It’s dark now—too dark to see. But I can feel Rowan’s gaze as he turns to look at me.
“Does your shifter side help you see in the dark?” I ask absently, wanting to talk about anything other than what we’re about to do.
“Possibly.”
“Did you notice it before you worked the first metamorphosis?”
“No. My vision improved when I became an owl, but I didn’t notice a drastic decline when I changed back to myself.”
“That’s handy,” I murmur.
He makes a noise of agreement, sounding a little lost. Just like me.
I turn to leave. “Let’s find Ansel so we can get this over with.”
Chapter 22
Lots of Bushes
Apparently, we’re too slow because Ash is already with Ansel when we finally find him on the walkway outside the hotel. They stand in the streetlamp’s light, casting shadows behind them.
Neither one looks happy.
“It’s not a big deal,” Ansel says to Ash, exasperated. “They’ll forget about it by tomorrow.”
“It is a big deal. You cannot perform blatantmagicin front of thehumans.” Ash drops his voice, but Rowan and I are close enough to hear him. He turns to acknowledge us when we join them. “I apologize, but Ansel and I are in the middle of?—”
“Ash was just going,” Ansel interrupts him. “What do you need?”
Ash huffs, but before he can get started, I quickly say, “We’re ready to sever the bond.” I gulp. “If you still think you can do it.”
Ansel cocks his head slightly, looking entirely too eager to experiment on us. “Now?”
I feel Rowan’s eyes. When I look at him, he appears conflicted. Like maybe he’s changed his mind.
“If that’s all right,” I waffle. “I mean, it’s late, and we’ll understand if you?—”
“It’s fine,” Ansel says.
Ash must find our conversation more interesting than the one he and Ansel were having when we arrived because he turns to me. “You’ve found a way to reverse the mate bond?”
“Ansel thinks he has.”
Deep down, I hope it doesn’t work. Then Rowan and I can stay connected, happily accepting our fate.
The councilman studies me briefly before he turns to Rowan. “I hate to bring this up, as I obviously would like nothing more than to break you two apart, but you do realize Mom will probably withdraw her approval the moment she discovers you’re no longer connected?”
“I’m aware,” he says stiffly. “But I can’t say that I care much about her approval anymore.”
“Ansel mentioned the suspected repression.” His voice is grim. “Have you spoken with her since you shifted?”
“Only briefly.”
“You’ve been staying with Marshall?”
Rowan nods. “It’s a temporary solution.”
“We need to finish the tea shop apartment,” I say.
