“Mr. Slava is returning home,” Atlas told Bryony. “Have a nice evening.”

It was too dangerous to wait fo

r her reaction. It would only take a single word from her to destroy Cristian’s trust in him. He hurried Cristian toward their car, angling them so he could keep an eye on the others as they moved. Ioana had already retreated and waited by an open door. Atlas shoved Cristian toward her and got in the driver’s seat.

“Tell me if they start moving,” he ordered Ioana and focused on backing out of the tiny lot as quickly as he could manage. The moment the car pointed toward the exit and the lake road that spelled their escape, Atlas gunned the gas.

Ioana waited until they were deep in the curves of the lake road before telling him, “I don’t see anyone behind us.”

Atlas knew they weren’t being followed. He’d been checking the mirror every few seconds. But hearing that confirmation from someone else was a welcome relief. He made a rolling stop at the sign connecting back on to Desolation House’s main road and kept on. As long as he didn’t have to try to evade any tails, the drive back would get them home well before dawn or Decebal’s return home.

“Mr. Slava, what happened back there?” Atlas asked.

When he got no answer, he checked on his passengers in the mirror. Ioana was halfway across the backseat, her hands outstretched toward Cristian, though he’d drawn away as far as he could manage so she couldn’t touch him. She simply waited there, an offer of comfort if he wanted it. Cristian stared out his window, expression too blank for brooding. Atlas had seen shock before, had experienced it, and his knowledge of the fog it caused tempered his immediate anger toward the situation they’d just escaped. Whatever had happened during the discussion with Bryony had been bad enough for Cristian to flee, so he kept his voice calm and tried again. “Cristian—”

Cristian swallowed hard, but didn’t look his way. At least it was a reaction.

“What happened?” he asked.

“She wanted me to go visit my grandparents. When I told her I didn’t want to, she tried to convince me why I should. She talked about my mother. And my father.” He made a choked sound, part laugh, part sob, all agony. “I used to think my parents were lying when they said that side of the family was dangerous, but now...” He trailed off.

“But now?” Atlas prompted gently.

The wheels hummed a peaceful lullaby as they sped through the night. Ioana had curled away from Cristian, trying to grant him space, though she continued to watch him with rapt attention. Atlas stayed quiet, using Cristian’s breathing to center himself as his own adrenaline died out. After a few minutes, Cristian said, “She was fairly insistent I consider my grandparents’ offer to visit.”

They were far away from Bryony Wharram, Atlas reminded himself. The knowledge didn’t make it any easier to unclench his fingers from around the steering wheel. “How insistent?”

“She implied a visit would happen sooner, rather than later. How that happened would be my choice.” He finally met Atlas’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “I’m not stupid. I know it was a promise, not a threat. Mother warned me they would try to win me with kindness before they drove the dagger home. God, she was right. They’re going to use me as leverage against Father and... Atlas, Ioana, I’m sorry I involved you in this.” He took a deep breath and looked away. “I’ll speak to him when we get back.”

“He’ll be furious,” Ioana warned.

Atlas wanted to snap at her to leave it alone, for his sake as much as Cristian’s, but Cristian had already turned to her. He said, “I know. I’ll take full responsibility. My poor decision will not touch either of you.”

“I don’t fear your dad’s judgment,” Atlas interrupted. “You were put in a bad place and you did the best you could with the limitations. You weren’t rash. You didn’t romanticize how it could go. You acted as well as you could.” When Cristian tried to protest, he added, “I worked with diplomats, Mr. Slava. I always respected those who chose hope over hate, even if it meant my platoon had to move in to support them afterward.”

“But my actions could hurt you,” Cristian began.

“And theirs did,” Atlas interrupted, tapping a finger over the scars on his neck. “We were attacked on our way back from staging to extract our people from the embassy if some meetings went south. I’ve got a lot of regrets from that night, but supporting someone trying to do the right thing has never been on my list.” And in case he hadn’t made it clear enough, he said, “You are not on that list either.”

“I don’t want you in danger—”

“That’s the job. I’ve got no illusions about it. I know what I signed up for. Whether you tell your dad what happened tonight or not, it doesn’t change my directive.” It was the truth, but Atlas knew it went deeper than that. He’d followed orders before. The responsibility he felt toward Cristian, his urge to protect and try to make right all the things he’d done wrong, that wasn’t about obedience. It was about choice, and he took a breath before promising, “No matter what, I will protect you.”

He waited for Cristian to try arguing again, but instead the man closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I worry it will get far more difficult after tonight.”

Atlas shrugged, hoping it hid the rising tension in his shoulders. He knew it would get more difficult, for both of them. Now that he’d connected the dots between Jasper’s mysterious employer and Bryony Wharram, he had no choice but to escape his own deal. “We’ll handle it.”

“You know what the worst part is?” Cristian asked miserably.

“What?”

“She couldn’t tell me anything about Mary’s death. She said no such creatures existed. When I described them, she laughed and told me I was making it up.” Cristian said it so carefully, Atlas knew he’d described the monsters from Atlas’s memory to her. He’d lied about how he knew about them, obviously, but he’d tried to dig a little deeper, not just for Mary’s sake, but Atlas’s as well.

He pressed his foot harder against the gas pedal, desperate to put even greater distance between them and Bryony. He couldn’t outrun Cristian’s undeserved kindness, but maybe he could escape the monstrous agreement he’d crafted with his aunt. “Do you think she was lying?”

“I don’t know why she would. What could she possibly gain from lying about something like that?”

“People lie for all kinds of reasons.”

Tags: M.A. Grant Fantasy
Source: readsnovelonline.net