“You seem…happy about all this,” I said.
She gave an excited laugh as she bounced up and down, her eyes sparkling. “Of course I’m happy!” she exclaimed. “Think about it! I can help save the town.”
I didn’t respond, not right away. I was thinking about the wraith, about how he had gone after Emma because she was a witch. Both she and Rachel had been targets of the wraith since their powers were discovered, and they had someone keeping tabs on them at all times because of it. I remembered how distraught Elias had been when the wraith had kidnapped Emma. What the hell was I going to do if he did the same to Liv? I would be out of my mind with worry.
And that was nothing to say about Azaret. I had done enough research on demons to know that he would be far less susceptible to magic than the wraith. And Liv’s powers—if they were connected to telekinesis like it seemed—while impressive, weren’t going to provide the same base protection that wielding water or fire might. In short, Liv had just had a target drawn on her back. If she trained and let people see her powers, then she was going to become one of the top three people on the wraith’s list. Azaret has already shown that he can break through our wards. What was going to stop him from scooping up Liv if he caught wind of her?
If Liv noticed my own reservations, she didn’t let on. “Rachel wants me to start training with her and Emma,” she continued.
That was one of the last things I wanted to hear. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” I asked.
Liv went still. Her lips pursed into a thin line, so unlike the smile that had danced across her face a minute earlier. “What do you mean?” she asked. “Of course it’s a good idea. I’ll be helping the town.”
“You’re going to put yourself in danger,” I said. “I just think you should consider all the consequences and potential outcomes before jumping headfirst into this. At least test your powers out a bit more in private to make sure you can actually help.”
“That’s what the training is for,” she said, her voice even, lacking her normal enthusiasm as she stared at me. Anger and frustration lurked in her gaze.
“I’m trying to keep you safe, Liv. If you start going out and making your powers known, you’re going to paint a target on you. Not just from Azaret or the wraith, but the town, too. Youknow there are pack members who don’t like witches. Rachel and Emma get a pass because they’re the alpha’s sister and mate, respectively. I might have some sway in town, but I don’t have nearly as much clout as Elias.”
“So, what? You want me to do nothing?”
“I just think it would be better if you asked Rachel and Jessie to keep this secret. Flaunting it is going to draw attention. If you want to learn to control it, that’s one thing, but putting yourself in the line of fire is something else entirely. It’s my job to keep you safe. Letting you draw attention to yourself achieves almost the exact opposite.”
“You’re joking, right?” she scoffed as she shook her head. “Unbelievable.”
“What is?”
“The fact that you think you get to dictate my life because we’re mates,” she snarled. “You have no right to have any say in what I do. Not after everything you put me through.”
I blinked, not sure how to process that. But before I could say anything, Liv continued.
“You know, I thought you’d be happy for me, but I should have known you’d be like this. You didn’t think I was good enough for you back then. Why should that be any different now?”
Where the hell had that come from? Of course I thought she was good enough. She was better than good enough. If she couldn’t see that, then she needed to get her eyes checked.
I didn’t tell her that, because I thought it was obvious. Apparently, though, I had opened a floodgate, because Liv continued venting.
“You’ve been nothing but controlling ever since the Oracle told you we had to be mated. You didn’t give two shits about me before then. Do you know how that makes me feel? I shouldn’t have to prove myself to you on a regular basis, but here we are. I’m sick of it all.”
“Liv, listen to me,” I said, grabbing her shoulders. “This has nothing to do with thinking you aren’t up for the task and everything to do with my not wanting you to put yourself in danger. You know the wraith targets witches. It’s going to come after you the second he learns about you. And the wards aren’t going to offer the same protection they once did, not with Azaret. By doing this, you’re putting a giant target on your back, and I happen to want to keep you safe. That’s all I care about.”
Her expression softened a little, though her shoulders remained taut, her chin jutting as she scrutinized me. After a moment, though, her shoulders eased. I reached out and cupped her chin, willing her to understand what was going through my mind.
“I want you safe,” I growled. “If anything happened to you…” I trailed off, my wolf snarling and thrashing at the mere thought of Liv getting hurt. “I don’t know what I would do. And honestly, I don’t want to ever find out.”
Frustration and something inscrutable flickered across her features, as if I had said something not quite offensive but irritating, or maybe confusing. Apparently, though, I had quenched at least some of her fire because she gave a nod.
“I get that you want me safe,” she finally said. “But it’s still my life, and I can’t stand by and watch my pack suffer when I know there’s something I can do about it.”
“What if the pack doesn’t accept you?”
She gave a laugh. “I spent too many years worrying about that,” she said. “Now, I happen to like myself enough not to give a damn what they think. If the rest of the pack doesn’t like me, then so be it. That isn’t going to stop me from helping them.”
I let out a low breath, that admiration I felt for her beginning to creep over me once again. This woman was something else. How did I get lucky enough to be paired with someone like her?
She stepped out of my grasp, her gaze cautious as she studied me.
“I need some air,” she finally said, hurt and frustration still lingering over her. She brushed past me, her scent wafting over me for the briefest of moments as she did. I twisted around to look after her, watching the door long after she had slipped outside, leaving me in a room of shattered objects.
