Pushing aside thoughts of her father, Meadow did some rhythmic breathing. And by the time someone knocked on the door, she had calmed down and was ready for her magic lessons.
Nadia entered, carrying a satchel. “Good morning, Meadow. How did last night go?”
For a second, she hesitated. Meadow wasn’t used to sharing things with people. And yet, if she wanted to try making friends in this time period, she needed to open up a little. So, she forced herself to reply, “Good. Better than I thought.”
Nadia sat down across from her and quirked an eyebrow. “Does that mean you ended up in bed with them both?”
“Er, not exactly.” She bit her bottom lip and then added, “But let’s just say they can be rather convincing when they put their minds to it.”
Nadia chuckled. “That doesn’t surprise me. And not just because you’re their fated one, either. They’ve somehow been given permission to attend the Autumn Festival next month, and no vampire has attended in a long, long time. Half-vampires, yes, but they were still part fae witch. But the notice came from Dark Lord Khan’s office, so it must be true.”
Meadow frowned. She vaguely remembered Laurie and Joseph asking if she wanted to attend and saying yes. But she’d thought it some trivial thing.
She really needed to learn more about this time period and all the rivalries, wars, and so forth.
She asked, “Why would Dark Lord Khan send out a magical alert to everyone about them attending?”
“Well, the more time we have to get used to the idea, the better, given the past between the vampire and fae witch territories in London. Some of the hotter heads are plotting revenge for dead ancestors, but Dark Lord Khan has time to sort them out. I may not agree with or understand everything he does, but I do think we need to start banding together with the shifters and vampires instead of fighting amongst ourselves.”
Looking down at her lap, Meadow twisted her fingers. “It’s my fault he has to do any of that, isn’t it? But I don’t want to cause any trouble, and I can get them to cancel.”
“No, don’t.”
She met Nadia’s gaze again. “No?”
She shook her head. “No. We’ve been allies with the vampires for nearly a decade now, and we need to start making changes beyond a written treaty. Besides, Dark Lord Yates will be attending with Yesenia, and Dr. Vale with Nora. For most fae witches, having two Dark Lords at the festival will be a massivedeal. Even more so if the shifter Dark Lord, Everett Black, attends as well. And he might.”
“But will they be safe? I don’t want River or Yesenia, or anyone else for that matter, getting hurt because of me.”
“Extra security had already been planned, given all the recent kidnappings. There had been talk of canceling the festival, but it’s been going on for nearly two hundred years—even when we were at war with the vampires, albeit it was much smaller then—and the fae witches can be stubborn. Maybe not as much as the shifters, but we’re close.”
She winked, and some of Meadow’s anxiety faded. “So you’ll be attending?”
“Of course, along with my husband and my daughter. My brother will be running a stall, too, so you’ll need to stop by and say hello.”
“I’ll try. Everything will be new to me, and while it’s probably impossible, I want to see as much of it as I can. If nothing else, it’ll help my brain fully accept that I am in 1890 and not in some kind of strange dream.”
“Good. The more accustomed you get to London and this time, the better. I suspect it’ll make your magic easier to control, too, if you feel more at home.”
Home.No place had really felt like home since her mother’s death. Oh, Yesenia and River had tried their best. However, their father had always been there, and since Meadow was the youngest, she’d had to live with him the longest without the others.
Maybe this time and place would become her home.
No, don’t get your hopes up. Things could still go wrong.Not wanting to dwell and get anxious, she changed the subject. “So, what are we going to do today?”
Thankfully, Nadia didn’t blink at the change of topic. “We’re going to test how much control you have over your magic.”
She swallowed. “We are? How?”
“I brought a volunteer with me. He’s waiting in the hall, for when you’re ready.”
Meadow’s hand went to her training bracelet. “B-but what if I can’t control my powers at all?”
“I would never put you or anyone else in danger, Meadow, I promise. I can always put your training bracelet back on. Besides, he’s half fae witch and half human, which is one of the hardest types to influence with our magic.”
“He’s half human and half fae witch? But I thought they were incredibly rare.”
Conception rates between humans and paranormals weren’t great to begin with, but for some reason the rate was lowest between humans and fae witches. Meadow had only met one such individual in her life.
