Noah pretended she never tried to leave. "Dust needs a leader," he said. "Whether I wanted it or not, that position is mine. There are no more proxies, no more backups anymore. The last viable option died with Patrick. Now if I fail, we all fail. Unfortunately, Evanne and Evelyn need someone too. I can't do both. At least not now."
Juniper shook her head. "I don't want your reprieve though. Give it to the Thompkins and Robin."
"Fine. Whatever you want. But first, you get Evelyn and her mother out of Martha Remmington's house. She was right about Evanne not being fit to care for a child yet. She's not even fit to take care of herself. I don't care how it happens--if you stay with them or they stay with you or whatever you come up with--just make sure they're getting everything they need. I'll provide everything, anything you need to make their lives as easy as possible."
Noah sighed. "I can't be there for them. I need to know that someone is."