Fight With Me

Chapter 43

⸻

Hope's POV

The compound didn't sleep.

Hope noticed it the moment she stopped shaking.

Doors stayed open. Voices stayed low. Magic pulsed through the walls in careful, deliberate waves. Protection spells layered gently instead of locking down hard, like the house itself was afraid of upsetting them.

Josie hadn't let go of her hand.

Not once.

They were set up in the library, blankets pulled from somewhere, lights dimmed to a soft amber glow. Hope leaned back against the couch with Josie tucked against her side, knees drawn up, fingers threaded tight like she might disappear if she loosened her grip.

Every time someone moved too quickly, Josie flinched.

Hope felt it too. Not fear exactly. More like anticipation. Her body stayed braced, waiting for pain that didn't come but threatened anyway.

Freya paced in slow circles, muttering to herself. Symbols hovered in the air when she gestured, faint and half-formed. Keelin sat at the table with old journals spread out, flipping pages faster than any human should.

Rebekah leaned against a shelf, arms crossed, watching them like a guard dog pretending not to care.

Kol sat upside down in an armchair, boots hooked over the back. "You know," he said, "for something allegedly about love, this thing is remarkably violent."

Hope shot him a look. "Helpful."

He grinned. "I try."

Josie shifted, pressing closer. The bond eased. Hope felt it immediately, like pressure releasing from behind her ribs.

Keelin noticed too. "That response," she said quietly. "Physical proximity lowers the symptoms. But it's temporary."

"So we just keep them glued together," Kol said. "Problem solved."

Freya stopped pacing. "No. The bond feeds on reassurance. Comfort. Dependency."

Josie stiffened. "So... us being together makes it worse?"

Freya softened instantly. "Not you. The bond reacts to intensity. Emotional reinforcement. It's accelerating itself."

Hope's jaw tightened. "So what are we supposed to do? Stop caring?"

"No," Freya said. "Slow it down."

Silence settled heavy.

Josie swallowed. "How?"

Freya hesitated. That scared Hope more than anything else so far.

"We don't fully know," Freya admitted. "There are references to bonds that formed under stress. Trauma. Shared power. They tend to blur boundaries."

Keelin looked up. "And destabilize identity."

Hope felt Josie's pulse jump under her fingers.

"I'm not losing her," Hope said flatly.

"No one said you were," Rebekah cut in. "But this house has seen what happens when love turns into something it can't survive."

Hope didn't argue. She just tightened her hold.

⸻

Josie's POV

Josie tried to listen. She really did.

But the room felt too loud even when no one was speaking. Every word scraped against something raw inside her. Every glance toward Hope felt loaded, like the universe was watching to see if she'd mess this up.