“That key works for any location once you hit a certain level of power. You received multiple as a gift and help to know you were on the right path,” he hedged, sounding a bit confused.
So we were at the level of his understanding again.
“Could you wait for me at my house once I know how to access there?”
“Oh yes,” he agreed. “I would love to visit there again.”
I did a double take, a million more questions on the tip of my tongue, but he hurried me to go. I asked about how to leave safely, and he told me to cloak but no one would see me leave out a door of the tree or anything. I would simply appear in front of them.
But always by that tree if I wasn’t careful… So, to be careful.
Fair enough.
I came out of the spirit realm with a gasp, quickly moving away from the tree before I took off the cloaking. I met Mrs. Reid’s concerned gaze. “Call a meeting with all the council and all the spouses or family who know about me. No more games or I cut them all off.” I didn’t wait for her to answer before facing Taylor. “Time to pick a side. The council’s or mine. We’re there.”
“I’ve always been clear from the beginning where my side is, Bevin,” he said firmly. “It’s my family’s, but you’re on the same side even if my dad is the head of the council.”
“I hope you’re right, but I don’t have enough faith in people he can control others and it might come to that.” I wasn’t going to debate him about that and turned to Emma. “I’m sorry. I didn’t…” I licked my lips. “I can’t tell you what happened, but I didn’t know the result. I’m sorry. I wouldn’t—” I gasped when she just hugged me. “Thanks.”
“I can take all of Taylor’s barking. It’s fine,” she rasped. “Thank you for telling me you were fine. I’m a bit freaked, Bev. You’re my buddy now too, okay?”
I hugged her back. “I got answers. I wish I could tell you, but I can’t. That was made clear to me.” I pulled away and looked at my phone. “I need to talk to someone before this meeting and we throw down. I…”
“You got answers and know what to do. Got it. Don’t—you don’t owe anyone answers, Bev,” she said gently as she tucked my hair behind my ear.
“No, I do if people are willing to protect and help me,” I muttered but then sighed. “But the line was fair too.” Then I thought about what I was told and made a decision. “I can’t tell anything about being a goddess witch because it could hurt other goddess witches or god warlocks.Clearly, even the council knowing is a problem.
“So it’s going to be frustrating and challenging for me, but if I want help and answers—real and actual answers, I can’t tell. And I can be punished for risking others.” I shrugged, ignoring all of their shocked expressions. I pulled out my phone and made the call I needed to, glad when he immediately answered. “I need to have a real conversation with you even if I’m not ready.”
What else was there really to say?
3
Derek
“I need to have a real conversation with you even if I’m not ready,” Bevin said when I answered her call.
“Where?”
What else was there really to say? She had to be breaking apart and she’d called me. Wasn’t that all I’d wanted? For her to turn to me instead of run from me?
Even if this probably wasn’t going to go the way I wanted… It was something. Right?
She sighed, not in annoyance, but more like she was at the end of her rope. “I don’t care as long as it’s not at the gym with your bros. We need privacy and somewhere better protected than my room since…”
Since Conrad Hanson had broken through it.
“I’m sorry about that,” I said honestly. “I put—any higher level would have sent up warnings to people who would try for the Wicked Challenges. Even the level I did has raised some eyebrows. I never thought—I would never have dreamed that—”
“Yeah, but my security should have because I have other threats against me and—any head of a top-tier family would want me. It was stupid to be lax,” she mumbled. “Always the fucking trial and error where I get hurt in the process, right?”
The tears in her voice killed me.
“I’ll get a place from Andy where I know it’s cleaner than my apartment,” I told her instead of trying to address that when she clearly had too much else going on. I cleared my throat. “I hope my advice isn’t unwelcome, but I think you need to make a statement about who you’re officially dating and the rumors. There are whispers about you being different.”
“Yeah, I think that was part of the plan, so I was stuck because he realized I wasn’t going to be as easy to handle as he first thought,” she said sounding lost. “Thanks. I’ll text Jasmine and talk with Emma. She’ll bring me when you’re ready.”
“Okay.”
