Page 22 of Land of Shadow

“That’s all. Thanks.” Juno dismisses her.

“But that’s not what happened.” Am I hearing Juno correctly? “Vince just said Graywasn’tbehind it.”

“Vince, let me talk to Georgia. Get some rest. We’re secure here.” Juno stands and walks over to me as Vince lumbers from the room.

She sits beside me and throws her arm around my shoulders. Warm and familiar, she still smells faintly of the perfume she always wears. It’s comforting. At least, it should be. But if anything, I feel a sense of disquiet, one that’s growing stronger as she pulls me to her.

“Listen, I know it seems harsh. But this is my first hundred days. The country is on a hair trigger with at least four states wanting to secede. I can’t let that happen. I can’t be the last president of this nation. If I don’t come out swinging, they’ll see me as weak, as a target, as someone they can push around. We could lose everything right when we’re on the cusp of ending the plague.”

I shake my head. “We won’t lose anything by telling people the truth.”

“You remember how you reacted when I told you we’re working with a race of superhumans to save the human race? How you reacted to the truth?”

I grumble. “That’s different.”

“Is it? I don’t think so. And I also don’t think that telling this fractured nation that the very ones responsible for ‘Juno’s Miracle’ are the same ones who attacked my inauguration is what we need to move forward. We need unity, not suspicion or worry. Valen said he handled the problem. We have to trust in that and keep going to end this crisis.”

I roll my eyes. “Spoken like a true politician.”

“Look.” She sighs. “There’s a reason you’re here. You’re going to find the cure, Georgia. I know it. I felt it the moment I learned about Valen’s blood, about what it can do. The rest of it is just noise.” She lays her head on my shoulder. “I need you to support me on this. On all of it. Ineedyou, sis. More now than ever before. Do you understand?”

I take a deep breath and let it out. “Yes. You’ve always been there for me. Always protected me. I’m not trying to be naïve, but?—”

“That’s not a flaw. It’s one of the things I admire about you.”

I look at her sidelong. “Buttering me up?”

“Maybe.” She squeezes me tighter for a moment. “Is it working?”

Juno would never do anything to hurt me, to hurt others. I need to remember that. This is probably the first of many tough decisions she’s going to have to make if she wants to unify the country and bring it back from the brink of collapse. She’s made a million hard choices since she became governor, and those are going to be even more agonizing, more highly scrutinized now. She needs me. I have to remember the big picture, the reason why I’m here.

“A little.” I shrug.

“This whole thing is going to get easier. I promise.” She raises her head and looks at me.

I meet her gaze. “Except for that part where you think Valen’s a superhuman with never-before-analyzed DNA and promised the country a cure in a year.”

“One thing at a time.” She smooths a hand down my arm. “It’s going to happen. With you working alongside the other top minds at the CDC, it’s a done deal.”

“I can’t tell if that’s optimism or delusion.”

“The first one.”

“Hmmph.” I can’t think about the work. About tomorrow. About Valen and superhumans and what Juno said concerning me working with him. It’s all too heavy. I can’t take another bit of straw on my spine, one more morsel on my tongue. Not until I digest today, swallow it down and keep it somewhere dark and dusty.

“You still trust me?” she asks.

I can feel her hold her breath, as if the world is riding on my answer. It comes easily. “Yes.” And it’s the truth.

She gives me a half smile. “Good.” Standing, she takes my hand and pulls me to my feet. “Now get to bed. You have a long day tomorrow at the lab.”

“Okay.” I hesitate.

“What?” She yawns.

“I don’t know where my bedroom is.”

“We’ll go together. Come on.” Linking her arm through mine, we stroll across the White House, Secret Service lurking in corners and doorways as she points out the different rooms and what they hold. I shouldn’t be surprised she knows every square inch of the layout. Juno’s not the sort of person to leave anything to chance. By the time we get to the bedroom wing, I’m almost asleep on my feet. “Why is one entire room blue? Seems Willy Wonka-ish, right?”

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