“Simon,” she whispered. “What are you—stay here, Annie.”
She limped out of the bedroom. Zach appeared before she reached the stairs.
“You will order them to leave.” He trapped her against the wall, his rage swirling around him. She saw exhaustion slice through the rage, and his attempt to hide it. “They cannot be here—I will not have them here—”
“I will do it, if you do something for me.”
“You dare—”
“Yes.” She looked into the furious eyes, prayed what she remembered about guardians still held true. “I can ask for protection, even if that protection is from the guardian. And you are bound to grant the request. So I ask that you not harm the people you’ve trapped in this house, and that you let me help you. If you can let them go, it would—”
“They stay.” His flat, quiet voice scared her far more than if he shouted. “Do not ask for their freedom again.” With a sigh he stepped back, ran one hand through the thick, golden brown hair. “I never intended harm. I just need—” He swung away from her, but she could still see the anguish. It cloaked him, left her heart aching with the weight of it. “Tell the men to leave. I will give you the time to do so. If they do not—”
“I will make certain they leave.” She turned back to the bedroom, saw Annie in the doorway, Regina and Hillary huddled behind her. “Stay there. I won’t be long.”
“Eric is—”
“They’re leaving, Annie. I made a promise.” While she spoke she mimed writing with a pen.
“Got it,” Annie said. She disappeared, returning moments later with the ballpoint. “What are you—”
“Get back inside. I’ll join you in a few minutes.”
“Claire—”
“Now.”
Anger snapped off Annie, but she obeyed, herding mother and daughter back inside. Claire expected her to slam the door, but it closed quietly. Which told her Annie was beyond pissed. Bracing herself for more arguing, she paused long enough to use the pen before she made her way down the stairs. Zach waited for her, opened the door as she approached. So much for direct warnings.
In the middle of the sloping lawn, Simon crouched over Eric. His head snapped around, and he pushed to his feet when he spotted Claire, his movements stiff. “Are you okay?”
“We’re fine. It’s a—bit more complicated than I first thought, but Annie and I can handle things—”
“Like hell.” Anger sparked in the clear green eyes. “Whatever threw us across the lawn, whatever’s emitting power I’ve never seen before is more than a bit complicated. I’m not—”
“Simon.” She raised her left hand, kept it close to her side, where Zach couldn’t see it. “Please.” He glanced down at her hand, then back up to her face. She knew by the look on his face he saw the words she scribbled on her palm. Leave—stay close—need you. She hoped he understood what she tried to convey with the cryptic message. “Do you—”
“Got it.” His anger stung. And the fact she could see that anger still shocked her. “You don’t need my help, don’t want my help. We’ll clear out.”
“Simon—”
“I got it, Claire. No need to repeat yourself.” He nodded, once, backed across the lawn. Understanding broke through the anger. Relief made her knees weak. “Eric—we’re done here.”
“What the hell are you . . .” His voice faded when he saw Claire. She knew she looked—less than her best. Simon caught his arm, stopped him before he could rush the door, whispered to him. Eric stared at him, ran one hand through his sun streaked hair. “Hey, Claire.” She admired the casual tone, knew he used it to hide the fear she saw. “Can you tell Annie I’ll be with Simon?”
“I can do that. Thank you for checking on us.” She could feel Zach’s impatience pressing at her. “I’ll see you later.”
Closing the door, she leaned against it, heart pounding, and slipped her marked hand in her pocket before she turned to him. “Is that satisfactory?”
He moved to the window. She knew Simon and Eric would make a show of leaving, and if Simon understood what she meant, they wouldn’t go far. Not that they could do anything to help; but having them close made her feel—safer.
“They are leaving.” Zach sounded surprised, and relieved. With his guard down, Claire saw the fear edging his anger. She knew being stuck Between had its bad points, but his almost frantic need to be free of it had her wondering just how much things had changed.