Jocelyn’s word was law, whether Taron and I liked it or not. Alex kissed me on the forehead, whispering assurances that I was too panic-stricken to catch, before jogging out of the room with the rest of them, and a moment later, Taron and I were alone, staring silently at the door as it closed in front of us.
Without thinking, I ran toward the door, only to be yanked backward as a boney hand grabbed my upper arm.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he snarled.
“Let go of me!” I screamed, clawing his hand, but it was no use. For a wiry guy he had a grip like the devil on a sinner.
“Sit down!” He threw me against the wall, but I had no intention of staying.
The moment his hand left my arm, I hopped up and made a bee line for the door to Jocelyn’s office. Just before my hand reached the doorknob, Taron caught my arms – both this time – and hauled me back across the floor, kicking and screaming.
“I am not above tying you down. Now, you sit there!” He threw me back up against the wall. “And don’t move!”
“I have to help him!” I shrieked, looking for something within reach to throw.
“Haven’t you done enough?” he roared, finally earning my undivided attention. “If you’d have kept your mouth shut, your brother would have six people fighting to save him instead of five. But instead of being out there with the rest of the Order where I’m needed, I have to stay here and babysit you! If anything happens to Ryland, you have no one but yourself to blame!”
He stalked off to the other side of the room, still growling to himself, leaving me sitting speechless and humiliated.
Oh my God, he was right. He should be out there with the rest of them, but they were a man down because of me. What if something happened to Ryland because Taron wasn’t there? Or what if someone else got hurt? Min, or Mr Anderson… or Alex?
Fear ran through me like a blade as I jumped up and ran over to Taron. “Go,” I pleaded, grabbing hold of his arm. “Go and help them, I’ll stay.”
“Sure, you’d love that,” he snorted, pulling away from me.
“Please,” I begged. “Please go, someone could get hurt!”
“Jocelyn told me not to let you out of my sight, so that’s what’s going to happen.”
“You’re more worried about…” But my question died on my tongue as I saw the answer in his face. He was more worried about doing what Jocelyn said than anything else. He’d gotten an order from his leader, and that was it. Much as I hated to admit it, I finally saw what everyone else saw in him. He was loyal. He might be a total ass, and his ability might be all but useless in a fight, but I could see he would stand by Jocelyn to the end. While I still didn’t trust him in the least, I knew Jocelyn did, and right now that would have to be good enough for me.
“Then take me,” I urged him, trying a new tactic. “We can both go, and I’ll hide. You will still know where I am and you can help them while I stay hidden. I promise. No one will know I’m there.” The small gleam in his eye at my suggestion gave me hope. “Please Taron, I won’t try anything, I swear. You’d know if I was lying, right?”
I held my breath and put on my best obedient face, as he hesitated, looking me up and down. After what felt like hours, he huffed and glanced down at his watch.
“Fine,” he clipped.
“Thank you!” I breathed, so relieved my hands were shaking.
“Don’t thank me,” he said, striding over to the long table against the back wall and opening the glass case holding the Iris. “I plan to blame this little excursion on you.”
“What do we need that for?” I asked, as he slid the Iris into his pocket.
“Min didn’t have time to reset the charms.” He glanced upward indicating the room. “Chamber’s not secure. It will be safer with Jocelyn.”
Charms… I looked down at my Sciath realizing that Min had also forgotten to put the Block back on before she left. Now that I took a second to think about it, I could feel Taron’s ability in the room with me and was surprised I hadn’t noticed before. At any other time, I would have been thrilled to see