Chapter 28
Mirelle POV
"If you want to live with your sister, you can come with us to the estate," I say.
The older one, Anika, looks at me. She's clearly the little giant in charge here. There's something too mature in her eyes for a 14-year-old, but I suppose life forced that on her.
"Nah, we're good here," she says, confident and calm.
The younger one, Lidia, nods silently beside her, more nervous, her eyes flicking between me and the world outside the window.
I glance past them and spot Raina on the floor a few feet away, still speaking with her mother. They're painting something together on a canvas spread out over the tiles. Her mother giggles at something Raina says and waves a brush through the air like a wand.
"Hey, can you go distract your sister for a second? I have something to say to this sister here," I murmur to Lidia.
She blinks up at me, then smiles and skips toward Raina and their mother, throwing herself onto the floor with exaggerated cheer. It works.
I kneel down slightly to be at Anika's level and pull out a few things: a slim phone, a black card, and a small silver necklace with the Alden crest—a sword entwined by a vine beneath a pointed star. I hold the necklace out.
"This is yours now. The phone has all my numbers and other people you can contact if anything happens. The card is linked to a private account. Use it for lunch, books, whatever you need."
She hesitates, staring at the necklace.
"That crest? Anyone in the Alden network will recognize it. If you're ever in danger and near an Alden, show them this. If you're alone, a drop of blood will activate it and alert our systems."
She takes it slowly, solemnly. Her fingers are delicate but steady.
"And if you want to see your sister, any staff here can take you straight to the estate."
Anika doesn't say anything for a moment. Then, quietly, she reaches forward and tugs at the sleeve of my jacket.
"Thanks," she says, softly.
I nod, trying not to let it show how much that single word affects me. This girl's been through too much. If anyone gives her problems on the island, especially my idiot family, I'll personally introduce them to the ground—face first.
--
By the time we're in the car, I'm driving a little too fast. Raina doesn't say anything. She doesn't need to. I saw the unread messages from Aunt Mona flash across my screen as we pulled out of the neighborhood. If I wait too long, she'll come find me herself. And while I'm not scared of anything, I have the good sense to fear my aunt.
Still, I can feel Raina watching me. There's something thoughtful in the silence between us.
"Thank you for everything," she says finally, her voice soft.
I glance sideways at her and shrug. "No need. They're family too."
She smiles a little, looking out the window. The city is slowly starting to fall behind us.
"Are you sure you're related though?" I tease.
She snorts. "What? Do I not look like them?"
"Nah. Unlike you, they're cute."
She gasps dramatically. "Asshole."
I smirk.
Her face relaxes, and I can tell the tension's breaking.
Good. She's been quiet since we arrived—I get it. She's been holding her family together by sheer force of will, so she's worried but she doesn't have to anymore.
They're safe.
She doesn't know it yet, but I'd level half the planet to keep it that way.
The lives of millions cannot equate to the life of a loved one, and that's how I was raised.