Page 85 of My Trojan Horse Majesty

This time, when she steps toward me, when her hand extends to me, I curl into her touch. The whispered words feel almost pulled from me. “It’s too dangerous.” I can’t risk her. She’s the only thing I have. She’s all I care about.

“What are you worried about?” She smiles. “You’ve already survived lots of times when people thought you wouldn’t, right?”

She doesn’t know the half of it, but I grit my teeth, because it’s different now. We’re not talking about my survival, but hers. “I can’t risk you.” My voice cracks on the next words. “I can’t.”

“Leo, I can’t ask my brother to stay bound to Gustav either, and I’d rather risk my life than his.”

“I wouldn’t,” I say.

She rolls her eyes.

“Besides,” I say. “I can check right now whether?—”

She shakes her head. “I have to know—for me.”

“Why don’t we try it first, me and Gustav?” Gabe frowns. “If the whole. . .” He karate chops his left palm with his right hand. “Leonid taking the power didn’t already kill our connection, then we can try separating. Then if we’re fine after, then you will be too. Right?”

Izzy shakes her head, and I know what she’s thinking. Even if they can separate, it might mean nothing for us. I doubt Gustav and Gabe are soul matches, judging by how Katerina’s practically crawling into Gustav’s arms.

“It has to be us,” Izzy says. “I have to know.”

I want to argue with her, but I can’t think how.

Abigail’s brow is furrowed. “Before we try this, I’ll go get Whitney, Nathan, Ethan, and?—”

The ground beneath our feet rumbles, and the earth shakes.

“There’s no time for that.” Izzy sighs. “We need to do this now.” She crosses the dozen feet separating her from her mom and hugs her. “I love you, and I’m sorry about before, but I need you to trust me now.” I can barely hear her next words. “Because if you don’t, I’m not sure I’m strong enough to trust myself.”

Her mother doesn’t let go, not for a very long time. When she finally does, they’re both crying.

“Tell them I love them, if I. . .If I can’t. . .”

“Stop,” Abigail says. “You’re going to be fine.”

Izzy nods. “I think we are, Mom, because he’s a good person, and good things happen to good people, right?”

Her mother sighs. “I wish that were true. I wish I believed he was good.”

Izzy’s head tilts. “You haven’t seen it yet, but he’s done a lot of hard things and a lot of good things. He’s also saved my life a few times, and he hated Tim on sight. You have that in common at least.”

Abby’s half-smiling through her tears, now. “Fine. If you say so, I’ll believe you, because I can’t lose you again. Not like we did with Tim.”

“Then how do we do this?” I ask. “I still think it’s a bad idea, but if you insist.” I shrug, because I can’t fight her. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fight her.

“I’ll walk away,” Izzy says, “since I doubt you’d be capable.”

I did collapse on the ground the one time I tried to leave.

“I’ll pick Izzy up and keep moving if she falls,” Steve says. “But how far should we go?”

Izzy shrugs. “I imagine you’ll know.”

“Keep us apart, though,” I say. “If you just bring us right back together, it won’t accomplish anything.” Why am I telling them how to do this successfully? I should keep my mouth shut.

But it might hurt Izzy more if we do it wrong. At the end of the day, that’s the one thing I can’t withstand.

While Izzy and her parents begin to walk away, Katerina strolls over. “What are you up to?” she asks in Russian.

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