“Juni,” he whispers, grabbing my shoulders, “please don’t leave, please, please,” he begs, dropping to his knees and holding me by my hips. “I love you. Taya’s gone. I’ll just have to make sure I’m with you all the time to keep you safe. I won’t lose you.” He stands again and cups my face with both his hands. “I. Will. Not. Lose. You,” he grits out.
“Jacobi, I-“
“No.” He shakes his head. “No more excuses from me. I love you, and there’s nothing beyond that for me.”
“You’ve hurt me, repeatedly,” I admit, my heart cracking.
“I know, Juni. I know, and I’m sorry, so, so, sorry.” His eyes fill with tears, but he doesn’t allow a single one to escape. “The truth is I can’t live without you, and if I never get to kiss you, I’d happily live that way for the rest of my life just to be with you. My life is fated, but my choice is you. It’s you I choose.” He breathes the words out as though they’re a release, and his hot breath ghosts across my face.
I smile and allow my tears to fall. They’re tears of release, of sadness, grief, happiness, fear, and triumph. I need to let them go and take this new journey, this next step, and let my heart guide me for a while… or forever.
I clasp Jacobi’s hand, and we run towards the school exit. I’ve no idea where we’re going, but as long as it’s with him, I don’t care. We’re almost out, almost free, when I’m grabbed from behind and hauled into a classroom. Jacobi rushes in after me and three guys bundle him into the corner. He can’t move even though he struggles, and I can see the anger as it blazes in his eyes. I turn to face my father as the door slams shut behind us.
“You’re leaving Caspian,” he tells me.
I shake my head. “I’m not.”
“You called yesterday and spoke to Miribel.” He tells me something I already know. Except Miribel and I talked it through, and I’d decided to stay. Sebastian dying changed my mind again this morning, but I had decided not to leave. I know Mirabel wouldn’t have sold me out.
“Velva,” I mutter.
My father smiles darkly. “She happened to be listening in to your conversation with Mirabel as I’ve instructed her to do.”
“Does she do everything you want because you’re fucking her?” I question, mirroring his dark smile.
He backhands me, and I drop to the floor.
“Get the fuck off her!” Jacobi roars, and I can feel his magic sparking.
I continue to smile up at my father, blood dripping from my lip. My father is dishevelled, and I know he hates to be anything other than perfect in the eyes of his subjects, but I also know how to flip his switch, and he hates it…hates me.
“I’m not leaving,” I tell him, standing up.
“You are. You have no choice. I’ve closed the lease on your flat.”
I shrug. “I’ll find somewhere else to stay.”
“I’ll stop funding your place here.”
I laugh. “I’ll talk to Mum.”
That sets him off again. This time he punches me in the face, and I feel the gush of blood from my nose as I fall.
There’s another roar from Jacobi as he rips himself free of the three men. Fighting breaks out, and although I can’t see him, I know Jacobi’s beating the crap out of them.
My father’s eyes flit to the men then back to me. “You have three days, and then I’ll come for you,” he warns before disappearing in a puff of magic, taking his goons with him.
“Juni,” Jacobi cries, coming to my side and running his fingers tenderly over my broken skin. “Maybe I can heal you if you kiss me?” he mutters, leaning in for a gentle kiss and trying to avoid the side where my lips are split.
“No,” I move away from him and giggle as I run my fingers through his hair. “You can’t use your power to heal a cut lip and nose. It’s not even broken,” I assure him, touching the tip of my nose with my index finger. “He’s done worse.” I shrug, and the violence which flashes in Jacobi’s eyes is unmistakable. “Come on, help me up. I need to pack my stuff and see if I can find somewhere else to stay.”
“You’re coming to live with me.”
“Jaco-“
“No.” He cuts me off. “I’m not letting you out of my fucking sight. Before it was because of Taya, but now there’s even more reason. Anyway,” he says, pulling me up and stroking the loose strands of bloodstained hair, which have stuck to my cheek, behind my ear. “I love you,” he shrugs, “so why wouldn’t I want you with me all the time.”
With that, he picks me up in his arms, bridal style, and magics us to my place. I sigh, loving being in his arms, but also knowing this will bring fresh fighting tomorrow when Jacobi and I attend school together. Worse than facing Taya, though, is knowing that when my father said he’d be back in three days for me, he meant every word. I now need to navigate this situation without bringing my mum into it because this just might kill her.
I don’t think I’ve slept in nearly forty-eight hours, and as I lean against the wall and watch Juniper crawl into my bed, I know I won’t sleep well again tonight. I’ve already moved my belongings into the lounge. I intend to sleep on the sofa, rather than take my parents’ room which is too far away on the other side of the cottage. I’ve also left all the doors open. I need to know she’s safe.
I’ve not had many dealings with King Ambrose in the past, but I have to say I want to throttle him for the way he treated Juniper. How could anyone do that to someone they’re supposed to protect and love? My meeting with him has left a massive unease in my chest. Something isn’t right in the world of magic, and it appears to centre around the King.
“Are you sure you’re all right on the sofa?” Juniper asks as she pulls the sheets up around her neck.
“I’ll be fine. You forget I slept on the streets not so long ago,” I reassure her. “Goodnight. If you need me, I’m just outside.”
I close the door a little bit to give her some privacy and make my way to the lounge. I’m not tired, adrenaline is still surging through my body. I wish I could have done something to help Sebastian, but I don’t for one second believe the story we were told in assembly about an underlying heart condition.
He wasn’t dying from a problem with his heart. Something was strangling him. He clawed at his throat to try to stop it, but he couldn’t. I wasn’t able to help him, and I had to watch him die before my very eyes. I’ll never forget it. He knew about Guardians, and I can’t help but think he was killed to prevent me from learning more.
Making my way over to my desk, I look at the book and the foreword written by King Ambrose himself which Sebastian pointed out. What was Sebastian trying to tell me? Was it Juniper’s father who had the bind placed on her heart? And what about my powers? Has he stopped me from remembering and understanding what a Guardian is? I need to go back to Sebastian’s room when the magical police have left it and see if I can find out anything else about the Guardian and the witch. For the moment, though, I have to concentrate on keeping Juniper away from both Taya and her father.