cheek, her expression unexpectedly tender in this chaos. “Do I agree with you that the three of them are assholes who do not deserve our precious little sister? Absolutely.”
Thorne shot me a look that said can you believe this shit?
“But they love her like you love me,” she told him gently. “I can see it. They aren’t villains trying to use Hanna, whatever its costs her. They want to protect her as much as we do.”
The muscle in his jaw ticked. But slowly, painfully, he nodded.
The breath I’d been holding escaped in a rush.
Honor squeezed Jaik’s hand, then moved to embrace me. I let her, even though the goddess hissed warnings in my head.
“I’m sorry,” Honor whispered against my hair. She pulled back, her hands on my shoulders. “I still don’t forgive Kaelan.”
I managed a weak smile. “I know.”
“And I don’t trust this goddess.”
“Neither do I.”
“But I trust you.” Her eyes searched mine.
Something in my chest cracked. The goddess was still there, still whispering, but for a moment her voice was drowned out by the overwhelming relief of being seen.
Thorne’s hand moved to the back of my neck, grounding. Reminding me I wasn’t alone in this.
“We do need to understand this goddess.” Honor sounded every inch the queen, and I didn’t think any of us would have argued with her just then. “Bran and Lynx can study her.”
“But only for tonight,” I insisted. “We have to get home. We can’t abandon our kingdom.”
Jaik’s jaw flexed, clearly displeased by the idea. But he didn’t argue. Just nodded stiffly and turned to leave.
Honor hugged me, long and hard, and I clung back to her.
Because if she saw me as her equal, then I could lean on her.