“How did it go?” Janet sits in the chair across from me and leans forward.
“Interesting. I—well, I guess I got what I went for, but it’s not like it was an automatic solution. It’s going to be tough. And complicated.”
They console me for a moment before the food arrives, and we talk casually about the situation while we chomp on the BBQ chicken pizza Lola ordered.
I give them a quick rundown of what Bea told me, and I’m already feeling much better now that I have food in my system.
“So, you just have to kill ten anonymous, powerful beings all at once. Sounds easy.” Janet rolls her eyes. Sarcasm isn’t common for her.
“But don’t forget that you have to kill them all but can’t kill them all because you need to agree not to kill the one who gave you the information,” Lola says, with her chin up.
I chuckle at their reaction. “That’s exactly what I learned, yeah. But Bea will give me access to the powerful beings and insider information on who they are and what their powers are. So long as I promise not to kill her.”
“I mean, sure. But you also have to do it without Jarron’s help completely. How are you planning to do that?”
I sigh. “Potions?”
“It’s possible but won’t be easy; you’re right. I really, really don’t like that you have to keep all of this from Jarron.” Janet shifts in her seat. “Are you sure you can’t just tell him the truth and convince him we need Bea’s help? He’d do anything for you.”
I grimace. “Maybe. Maybe I could convince him, but I don’t think he’ll trust her enough to work with her. So, we’ll be back to killing ten anonymous powerful beings, without any access to knowing who they are or where they’ll be. That’s an impossible mission. And I can’t just let them keep control of my sister.”
“So…” Lola says softly. “You’re planning to go along with her plan?”
“I don’t know.” Do I have a choice?
We sit in silence for another few minutes.
“Well, let’s talk it through, then,” Janet says.
“Yeah,” Lola agrees, darting up and flying around us each before settling onto a perch on the coffee table.
Janet leans forward, a serious expression on her face. “If you tell Jarron, you are pretty convinced he won’t allow you to work with Bea.”
“Based on the things she told me today, I think he’ll kill her.”
They gasp together. I tell them about her confession, of being the one to have told Vincent about Jarron imprinting.
“She’s the one responsible for all of this?” Lola whispers, expression one of sincere distress.
“Not responsible,” I say, realizing I’m taking Bea’s words sincerely to heart and using them to defend her. “She was the catalyst, yes, and obviously that holds weight, but if I believe her full story—” I tilt my head, considering. “And I think I do.”
I blink several times, letting that new truth settle in.
“If I believe her story, then she didn’t think anything bad was going to happen from spilling the secret. She was being bratty and prideful and stupid, but it wasn’t malicious.”
“But that doesn’t make it okay.”
“No, but it makes her redeemable, doesn’t it?”
“If you say so.” Janet crosses her arms.
Lola flies in a circle then hovers between me and Janet. “Okay, so if you don’t tell Jarron and you wager everything on Bea, what happens? You have to hide the truth from Jarron, but can we make sure you stay as safe as possible?”
I nod slowly. “It means I can’t let him mark me, not until this is over.”
They both still.
“If I were to accept a mark, he’d know when I go to meet her. He’d know I’d been to see her already. I wouldn’t be able to keep it a secret.” I don’t actually know how much he’d be able to read through just a single mark, but I am certain he’d at least know when I left the planet and when I was in any danger, which obviously is a good thing on many levels, but in this case—
