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They left, and I got to work stocking the shelves with the new supplies to kill time while I waited for Willow.

Asher walked back in. “I like your sister, she’s feisty.”

I ignored that. “I don’t need a babysitter.”

Asher picked up one of the herbal soaps Mom made for the store, sniffed it, and put it in her pocket. “You’ve almost died twice since Draven met you.”

Okay, she got me there. “I told him I wouldn’t do anything dangerous on my own.”

Asher shrugged. “How much longer are you here for?”

I checked my phone. “As soon as Willow gets back, I’ll head to the council building.”

“Excellent. Then after that we can go for a drink?” She grinned. “I feel like getting tipsy and making bad choices.”

I laughed. Yes, I was pissed that Draven had Asher shadowing me, but I was starting to seriously like the warrior. “And you think Draven would be okay with that?”

Her grin slipped. “Probably not. Raincheck on that.” She pulled out her phone and started tapping at the screen.

“Are you texting Draven?”

“Yep,” she said without looking up.

“I never took you for a snitch,” I said.

“I am not.” She winked. “I’m loyal.”

Apparently, I wasn’t trusted to get myself to the keep, or maybe he wanted to make sure I actually went back.

Asher stayed until Willow returned, then tailed me in her truck all the way to the council building. I waved and headed inside.

I stopped by Sartori’s office first, but he wasn’t available, so I sent a quick text to Asher, telling her to take off, that I’d hang here and do a little more research, and promised to go straight to the keep afterwards. She replied with a, thumbs-up. I lost time going through the old books, but came up with nothing new. I had no leads and nowhere to go. God, I felt lost. I needed another sign from the mother in a bad way.

Every day that passed, I feared the chances of finding those girls alive, lessened.

I left and headed back to the keep—and was halfway there when I spotted Asher following me. She’d waited all that time? Now I felt guilty as well.

My phone rang. Mom flashed on the screen. I answered on speaker. “Hey, mom.”

“Are you okay? Is Draven treating you with respect?”

It had only been one day, but hearing her voice had my eyes stinging. “I’m fine, Mom. And yes, Draven is treating me with respect.”

“If he does something…”

“He’s not going to hurt me.” Mom had taken some wrong turns in the relationship department before she and Art finally got it together. One of her exes, Mags’s sperm donor, had been abusive, and I could hear the fear in her voice. “I promise, I’d tell you if I didn’t feel safe. He’s a good male.”

“That’s something at least. But I’ve been working on an appeal. This isn’t right. You should’ve been given a choice. Every female should. And it’s a precedent that could end in another witch being forced to mate someone who isn’t so good, and who won’t treat her with kindness or respect. I think we have a good case. I’m going to fight this.”

“An appeal? Is that an option?” My stomach felt like I’d swallowed a lead pipe all of a sudden. “The council never goes back on a decision.”

“I’m going to try. What they did, forcing this on you, is barbaric,” Mom said. “You’re not Selene or Charity, you shouldn’t be made to pay for their crimes. There has to be another way.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” No, this whole situation wasn’t ideal, but fate had made any other option impossible. “There’s more to this, and I think…I think it’s only a matter of time before this all sorts itself out.”

Mom was silent a beat. “Do you want to be mated to Draven?”

I opened my mouth, closed it.