Chapter 95 95
Kaelen's POV:
Marcus nodded once, sharp. "Good. We have days to prepare, maybe less. I'll start mapping out defensive positions this afternoon. Kaelen, you and Annabeth will train together, we need to see how the completed bond affects your combat synchronization. Marlen, I want you memorizing every escape route, every contingency plan. You're responsible for getting Lucian out if things go bad."
"I can fight," Marlen said immediately.
"You can also be the reason your brother survives. That's more important." Marcus's voice left no room for argument. "Lucian, you do exactly what Marlen tells you. No questions, no hesitation. If she says run, you run."
"But—"
"No buts. This is not negotiable."
Lucian looked like he wanted to argue but something in Marcus's face shut him down. He nodded, clutching his cereal bowl.
"We start today," Marcus said. "No more waiting, no more hoping they won't find us. We prepare like they're coming tomorrow, because they might be."
He stood up and headed for the door, probably to start his perimeter assessment or whatever tactical thing he was planning. Marlen followed him, already asking questions about exit routes and rally points. Lucian drifted back toward the TV, cereal in hand, processing.
And then it was just me and Annabeth in the kitchen.
She turned to face me, our hands still linked. Through the bond I felt her fear and her hope all tangled together, impossible to separate.
"We're really doing this," she said.
"Yeah. We're really doing this."
"Kaelen..." She stepped closer, her free hand coming up to rest on my chest over my heart. "What Marcus said about the bond. About feeling everything..."
"Don't." I covered her hand with mine. "Don't think about it."
"I have to think about it. If something happens to you, I'll feel it. And if something happens to me—"
"Nothing is going to happen to you." I said it fierce, final. "I won't let anyone take you. I won't let anyone hurt you. Do you understand? Whatever happens, whatever comes, I will protect you."
"And what if you can't?"
The question hung there. What if. The two worst words in the English language.
"Then I'll die trying," I said. "Because a world where someone is hurting you and I can't stop it, that's not a world I want to exist in anyway."
Her eyes went glassy. Through the bond I felt her love, huge and overwhelming, mixed with terror at what we were facing.
"Please, don't say that," she whispered. "Don't you dare say that and then die on me. I need you alive, Kaelen. I need us both alive and old and complaining about our grandkids at that stupid Denny's."
"Okay." I pulled her against my chest, wrapped my arms around her, held on tight. "Okay. Both alive. Denny's. Grandkids complaining about how we never let them have dessert before dinner."
She laughed, this wet shaky sound against my shirt. "I'm definitely letting them have dessert before dinner. I'll be the cool grandma."
"You'll be a terrible influence."
"The worst." She pulled back enough to look at my face. "Promise me something."
"Anything."
"Promise me you won't do anything stupid trying to protect me. No heroic sacrifices. No throwing yourself in front of danger. We fight together or we run together, but we stay together. Promise me."
I thought about what I'd do if someone tried to take her. The things I would burn, the people I would kill. The complete absence of limits when it came to keeping her safe.
I couldn't promise her what she was asking. I couldn't promise I wouldn't sacrifice everything for her, because I would. In a heartbeat. Without hesitation.
But I could give her something.
"I promise I'll try," I said. "I promise I'll fight smart. And I promise that whatever happens, I'll always find my way back to you."
She studied my face, probably feeling through the bond that I was hedging. But she nodded anyway.
"I'll take it," she said. "For now. But I'm holding you to it, Kaelen. Every word. Do you understand?"
I nodded.
Outside, Marcus was already shouting instructions to Marlen about perimeter checkpoints. The morning had shifted from soft and intimate to hard and tactical, just like that. One perfect night, and now we were preparing for war.
Maybe we would lose. Maybe the Order would find us and everything would fall apart. But at least we were choosing this time. At least we were standing and fighting instead of running and hiding.
At least we were doing something.
"Come on," I said, taking Annabeth's hand. "Let's go see what Marcus has planned."
We walked out of the kitchen together, the bond pulsing warm between us. Whatever came next, we'd face it side by side. That had to count for something, right?