“How does it affect me?” Leoni scoffed and stood. “How does it affect your captain of the guard?” She tapped her chin. “Hm, let’s think about this for a moment. It’s my job to protect you. To keep you safe. But you constantly put yourself in unsafe situations.”
I stood as well, placing my palms flat on the table. “Oh, so you think I’m incapable of taking care of myself without you? I’m thirty years old, Oni, not a child.”
“And yet, I’m constantly getting you out of the messes you make of your life. Including this one! I told you it was a bad idea. I told you not to do this.”
I clenched my teeth so hard my jaw hurt. “And I told you not to come! You’re the one who said none of this was my fault. That I was following my heart and you couldn’t blame me for that.”
Leoni threw her hands up in the air as a few scholars shushed us. “Yes, because back then you’d been naive to his schemes. But this time, you knew. You knew what he did, and still you go back to him again and again and again.” Her face twisted into a grimace. “I can’t understand that.”
Driscoll traced a finger along the table. “In her defense, he is incredibly hot.”
Tears welled in Leoni’s eyes. “I think about our poor boys, scared and alone on that island.”
“They’re not alone,” I said, voice shaking. “They have Mal and Lochlan looking after them. I know they’re looking after them.”
“Still, he did that. How could you allow him back into your...” she trailed off.
“Vagina?” Driscoll offered.
We both glared at him.
“I’m just going to read my book.” He opened up one of the books Leoni had dropped on the table, eyes scanning the random page he flipped to.
“I don’t know, okay?” I burst out. “I’m as horrified by my actions as you are, but... there’s something there, Oni. I can’t explain it. It’s this gut feeling that there’s a reason behind his actions.”
“Yes, of course there is.” The bun on Leoni’s head bobbed as she nodded. “He’s an evil psychopath.”
“No, that’s not what I mean.” I bit my lip. “There’s a spark of the Bastian I knew left in him, and I feel like he’s trying to push that Bastian down, to hide him away. Like he’s pretending to be this horrible pirate lord.”
Leoni shook her head. “Because you want him to be that man. But he’s not. He never will be. He told you so himself.”
My heart twisted at her words. “I’m sorry,” I said quietly. “For everything.”
Leoni’s gaze softened, and she huffed, then opened her arms wide. “Well, come here.”
I rushed into her arms, resting my chin on her head.
“Wait, that’s it?” Driscoll asked. “You guys have made up?” He flipped a few more pages. “Well, that was anticlimactic.”
“Now let’s get to work,” I said, sniffling. “We need to find a way to rescue our boys.”
She stiffened. “Is that why you asked me to find all these books?”
I gave a hesitant nod, not sure how she’d take that. “We don’t need the pirate lord.” I thought about what Liliath had said. “We can do this ourselves. Make a plan and go get them back.”
I expected some pushback, but Leoni just nodded, sat down, and opened up a book. “Then let’s get reading.”
Relief swept through me. I would do this alone if I had to. But I was glad that wouldn’t be the case. I sank into my chair and reached for one of the books.
“Finally,” Driscoll said. “While you two were yammering on, I’ve been here reading this page about human towns that have been destroyed. Boring, yada, boring, boring, boring.” He put a finger on the page. “Hyamia, Traymis, Rigahan, Karstan, Aramis, Polotzia, Ferio?—”
“Wait, what did you say?” I straightened in my chair.
Driscoll rolled his eyes. “You’re not going to make me read that again, are you?”
“What was the place you said that started with anA?”
He looked back at the page, finger trailing over the words. “Aramis?” he asked.
