“Hey baby, P.” My voice sounded rough, and my throat felt it. What the hell happened?
Piper’s sweet face was all red and splotchy. She’d been ugly crying. My chest ached seeing her like that. I opened my arms for her, and she knew what to do.
She climbed into the hospital bed and placed her head across my chest. I didn’t feel a wink of pain when she added pressure to me, so I took that as a good sign.
My daughter shook in my arms while I saw a few familiar faces pop into view.
Remy waved and I’m pretty sure there was some redness in her eyes too. Imogene had a wine glass in her hand, perhaps for comfort, and then there was Rylan.
Once Piper relaxed, I asked if Imogene and Remy could take her to my room to get some sleep. It was late, and she looked like she needed it if the bags under eyes were anything to go by.
The nurse came over to bed and explained that glass sliced across my back. It ripped bits of skin and a muscle. But the witch healers poured a potion over my back while I was passed out and it was good as new. Well… besides the scar, but I’d take a scar over ripped muscles any day.
I’d have to stay in the hospital wing overnight but should be able to leave in the morning.
Rylan listened to the nurse while she talked about soreness when I raised my right arm, and to take things easy.
There was a long stretch of silence after she left. Rylan ran his fingers through his hair and sighed.
“Why didn’t you trust me? You should have stayed back. You wouldn’t have gotten hurt if you listened.” His fingers trailed down his face and he groaned.
“I had to get to Piper.”
“I would have protected her.”
“It’s not your job to protect her. I’m her mother. I love her, and I would do anything for her. Including risk my life.”
Apparently, that wasn’t the right thing to say in Rylan’s brain.
“Ilove you,andher. It’s my job to protect you both. Dammit, Temperance. I need you to trust me. Especially when I fucking see it and tell you to trust me,” he shouted and watched as I arched a brow before shouting right back.
“What the fuck does that mean?”
He watched me and his jaw tensed, but no words came out.
“You want me to trust you, then don’t keep secrets from me. Pretty sure that’s Trust: 101.”
His jaw muscle ticked as if he really didn’t want to tell me. Then, with a resigned huff, he said, “Fine. I’ve been able to see bits of the future since magic hit my body.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
It’s a sign of new beginnings
He waited for me to process those words before elaborating.
“You have a gift with potions, mine is with divination. It’s not always clear, and I still can’t control it like I want to.” He sat in the chair near the bed and placed his head in his hands.
“I saw the school, the issues with the governments, and my role in them.” He sighed and I gripped the sheets a little tighter. My gut churned, pretty sure my intuition knew where this was going.
“I saw you.” His hands dropped and he stared at me. Those stormy eyes pleading. I managed to keep my breath steady, but I doubt I’d succeed much longer. “I’ve seen us, years down the road. I knew you’d nearly get blown up at the registration table and was there to save you.”
My breath stilled and the rest of me followed.
“I saw your fascinations with stars and loved that about you.” He stood back up and started pacing. Then he laughed. “I fell in so hard for your green eyes before I met you that I went and bought every sweater and shirt I could find with the same colorso I could feel close to you.” He wore a hole in the stone floors with his back and forth, I was sure of it.
“I saw someone, always a concealed face, causing all the trouble in the castle.” He gritted his teeth and tightened his hands before continuing. “But every time I try to intervene, I’m off by a few minutes, or days. I can’t protect the school or the ones I care about like I should with this power.”
So much information spilled out of him, and I didn’t know what to make of it.
