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"Cass was insistent that it should be my choice on whether to tell you or not about her vision, and if I did tell you, then it should also be your choice whether you wished to hear from her or not."
Charlotte was torn. The cowardly part of her didn't want to know about the future, but wasn't she only making it worse for herself if she insisted on keeping her head buried in the sand? If there was something that might prevent her and Sano from being together, wouldn't it be better for her to know about it in advance?
She took a deep breath...and then she took another when one huge gulp of oxygen didn't prove enough. There was just something about this whole vision thing that made her want to have temporary amnesia like Cha-Cha, but—-
You need to be brave, Charlotte Carmichaels!
If this was what it took to protect her future with Landon, who was now Sano, then—-
"Wait."
Sano reached for her hand just as she was about to answer the princess' call, and Charlotte stilled.Riiiight.Ethereal's royal family had protocols every time Cass had a vision to speak of, and one of it was that all such conversations could only be between the princess and the subject of her vision.
"Will you be alright if I leave you alone?"
Charlotte nodded.
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
"No." And this wasn't a lie. "I don't want to," Charlotte heard herself say, "but I think I need to."
Sano studied her for a long while, and Charlotte made herself meet his gaze unflinchingly. She knew from experience that if she showed her husband the smallest sign of weakness, his overprotective instinct would rise to the fore, and she would never be able to convince him to leave her alone.
"I'll be outside then," Sano said finally. "And remember—-if at any point what Cassie says troubles you, call for me. Alright?"
"I got it."
"Promise me, Charles."
"Yes, I promise."
Sano was still frowning. "I just don't think—-"
Charlotte forgot her fears in her exasperation. "Cass is only going to speak to me, not curse me over the phone." She pointed to the door. "So if you don't mind..."
Sano gave her a dark look one final time before leaving, but as soon as the door closed, she heard him pacing restlessly outside, and Charlotte realized this just wouldn't do at all.
She flung the door open, and Sano stiffened. "What's wrong?"
Charlotte crossed her arms over her chest. "You tell me." Back in the day, Landon had practically made it his mission to creep up on her as often as he could, and while she wished it was because her husband had wanted to surprise her with a kiss, it was actually all just training. He had wanted her senses heightened to keep anyoneelsefrom creeping up on her, in the times Landon wasn't around to protect her.
"You used to be the master of stealth," she reminded him.
Sano's jaw clenched. "That was then. I don't have any reason to hide my discomfort now."
Her brows furrowed. "Do younotwant me to talk to Cass?"
"I just have this feeling that this phone call will make things worse for us."
"Aren't you the one who told me that facing my fears is how I'll find a way to defeat them?"
"I know what I said," Sano bit out.
"Was it a lie then?"
"Of course not—-"
"Then let me face my fears now."
