Thirty-four – 02

[This post is from Gray Miller’s point of view.]

Aoife spun to grab her pack. Gray shot to his feet to intercept her, his fingers closing around her wrist just in time to keep her outstretched fingers from wrapping around the strap. Her jaw tightened and her gaze snapped up to meet his.

“Let go, Gray.”

“Not until you calm down,” he murmured, gently turning her to face him. “I’m worried about you, Aoife.”

She groaned, titling her head back and squeezing her eyes shut. “Not you, too.”

“Hey, none of that.” He reached up to tug at her chin until she looked at him again. Her eyes were bright with the tears she was fighting to hold back. “I’ve stood with you through a lot of shit already, Aoife,” he murmured. “We both know that. I’ve gone out on a limb and believed you when I didn’t have to, I walked away from my friends to follow you because I couldn’t let you come here alone. I’ve always stood with you, so don’t start this now. I just want to understand what you’re doing and why, Aoife, and I want you to be safe while you’re doing it.”

“Sometimes you can’t be safe,” she countered. “Sometimes you have to just…just do it. Bite the bullet and rush in headlong and pray you make it out the other side.”

Gray shook his head slowly. “This doesn’t make sense, Aoife.”

“We do anything for family,” she whispered. Gray stiffened.

“Aoife, your family’s asking you not to go!”

“They’re just afraid,” she whispered. “And why shouldn’t they be? She’s an ancient witch who’s done nothing but hurt and hunt us for thousands of years. Of course they’d be afraid—I’m afraid. I’m not going to say that I’m not because I am. Why do you think I’m doing this? This is our chance to stop her so we can all stop being afraid. She’s distracted—at least I hope she is. This might be our only chance to stop the cycle. That’s all I want. I want to stop the cycle.”

“What if one doesn’t exist, Aoife? What if it’s all in your head?”

She squeezed her eyes shut and he wrapped his arms around her as she began to cry.

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This entry was posted in Book 5, Chapter 34, Story and tagged , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

One Response to Thirty-four – 02

  1. shadocat says:

    She wants to stop the cycle by turning the crank.

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