“Trust me, I told my brother the same thing.” He speeds over, eyes narrowing as he glares at me. “I don’t like what you do to him.”
“Are you talking about that thing I do with my tongue or something else?”
“Classy.”
“I know.” I smile and open the fridge, which is well stocked for just one person now that Devon won’t be eating food with me. The realization brings an odd wave of sadness that I quickly push aside. “Why are you coming with me?”
“Like I said, I don't know what you’re doing to my brother.”
“That doesn’t answer my question in the slightest.” I pull a bottle of cranberry juice out and turn.
Theo lets out a dramatic sigh. Knowing he had to purposely inhale air just to let it out like that amuses me. “Xavier wastes too much time and energy worrying about you. And since he hasbusiness to attend to tonight and cannot join in on your frivolous outing, he’s tasked me withjoiningyou.”
“So you’re mad he found someone to care about. Or is it because I’m a witch?”
“The fact that you’re a witch has no bearing on my dislike for you.”
“Glad to know the feeling is mutual.” I pour myself juice and take a drink. “I’m fine. I’ve proven time and time again that I can hold my own.”
“I believe you. And part of me is curious to put that to the test.”
Now it’s my turn to roll my eyes. “I’m sure you would. Seriously, I really don’t want you to come. You’ll kill the vibe, grandpa.”
“Maybe you should learn to keep your mouth shut then and not tell Xavier that the Order is trying to run you out of town.”
“Okay, that’s way dramatic. And he’s my husband. I don’t want to keep things from him.”
“Oh please, you’ve been married for like half a second and neither of you wanted to get married in the first place.”
“He’s grown on me.”
“Has he? Or is that Stockholm syndrome talking?”
I raise my eyebrows. “So you’re admitting you kidnapped me?”
“Acquired.”
Finishing my glass of juice, I shake my head, dropping this back-and-forth thing with Theo. “I just want the Order to leave me alone. Wasn’t it enough that they made me feel like an unwelcome outcast my whole life?”
Theo doesn’t reply for several seconds. His eyes narrow again and he tips his head, scrutinizing me with his gaze. “They fear you. Keeping you below them made them less afraid.”
“I get that. Doesn’t make it right, but I get it. People have been doing that forever, right? What I don’t get is why they’re still trying to control me. I’m gone. Not part of the Order anymore. And they’re still running interference, trying to make my life difficult. It’s like they’re obsessed with me.”
“They are,” he agrees, surprising me. “They hate that they couldn’t control you then, and it kills them now. You need to change your perspective on it though.”
“How?”
“The more they try to control you, the more you’re actually controlling them.”
“What do you mean?”
“Think about it,” Theo says and raises his eyebrows. “Why would they want to control you?”
“Because they’re assholes?” I reply with a shrug.
“I don’t disagree, but it’s deeper than that. You, on your own, are a threat. Not just physically, but to their egos. They convinced you but also themselves that you need them. You don’t, and you’re thriving without them despite the constant harassment. I’ve lived long enough to know that people like that are fragile, desperately clinging to the opinion of others for their own validation. You’re proving them wrong, and they won’t stop until they can stop you.”
“So you’re saying this is going to be my life?”
