Afew hours had passed, and Isaac’s behaviour confused me more every time I thought of him. Judging by the fact Miriam had tracked his family down through his mother to manipulate him into training me, she probably knew him better than I did.
Maybe she could shed some light on this peculiar predicament.
Taking a seat next to my uncomfortable-looking, red-eyed sister, I looked around and, sure enough, the source of the tension sat opposite us, staring daggers. Like she was deciding which one of us to tear apart first. Miriam didn’t look at her, but her fingers tightened around her fork just enough to notice.
If only Willow knew the girl she was antagonising could make her worst nightmares come true.
The putrid energy and presence of my older sister fouled the dining room, making my hunger vanish without a trace.
Alec sat on the other side of Miriam, brooding, staring my water-wielding sister down like an enemy.
The situation didn’t take long to escalate. Perhaps he had realised what a cheerful and supportive person she was. If only somebody had warned him…
‘I could probably cut the stake with the tension in this room. Anyone care to indulge me?’ father joked while taking his usual seat.
It just so happened to be the closest to the wench. With arms crossed over her chest, she cast the Lord of the Isles such a hateful look that he stopped in his tracks, dumbfounded, before turning to Alec in a silent question.
Alec ignored him, shoving food on his plate and eating like he held a grudge against it. In the whole time I had spent in the Isles, I didn’t think I had ever seen him so on edge.
‘Okay, what happened? Because obviously something did.' I kept my voice steady, even though being right amused me a little.
Willow was promiscuous. More witch than fae, and like many witches, she wouldn’t make good mate material. Those two would clash regularly until one of them killed the other.
But it was his choice to pursue her.
‘It appears your little sister fucked one of dad’s councillor’s sons,’ Miriam explained mid-bite, pointing at her with the fork.
Ohh. That would do it.
Willow leaned forward, venom glinting in her eyes under the bright candlelight. ‘Who are you calling little, you weirdo?’
Miriam chuckled before addressing me. ‘I didn’t even have to send one; he found his nightmare on his own.’
I couldn’t hold in the snigger any longer, but our brother’s distressed expression doused me. They all wanted their mates, and he had been dealt such a shit hand.
‘Eat,’ he barked, looking ahead, readying himself to shove food onto her plate.
With the poise of a beast ready to pounce, she craned her neck, assessing him with a devious grin. Her long fingernails tapped against the wooden table before going still as she raised a finger. At first, I didn’t realise what she had done—then the water from Alec’s half-full glass splashed into his face.
My mouth fell open. Willow’s powers were back already?
Blood burst from her nose, flowing in a heavy stream that covered her chin and chest within seconds before she hurried away to stop the bleeding.
‘Fucking idiot, she’ll kill herself just to defy me,’ Alec rasped, pushing away from the table and rushing after her.
The moment he left, father grinned, biting into his meat. ‘I must say, the estate is bursting with life as of late. Don’t you think?’
I was starting to think humour was his way of coping, a shield against the problems piling up around us. Maybe we were more alike than I realised.
Opting for another helping of noodles, I shared my thoughts: ‘She’s a fucking lunatic; I feel sorry for Alec.’
They nodded.
‘You weren’t close back home, right?’ Miriam asked while digging fruit out of her dessert.
‘No, never.’ I stared at the way she kept tossing raspberries aside. ‘Willow’s too selfish to get close to anyone.’
Amid the scrape of cutlery and desserts providing a sweet reprieve from Medeis’ bitterness, we all seemed to agree that Alec was fighting an uphill battle. Knowing what I now realised about mate bonds and how they affected people… I wished he were wrong, that it was another mistake, because I couldn’t see him ever mating her.
