I only felt a sensation take over before I released the fire. I could only guess that it was because I had a strong emotion, but otherwise, I didn’t know.
“I don’t. I don’t know how to pull it out.”
The room was filled with whisperers, and I swallowed. Brandon sighed, irritated next to me.
“You’ve never used your gift before?” Another asked, seeming not to believe me.
“She’s never used her gift before,” Brandon snapped. “Any more questions?”
“Brandon, we are only asking because we care,” Lionel said, softening his face. “We are a pack after all. You’re a witch with a gift, so it’s only natural that we all have questions.”
His words confused me, but they lessened the questions. After a few more questions, everyone seemed to settle. I turned to Brandon, ready to go home, when my Lionel spoke up. “Hold on a moment.”
We both paused as Lionel stopped next to us. He offered a smile that was different from his expression just a moment ago. “I’m only asking questions so I can understand. This is good news to hear. Jade, having a gift like this will be a great advantage for the pack.” Lionel looked at me, his smile growing. “How about we have dinner tomorrow? Mary and I will cook. We can discuss this further. Look into what else you can do.”
The question threw me, and I stared at Lionel. I tried to search through my memory to see if he’d ever asked me to join them for dinner, but nothing came to mind.
“Okay,” Brandon said, hooking his arm with mine. “It’s late, and we’re tired.” Brandon turned us, and my mind seemed to glitch out. Had Lionel just invited us over for dinner? Had I heard him correctly?
We arrived home, and Brandon picked Ilsa out of the car and carried her inside. I followed behind them, yawning as I moved. As we got upstairs, Brandon turned into Ilsa’s room. I paused in the doorway as he placed her onto her bed, pulling the sheets over her. I watched him pat her hair and lean over, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
Brandon turned, shutting the door, and I leaned against the wall in the hallway. Brandon paused and tilted his head at me. “What’s wrong?”
“I just…your dad is inviting us for dinner.”
He raised an eyebrow at me. “Surely it’s not the first time you’ve gone over there.”
I shook my head. “No, we’ve gone over, but we’ve never been invited for dinner.”
He looked shocked. “What? You’ve never been invited over for dinner?”
I shook my head, and he scowled. “That’s terrible. Not even for Ilsa?”
I had thought they might once Ilsa was born, but it was never asked. His mother was more open, but she never asked me to stay for dinner. Never asked us to come over.
“Are you worried about tomorrow?”
I didn’t want to consider that it was Ilsa’s family, but a part of me questioned why there was a sudden need to invite us over. Was there an ulterior motive? Maybe I was overthinking this?
“A little. I mean, it’s dinner, so I’m not sure how to explain this to Ilsa. It’s becoming hard to explain the dynamic here,” I sighed and pushed off the wall. “I just…wish things were simpler.”
Brandon nodded. “You and me both.”
I swallowed, taking in the relaxed look on him. He looked tired, and yet he stayed with me the entire night. He stood by me during the meeting and helped with Ilsa. I wanted to ask him if he wanted me to tell Ilsa who he was, but I knew he wouldn’t answer. It was up to me to decide when that was right.
“Get some sleep,” he said, filling the silence. He stepped closer to me, pressing a kiss on my forehead before he turned to his bedroom. I watched him walk away, feeling an ache in my heart.
I slept heavily that night, having a hard time waking myself up. I blamed the fact that I hadn’t slept well in several days, and my body was screaming for sleep after it.
I slowly pulled myself out of bed and headed down the stairs. As I made it to the bottom, I spotted Ilsa standing on astool next to Brandon in front of the stove. Ilsa was giggling as Brandon talked, stating something about not burning the eggs.
I felt my heart stop beating as I watched them. Ilsa laughed at Brandon, leaning to look over his arm as he moved. He smiled at her like she was his entire world, and I knew she deserved to know the truth. She needed to know who he was and just how important she was to him.
“Look who’s finally awake.” Brandon smiled at me. “I made coffee for you. You looked like you were tired, so we decided to make breakfast.”
“Brandon is letting me help,” Ilsa said, jumping off the stool. “We made omelets.”
I looked at Brandon, who nodded with a smirk. “We tried at least.”
