“Yeah,” I agree. “But I’m not married to them.”
Luke sighs. “Grab the end of this box, will you? Let’s just get the gear inside. That’s a job you can do without too much of an existential crisis, I hope?”
“Yeah,” I laugh. “At least, I think so.”
“Good. Because seeing you thinking hard is wigging me out a bit. I know this is a stressful situation, but honestly, I’ve never seen you so worked up.”
“I didn’t realize it was that obvious.”
“Oh, no, I think you’re hiding it okay. I just know you too well.”
I look up at the high walls of the house and the vines still curling happily around the corners, some of them clinging to the windowsills and reaching out to tap on the glass.
I’m going to get strangled in my fucking bed by a goddamn sentient plant, that’s what’s wrong with me!
“Don’t worry about me,” I grunt. “I’m perfectly fine. Best day of my life.”
Chapter 6 - Grace
The drive to our new home is one of the most stressful things I’ve ever had to endure, and that includes our major interactions with the snake, the horrible situation with Alisha’s ex coming after her, and the bullying I experienced as a kid.
Every terrible event in my life at least had a definitive end to it. I’m married to Dan. This is forever!
He tries his best to start a conversation with me, but I can’t connect with him, and it falls flat. I just know that anything I really want to talk about, he won’t understand, and I wouldn’t have a clue where to start if I wanted to learn about him.
Shooting people and going on secret missions isn’t my idea of a fun conversation. What else would a muscle-bound brute like this have to talk about?
I let the miles roll by, and the only time I loosen up enough to talk to him is when I tell him I used to visit the abandoned town, but I shut that down immediately, recognizing it as a dangerous topic.
It was during the long wanderings that I met the coven. I can’t talk about that. It’s all still a secret.
The thought of my sisters and their rejection of me just upsets me even more, so I hunch down in my seat, letting misery fill my heart. The sun slowly sets, the shadows swallowing us as they rise behind us, as if darkness is traveling faster than light.
When we get to the town, my heart lifts, and my dark mood begins to shift. I’d forgotten how beautiful the old town is, and the others have obviously been busy cleaning and repairing the place, making it even more beautiful than it was before.
When I see our house, I’m immediately charmed. It looks a lot like my cottage, but it has a whole extra floor above.
And probably an attic and a basement, too!
The only trouble is it looks bare, almost naked. I don’t think anything of it when I ask the plants to cover the walls, and when I turn around to look at Dan and Luke, I see their fully creeped-out faces.
Uh-oh.
I consider explaining to them, but I really feel they won’t understand, even if I stand here all night talking about the energy flow between all living things and the way it connects to me. I end up just turning my back on them and going inside to check out my new home.
As I turn away from Dan, I notice how wide his eyes are and the hard twist in his mouth.
That looks like more than just jitters… did I scare him with my powers?
I find it difficult to believe that a big, tough soldier boy could get scared of a few vines and flowers, and as I enter the house, an even darker idea blooms in my mind.
Could he be a witch-hater?
I pause in the hallway, my enjoyment of my new home suddenly shattered.
I’ve spent my whole life hiding my true nature and feeling ashamed of who I am. I only felt safe in the coven, even after Alisha came… will I have to hide myself from my husband, too?
The idea is too terrible to contemplate, so I shake it off and hurry upstairs. I can hear the guys talking, and I feel like they’re taking their time bringing all our stuff inside.
