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  “‘We’? No, Remy. You need to go with the others.”

  Remy’s face soured. “I’m not royalty. A kingdom doesn’t depend on my survival.”

  “Lane needs a doctor she can trust.” I kept my eyes on the middle button of his shirt and shook my head slowly from side to side. “And I need to know you’re safe, far from the monsters.”

  Remy softened. “No, no. That’s not how this works. I’m the knight, remember? I’m to protect you.”

  “Not this time. It’s my turn to be the knight, and protect you. Go with Lane.” I tried to keep the quiver out of my voice, and failed worse than a hippo trying to attempt ballet. “I need someone I trust to take care of my mom. You have to keep her safe, Remy. If she doesn’t live through the mission, I won’t be… I can’t…” I shoved my hands into my pockets and kept my head down. “I just can’t.”

  Remy’s thoughts flickered through his mind, varying from awed to arguing. Finally he landed on falling in line. “If that’s what you wish, then I’ll do as you ask. I’ll protect Duchess Elaine with my life. But know that you only have to ask, and my sword would defend you, no matter where you led.”

  Remy gave me words of wisdom that were, let’s face it, a little obvious. Run from the monster, stay with Draper and Bayard, keep my footsteps light in the woods – stuff like that. I cut his advice short by throwing my arms around his neck, pulling him close. I knew it was weird for his culture, but I didn’t care. I heard him splutter before landing on a soothing, “There, there. It’s alright, Princess. I’ll see you again in just a few days.” He pointed to the east while keeping me in his arms. “Do you see that? That’s where the sun will come up. By the time the sun rises in three days, I’ll be back by your side, sweet girl.”

  “And then we’ll talk each other’s ears off?”

  Remy swallowed, looking down at me with unfathomable affection for someone I’d only known barely a month. “I’ll miss having anyone hear me like you do. It’ll be hard to go through the journey without a voice. I look forward to the sunrise three days from now, when I’ll be back by your side again.”

  “Me, too. Be safe, and make sure Hamish stays with Reyn. Don’t let him go scampering off after us.” I hugged Remy once more before giving Rousseau a perfunctory one-armed hug we both muscled our way through. When I gave him a light squeeze, he farted, so I knew I was making him nervous with my embrace. Damond got a big hug I could tell he needed, but was too well-bred to ask for. I moved on to Lane so that Draper could pull his brother aside for some last-minute love and instruction.

  “I can’t leave you,” Lane insisted, tears shining in her green eyes. She was still in the saddle, encased in Reyn’s arms. I couldn’t tell if he was being sweet to her, or prepping to restrain her in case she tried to run after me.

  I kicked my toe at the grass and shoved my hands back into my pockets. “You said the same thing when you dropped me off at college freshman year.”

  “Yeah, and I stayed with you that whole first week! And that was just college! This is literally life and death, and I’m being sent away by my own kids?”

  “If it was the other way around, no way would you let me come. Draper’s right; you’re important to Avalon.”

  “What if I don’t want to be important to Avalon? What if I only want to be important to you? What if I want to take you, Reyn and Draper to Common so we can watch bad romantic comedies and make nachos?” I noticed Reyn’s arms tightening around her at being included in her shiny fantasy day.

  I looked at her with all the love I had in my heart. “That’s your idea of paradise? That’s your perfect day?”

  “Of course it is. My guy, my son, my best friend and nacho cheese. What more could a girl want?”

  “I love you. When this is all over, I’ll do whatever I can to give you that perfect day. A whole lifetime of them. I’ll move back closer to home and finish school there so we can be together.”

  Lane closed her eyes as she held onto the horn of the saddle. Reyn rubbed soothing circles into her back, giving me a look that told me he was grateful I was sending her away. There was too much emotion and longing jerking Lane around, teasing her with a life I could tell she wanted so badly, but knew she might never get. “I want that, Rosie. I want all of it.”

  I wrapped my arms around her leg that dangled off the horse, and she sobbed. “Then that’s what you’ll get. I’ll make sure of it. I’ll put it on your Christmas list and make sure Santa comes through for you this time.” My eyes landed on Reyn. “Though something tells me you’ve been more naughty than nice, Mrs. Robinson.”

  Lane laughed through her tears as she leaned down to grip my head to her calf. “It’s just a few nights apart. Your Compass has never been off before. It wouldn’t lead you straight into danger.” She was pep-talking herself more so than me. “I love you, Ro.”

  “I love you, Lane.” She gripped my head tighter, crying in Reyn’s arms while I tried to hold in my tears. I didn’t want her to see how scared I actually was.

  “Screw Avalon! Screw it all! You’re my girl. You’re my world.” She shook her head, and my shoulders fell. I knew the resolve that crackled in her chartreuse eyes. It was like embers of a fire that needed only the slightest provocation to burn the house down. She’d used that same steel on the principal when he’d tried to fail me in the second grade. And the third. “No. I’m going with you, and that’s the end of it.” She twisted on the saddle to face Reyn, her hand up. “You’ll go with them. If we die, someone’s got to find Roland, and you know him better than anyone.”

  I moved away from the onslaught of emotion and arguing that Reyn and Lane devolved into. I wasn’t so great at the public romance stuff, but it turns out Lane was. She kissed him so good and hard, I all but ran to Draper’s side, staring at my shoes to hide my discomfort. Judah and Jill did the public kiss every now and again, but it was nothing like the Scarlet O’Hara sweeping makeout that Reyn and Lane invoked to interrupt their squabble. Intense. I had to escape it.

  Despite what we were about to go do, Draper chuckled at my squirm, pinching my cheek as if I was three and wore pigtails like a uniform. “Aw, that’s cute. I guess part of you is still young. That’s nice to know. Thought I’d missed your whole trip to adulthood.”

  “Dude, I’m twenty-two. When I’m fifty-two, I’ll still feel the same way about the public tongue tango nonsense.”

  Draper wrapped his arm around my head, bringing me into an embrace where he could squeeze my cranium with both his arms, pressing my forehead to his chest. “Oh, Rosie. You won’t always feel that way about getting swept off your feet.”

  Judging by how my first kiss had gone down, I didn’t have much hope that Draper knew what he was talking about.

  Reyn took his opportunity and cracked the reins, driving them away from us while Lane howled for him to let her stay with me. It broke my heart to turn away from her pain, but it was for the best. If Lane was safe, then I could walk into the monster’s lair with a little more swagger.

  11

  Sharknado with Draper

  It’s a funny thing, walking into the woods you know there’s a distinct possibility you might die in. It screws with your gut. My stomach was churning, making my internal Compass harder to follow. A few times I had to stop and close my eyes, centering myself before taking another step.

  Bayard gave a dramatic exhale, his horse tail kicking up in frustration. “I thought you were supposed to know where you were going. This is what we get for putting our faith in a child with no magical training or aptitude.”

  “Dude, how about we tie you to a tree and see how much you beg for my magical aptitude after that? Come to think of it, that’s not a bad idea. It would draw the Gévaudan out and give him a little hairy snack to distract him while we find Roland and the gems.”

  “Hilarious. I can tell you have no friends up in Common, or they would’ve told you how annoying your sorry attempt at humor is.”

  “Oh, I wasn’t joking,”
I said as I started walking a little to the right, stepping over knotted roots. They looked like dead green fingers and thick garden hoses sprouting up from the ground. Though I’d seen my fair share of Avalon trees by now, it still amazed me that they were scaly and green from root to tip, as if armoring themselves from all Avalon had inflicted upon them. I held up my hand to help Draper over one of the roots that looked like a real ankle-breaker. “What I wouldn’t give for some duct tape. That stuff works wonders. It could keep you tied to the tree for days. Rain, snow, doesn’t matter. Maybe I’d take your sword. You know, give it a good workout. My hair’s getting a bit long. Maybe I could use it for that.”

  Bayard blanched. “You’re joking again. I hate it when you do that.”

  “No, seriously. I usually keep my hair an inch or so shorter.”

  Bayard touched the hilt of his sword that hung on his belt. “Look, Princess, this sword has seen battles that would make you scream out during that precious little sleep you seem to need so much of. It wasn’t meant for use as a little girl’s toy.”

  “Fine. Then I’ll use it for art. When you’re tied to the tree with duct tape, saving all our lives by being the bait, I’ll take your sword and make sure it’s camouflaged so the wolf doesn’t see it. I’ll paint it different shades of green and put some flowers on it so it blends well. Do you have a preference on which kind of flower I should tape to your sword? I’ll let you pick.”

  Bayard grumbled, knowing that as much hatred as he spewed at me, I had about ninety pounds per square inch of BS to match him.

  Draper’s voice was quiet, but steady. “Alright, kids. Settle down. Maybe we should be quieter, so the Gévaudan doesn’t hear us coming a mile away.”

  “So no singing?” I asked with a dramatic frown.

  “No singing, pumpkin.”

  “What about Lost and Forgotten? I can’t believe you’d silence them. They’re mine and Lane’s favorite band. You should hear her rock The Last I Saw of You. She does a mean air guitar.”

  “After we find the gems and Roland, you can sing all you want.”

  “What if I started dancing, too?” I started a silly jig just to break the tension I could tell was eating at him.

  Draper cast me a small smile. “Mute dancing is fine.”

  I put my hand on a trunk to balance as I climbed over a fallen tree that came up to my knees. “It’s at least part wolf, right? He probably already knows we’re here.”

  Draper held my hand to balance over the fallen tree. “She’s right. We can only hope he’s not hungry, or that he’s found some other prey.” His quieter voice set the low volume at which we were permitted to converse. “I think your back and forth with Lane is funny. You two sound exactly alike. Aside from the Commoner references, it feels like home.” He helped me over the next obstacle nature had for us. “And I haven’t felt at home in a long time.”

  We walked for at least an hour, listening to Draper’s story of what we’d missed in the twenty-one years we were gone. Most of the references to places and people went over my head, and the stuff I understood was the part he’d already told us. I could tell he was giving us the PG version of how he’d landed himself in the Lost Village, cleaning it up for my sake. It was adorable how much he acted like I was a little child, watching his language and being extra careful with me. “What about you guys? I’ve been talking away. Tell me what your life is like now up in Common.”

  I filled in more color to the basics we’d already told him. Lane was a personal trainer, and I was in college. It was all the basic job interview stats until Draper asked about my friends, wanting the backdoor sneak peek into my oh-so-glamorous life. “I live with my best friend in a tiny apartment off-campus.” I tapped my heart. “I miss Judah pretty bad still. You’ll love him. Totally good guy.”

  “You live with a man?” Draper inquired, his eyebrow raised in unveiled disapproval.

  “Sure. It’s nothing to the dozen or so women you were living with, but you’ve got to start your brothel somewhere,” I joked. When Draper did not seem to cotton on that I was kidding about renting Judah out to the highest bidder, I toned down my humor a little. “I’m only kidding. Judah’s great. Nothing to worry about. He’s got a girlfriend.” I grimaced, wondering if that was still true, or if Jill had kicked him to the curb when he showed up days late to their anniversary without a ring.

  “That sounds… complicated. Commoner life seems quite different than Avalon.”

  “It is. Some things are better, some things are worse. Wait until I introduce you to root beer floats. You’ll be all, ‘Rosie, you’re the most amazing creature on the planet for showing me the wonders of your miraculous universe!’ and I’ll be all, ‘Draper, you have no idea.’ We’ll spend a whole afternoon watching Sharknado, and then Jaws. Then we’ll spend the evening at the beach, freaking ourselves out that we’re going to get eaten alive by sharks in the water.”

  Draper’s grin was wide. “That sounds pretty specific. You’re already making plans for spending time with your old brother?”

  “That’s like, number thirty on my list of things to do together.”

  Draper reached for my hand, using it to pull me to his side. “Whatever you like, pumpkin. You keep making that list, and I’ll make it my business in life to cross every event off, one by one. I’m in this. I’m permanent.”

  A smile that had too many kilowatts beamed across my face at his declaration that I would get to keep my new brother. “That’s only the greatest thing you could’ve said to me.”

  His arm went around my shoulders and took on a protective hold. I could tell that beneath his laughter, he was nervous at being in the Désespéré Woods. I wasn’t used to the male affection he lavished on me. Judah and I were more into the fist bump than the snuggling. Though, admittedly, sometimes when we woke up, we found ourselves holding hands. Eye contact was avoided for a full five minutes during those mornings.

  “You’re firm on living with this Judah boy, then?”

  “While I’m in school, yeah, but if I move back home, I’ll stay with you and Lane. Though, Judah’s pretty non-negotiable. When he moves back to stay with his mom for the summers, he usually spends at least five nights a week with Lane and me.”

  “Tell me more about this boy, Rosie. Make me feel better about the man in your bed.”

  I thought for a bit, flipping through the mental file I had on all the shenanigans Judah and I got up to over the years. “Well, there was this one time when a wicked tornado swept through our area, and we were both a little on edge. We were in the fourth grade and he was my tutor and my friend, but we were still getting the hang of each other. His mom was working late, locked in at the restaurant she waited tables at because all the roads were closed.”

  When Bayard asked for clarification on what a tornado was, I think I may have scared them a little too much with the truth. Apparently they didn’t have tornadoes in Avalon. Whoops.

  “You’re saying whole houses literally get sucked into the sky?” Bayard gaped at me.

  I made a face at my own misstep. I didn’t want to scare Draper away. “People hardly ever get sucked into the sky. It’s not something that happens all that often.” I shot Draper a look of concern. “Please still come up to Common with us.”

  Draper’s worry melted into an affectionate smile. “It’ll take more than a tornado to take me away from you and Lane. Tell me more. I promise, you won’t scare me off. I told you, I’m permanent.”

  I tried to remember where I was in the story as we made our way up a slight incline, Draper’s arm right around me as we ducked under branches along the way. “After a quick phone call from the restaurant, Lane bolted across the street through the storm and got Judah out of his house. She brought him over to our place to wait out the worst of the weather. We stayed up way too late listening to the news to make sure it passed before we turned in our jeans for PJs.” I remembered it all like it was yesterday. “Judah was scared. He was worried for his mom, and for
so many things.” When my timid hand had found Judah’s in the dark after the power went out, he turned to me and started crying. I hated it when Judah cried. I would wrestle all the giant wolf creatures in the world if it would keep Judah from breaking down. Being a kid of a single parent ramped up the worry factor when a natural disaster kept you separated from your source of comfort. “I held him in my bed until he cried himself to sleep on my pillow. I didn’t let go until the sun rose and his mom came to pry him out of my arms.”

  “How old were you?”

  “I was twelve. Judah was eleven. He started sleeping over during school nights after that, so his mom could work double shifts and Lane could take us to school. Been inseparable ever since.”

  I didn’t tell Draper about the times the kids in my class teased me for being stupid, and Judah was always the only voice who came to my defense. I returned the favor when a few jags started making anti-semitic jokes (I mean, seriously. This is the twenty-first century. Who even does that anymore?), and I came to his defense. It was my first suspension, and my only regret was that I’d had to stay at home for three days for fighting, and Judah’d had to go back to school and face those jackholes without me. You break one bully’s nose, and everyone acts like you’re a serial killer. Whatever. Lane never grounded me for it, and spent the three days I was suspended baking cookies for Judah with me. It was one of the many reasons I loved her. We threw him an “I Wish I was Judah” party when he came home from school, boosting him up when life got him down. My Judah costume was dead on. I’d even made myself glasses out of pipe cleaners.

  I cleared my throat, hoping no one was messing with Judah for being bookish and sweet. College kids were better at leaving each other be, so I knew I didn’t have much to worry about. “Judah’s a great guy. Wouldn’t have made it through school without him.”

  “I guess I won’t have to beat on him, then, if it’s as innocent as you claim.”