“Mayhap for others. But I warned them who they were getting to lead them if they forced my hand,” I reveal.
“Who did they get?” she wonders.
“A male with no warmth or sympathy for anyone or anything else. One who will do his job ruthlessly to make up for the guilt he carries every day. One who will not be cowed into any further demands from anyone, even the elders. Especially them. It was my punishment to them for what they forced me to do as much as it was punishment to myself,” I describe in accurate detail.
“That doesn’t sound like the male I knew, even if he didn’t treat me very well some of the time,” she remarks.
“No, he stayed in Monstera Bluff with my heart,” I confess.
“Norrell,” she says softly, chastising.
“It is the truth,” I reiterate.
“I’ve been angry at you for so long. But I wouldn’t have wanted that,” she divulges.
“It is what I deserve. I will never be able to fully make amends.”
Her brows knit. “Don’t put it on me like this to forgive you,” she counters.
“No, I do not want or expect that. I am mad at myself and the path my life has taken,” I clarify.
“I can understand that,” she empathizes. “I never thought my life would look like this either.”
“I will stay for the long haul to help you through this. Whatever it takes. My clan can fester for all I care at this point if they are unwilling to accept my brother’s leadership.” It is a truth I have realized since coming back here. The life I want is not there. They are not my people anymore.Your peopleshould not want you to sacrifice yourself.
Her expression turns introspective, her gaze returning to the horizon. We walk a while before she speaks again. “There’s a lot we will both have to come to terms with. It’ll take more than a few pretty words to hash this out.”
“I am here for as many conversations as it takes,” I vow to her.
The remainder of our walk is much quieter. We stop periodically so she can dig her toes in the sand and watch a pod of dolphins breaching above the waves. We are at ease with each other again and the stroll becomes companionable. After finding a few flawless shells Ada cannot leave behind, we eventually turn around and return home to make lunch. There is a lightness between us that has been missing since I arrived, marking the turning point I have been longing for since I reentered her life.
Chapter 13
Ada
“Ican’t wait to sleep in my own bed again!” Bittersweet emotions flood me when Tallie informs me that she, Cyrinda, and Aurelia are leaving tomorrow. Living under the same roof for so long bonded us, hopefully for life. I wouldn’t say the past few weeks flew by quickly, but this announcement takes me by surprise.
“I’ll drink to that! Though three weeks of horribly boring meetings was worth the trade-off to spend time with you delightful females,” Cyrinda says in an uncharacteristically snark-less manner.
“Did you already break into a bottle of champagne, Cyrinda? You sound downright sentimental,” Aurelia teases her old friend, who scoffs at her in return.
“I think we’re all a little punch drunk after so many all-day meetings. I haven’t had to do anything like that since my school days,” Tallie whines.
Aurelia clasps both of their shoulders, lightly shaking them. “We got through it. Our communities’ wards will be stronger than ever. And we’ll go home with new and effective security measures to put into place. Feel good we’re protecting our future,” Aurelia reminds them.
“Ew. And you accuse me of breaking into the bubbly already? You’re being the ooey-gooey one right now,” Cyrinda playfully defends herself.
“Speaking of bottles and bubbly, are we ready to get some drinks? How does Call of the Wild sound?” Tallie asks.
“You just want to stare at Hal’s biceps one last time before you leave,” Cyrinda says knowingly. “No judgment. I don’t mind a side of beefcake with my cocktail either.”
“So what if I do? Who better to know and appreciate a fine orc specimen than another one,” she says touching her shoulder and making a sizzle sound. Aurelia and I giggle at her. Cyrinda clucks her tongue.
The three lead me on a quick walk downtown to Call of the Wild, clearly a well-worn path for them.
The afternoon sun shines brightly through the windows onto the dark wood-clad interior of Call of the Wild. This place does not believe in overhead lighting. Other than candlelight and the orange glow of their fireplace, it gets very dark at night, even for a witch’s eyes without casting a darkvision spell.When in the dark without sight, let me see like there’s warm light. So I’ll be claiming a small hoard of their tea candles if we’re here for more than a couple hours.
Unsurprisingly, Hal slings drinks behind the bar along with a werewolf from the Wolf Pack. They own and operate the pub, which helps fund their activities and programs. Celeste Longclaw, one of my fellow town council members, waves to me from a barstool as we sit down at our table. It’s then I notice we have a direct line of sight to Hal. These ladies never fail to make me laugh. Even though at times I was frustrated by the lack of privacy while hosting them, I will miss all of them immensely when they’re gone.
