Page 27 of Bitten & Burned
Quil threw up his hands again, sighing heavily as he stalked from the room, taking his barely simmering rage with him. The room was quiet.
With that, they looked at me. They all expected me to move in. To go along with their democratic vote, but it wasn’t that way for me. For me, I either had all of them or none of them.
I took a deep breath before beginning, “I know you run things as a democracy here. But this isn’t about your comfort. It’s about mine. And I need all five of you to agree—really agree—or I’ll know I’m not welcome by everyone.”
Vael opened his mouth to speak, but I shook my head.
“Cassian said it was my choice. So either it is or it isn’t. I have agency, or I don’t. There’s no half-measure here. Quil doesn’t want me here. That’s that. I’ll leave next week.”
Everyone began protesting.
Anton tried to be funny. “Darling, don’t punish the rest of us because Quil was born with a stick up his ass.”
Vael’s was more pragmatic, as expected. “You’re punishing yourself, not him. You know that, don’t you?”
“Vael. It’s my choice,” I repeated.
Vael turned his head, calling over his shoulder. “Cass—Cassian, talk some sense into her, please.”
Cassian paused for a long moment, choosing his words carefully. “I respect your decision, but I feel I must warn you: danger won’t wait for a vote. The only half measure here would be you leaving because of one person’s opinion.”
Dmitri was the only one who didn’t say anything. He simply watched me try to defend my decision to Vael and Anton, both of them trying (and failing) to convince me to simply not look at Quil.
“We’ll just… have you not go to the areas he frequents. He doesn’t go many places,” offered Anton.
“Sometimes he comes to the library. Should I stay out of there as well? Why don’t you simply lock me in Vael’s room—or better yet: in the attic. I can rattle chains whenever I’m hungry, how about that?”
“Witchling, please, I only want to keep you safe. I don’t want to lock you up,” Vael insisted.
“He said that I stink,” I said definitively.
“You don’t,” both Vael and Anton insisted.
“It’s relative. Apparently, I stink to him—so what you two think isn’t relevant.”
Vael looked beside himself, gripping my hand like he thought I might just float up into the sky and out of his reach. I felt for him—I didn’t want to do this alone—but I didn’t want someone looking out for me who didn’t want to. That was worse than being alone, wasn’t it? True, I wouldn’t be alone with him very often, if at all, but still… it all felt so childish. If my options were to conceal my presence or leave, I’d leave.
“At least let us try to change his mind,” Anton pleaded, his soft hands clutching mine. “Don’t make a decision until Camday evening, please?”
I sighed, but nodded.
“Okay,” Vael said, looking somewhat relieved, though his face was still pinched. “Come sit. Can I get you something to eat?”
“I made some pain au chocolat earlier,” Anton said, his voice trailing like he was trying to lure me back in.
I laughed. “That sounds lovely… and a?—”
“Cup of tea?” Anton supplied. “Earl Grey, with cream and sugar, yes?”
I smiled. “Yes.”
“Sit,” Anton told Vael. “Keep her warm. I’ll be back.”
Cassian sat down across from me, his massive frame making the chair look too small. He leaned forward, bracing his forearms on his knees.
"You’re not wrong to stand your ground," he said quietly. "Just remember—standing alone isn’t always the same as standing strong. If you feel uncertain, you say the word. And I’ll handle Quil."
“Thank you,” I said softly. “But for now, my mind is made up.”
