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He could already see her shaking her head.

Wynter. I’m going up there. Now.

No!she snapped.You’re not! You can’t go up there alone, Nick. You have no idea what you’ll find… or if you’d be doing exactly what he wants you to do. How do you know you and James going up there isn’t the exact thing that will trigger the scenario in the painting?

I don’t,Nick growled.But I know doing nothing at all isn’t a damned option.

Nick, listen to yourself––

I am listening,Nick growled.I’m listening to everything, wife. The whole point of Mal’s paintings and his visions is that they’re a warning, right? So what the hell good is a warning if we all just ignore it?

Nick, that’s twisting things. You know it’s twisting things.

Do I?Nick snorted, knowing she’d hear it.Wynter, I just saw a full-color poster of exactly what will happen if I do nothing. What that asshole will do to everyone I love. My only prayer is to get up there before he can make that whole thing manifest. I don’t have any other option at this point.

NICK!Her mind slammed into his.You aren’t listening to me! You’re so panicked and freaked out and aggressive right now, you aren’t listening to any of us! You can’t do this alone. You NEED our help––

He cut her off again.

I don’t want you anywhere fucking near this, Wynter.

His thoughts came through cold that time, unwavering.

Fighting to pull back some of the aggression she just mentioned, he clenched his jaw.

Look,he sent next.We know exactly what I’d be walking into, Wynter. Mal already sent me the map of where it is, the place he painted––

That’s not the point, Nick,she snapped.

I know what the point is,he cut in, his thoughts as warning as hers.I’m telling you, I don’t have to go up there alone. I can get the whole damned police force to meet me. Or at least get enough Midnights that we can bring the fucker down. I won’t be alone… I just don’t want YOU there. I don’t want you, or Kit, or the kid, or Mal, or anyone else I give a damn about to be anywhere NEAR that damned thing.

Nick paused, waiting for her to acknowledge his words.

When she didn’t he went on, still fighting his mind calm.

You can’t help me with this,he sent, fighting the impulse to shake her through their blood connection.You’ll just give him ammunition, Wynter, and make me vulnerable, and make me hesitate where I can’t hesitate. We know there’s a portal on the spot Mal drew, right? And that this psychotic prick wants to take my wife and all my friends to go through it?

Again, she didn’t answer.

He could almost see her there, sitting on an expensive chair, arms folded.

Glaring at him.

Nick’s jaw hardened more. So why the FUCK would I want any of you anywhere near that, Wynter? How does that do anything but help him?

He wants you there, Nick. How is it you can’t see that?

He wants me to follow him there,Nick corrected, his thoughts hardening.Chasing you. And the kid. And Mal. He wants me towatchprobably, while he takes all of you away from me. Oh and leaves me behind… that’s the super-fun best part, wife. Especially since it will possibly kill you… and it willdefinitelykill me…

Wynter’s mind hardened alongside his.

He felt her anger swirl around him, her fury and rage and powerlessness at what she saw as his completely unreasonable stubbornness. She felt so angry, he suspected she was on the verge of tears. She’d probably be throwing things at him, if they were at home.

You’re damned right I would be!Her voice grew furious in his mind.Nick, you’re notlisteningto me. You’re not listening to anyone but yourself, and that panicked, freaked out voice in your head you keep pretending is rational. You absolutelycannotgo up there with only you and James. Even if you call for police backup, you know they’d never get up there in time, not by the time they got all the approvals and the––

Bullshit,Nick growled.Acharya’s got the entire protected area looking for him, Wynter. They’d send up military helicopters if I told them I knew where he was. Jets. I think you might be underestimating the sheer batshit crazy going on right now over this––

And you can’t possibly think that guns and vampires are going to fix this, Nick! You have to know this situation is more complicated than you’re saying. PLEASE don’t go alone… PLEASE! Lara agrees with me. She thinks something really weird is happening between the two of you, that the portal might really be messing with you… maybe even trying to merge your lives together to deal with the paradox of having both of you here at the same time. We don’t even know what will happen if they kill him––