It took an immeasurable amount of patience not to punch Levi in the face. It would have been so easy to break his nose and fracture his cheek. I was standing. He was seated. By the time Charlie pulled me off of him, I could have done some serious damage.
But as much fun as fighting Levi was, I knew it would upset Sloane. Besides, we had more pressing matters at hand.
Instead, I reminded myself that I was speaking to ignorant children who had no idea what darkness lurked beyond the veil. I took a deep breath and said, “Violet could barely keep her voice steady. There was an uncharacteristic tremble there. Your daughter is possibly scared, Levi. And whether you believe me or not, she might be in trouble.” I didn’t necessarily want to catastrophize the situation, but I needed the man to understand the urgency.
The silence stretched, broken only by the distant sound of suburban life continuing around us. Somewhere, a dog barked. A lawnmower started up. Normal sounds of a normal world that was not normal at all. I picked up my chair and the three of us sat in that silence for a moment.
Charlie was the first to speak, his voice low enough that it would not carry to the kitchen windows. “Levi, you know Violet has been. . .strugglingsince she started college.”
Levi’s jaw tightened. “She is having trouble adjusting forotherreasons.” He gave Charlie a pointed look, a soundless communication between them. “Weren’t you just telling me it takestime, Charlie?”
“It does, but. . .” Charlie’s voice was gentle but insistent. “But from what you have told me about when you dropped her off, I am worried. And I know you are as well. She was so upset today that she hung up on Rowan.”
“She hangs up on Rowan because he annoys her,” Levi shot back, but there was less conviction in it now.
“Perhaps,” Charlie agreed. “But you said yourself that she seems. . .different. And she may be having a difficult time and might not be able to ask for help. Shouldn’t we check in on her more often?”
Whatever secret they shared that they were dancing around was annoying, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. I stayed silent, letting Charlie do the work. He understood Levi better than I did, having known him far longer than my measly five years. He knew which buttons to push and which to avoid.
“What are you suggesting?” Levi asked, though from his tone it sounded as if he already knew.
Charlie said, “Maybe someone should be close by. Not hovering, just. . . available. In case she needs family.”
“I cannot just leave work and move to Atlanta,” Violet’s father said.
No Shit, Levi.
“No,” Charlie said slowly. “But Rowan could.”
What?I thought as Levi’s eyes snapped to mine, that familiar hostility flaring.
“Absolutely not,” he said.
“Think about it,” Charlie pressed. “He is young enough to blend in on a college campus. Smart enough to handle whatever situation might arise, and he cares about Violet—even if he is an ass to her.”
“I am sitting right here,” I point out.
Levi was staring at Charlie as he shook his head. “She’s twenty, and he is,” he waved a hand in my direction as he said, “whatever the fuck he is. He’s a geriatric psycho stuffed into that boy’s body. You wanthimto watch overher?”
The implied accusation stung. I could have gotten angry. I could have pointed out that I had never looked at Violet that way regardless of my body’s age. Instead, I laughed and then said, “Do not project your inability to keep your dick in your pants onto me, Levi. You think I am interested in your daughter?T’fu! She is an infant compared to me.”
“Did you just make a disgusted noise aboutmydaughter?” Levi’s face went crimson, fury flashing in his amber eyes. His stubbled jaw locked, like he was ready to lunge across the table. “Fuck him, Charlie. I don’t trust—"
“I grew up in a world,” I interrupted, “Where staying alive meant eating rats and avoiding things that hunted humans for food or sport. I did not have time for romance then, and I do not have patience for it now.” I met his eyes. “Violet will be. . . my ward.”
Plus, caring for someone gets you indebted.
I suddenly recalled the last days of my first life: breaking into The Library, stealing a radiant golden tome, being chased through the Wastelands, and finally the Hunter who had killed me for the transgression. I had never told anybody about The Library or how I’d died. It was an ill-timed and disturbing memory.
Charlie warned quietly, voice low but firm, “Enough, both of you.” He glanced over to the doorway, and I knew his anxiety stemmed from our conversation.
So they still haven’t told her, I mused. Sloane was one of the few normal things in all of our lives. She did not bear the cursed gift of rebirth, nor the knowledge that such a thing was even possible.
“If Rowan says he’ll keep an eye on Violet, then he will,” Charlie said, his tone did not invite argument, and Levi’s gaze flicked to him, the storm in his expression barely reined in.
Charlie held his stare—he was the one person who could tether Levi’s fury before it tore through a room. Whatever bond they shared was before me, and it showed. Levi trusted this man with everything. . . even with his wife, despite his possessive nature. It was a testament to their friendship.
After a few seconds, something shifted in Levi’s expression. “If I agree to this,” he said slowly, “you keep your distance, boy. You watch, you report, but you do not interfere unless there is actual danger.”
