Will tugs on my arm until I face him. “Promise me right now that this person isn’t here to hurt you.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Karl’s outrage bloom into epic proportions. But it isn’t lying when I easily make that promise. To Karl, I say, “This is Will Dane.”
To my relief, Karl does not accept Will’s outstretched hand. Will’s got enough ailments going on right now—he doesn’t need a broken hand to add to the litany of injuries he’s racking up. Instead, he nods his head, just barely, but it’s enough of an acknowledgement for me to continue on.
Only, I really don’t know how to approach everything I need to say to Karl. So I ask weakly, “Was it the Tracker that gave me away?”
Karl’s head drops slightly to the side in amazement at the same time his forehead furrows. Okay, he’s right. That was incredibly asinine for me to start with.
So I say the thing that I’ve said far too often in my life. I offer an all-encompassing, “I’m sorry.”
Another uncomfortable moment passes before Will breaks it. “I suppose I should make some coffee, as you two apparently only utter sentences to one another after minutes have passed. At this rate, we will be here all night. Why don’t you two go have a seat in one of the booths? D’ya like pancakes, Karl? Chloe hasn’t had dinner yet and she needs something to eat with her pain meds.”
Karl grunts, which Will takes as an assent before heading back to the kitchen. And then my Guard friend stalks over to one of the booths and crams himself in. I follow, sliding in across from him.
“You’re blonde,” he spits out. “With a horrible haircut and—are those contacts? Which is ridiculous, because it makes it seem like you’re in hiding, but Chloe Lilywhite, lead Creator and first tier Councilwoman, would not run away like a coward.”
Something bangs in the kitchen, and I jump in my seat. My nerves are completely frayed. But this is a situation of my own making, so I inhale slowly to center myself. “I did run away.”
He sucks in a breath, like this surprises him, despite us sitting in a restaurant a zillion miles away from Annar, with me wearing a nametag that says, Hi! I’m Zoe, while in disguise. “Why? Why would you do such a thing?”
I straighten my wrapped silverware so it aligns perfectly on the table. “It’s—”
But he cuts me off. “Did you know that there have been people searching for you for months? That there are people worried out of their mind back in Annar, not knowing where you are or how you are? Did that even matter to you when you left? Did you ever stop to think, ‘Oh, hey, maybe me running away without even a note was, I don’t know, a HORRIBLE IDEA?”
His anger is fully warranted. I nod slowly. Yes, I did know those things—or at least suspected them.
He jerks back in the booth, like I’d slapped him in the face.
“Karl, I . . .” I shake my head. But then I decide to lay it all out there. No more hiding. “I guess I should start at the beginning. I’ll answer your first concern you voiced. You asked what I was doing here with Will. Well, I work here with him. Obviously, he knows who I am, but to everyone else, I’m Zoe. Whatever you heard us saying about,”—I swallow hard—“us being together or whatnot, well . . . that was a joke. The other waitress likes to tease us. But he and I are only friends. He’s . . .” I smile sadly. “He’s my best friend. And I’d prefer if you didn’t beat the crap out of him simply because he chose to be friends with me.”
Karl’s lips flatten. “You hooked up with an Elf.”
Was it so obvious to everyone but me? “Half,” I clarify. “His mother was a Magical.” I lower my voice. “He only just learned about that, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t poke that bear with a stick.”
Karl’s eyebrows shoot up.
I count to ten and pray I get this right. “You’re right, though. I was a coward. I ran away, and I didn’t leave a note, and here I am, in Alaska, working at a cheesy moose themed diner, hanging out with a half-Elf, all while in disguise, but Karl—I honestly didn’t feel like I had a choice.” I close my eyes and try not to cry. I count to ten again before opening them, only to see the confusion on his dear face. “There’s something I should’ve told you a long time ago, but I never could. Part of why I left is because I couldn’t live with . . .” Attempting to swallow the huge lump in my throat is futile, but I have to own this. Have to take these steps toward making things right. “What was happening with Jonah . . . and with Kellan . . . it was breaking me. Breaking them.”
Karl briefly closes his own eyes, sighing through his nose, in a way that shows his belief that I’m just over reacting. “Chloe, I appreciate that you worry about whether or not you’re hurting Kellan, but the fact is, you’re Connected to Jonah. Case closed.”
I bite my lip and stare up at him. I wish it were so simple. And then I shake my head slowly. I can barely get the words out. “Not just Jonah.”