“You hadn’t come into you powers yet, but the magic was still in you. I could see the magic inside of you. It surrounds your aura.”
“My aura?”
“I can read people, so to say. I see colors, but mainly I get descriptive words about people. I can tell that you’re afraid. You don’t want to let everyone down. You’re strong, but you feel weak. You’re meant to be a leader, but you still need someone to help lead you. You want to trust me, but you think that everyone will be disappointed if you do. You look for the good in people and always end up getting hurt. You love everyone in this room and would rather put your life in danger than see them harmed. You’re afraid to open yourself up to others, because everyone that you have opened yourself up to before is gone. You-”
“That’s enough.” I don’t like that he can tell so much about me based on my aura.
“He’s going to come back for you. It’s not safe here. Even with the enchantments, they know you are near.” He stops looking at me and turns to Claire, “I’m sorry I tried to kill you. I didn’t want to.” They would have killed me if I didn’t. They’re going to kill me now.
“Larkin, why didn’t you ever leave? I’ve seen your thoughts. You haven’t wanted to be there for a while.”
“I couldn’t. You know what they would have done to me. I’ve seen so many people die. I’ve been beaten so many times because I tried to stop them from hurting them. I tried to make them stop hurting you.”
“I know. I saw your memory.”
“You motivated me to do something. I just didn’t have a plan on how to do it. You didn’t reveal any information about these people when you were being beaten. I’ve never seen anyone who was able to fight a truth serum. It was amazing. When that boy came in and got you,” he looks towards Liam, “I knew that I didn’t want to be around Dravin anymore. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He is polluting everyone’s mind. He thinks that he should rule over humans, not live with them.”
I look to Tom, “I think we should let him go. He’s not going to harm us.”
“He was going to kill Claire!”
“But he didn’t.”
“Because you tackled him and knocked him unconscious.”
“Tom, those ropes aren’t containing him. He could have blinked out of here at any point or killed us, but he hasn’t.”
“This is the motivation I need. You guys aren’t safe here. Go somewhere else. Anywhere else. Don’t tell me where. Don’t tell anyone where. I’ll be able to sense you sooner or later. You have a lot of magic in you, Ryanne. I can work with you. I’ll keep Dravin off your trail for a while.”
The room is silent as Tom thinks.
“I think we should let him go,” Claire says as she continues to look between Larkin and me.
“You do? Even after he tried to kill you?” asks David.
“Yes, Ryanne trusts him. So, I’m going to trust him. I know that he could have left at any point since he woke up. Those ropes wouldn’t be able to hold back anyone with his ability. He could have harmed us, but he didn’t.” David nods, seeming to understand what Claire is saying. Tom and David share a look before both untie him.
Larkin stands up and walks towards me. I want to let him go free, but something about him makes me a little uncomfortable. I back up towards Colton again, trusting his presence more. He continues to walk towards me until he is standing just inches in front of me. I have to tilt my head up fully to see him.
“He’ll come after you again. He won’t stop. You need to find somewhere safe to go. Don’t. Underestimate. Him.”
Chapter Nineteen
“Where are we going to go?” asks David. “We can’t stay here. If they were able to find us, there’s no telling how soon someone else will.”
Tom begins pacing the room, mumbling to himself. I wonder where Tom actually lives. Like Liam, Emma, and I, he seems to have moved in with Claire. Suddenly, he stops pacing and grins like the Cheshire Cat. It’s kind of creepy.
“Aha, I have a cabin up north that could fit all of us.” Nodding his head, he continues, “Yeah, it’s smaller than this house, but there is enough open space outside that we can