“No, absolutely not,” Colton says. He stops rubbing my back and is now sitting with his fists clenched, trying not to go invisible.
“I think it’s a good idea,” Larkin says. Kyril agrees. At least someone is on my side.
“Of course you do! You were freaking Gadramicks. Dravin’s got everyone wrapped around his finger. If she goes out there, who knows what’ll happen!”
Colton disappears.
“Colton, I need to do something. What I’m doing right now is obviously not working. I’ve been captured so many times, and the last one scared me. They had me right there. If Valdus wasn’t there, they would have killed me. They would have extracted my magic and killed me.” I put it bluntly. I know it’s not helping the invisibility, but he needs to know the truth.
“I asked Liam to help keep you guys together if something were to happen to me.” I look at everyone. “Does that tell you how serious I am? Anything can happen. To any of us. I do not want to die tied to a chair with no way to defend myself. If I’m going to die, I’m going to go down with a fight. I don’t want to watch anyone else die because of me. I can’t do this anymore, and if I can find a way out of this situation, I’m going to take it. We’ve been training everyday for a reason, and it’s about time we put it to good use.”
The room remains silent after my speech. Colton is still invisible beside me. Everyone is staring at me, but I can’t tell what they are thinking based on their expressions. Natalie’s power would be helpful right now. I can read their minds…No. I’m not going to do that yet. I bite my lip and pull my knees up to my chest and wait for their response.
Nothing.
“Look, I know you guys think I bought a one-way ticket to crazy town, but—”
“You’re the leader we need, Ryanne,” Emma states.
“What?”
“You are the leader we need,” she repeats but doesn’t explain any further. Maybe she’s the one who bought a one-way ticket.
“I agree,” Tom says. I turn around and look at Tom standing in the doorway of the kitchen. I didn’t know that he was listening to our conversation. “Ryanne, you have a way to bring people together—to do something good. Your speeches unite people, give them hope and something to fight for. They’re quiet because they know what you’re saying is true. I know you don’t think you’re able to lead, but it’s what you were destined to do. You’re more capable than you know.”
I’m not capable of leading, but I know that someone has to do it.
“Look,” I turn toward the spot where Colton is sitting, “you found me and told me that I was the girl mentioned in the prophecy. Would that girl just sit around and let Dravin come to her or would she go out and find him herself? Would she stay hidden in fear and let everyone else do the dirty work? No, she wouldn’t. I don’t know if I can be that girl, but I need to try. I need to do something other than just sit around here and train. I need to help put an end to all this madness.”
“Ryanne,” Colton says as he becomes visible again, “you already are that girl. She’s not a separate person. You’re so much more than you give yourself credit for. I just don’t like that it always has to be you. Why do you have to be the one that’s always getting hurt? Why do I always have to watch you confront the Gadramicks while I can do nothing about it? How many times do I have to watch you run away from me and risk your life?
“Every time you go into a vision or get pulled into the dream world, I worry. I worry that something is going to come and take you away from me permanently. I worry that I’m going to wake up one morning, and you’re going to be gone. I worry all the freaking time. I understand what you’re saying, but it’s extremely hard for me. I know that you are more than capable of defending yourself, and you can probably protect yourself better than I could, but how would you react if you saw your small, 5’3” soulmate running toward men much larger than her?
“I’d hope that my soulmate was a little taller than that. That’s pretty short.” David and Emma laugh at my comment. I see Liam shaking his head out of the corner of my eye, but I don’t look over at him. I keep my attention on Colton.
“Ryanne, I’m serious,” Colton says as he reaches out and grabs my hand. I can see the pen marks still on his wrist. They’re faded, but still visible.
“I know you are, Colton. I’m serious too. I need to do this, and I need you there with me.” I lean forward and whisper in his ear, “You’re my anchor, remember?” I pull back and look away from his penetrating green gaze and turn around to look at Liam. “I need you there too. You’ve tried your hardest to protect me, and I know that I’ve not made it easy for you.”