“Silas. Are you all right?”
Silas looked at his father’s face, a mirror to his own, and even though his parents had finally said those words he’d always wanted them to say, the sadness over all the time he’d wasted, the frustrationover the relationships he’d ruined, the sheer rage over all the things he’d missed out on because of his own cowardice—it all bubbled up to the surface at once, heat and noise andinsistence, and then—
Silas burst.
“Unsettled.”
“You think Sylvia’s magic iswhat?”
Katherine tried to push past Fiona to the door to Sunspot, her body vibrating with the need to run into Sylvia’s office right the fuck now. But Fiona stepped in her way, strong hands on Katherine’s shoulders preventing her from moving forward.
“Unsettled, Fiona. I think Sylvia’s magic is fucking unsettled.”
Thatwas what she had seen in Sylvia’s office. The rough edges, the speed at which she called it up, the way it flowed. The familiarity and fear it sparked in her.
“And what if it is, Katherine?” Fiona retorted. “What are you going to do about that right now, by yourself?”
“I’m going to march into her office and make her tell me where the fuck that magic came from!”
Katherine tried to make another beeline for the door, but Fiona stopped her with a tight hand on her wrist.
“If that’s true—if—then walking into Sylvia’s office and accusing her directly would be a surefire way to get yourself killed.”
“Yeah, I bet you’d be just fine with that.”
Fiona instantly dropped Katherine’s wrist. Tears welled up in her eyes, and Katherine burned with the need to apologize. But she didn’t, because if she did, Fiona might stay. Might follow her down this path, and this path was leading nowhere good.
“You need to leave,” she said.
Fiona shook her head harshly, the motion dislodging some of the tears, sending them cascading down her cheeks, running rivers through her blush.
“I’m not letting you do this alone.”
And damn her, she wouldn’t. No matter how much Katherine tried to push Fiona away, she always stayed. Always called, always texted, always reminded Katherine that she was unflinchingly, foreverthere. It was one of the many things Katherine loved about her. One of the few things Katherine clung to when she was at her lowest.
“You don’t have a choice.” Katherine pulled out her caster, flicking the blade open. “You know I can force you to do it, Fi. Don’t make me.”
Fiona covered her mouth with one of her hands. Katherine felt her heart shrivel.
“Go inside and get everyone else out, then go,” she said, forcing her voice to stay even. “Now.”
After a moment, Fiona dropped her hand. “I don’t even know who you are right now.”
“Yeah, me neither.”
Fiona wiped her running nose on her sleeve, taking a moment to gather herself before she looked at Katherine again. She pursed her lips, then shook her head and walked away.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
There was a loudclickas Katherine flicked the sign on Sunspot’s front door toCLOSED.
She turned, surveying the now-empty restaurant. Fiona had followed Katherine’s direction to get everyone out, not giving Katherine a second glance as she drove off with Tess. If she survived this, Fiona would never speak to her again.
She probably wouldn’t survive this anyway.
Katherine locked the front door and walked to Sylvia’s office. One hand resting on the caster in her pocket, she knocked.
Sylvia’s voice filtered through a moment later, the same calm “come in” that Katherine had heard a million times.
