Chapter 41: Lavinia’s Worry

Arabella finally settled on a dress with a tightly fitted bodice and a loose skirt. She spent a long time in front of the mirror, reveling in the light sensation of a skirt with no hoop and only a thin crinoline. She experimentally moved her legs, making sure she retained her full range of motion.

“Sonia, could you come here for a second?” She asked.

Uncertainly, Sonia stood and approached Arabella on the short platform. Arabella held out her hand. Sonia took it, bracing herself to help Arabella down.

“All right. Are you ready?” Arabella said with a smile.

“Ready for wh-”

Arabella seized Sonia’s upper arm and jerked her forward, flipping Sonia onto her back.

“What the hell, Arabella?” Sonia shouted, jumping back to her feet and rounding on the shorter girl.

“Just making sure I haven’t lost my edge,” Arabella said. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Sonia paused for a second, looking carefully down at Arabella. She rolled her shoulders. “No, you didn’t. But I expect a warning next time.”

“No, next time I’ll be doing that to your brother.”

Lavinia sat quietly on the couch, her hands tightly clasped together. She was trying to tune out their conversation as panic rose in her chest. They were talking and joking like there were no stakes. She watched the smile on Arabella’s face pass to Sonia as the redhead pushed her mockingly. The two of them seemed like they were actually preparing for a wedding, playing like a real bridal party. As she stared at Arabella she could picture blood blossoming across her pale face, staining the roots of her hair and seeping into the white neckline of her gown.

Blinking quickly, Lavinia brought her vision back into focus. Arabella was fine, her face clean, hair neatly swept back. Lavinia stood abruptly, walking quickly towards the door.

“Vini?” Arabella called. “Everything ok?”

“Yeah,” she stammered. “I’ll be right back. I just need a second.”

She pushed open the door and ducked into the outer corridor. Closing the door behind her, she sank down against the wall, holding her head in her hands. It was too much. The pressure of the lie, the tension of the immortals around her, the weight of having such a loose plan, it all fell on her at once, crushing her. She let out a shuddering breath, pressing her palms to her closed eyelids, letting colors spark in the dark. It was all too casual, too cavalier. She couldn’t stand it.

A hand dropped down on her shoulder, firm and deliberate. Isaac.

She looked up at him, focusing on his clear blue eyes. His placid expression acted as a buoy and she clung to it. His hand slid across her back to rest on her opposite shoulder. He pulled her close against himself, resting his chin on the top of her head.

“You’re ok,” he soothed. “You’re all right. Everything is fine.”

“It isn’t,” she looked up at him, eyes blurred with tears. “We have no idea what we’re doing, no idea what we’re up against. Sonia barely knows what she’s talking about, and we don’t even know if we can trust her.”

“We will sort it out-”

“No!” she cried. “We don’t know that. There is no way to know that. If we fail, we’ll lose Arabella. Forever. She’ll be trapped in this family, in this pack. She’ll be one of them and we will never be able to get her back.”

“I will never let that happen.”

“You don’t have a say in that, Isaac. As strong as you think you are, as much as you think you can handle, something could always go wrong.”

Isaac considered her for a moment before pulling her into his lap, supporting her body in his arms. He gently tucked her hair behind her ear, pulling her face tightly against his chest. “Something could always go wrong. Nothing is ever certain. We have chosen to walk a delicate line. We have accepted that there will be no easy path, and this is no different.”

Lavinia held tightly onto Isaac’s shirt, the stiff fabric stopping her nails from digging into her own hands. Isaac tightened his grip, holding Lavinia fast. The intensity of his grasp grounded her, bringing her focus back. Her breathing slowed, becoming steady.

“That does not stop me from worrying, Isaac.”

“I know,” he said.

The door opened behind them and Arabella stepped out in a robe.

“What are you two doing?” she asked.

“Lavinia is just expressing some worries about our plan.”

Lavinia wiped her face, sniffing slightly. “I’m fine. Really.” She paused for a second, looking up at Arabella. “I just- I don’t understand how you can be so calm about everything. You are the one who is most at risk. You have the most to lose.”

Arabella sank down next to them, resting her head on Isaac’s shoulder. “Here’s the thing,” she said. “There is not much more we can do. We have all the information we can get from Sonia, we have everyone we can trust in on it, and we have a plan. Either it goes right or it goes wrong. And that’s something we have to worry about in the moment. It isn’t something we can plan for.”

“I suppose you’re right…” Lavinia started.

“Of course I’m right,” Arabella said. “We will be fine. Isaac isn’t going to let either of us get hurt.”