Imogen sneaks into the kitchen, grabs a block of chocolate that she hides behind her back, and scowls.
“I’m not coming to a big, huge dinner. I’m going to take Daphne and Ivy to Asher’s.”
Lorelei turns and studies her. She narrows her eyes. “Why?”
“Why does there have to be a reason?” Imogen flutters her eyelashes.
“Oh, I know you, child of mine, spill it. What are you up to?”
Imogen sighs. “Asher said she would pay us if we go and help her with a project that the evil witch gave her.”
Lorelei’s scowl gets darker. “Fine, go earn money. Lord knows you know how to spend it. But you tell your sister that if she thinks for one second that I’m not going to come over afterwards and find out why this isn’t already done, she is mistaken.”
“Great. Love you. Bye.” Imogen beams and bounces away.
I turn back to where Milton has the alphas in a deep conversation. I feel like we’re a million miles away, and the distance is getting bigger.
The night goes on and on, but when it comes to leaving, Mum is too upset and drunk to go alone, and Randall disappeared earlier because he needed to open the hardware store early in the morning.
I look at my alphas and know they are feeling the same misery and frustration I am.
“Tomorrow,” I promise.
Fox kisses me gently, as if I’m incredibly precious, and then they are gone, and I’m standing there trying not to cry.
“Mum, what the hell?” I whisper at her.
She stumbles and giggles, and I hook her arm over my shoulder and drag her home. It takes an hour to chase her into bed, but then it’s just me and the house that always felt so comfortable.
It doesn’t now.
I go upstairs and sit at my desk and stare at my laptop screen.
I stare at it until the sun rises, and I finally know what I have to do.
Chapter 28
Cordelia
Deciding is one thing but actually doing it is hard, especially when preorders have gone through the roof, reaching numbers that have me staring at the screen, wondering if I need glasses. My finger hovers over the unpublish button, but I hesitate.
What if they leave anyway? What if it doesn’t work out? If it were just me, it wouldn’t matter so much, but it’s Gale.
I pace my room, then close the laptop without unpublishing the preorder. I go out and find Gale waiting for me. It helps.
We go through our morning ritual. I clean up his stall, make him all pretty while he lips at my clothes. I change his food, check the water, then on a whim, I get a saddle on him.
He prances sideways happily as I lead him out of the stable and open the gate. I pull myself up into the saddle and press my heels to his sides.
“Get us out of here, Gale.”
He takes off, and we head up the back of my house, cutting onto the trail that we always travel on. The magpies sing, thesounds of the bush are loud, and everything is a million miles away.
It’s just me and him.
I lean forward and pat his neck as he slows to a walk.
“You know, I know you love them. And we’d be staying here. So, you’d be happy. I’m just not sure what to do. That pen name is me. It’s my soul, Gale. I put everything into it. It’s the bridge, my dreams. How can I just close it down and give it up?”
