Forever (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale, #5)(29)

“I love you, Charlie,” Mina whispered as she gave him one last hug and kissed his forehead.

“Love you back,” he whispered with a bear hug.

She wouldn’t have let him go ever, except that he was the one who let go of her first. She wrapped the blanket from the sofa around him, and his head started to droop. Exhaustion was catching up with all of them.

“You’ll explain everything to him, right?” Tears fell down Mina’s cheeks as she softly closed the back door.

“I wouldn’t have to if you’d let us stay to help.” Nan’s blue eyes were glassy but on fire with determination.

Mina shook her head. “You know this is for the best.” Mina closed the passenger door, but Nan rolled the window down.

“I’ll take care of them,” Brody said across the roof of the car. “And I’ll find a way for you to get a hold of us if you need to.”

“Don’t tell me. It’s best if I don’t know.”

“Mina, it’s just…” Brody trailed off.

“It’s okay. I’ll always love you, just not the way you deserve. But Nan will.”

Those words seemed like the confirmation that Brody needed. He came around the car and pulled Mina into a hug. “Be safe.”

He was going to make her cry. Mina gently pulled away, “You need to go. Get them somewhere safe.”

He climbed into the driver’s seat and started up. Nan leaned forward and waved as he backed her car up and drove down the driveway. Mina watched the taillights until she could no longer see them in the darkness. She knew the car would turn left, away from town and onto the highway.

She stood frozen in the middle of her driveway. Tears poured freely down her face. Her knees buckled beneath her, and she collapsed onto the gravel. It was for the best, she kept trying to tell herself.

But if it was for the best, why did it feel like she’d just ripped out another part of her soul?

The screen door slammed, and Nix stepped outside. “Mina? What’s wrong?” He rushed to her side.

“He’s gone,” she whispered sadly.

“Who?”

“Charlie.” She sniffed, wiped at her eyes, and slowly stood up to face Nix.

“How’d this happen? I promise we’ll get him back.” His voice grew angry, but he gathered her into a hug.

Mina took comfort from his hug but gently pulled away. “No. We won’t.” She watched his eyes frown in confusion. “I sent him away.”

“What?”

“It’s better this way. I begged Nan to take him away, and Brody went with.”

“You can’t do that.”

“Wrong,” Ever’s voice cut in. “It’s exactly what she should have done. She was smart.” She had come out to stand on the porch and listen. “She’s cutting her losses, before Teague can use them against her. She’s thinking of what’s ahead. And this war is no place for a young Fae boy that just lost his mother.”

Nix scowled. “There could have been another way.” He reached for Mina’s arm, but she wrenched it free and took a step back.

“I just lost my mother,” Mina hissed between clenched teeth. “I almost lost all of you. I’m not about to lose my brother. He’s the only family I have left. Don’t judge me. You would have done the same thing, if you were in my position.”

Nix stared at her, his eyes filled with pity. “No, I wouldn’t have.”

“I guess that makes you better than me.” She didn’t really mean it, but it was easy to lash out when she was in so much pain. She stormed inside, away from Nix’s pity and Ever’s shock.

Mina stormed up the stairs to her room. Locking the door, she pressed her back to it and tried to hold in the sobs that threatened to tear her chest apart.

She moved toward her bed, trying to ignore the plethora of mirrors that now surrounded her room. She pulled back the covers, and something soft slid to the floor, landing with a thunk. Mina picked up the petal dress she had worn to the ball the other night and felt along the side for the hidden pocket. Her hand reached in and pulled out the dagger.

She dropped it to the floor and stared at it. She’d forgotten that she slipped it in there. It wasn’t the sight of the dagger that startled her. It was the rust colored spots of Teague’s dried blood on it.

She wiped it off as best as she could, placed the dagger in her bedside table, and shut the drawer. Mina crawled under the comforter and rolled over to stare across the room and into the mirror that faced her bed.

He was winning. The Story was winning, and she was losing the will to fight. She heard knocking on her bedroom door but ignored it. She needed to mourn, to sink into her feelings and feel the pain, the betrayal, and the anger. Anger at her mother, anger at herself. When she had thought through every scenario, it always came down to what was best for her brother.

She was down to two hours when a crazy idea came to her. She climbed out of bed and got dressed. This time, she was going over-prepared. She changed into jeans, boots, a white t-shirt, and her olive green jacket. In her backpack, she loaded food, water, and a flashlight. She looked at her nightstand, debating on whether to bring the dagger. She needed a weapon, but having one on her might make her life forfeit sooner than she had planned. When she was as packed as she could be, she grabbed the seam ripper from the top of her dresser.