Dace is always with me, simmering just under the surface. Still, it’s been so long since I’ve talked about him, I’m unsure what to say.
I stifle a sigh, drop onto the seat opposite hers, and decide to lead with the truth. “Honestly, I don’t know. It’s been a while since we last spoke.” My shoulders tense, my fingers twist tightly together, as I wait for her to break into a rousing chorus of the I-told-you-so song.
Jennika was never a Dace fan. Right from the start she was fully convinced he was put on this earth with the sole task of breaking my heart. While the assessment speaks mostly of her own well-documented fear of commitment—it’s strange how it echoes the prophecy.
It took a long time for Jennika to come around. And while she never quite embraced our relationship, she did resign herself to the idea of the two of us being together.
But now, with just a few simple words, I’ve proven her right.
I pick at the underside of the table, waiting for her to react. Jennika has the tenacity of a pit bull. She will gladly sit here all night if that’s what it takes to get me to spill.
“Dace and I are on a break.” I cringe when I say it, bracing for one of her sarcastic comebacks. But when she continues the silence, I add, “It’s . . . complicated.”
“Try me.” The diamond stud in her nose quivers and glints. Her green eyes meet mine.
I swallow hard, grasp the edge of the table so hard the table’s wood grain leaves marks on my skin. I don’t want to discuss it. Can’t bear to say the words. And yet, next thing I know, I’m spilling the whole sordid tale. The words spewing so quickly I’ve no time to vet them.
To her credit, Jennika refrains from all comment. She just nods, sips her tea, and sighs in all the appropriate places, until I’m all out of words, all out of breath, and she lifts her chin and says, “Well, you know what you have to do, right?
”
I push away from the table, tilt my chair back on two legs in the way that she hates. “I know what I’m going to do. And, if you’re like everyone else, it’s not even close to what you’re thinking.” The words are sharp, but not nearly as sharp as the accusing look on my face.
I was sure she’d follow the usual Jennika script. Use my tale of woe to gloat, tell me she knew it all along. I never expected her to highjack my pain as a teachable moment to reinforce how I need to take down my boyfriend.
“You’re acting as though you have a choice, when clearly you don’t.” She runs a slow finger around the rim of her glass.
“According to who?” I start to say more, start to say something I’ll surely live to regret—but then I think better, and talk myself down. Getting upset won’t do any good. If anything, it will only serve to prove her point. If she thinks I’m being irrational, then it’s my job to prove just the opposite.
“If Dace is fated to go dark—fated to kill you along with everyone else—then I can’t see what you can possibly do to change that. It’s your duty to protect the citizens of Enchantment, Daire, or at least that’s the story you once told me. If you fail to keep the three worlds in balance . . . well, I can’t even imagine the result. There is too much at stake, you can’t allow yourself to be led by your heart!”
“It’s my duty to protect the citizens of Enchantment, yes, and, in case you’ve forgotten, that includes Dace! Sheesh, Jennika, I thought out of everyone, you’d be the one who might understand. Nice to know you’re against me as well.”
“I’m not against you, Daire, I’m merely against your decision. I think you’re being reckless, dangerous, woefully misguided, and I’m begging you to reconsider.” She pushes away from the table and carries her glass to the sink. Leaning against the tiled counter, she turns and says, “Daire, I get that you love him. I get that it’s your first love, which makes it all the more powerful. But if I hear you correctly, then Dace isn’t really Dace anymore. He’s not the boy you fell for. He’s being eroded by this . . . beast, as you call it. And it won’t be long before there’s not a trace of him left. You need to deal with that now, get it straight in your head before it’s too late. You need to prepare yourself for the hard choices to come. You need to be ready to face the inevitable.”
“Guess that’s where you and I differ. I don’t believe it’s inevitable. I may be new at love but if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that love knows no boundaries. Not when it’s real. Not when it’s true. The feelings Dace and I share can never be destroyed by a beast or anything else. We’re not like everyone else. We don’t fit into a convenient slot. We can’t be labeled and catalogued quite as easily as you’d like. Dace did this for me—to help me with my fight against the Richters. He acted with the noblest of intentions, and I plan to honor him with the same level of sacrifice. I won’t kill him, and that’s all there is to it.”
Jennika sighs. Her face is as resigned as her voice when she says, “You know, I have a thousand arguments lined up and ready to go. And yet, I know how stubborn you are—and I know you got that from me. I’ll never be able to convince you, will I?”
I shake my head.
“But that doesn’t mean I won’t continue to try.” She quirks a brow.
“I’ve no doubt.”
“So, can we call a truce—at least for now?”
“I’ve been doing that a lot lately.”
I settle into my seat, sure that the worst is over, when she moves toward the blue tourmaline I left on the handrail that leads to my office and squeals, “Is this what I think?”
She reaches for the stone, but before she can get to it, I use telekinesis to arc it away from her grip and into my hand, as she turns on me with a face full of outraged disbelief. “Answer me, Daire!”
“Yes.” I shove it deep into my front pocket.
“And why is it here? What are you doing with it? And, more importantly, is it still dangerous?”
I answer with an uncertain look.