Page 5 of Fallacies

Though I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it. Can she do it? Absolutely. Am I proud to have her? More than she knows. But can I be her Captain, her boss, without the feelings I have for her skewing my judgement? My ability to let her do this the right way? The way all of us had to endure it…I’m not sure.

Tucking a loose curl behind her ear, I force on a smile. “Okay, Chaos. Let’s do it.”

“You did what?” Devon grits out.

I glare back at him, a silent warning to mind his tone.

Pax’s jaw drops, and then he’s smiling wide, jumping from the table and snatching Lucina up in a tight hug. She lets out a laugh as he spins her around, and the sound is so refreshing that I pause to just admire it for a moment, how carefree it is. How it bursts out of her unrestricted.

Heads turn at the spectacle he’s creating in the Tavern, but Pax doesn’t care.

“Gods,” Hunter exhales when he finally sets her on the ground. Lucina tilts her head at him, brows raised. “Making history, are we?” He asks.

She smiles, bright and unreserved.

Hunter shifts his attention to me, a question in his skeptical stare.

I shrug. “It was her idea.”

Hunter shakes his head as Phoenix prowls around the table, long arms swinging at his sides.

Nix is our wild card; we never really know what he’ll do or say. He feels more intensely than anyone I know, and he can flip in a fraction of a second. When he’s sad, he’s devastated, and when he’s angry, he’s… volatile.

For that reason, I move closer to Cin. For all I know, he’ll snap her neck then mourn over her dead body a second after she hits the ground. That’s just how he is. But he’s our brother, and if Lucina really wants to be in this coven, she’ll have to learn how to navigate him just like we do.

And I’ll have to learn to quiet this primal instinct to protect her. I’ll have to let her hold her own. Which is…easier said than done.

I’m haunted by all the times she’s nearly died in my arms. The poison, the fire…even that day I’d found her on the beach. The image of her lifelessness is burned into my memory. I’ve seen it too many times.

Phoenix lowers his head to look her directly in the eyes, and Lucina, smart as ever, stands straighter.

Atta girl.

His mismatched eyes burn with some unknown emotion. “You’re a pretty little thing, aren't you?” he whispers, his stare flicking up to me, gauging my reaction. I give him none. “Hmm,” Phoenix hums, the corners of his mouth lifting in a sinister smile, and to Lucina’s credit, she doesn’t flinch. “Has he warned you about me?” Nix asks, head tilted in curiosity.

Lucina watches him with the same fascination. “No.”

Yes, I have. Many times. I warned her about him on the way here, even. Why she chose to lie is beyond me, but Phoenix seems to be pleased with her answer.

Lucina doesn’t break his stare, eyes darting between his as if she isn’t quite sure which one to focus on—his green or his white iris.

Nix straightens to his full height, his smile widening, and then, “Good.” He nods in approval. “Very good.”

Phoenix turns, stuffing his hands in his pockets, and I let out an audible exhale.

“So, when’s her initiation?” Pax asks, narrowed eyes trailing the path Phoenix takes back to his seat.

“Next week,” I reply.

Lucina looks up at me. “What’s initiation?”

When no one replies, I can sense the shift in her demeanor. She glances cautiously between us. “I’m not drinking anyone's blood,” she declares.

More silence.

Lucina’s eyes widen. “Callan…”

I hate the fear in her voice, but I can’t do anything about it. Initiation is a secret, and as badly as I want that wrinkle between her brows to flatten out, I can’t. “You won’t be drinking anyone’s blood.” It’s the only truth I can offer her.