“No buts.” He lets go of my face to claim both my hands, grounding me to my chair and the apartment. “Trust me. I’ve felt him. And chances are, he probably would have done just such a thing whether we were gone or not, because he believes he’s owed these powers back.” And then, more gently, “Even from an innocent baby.”
He knows me well. Even still, too much of my personal happiness always seems to come at the great expense of others, and it breaks my heart to think this could be the case again. “Do you think he did this because we left? Because he couldn’t find me?”
Before Jonah can answer, Karl says, “Jonah’s right, Chloe. Whether or not you had been here, that attack most likely would have occurred, even against a baby.”
“But, this baby wasn’t born,” Callie says. She’s shivering, she’s so angry. “How the hell did they know it even had a craft worth targeting?”
Karl doesn’t look at any of us when he says, “I wish I could answer that. Enlilkian is ...” He blows out a hard breath. “Maybe it’s because he’s the first Creator. Maybe he can sense things the rest of us aren’t capable of.” And then, like the words are hard to get out, “In any case, the baby was ... out of its mother when we found it.”
Oh. My. Gods. I—I can’t—
“Who does that,” Cora whispers. “Who treats life like that, like it’s so disposable?”
Anger and frustration flashes in Jonah’s eyes and he leans forward. “I’m so fucking tired of this cat and mouse game. We need to get back on the offensive and hunt them down. Karl, whatever the Guard needs to track down their nest—you will have the Council’s full support. I will make sure the Subcommittee doesn’t block one damn thing you guys request. But it needs to start now, understood?”
Karl and Moira exchange a look. And then, tentatively, Karl says, “We need him back. If this is going to work like I think you want it to, we need him here and on the team.”
Jonah’s eyes close briefly as he takes in a deep breath, like he’s debating which words to best say.
“You know we wouldn’t ask this of you if it wasn’t important,” Raul says. “But the Guard stands no chance controlling these bastards without an Emotional.”
“Kellan isn’t the only Emotional on the Guard,” Callie points out.
“This is true,” Raul tells her. “But he’s the best one we have. The others, as good as they are, are not as nuanced and powerful as he or Jonah. We need a Whitecomb on the team, and ...” He turns to Jonah. “Perhaps I’m wrong, amigo, but I’m thinking you are not ready to volunteer quite yet, not with Chloe still being a target and all.”
There is a full five seconds of silence before Jonah says, voice even, like we’re discussing the weather, “You’re right about that. And ... as Kellan and I aren’t currently speaking, I’m afraid I’m not going to be of any help tracking him down. You guys will have to use one of the other Emotionals on the team.”
Wait—what? They’re not speaking? I search for his attention, want to ask him what he means by that, but I’m not the only one taken aback by this latest bit of news.
Wrinkles form between Moira’s eyebrows. “But you two are always in each other’s heads. Couldn’t you—”
“We decided,” Jonah continues calmly, but his fingers curling in and out show me his irritation at having to explain himself, “that it would be best to cut off communication for a few weeks. So, even if I remove the mental blocks I’ve put in place, his are still there. Outside of a phone call, there’s no way for me to get ahold of him.”
“Calling is no use,” Callie says. “He left his phone behind with Mom and took a different one with him. I tried to get him to give us the number, just in case, but ...” She looks over at her mother, now clutching Cameron’s hand in her lap. “But he told us we had to trust him, that he needed this time.”
He’s not even talking to Callie? Or Astrid? Kellan’s completely cut off from everyone? Is he even on his mission right now?
“Shit,” Karl murmurs.
“Do you have an idea when he might be back?” Will asks Jonah.
The surprises keep rolling in when my husband admits, “No. But, I’ll let you all know when I know anything.”
I guess I stupidly assumed that Jonah knew where his brother was, knew how he was. That, despite everything, they were still talking. That they still had that bond, that link between them. They’ve both assured me, over and over, that even when they’re furious or hurt, they were always there for one another. Yet, Kellan is now out there somewhere, alone, and—
Jonah takes my hand once more and squeezes it meaningfully, like he knows I’m perilously close to spiraling into the minefields of anxiety. Later, he’s telling me. We’ll talk about this when everyone goes home.
“It might be a good idea to convene the Subcommittee tomorrow in order to ease into the Council meeting on Friday,” Karl muses. “Zthane and I will get moving on our end tonight, so we can give you a plan to present.” He turns to Raul. “Go and visit Bios tonight. See if we’ve somehow left some kind of stone unturned, especially when it comes to the Elders here in Annar.”