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“Yes. A shadow in the form of an FBI agent appointed by Jack because everyone thinks I can’t take care of myself. Now I’ve got someone watching me work all day. It’s super annoying.”
“I don’t think that’s why Jack posted a guard.”
Kate snorted and then looked around to see if she’d caught anyone’s attention with the sudden loud noise. When she didn’t see anyone looking at them, she turned back to Isabella. “Really? Do you have someone watching you all day?”
Isabella flashed a grin. “Actually, I do. Reece has barely left my side.” Her smile fell. “I understand why Reece is so worried, considering what happened to us. Then there was my brother’s internment?—”
“Oh shit.” Kate reached across the table and gave Isabella’s hand a squeeze before pulling back. “I’m so sorry I didn’t say anything; I was too caught up in my own shit. It was just a few days ago, right?”
Isabella nodded. “Only three, but I’m doing okay. It was—oh my god! Now, it’s my turn to forget to say something.” Isabella pulled her sleeve up a few inches and shoved her wrist at Kate. “Look what Isaac gave me. It’s only four days old, but Reece healed it.”
“Let me get a better look,” Kate said as she jumped up from her chair and went around to Isabella. Standing behind the chair, she looked over her friend’s shoulder so she could see the tattoo the way Isabella saw it. “A compass—I love it. It seems perfect for you as you were a traveler and now you’re settling down here. You’ve found your way.”
“Thanks. And you’re right, I have.”
Kate went back to her chair. “Is it the same design that Meredith, Jo, and Rowena have?”
“Yes, but it’s not a memorial tattoo like theirs. Isaac said he couldn’t do one for me.”
“He seems to be saying no a lot lately,” Kate muttered.
“What do you mean? He wouldn’t do a memorial tattoo for you?”
“Not memorial one, but one to keep me safe while I work on the sword. He wouldn’t do it… or he can’t do it. I don’t remember which. Anyway… he doesn’t trust me.” Kate heard the bitterness in her own voice.
Isabella leaned over the table, closing the space between them. “You know the sword killed my brother, right?” she asked quietly.
“What? No. No one told me that. I only knew that he died.” Kate couldn’t seem to get much right lately. “I’m sorry, Isabella.”
Sitting back, Isabella waved her hand in front of her face. Kate wasn’t sure if Isabella had meant it as a sign of dismissal or if she was magically drying her tears. “It’s okay. But what I meant is that the sword is dangerous. You’re lucky people care about you so much they want to protect you.”
Kate’s shoulders tensed at Isabella’s comments, but she refused to take her anger out on her friend. She was reserving all her anger for the one who actually deserved it. “I can protect myself.”
“Really? Like you protected yourself against my brother in your shop? Or what about the trance I heard you went into?”
Not sure whether she should get her back up at Isabella’s words or be ashamed at her own weakness for having not been able to defend herself, Kate kept quiet.
“Kate, I’m not trying to be mean. I just don’t think you know what we’re dealing with. It’s not you. No one can defend themselves against Maverick. He almost killed me and Reece, and he’s turning more and more magics against their own kind every day. He’s too powerful, and he’s passing that power on to others to do his bidding. Eddie had strength I couldn’t imagine.”
A sense of shame washed over Kate. Something she was becoming all too familiar with lately. She had felt shame for being weak. Then for taking her frustration out on her mom. Now she felt it for being self-centered and making everything about her. Not once had she considered the dangers other magics were going through.
“I’m sorry, Isabella. I’ve been too caught up in my own shit.”
“It’s okay. We all get like that,” she said with a smirk. “When all this mess is over and we get back to big family dinners, you can ask Reece all about what my own selfishness almost did. Believe me, I get it.”
“Thanks.” Kate wished the understanding words could wash away her shame, but she feared it was too ingrained to be cleansed off so easily. Getting rid of her shame would mean dissolving the anger she felt from her past. Something she didn’t think she would ever let go of.
Pushing the thoughts aside, she decided to change the subject. “So, tell me… how did you get your totally-in-love and protective boyfriend to let you come out with me today?”
Isabella’s eyes crinkled at the corners as she smiled. “It wasn’t an easy feat, but I managed to turn his love of spells against him.”
If Kate could only be so lucky with Isaac. “Do tell,” she teased.
“In the last couple of days, Reece started going through all the spell books I think he had already been through dozens of times. After everything we went through, he’s determined to find a spell for every situation we could possibly get ourselves into. Just in case, he said. So, as a game I started throwing out scenarios to see if he had a spell to go with it.”
Kate knew a devious plot when she heard one and liked the thought of being able to pull one over on a domineering male. Especially if it used something he loved. “Like what? How to ward off a bear attack?”
“Oh, that’s a good one. I’ll have to ask Reece about that next time. So no, I didn’t use that one, but you get the idea. I knew he had a locator spell because he’s used it to find me. But I feigned innocence and asked about other spells I was sure he had, like soundproofing a room, keeping out pests, and creating a message to pop up at a specific time.”
