Layla's face flexed as her lips trembled. “You don't.”
Morrigan pulled away from Caitrin's hug and rapidly blinked away tears. “What do you think your mom and dad would ask of us if they were here?”
“That's not fair,” Layla squeaked.
“It's the truth,” Caitrin returned. “If Rhosewen and Aedan could speak to us, they’d tell us to do whatever we could to protect you and give you the best possible chance at a happy life. That’s what we’re going to do, and it shouldn't come as a big surprise.”
He was right. Layla should have known they wouldn’t let her do this alone. She looked at Quin, who still had his eyes closed. Why wasn't he alert and responding to this discussion? “What do you think of all this?” she asked, shriller than she'd meant to.
His eyes popped open, and his heart beat faster as he slid a hand to the nape of her neck. “We can't face them alone and keep our lives, Layla. We don't stand a chance, and I'm not prepared to watch you die, so I'm going to accept all the help I can get.” He paused and took a labored breath. “You might find it selfish of me, and that's fine. You're too kindhearted to accept the help, so I'll do it, and the guilt can rest on my shoulders. That's exactly how I want it.”
Backed into a corner, Layla stupidly stared at him, her determination to live by her own rules draining away. Hopelessness flooded in, swirling into a familiar void, one she hadn’t suffered in weeks, and she began resigning herself and her hero to a half-life – a life full of love and magic, but empty of family to share it with.
She sank into Quin's chest as she concealed her aura. “Fine. Let's go. Start planning and we'll leave. We’ll hide until Agro dies of old age. Then we'll come back until the next evil person comes along.” Her throat tightened, which was weird, because the rest of her body was numb. Despair and loss acting like Novocaine against hurt and anger. She touched her neck, willing her vocal cords to relax. “Where do you want to go? Think we can still take Vegas by storm?”
When she yanked her sad aura from Quin’s sight, she yanked the air from his lungs, and he realized there was only one choice. Watching his angel suffer in life wouldn’t be much better than watching her life drain away. He couldn’t acquire satisfaction if he wasn't satisfying her, and while she may find contentment in hiding, she wouldn't be able to reach the level of happiness that made her shine like a star. He’d be lucky to catch rare glimpses of the woman who made his heart soar.
His path was clear now… terrifying, but clear.
He pulled her closer, wanting to carry her back to dreamland where she could forget about the heartbreak and stress plaguing her life. “Layla Love.”
“Yeah, Vegas probably isn't a good idea. Maybe somewhere with less people. Karena has a computer downstairs. We'll do some research on the internet.”
“Please let me see your aura.”
“No.”
The flat refusal felt like a dagger to his heart, but she didn’t notice the sharp edge on her tone and kept brainstorming.
“I don't want to go back to the Bible belt, so that's out of the question. I guess somewhere along the Gulf of Mexico might be okay, but the humidity’s hell on my hair. I don't know. What do you think? Anywhere you want to live that's not swarming with covens? Maybe a cave on a distant mountain top…”
Quin took a deep breath and looked at his dad – a man who never failed to give him good advice. What Quin was about to do would be a first for him, and he needed to know he wasn’t crazy for doing it.
Able to read his son without a mind-search, Kemble gave a sad nod, and Quin looked back down, wondering if he was strong enough to follow through.
“How about some input?” Layla mumbled, her voice monotone. “Where do you want to live?”
He didn’t answer, but returned his gaze to his parents as he sent them a mental message. 'I'm sorry it has to be like this.'
Cordelia shook her head while touching her heart, but it was Kemble who responded. 'We live for you, son. You and Layla. This is a sacrifice we're prepared to make.'
“Quin,” Layla demanded, scowling up at him.
He met her stare, struggling to endure the twisting of his stomach and the cracking of his heart. This was the biggest decision he'd ever made, and a lot of lives could be lost as a result. Steeling his nerve, he finally gave his terrifying reply. “We're not leaving.”
“Yeah we are,” she disagreed. “I'm not going to do anything to Agro, and neither is anyone else. We can't stay and hide from him, because I'm not going to watch him destroy my family while I remain out of sight. Nor am I going to stand there and face him while my family falls around me, so only one option remains. We'll show our faces somewhere far away to get him out of Oregon. Then we'll hide. That's the only way to keep everyone safe, so that's what we’ll do.”