Page 140 of Harnessed in Gold

“Betts—” He tips my head up and brushes away the tear clinging to my lip.

“Take me with you,” I plead.

His brow furrows. “Take you where?”

“To Nàdar.”

He heaves a breath, his momentary surprise giving way to defeat. “I can’t.”

“But—”

“You need to stay here, where you’re safe.”

I trap his face between my hands. “But what about you?”

“I’ll be fine.”

“How can you say that? There’s a war brewing over there! It’s not like Brier is going to give up if he can’t get this weapon.”

“Betts, a chroí.” He covers my hands with his. “I’ll be back. I’ll be okay.”

“But what if—but if I’m there with you, you can use me. I can double your magic.”

His voice drops two octaves. “And that’s exactly why I don’t want you in Nàdar. If anyone, and I mean anyone, finds out what you can do, they’ll—” He rips his gaze from mine and shakes his head. “I shouldn’t have even used you in the library.”

“But why not? Why not use me if I can help?”

“Because we don’t know anything about your power, where it’s coming from or what it could do to you.”

“It didn’t do anything to me. I’m fine. All it did was give you a boost.”

A hollow laugh erupts from his throat. “Oh no, it did a lot more than that. Betts, you’re not just intensifying my power, you’re accelerating and honing it.” He clutches my hands to his chest. “That tunnel? I could never have made something that intricate alone. It’s like I wished it into being. One second, the idea popped into my head, the next, the roots were weaving. I wasn’t even using my hands.”

“But that’s good, isn’t it? That’s how much I can help.”

“No, that’s how easily you could be abused. It’s bad enough that Rime and Topaz are suspicious, but if River and the others find out—” His hands strangle mine. “No one can know. Do you understand me? No one.”

“But—”

“Betts.” He dips his head, putting his dark eyes inches from mine. “In the wrong hands, you’re a weapon, too.”

The truth of his words hits me like a punch, knocking the breath from my lungs. My fingers sink into his chest, his fear bleeding into my hands with every thump of his heart.

“If anything happens while I’m gone, if you need answers that Avery can’t provide, go to Jean West.”

“Don’t leave me. Don’t go without me.”

“Promise me, a chroí.” He sweeps my hair behind my ear. “Promise me you’ll go to Jean.”

With tears spilling onto my cheeks, I nod. My fingers slide into the curled ends of his hair, tugging on his neck until his mouth meets mine.

“I love you,” he whispers. “I promise I’ll be back.”

Lips quivering, I reply, “You make the boldest promises.”

“I know. I promise what Iwantto happen, not what I know will be.”

And judging from the determined set of his jaw, he’s not sorry about it.