Choosing the new council takes most of the day. Even though it’s tiring being out in the heat, no one wants to take shortcuts, and we don’t settle on our new members until the whole pack is happy.
After the official business is over, we mingle for a while, and new bonds are made. Everyone is very respectful towards me, and instead of being uncomfortable, I find I actually enjoy it a lot.
I’ve always been the odd one out. If I have to be outside the crowd, the best possible place to be is at the head of it.
Even though it means people don’t fully relax around me, I never really expected them to, and after a lifetime of being trodden on, I’ll take respect over fake friendship without hesitation.
The crowd begins to break up, and I wave to Dan before I head down the street towards home. When I hear his footsteps behind me, I’m disappointed. I’d hoped to get home and have some alone time while he stayed with the pack for a while.
If that’s the one thing we failed at today, it’s being a united front. I know that no one really noticed anything wrong, but we sure as hell didn’t look like a happy couple, either.
“Wait up,” Dan says, jogging up to me. “Damn, you can walk fast. How do you do it? It’s like you’re not even trying.”
“Long strides,” I answer, chuckling. “It’s not magic.”
He cocks his head and gives me a strange look.
“It’s really not,” I say, a bit defensively. “Do you think I use magic for everything?”
“Well, I don’t know,” he replies. “But I’d like to.”
“Like to what?”
“I’d like to know what you use magic for,” he says. “I don’t really know anything about it, and I feel like I should.”
“It’s pretty complicated,” I reply. “It might be better if you just don’t worry about it.”
“That’s impossible,” he says. “We’re married, and you’re a witch. Besides, we have the snake to worry about, and that thing is bound to magic.”
His words send shock waves through me, but I keep my even, slow stride and don’t look at him in case my eyes give me away.
I can’t tell him anything I know about the snake, or the plan might not succeed. I don’t even know what the plan is, except that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.
“You were there, weren’t you?” Dan asks. “Every time the snake demanded sacrifices, you were in the circle, or somewhere close by.”
An uncomfortable shock sweeps up my spine, sending waves of tension through my neck and shoulders. The memory of the snake’s gold eyes staring straight into mine sucks the air out of my lungs, and my heart stops in my chest.
Having Sakesh look into me was the most terrifying moment of my life. It felt like he was about to engulf me in flames, consume me, remake me… and part of me wanted him to.
“I don’t want to talk about that,” I say, more harshly than I meant to. “I mean—it was pretty scary for me. I know we’ll probably have to talk about it. Just not now, okay?”
“Okay,” he says, and I catch a hint of suspicion in his voice.
Great, he doesn’t trust me. That’s just fine. I don’t trust him, either.
Even though silence falls between us, it isn’t strained or awkward for a change. As we cross the front lawn towards the house, I know that space is filling up with things we want to say, but don’t have the courage to voice.
We have to do something. Obviously, I’m going to be here with him for a long time, and if we don’t figure out a way to live together, I’m going to die of stress.
“How about we make dinner together?” I ask, trying to sound friendly. “I can show you a few things, so maybe you won’t burn the kitchen down every time you walk into it.”
“Okay,” he says, smiling. “That sounds great.”
I smile back, my gaze lingering on his pretty mouth and dark blue eyes.
He really is so gorgeous.
“Okay, I’ll freshen up and meet you there,” I say.
