Page 24 of Mate Night Snack (Hollow Oak Mates #2)

KATNISS

" A bsolutely not."

Katniss crossed her arms and stared down the assembled Council members gathered in Miriam's. Morning light streamed through the lace curtains, painting everything in soft golds that should have felt peaceful but only emphasized how surreal this conversation was.

Varric leaned back in the floral armchair that looked far too delicate to support his imposing frame, his storm-cloud eyes studying her with what might have been admiration.

"The sanctuary in northern California has excellent protections.

Ancient redwood magic, very stable. You'd be safe there while we deal with Ashwin. "

"I said no." Her voice was sharper than intended, but she didn't care. "I'm not running away like some scared rabbit just because that psychopath burned a tree."

"It's not running," Miriam said gently from her perch on the piano bench, silver hair catching the light as she poured tea from a pot painted with tiny roses. "It's being sensible. Ashwin's message was clear. He's targeting you specifically."

"Then let him come." Katniss moved to the window, pulling the curtain aside to peer out at the garden where Emmett was chopping firewood with more force than strictly necessary.

Each swing of the axe spoke of barely contained violence, muscles bunching beneath his thermal shirt as he worked out his frustrations on defenseless logs.

"I'm tired of being treated like a victim waiting to happen. "

Elder Bram, who'd been silent until now, cleared his throat with obvious disapproval. "Young woman, your bravado is admirable but misguided. Ashwin has been planning this for decades. You've been here mere weeks."

"Exactly." She spun around to face them, hazel eyes blazing. "Which means I see things you've all gotten used to ignoring. Like the fact that running away won't solve anything. It'll just give him time to regroup and come back stronger."

"Or it will remove his primary target and force him to retreat," Bram countered.

"Will it? Because from what Twyla told me, he's been doing this same dance for thirty years. Take the seer, break the wolf, corrupt the community. How many times are you going to let that pattern repeat before you try something different?"

Varric's eyebrows rose slightly. "What do you suggest?"

"I suggest we break the pattern." She moved to stand behind the couch where Emmett had been sitting before he'd stalked outside, needing the movement to channel her frustration. "Instead of reacting to his moves, we make some of our own. Instead of hiding, we fight back."

"Fighting back requires knowing where he is," Maeve pointed out from her spot by the fireplace. "And right now, he's got the advantage of mobility."

"Then we make him come to us." Katniss began pacing, her mind racing through possibilities. "Set a trap. Use me as bait if that's what it takes."

"Absolutely not," came Emmett's voice from the doorway, rough with exhaustion and something deeper. He stepped inside, sawdust clinging to his thermal shirt and dark circles under his gray eyes that spoke of too many sleepless nights. "We're not using you as bait for anything."

The protective growl underlying his words made something warm uncurl in her chest, even as it sparked her temper. "That's not your decision to make."

"Like hell it isn't." He crossed the room in three long strides. "You're my mate. Protecting you is exactly my decision."

"I'm also a grown woman with agency who's tired of being discussed like she's not in the room." She lifted her chin, meeting his glare without flinching. "And I'm certainly not going to be shipped off to California like some inconvenient package."

"It's temporary.”

"Is it? Because Ashwin's message suggests he's not going anywhere. And neither am I."

The room fell silent. Katniss could feel the weight of everyone's attention, but her decision was already made.

"I appreciate the concern," she said more gently, "I really do.

But I came here following a mystery, and I'm not leaving until it's solved.

These missing girls deserve justice. This community deserves peace.

And I deserve the chance to be part of the solution instead of the problem everyone's trying to hide from. "

Varric fingers steepled beneath his chin. "The young seer makes valid points. Perhaps it's time we stopped reacting to Ashwin's provocations and started setting our own terms."

"You're seriously considering this?" Bram's pale eyes widened with dismay. "She's untrained, unpredictable, and exactly what he wants."

"She's also right," Miriam said quietly, setting down her teacup with a decisive clink. "Thirty years of playing defense hasn't worked. Maybe it's time to try offense."

The debate continued around her, but Katniss found her attention drifting to Emmett. He stood with his back to the group, hands braced against the window frame. The line of his shoulders spoke of barely controlled tension, and she could see the exhaustion in every line of his body.

He hadn't been sleeping. She knew because she hadn't been sleeping either.

The nightmares had started three days ago, the night after they'd found Ashwin's message.

Twisted visions that felt too real, too visceral to be simple dreams. Images of Emmett broken and bleeding, of Hollow Oak consumed by shadow fire, of herself chained in some dark place while Ashwin whispered poison in her ear.

She'd wake gasping, heart pounding, only to find Emmett already alert beside her, gathering her into his arms and murmuring reassurances until the phantom terror faded. But she could see the toll it was taking on him, the way he watched her constantly, the way he jumped at every unexpected sound.

"We'll table this discussion for now," Varric announced. "But the offer of sanctuary remains open if you change your mind."

The Council members filed out one by one. Finally, only she and Emmett remained in the suddenly quiet parlor.

"You're exhausted," she said softly, crossing to where he still stood by the window.

"I'm fine."

"Liar." She reached up to trace the dark circles under his eyes with gentle fingers. "When's the last time you got more than two hours of sleep?"

His jaw tightened. "Sleep's not exactly a priority right now."

"It should be. You can't protect anyone if you collapse from exhaustion."

"I'm not going to collapse."

"Everyone has limits, Emmett. Even you." She leaned against the window frame beside him, studying his profile.

The stubborn set of his jaw, the way tension corded the muscles in his neck, the slight tremor in his hands that he probably thought she hadn't noticed. "Talk to me. What's really going on?"

He was quiet for so long she thought he wouldn't answer. When he finally spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper.

"The dreams. I can feel them happening to you. Through the bond." He turned to look at her, his eyes dark with guilt. "I know you're trying to hide how bad they are, but I feel every nightmare, every moment of terror. And I can't stop them."

Her heart clenched at the pain in his voice. "That's not your job."

"Isn't it? I'm supposed to protect you. That's what mates do. But I can't fight something that attacks you in your sleep."

"So you've stopped sleeping entirely?"

"I stay awake to watch over you. To pull you out if the dreams get too bad."

She'd been so focused on her own fear, her own determination to stay and fight, that she hadn't fully considered what this was costing him. The man who'd already carried too much guilt was now torturing himself because he couldn't shield her from nightmares.

"Emmett." She reached for his hands, lacing their fingers together. "You're not responsible for my dreams. And you're definitely not responsible for Ashwin's ability to twist them into weapons."

"Then who is?"

"Ashwin. Only Ashwin. But if you run yourself into the ground trying to be my one-man security detail, you won't be able to help when I really need you."

Something in his expression shifted, the desperate edge softening into something more like resignation. "You're not going to change your mind about leaving."

"Not a chance."

"And you're not going to let me wrap you in cotton and hide you somewhere safe."

"Also not happening."

He sighed, a sound that seemed to come from somewhere deep in his chest. "Then we do this together. But I have conditions."

"Such as?"

"Such as you don't go anywhere alone. Ever. And you tell me immediately if the dreams get worse."

"Deal. But I have a condition too."

"What?"

"You get some actual sleep. Starting tonight." She stepped closer, close enough to feel the warmth radiating from his skin. "I mean it, Emmett. Real sleep. In a real bed. With me."

"The nightmares..."

"Will be easier to handle if you're not dead on your feet when they happen." She rose up on her toes to press a soft kiss to his lips. "Trust me on this. Please."

For a moment she thought he might argue further. Then his arms came around her, pulling her against his chest in a embrace that felt like relief and desperation tangled together.

"All right," he murmured into her hair. "We'll try it your way."

"Good. Now come on. Miriam's making lunch, and you need food almost as much as you need sleep."

As they headed toward the kitchen, Katniss tried to push away the lingering unease that had been growing stronger each day. The dreams were getting worse, more vivid, more specific. And something told her they were just the beginning of what Ashwin had planned.

But whatever came next, they'd face it together. She just had to make sure Emmett was strong enough to stand when the real fight began.