“So, if he’s an Elder, he might be able to control them?” Michelle speculated.
“He might. Or, he may die taking the oath,” Sam said.
“We can decide this later,” Mom said. “Right now, we need to finalize the trip. I still think it’s too dangerous for Michelle, even with an Elder along. No offense intended, Grey.”
Grey winked at Mom but remained quiet.
“I think it’s worth the risk,” Michelle said quietly.
“All right,” Dad said, standing. “The flight leaves at ten a.m. We’ll see you at breakfast.”
Michelle shook as she stood. Mom saw it and quickly hugged her.
I couldn’t see Michelle’s face, but I saw my mom’s. Her eyes widened and she paled. Her breathing grew shallow, and she met my gaze.
“Mom?”
She opened her mouth but only managed a gasp.
“Michelle?” I said, reaching to pull her away from Mom. Michelle wasn’t holding Mom tightly so it was easy to pry them apart. But as soon as I did, Mom’s legs gave out. Dad caught her on her way down.
Michelle came to herself and made a distressed sound when she saw Mom on the floor. As Michelle moved to kneel down by Mom, I caught her by the arm and tugged her away.
“No,” I said, gently. Something happened when the two of them touched. That much was obvious.
Dad tapped Mom’s cheek. “Charlene,” he said. “Come on, honey. Open those pretty eyes.”
“What happened?” Michelle asked, turning back to me.
“One minute she was hugging you, the next she started breathing funny and fainted. Did you have another vision?”
“Yes. No.” She glanced back at Mom. “It was different. I think my ability is changing again, but I don’t know how or why. I think I did that to her.”
She looked so worried and afraid that I didn’t have the heart to agree with her.
Mom made a small sound of denial as she came to.
“No, it’s just part of my gift,” Mom lied while Dad helped her up. “I’ll tell you about it some other time. You need to go spend time with your brothers. I’m fine.”
She didn’t look fine. She looked pale and shaky as she moved to sit on a chair.
But, it was obvious she didn’t want Michelle to worry. I gave Michelle’s hand a quiet squeeze of reassurance.
“She’s stronger than she looks,” Dad said to both of us.
“She’s still here and listening,” Mom said with a roll of her eyes. I winked at her before nudging Michelle toward the door. Dad would probably want to have a private word with Mom.
“Michelle, could I have a moment with you? Privately?” Dad asked.
I stopped and looked at Dad. He was entirely serious. What did he have to say to her that he couldn’t say in front of me? What was so important he had to say it now when Mom was still recovering from whatever had happened?
Dad glanced meaningfully at the door. I scowled and, without much choice, left the room.
I paced in the hallway and wondered what was being said behind the closed door. If I were lucky, Dad was trying to talk Michelle out of going on this trip. Somehow, I doubted that.
When the handle moved, I stopped my pacing and faced the door. Mom and Dad walked out first. Then I saw Michelle. Her face was flushed, and embarrassment oozed from her. What the hell?
She didn’t look at me but gave a small wave to Mom. Mom gave a small smile in return and walked away, letting Dad support her.
Alone, I took Michelle’s hand in mine and tipped her chin so she would face me. She gave me a half-smile and nodded toward the end of the hall where my parents had disappeared.
“Let’s go eat.”
Although I knew something important had been discussed, I didn’t ask. She would tell me when she was ready.
Together, we walked to the commons. Her brothers were waiting for us. As we ate, they talked excitedly about everything they’d discovered during their day. It didn’t take them long to finish their meals. To their disappointment, Michelle insisted they come back to the apartment with us. We played a few games of Go Fish before getting ready for bed.
She went to bed with them, snuggling them tightly. I tried not to let my disappointment show as I went to our room alone.
Chapter 17
The next morning, I understood Michelle’s abandonment of me the night before when I heard her anxiously tell Liam and Aden that she would be leaving them with Jim and Winifred for a few days. I was just making my side of our bed. Her side was still undisturbed.
The boys cheered and rushed to our room.
“Aren’t you going to miss me even a little?” she asked, getting out of their bed to follow them. She was adorably sleep-rumpled and slightly put out as she watched her brothers cram her clothes into her bag.
“Mimi, you said four days. That’s not a long time. We get to have a sleepover with Paul and Henry.” Liam didn’t seem the least bit affected by the news. It gave me hope that all they had suffered would fade from memory. I briefly thought of Carlos and wished he would have had the same chance to forget.
After Michelle dressed and repacked, we went down to breakfast. The boys sought out Paul and Henry. Mary had anticipated Liam and Aden’s arrival because she had two plates waiting for them. The cubs joined their table and excitedly started talking about all the things they were going to do with Paul and Henry. Michelle’s scent gave away her concern. Mary grinned and gave her a quick hug.
“They’ll want to miss you, but we’re going to keep them so busy they’ll forget to. It will be easier for them that way.”
Michelle nodded and followed me into the kitchen so we could get our own food.
While the boys laughed and talked at their table, our breakfast was quiet, and after we finished, Michelle said a final good-bye to her brothers. They didn’t comment on her lengthy hug or sad expression. They were too busy planning their sleepover.
She and I silently walked back to the apartment for our bags. Once the door was closed behind us, I turned her to face me. Her grief at leaving the boys was palpable. Tears welled in her eyes, and I pulled her into my arms, holding her tightly.
“You don’t have to go,” I said, hating her pain, hating the reasons she needed to face what she feared most.
She pulled away to face me. “I do. I want to be free. I want to protect the boys. This is the only way to do it. Why are you saying this now?”
“I see how hard this is, leaving your brothers. I can go alone,” I lied. “There’s no need to come with us.”
“You know better. I’m the bait.”
I wanted to argue but couldn’t.
“You’ll keep me safe,” she said seriously. “I don’t doubt that.”
* * * *
Carlos drove us to the airport. It was a quiet, short ride, during which Michelle managed to text Winifred, worrying about her brothers. Once we arrived at the airport, we focused on checking in and finding the right gate. The flight went smoothly with the four of us sitting close. Michelle remained silent through landing and picking up our bags. Carlos, Grey, and I scanned the crowd and tested the air. There was nothing but the usual human scents and pollution.
The cab ride to the hotel was pleasant. Since there wasn’t much room in the back seat once Carlos sat to the left of Michelle, she was pressed against me the entire way. Unfortunately, the ride was short.