“And if more come? You can’t always be around to protect me, Tarnley. What if I’m next?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose and turn away in order to keep the string of profanities poised on my tongue from coming out. We never should have let her keep her damn memories.
“You expect us to train you to be something you’re not,” Bronywyn says softly. “You’re better off staying out of this altogether. Otherwise, you’re going to die. A very horrible, violent death.”
“Then that’s my destiny,” she says simply. “Besides, no skin off your nose. You train me, and if I die, it was my decision to do this in the first place.”
“No skin off our nose?” I whirl on her, and she shrinks backward. “What was the fucking point in saving you if you’re determined to die anyway?”
“Look, I’m not asking to go into fights with you. I just want to be prepared if the fight comes my way or if, for any reason, you need my help.”
“In what world would we need the help of a human?” I demand. It’s harsh, demeaning—I know that—but if I don’t scare her away from this, she’s going to get herself killed.
And in pure naïve form, she takes literally no offense to what I said and continues, “I can help you with research, with tracking. Or, you can use the golf course as a base of operations!”
I must still be asleep. Or hallucinating—yeah, that makes a hell of a lot more sense. I turn to Bronywyn, hoping for some help, for any kind of reassurance from her that this is incredibly fucking insane.
She sighs. “Look, come in for some coffee, and let us explain this world to you,” Bronywyn offers. “I think once you know everything, you might see just how dangerous this is.”
“Fine. But I won’t change my mind.” Deissy marches right past us, stopping when she reaches the entrance to the hall.
Bronywyn and I follow, and she very quietly whispers, “Keep your head, Tarnley. She’s feeling helpless and is looking for a way to feel prepared. Only we have to know she won’t ever be.”