Without another word, he opens a portal and pulls us inside.
36
Callum
“Callum, what the hell?”
Seren is—justifiably—confused and irritated at my behavior.
“Who was that, and why did we just—”
“That was my mother.”
After hopping through three portals in quick succession, we’re both breathing hard.
Seren looks a little green, and it’s just one more thing to be ashamed for, not thinking how much strain it would cause her to portal out of Traverdale just as quickly as we portalled in.
She lets go of my hand and staggers a few steps away, doubling over with one hand braced on a tree trunk as she attempts to regain her breath.
We’re just outside the main entrance to the court, and I hope to hell Finn is here this time, because I don’t know where we’ll go if he isn’t.
“Nice way to greet your mom.”
Seren’s words grate against my already raw conscience, enough that I can’t stop the glare I shoot at her.
My witch glares right back.
And fine, maybe I deserve it.
Here I am, a fully grown demon more than capable of facing up to my problems, and I just turned tail and ran rather than doing so.
“We’re going to talk about this.”
“If we can just go into the court and—”
“Nope. We’re talking about it now.” She straightens, still glaring, and despite it all, I can’t help but be impressed by her.
Indomitable, my witch.
I could take a few lessons from her.
“Seren—”
“Callum.” She doesn’t let me get out a single word of excuse, doesn’t give me any more chances to evade her. “Unless you want me to march myself into court and find another demon to take me back to the Veil, I suggest you tell me what the hell happened back there.”
No part of me wants her to know. I don’t want my pain and my shame laid out for her judgment and condemnation. I don’t want to see the look on her face when she realizes how deeply unsuitable I am to be her mate.
But I also know she’s right. I owe her this.
So I tell her.
I tell her about my mother, about my father and the mess he left us in. I tell her how I tried for years to keep our heads above water and how I was never able to succeed until I signed my contract with Myron.
I tell her what that contract means.
Years.
I’ll have years earning my way out of it and spending every spare cent to keep a roof over my mother’s head. Years I won’t be fully able to make my own choices, that I’ll be beholden to the mistakes of my past and the mistakes others made before me.
