Chapter 257

Agnes

When Richard was finished laying out the plan he had conceived, I could only blink at him in shock.

“No.” Elijah’s voice was hard as steel. “You are not using my mate and daughter as decoys. That’s out of the question.”

“Elijah—” Richard started.

“No,” Elijah repeated, standing up so fast his chair toppled over against the floor with a crash. “Absolutely fucking not. I won’t allow it.”

Richard remained calm, but his jaw was set in a hard line. “It’s the only way to accomplish our goal without killing innocent people. Maybe even children, Elijah. Do you want their blood on your hands?”

The words hit me right in the chest, where Richard knew it would hurt the most. Children. There were children in that facility, and my father wanted us to blow them all to pieces.

“Agnes just needs to surrender,” Richard continued. “Claim that she knows about her stepmother’s plan and wants in on it. That she’ll hand Thea over willingly. With Thea by her side, Agnes will likely be waltzed right into the facility with no trouble at all.”

“Are you out of your fucking mind?” Elijah snarled. He whirled on me then. “Agnes, you can’t seriously be considering this.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that, because as insane as it sounded, Richard was right about one thing—it would get me inside. And once I was inside…

“It’s risky, but it would allow Agnes to get close enough to kill her stepmother,” Richard said firmly. “You’ve been training your abilities, haven’t you? You should be able to use them to your advantage.”

Truthfully, I had been practicing. Almost every night since my wolf returned, I had spent hours in my safe room and worked on controlling the fire. I could light it at will now, channel it into a tunnel of flame that I could throw in different directions. The metal walls of the safe room had scorch marks all over them from my experiments.

But using Thea as bait? The very thought made me sick.

“Can’t I go alone?” I asked quietly.

Richard shook his head. “From what you’ve told me, it’s Thea who your stepmother really wants, Agnes. You showing up alone would be suspicious. But if you surrender with Thea, claiming you want to join their cause… you could demand to remain by her side. Insist that no harm comes to either of you, otherwise you’ll retaliate.”

“Agnes, don’t even consider this,” Elijah said, dropping to his knees in front of me. He took my hands in mine, and when I met his gaze, I saw pure desperation in his eyes. “I can’t lose you. I can’t lose either of you. Not again. Please.”

My heart shattered even more at the fear on his face. Through our bond, I could feel his terror. But I could also feel something else underneath it all—a begrudging understanding that this might be our only chance. I felt it in my soul, too.

“The facility is underground,” Richard went on. “Once you’re inside, you’ll have the element of surprise. Your stepmother won’t expect you to have full control of your abilities. She certainly won’t expect you to attack, not when she’s surrounded by guards, as your father said.”

“And if something goes wrong?” Elijah demanded, whipping his head toward him. “If Agnes can’t get to her stepmother? If they separate her from Thea? If they decide to kill them both on the spot, just to be safe?”

“I know it’s risky. But it might be the only way.”

“The only way does not involve putting my mate and child in grave danger!”

While they argued, I closed my eyes, trying to think. Instinctively, I reached out to my wolf—to the wise presence I had missed for so many years.

“What do you think?” I asked.

“It is incredibly dangerous,” she admitted. “But… I sense something. If we stay together, if we don’t let them separate us from Thea, I believe we can do this.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes. There is something about Thea, something special. She is wise beyond her years, and she grounds you in a way no one else can. I’ve always sensed it. Together, we’re stronger. You must do this. She must go with you.”

My heart lurched. “I don’t want to do it.”

“You must, Agnes.” My wolf’s voice was firm. “It’s in your destiny. Hers, too. I’m not sure why, but I know it is. You were both meant to be in that facility eight years ago. You must return.”

I shivered and opened my eyes to find both men still arguing. Elijah was now on his feet, jamming his finger into Richard’s chest. I opened my mouth to quiet them, but before I could say anything, the door creaked open.

We all whirled around to see Thea standing in the doorway. My heart dropped into my stomach as I realized she had overheard everything.

“Thea,” I breathed. “How long have you been there?”

“I heard you fighting,” she said softly, wringing her small hands. “I heard what Uncle Richard said. About taking me somewhere dangerous.”

“Sweetheart, we were just—” Elijah started.

“I also heard you say that other kids could… die,” Thea cut him off. “Just like how James died. I don’t want that. So I want to help.”

I felt tears prick at my eyes. My eight-year-old daughter had been listening to us plan to use her as bait, and instead of being scared, she wanted to help. As always, Thea was indeed wise beyond her years, and far braver than any child should ever have to be.

“Thea, baby, you don’t understand,” I said, crossing the room. I knelt down to her level and cupped her face in my hands. “It’s dangerous. Very dangerous.”

“I know.” Her chin lifted stubbornly, and in that moment, she looked so much like Elijah that I could hardly even breathe. “But I made it through all the mean things Olivia did to me. I think I can do this, too.”

Elijah dropped to his knees beside us. “Princess, you don’t have to do this. I won’t let you do this. It’s too scary, and you’re just a little girl.”

“I’m not just a little girl,” Thea said firmly. “I’m your daughter. And Mommy’s daughter. And if there are kids who need help, then I want to help them.”

The tears spilled over then. I pulled Thea into my arms, holding her tight against my chest. Elijah wrapped his arms around both of us, and for a moment, we just held each other. Regardless of what my wolf said, I didn’t want to make her do it. At the very least, I wanted it to be her decision.

“My brave, brave girl,” I whispered into her hair. “But you’re still my baby. I can’t ask you to do this.”

“But I want to,” Thea said, her voice muffled against my shoulder. “I’m telling you I want to.”

I glanced up, and through our bond, I felt Elijah’s anguish. He was torn between his need to protect his family and his understanding that this might be our only option that didn’t involve mass murder.

“It’s your decision,” he said to me begrudgingly through the bond. “Whatever you choose, I’ll support you. I trust you with everything I have. But, dammit, Agnes, I’ll never fully forgive you if you choose to do this.”

“I know. I’ll never forgive myself, either.” But did I even have a choice, if what my wolf said was true?

I pulled back to look at Thea’s face. She was scared—I could see it in her eyes—but she was also determined. She understood what was at stake, even at eight years old. Did she feel that same pull I felt? The sensation that, if she didn’t do this, it would only be worse?

“If we do this,” I said slowly, “you have to promise me something. You have to stay with me at all times. You won’t leave my side for even a second, and if anyone tries to take you away, you have to kick and scream and bite as hard as you can. Can you promise me that?”

Thea nodded solemnly. “I promise, Mommy.”

I looked at Elijah, who was clearly horrified, but also a touch proud. Then I looked at Richard, who was waiting patiently for my decision.

My wolf stirred again, sending a pang of certainty through me. We had no choice; this was fate. Destiny. How or why, I wasn’t sure. But somehow, I could sense that if I refused to do this, Thea would wind up in that facility one way or another. With or without me.

And if it was the latter, then it would be a thousand times worse.

“The plan would have to be perfect,” I finally said, fixing Richard with a stern glare. “There is absolutely no room for error.”

Richard nodded. “We’ll work out every detail before we begin.”

Elijah was looking at me with such love and trust that it nearly broke my heart. He hated this plan with every fiber of his being, but he was willing to let me make the choice. We were partners, after all. Equals. We always had been, through thick and thin.

“Are you sure?” he asked me silently.

I thought about James, lying dead on Lena’s bedroom floor. I thought about the innocent people trapped underground, being turned into thralls against their will. I thought about Krystal and Henry who, for all we knew, were among them. I thought about my mother, and my father, and poor Elise.

And most of all, I thought about my stepmother. I thought about the look on her face when she would realize she had lost. And she would lose. I could feel it in my bones.

“Yes,” I told him. “I’m sure.”

Elijah’s jaw clenched, and he looked down at the floor. But he didn’t argue, even though I knew he wanted to.

“Very well,” I said, rising and taking Thea’s hand in mine. “Let’s do it.”