“Do you think what Gina said on the recording will help?” I ask quietly, trying not to wince from the sharp pain in my chest that happens every time her name is mentioned.
“It’s more information than what we had before,” she replies, looking up at me with a small smile. “Also, we now have confirmation that other witches were involved and that they used blood to increase the potency of the spell.”
“Which means one of her minions might remember more about the spell,” Donovan muses from his position in the recliner closest to me.
“Exactly,” Callie confirms, her smile growing.
“So we’re just glossing over how Nolan got this information?” Felix asks, sitting on the floor with his arms wrapped around his raised knees. “Attempted murder is cool now?”
“No, it’s not cool,” Kaleb seethes, pacing behind the couch. “I can’t believe you tried to kill someone and then had Callie and Connor cover it up.”
“I didn’t ask—” I start to explain, but I’m quickly interrupted.
“Iasked her to do it,” Donovan interjects, gripping the arms of the recliner, probably to keep from punching Kaleb.
Callie sits up, my fingers dragging through her wavy hair as she looks over the couch. “I wouldn’t hesitate to do this for any of you.”
“That’s not the point.” Kaleb sighs, rubbing his face. “You should never be put in that position in the first place.”
Despite not really liking the reason for Kaleb’s disapproval, it’s kind of nice to see him acting like his old self. Even after Callie confirmed he apologized for whatever the hell he did, he’s been weird and skittish around all of us. Nothing like me colossally fucking up to bring back his normal judgy self.
“You act like you’ve never killed anyone before,” Donovan says through gritted teeth.
Kaleb freezes in his pacing, his expression carefully blank. “It was a demon, and it was to save lives.”
“They stilllookedhuman,” Donovan counters, his voice low and his gaze distant.
“I’ve ended many lives,” Connor interjects, his haunted amber eyes meeting mine. There’s no judgment over what I’ve done, only a sad understanding.
Kaleb clears his throat and crosses his arms. His voice is gentle when he says, “You had no choice.”
Callie absently runs her hand down Connor’s arm. Sometimes, I envy their connection. Other times, I’m terrified by it. To have someone know you so completely seems like both a blessing and a curse. There’s so much about myself that I wished no one knew. Unfortunately, as my body has weakened, the monster has found his way through the fractured cracks of my mind.
“She’s not dead,” Felix shouts, drawing all of our attention. His gaze bounces around to each of us, his eyebrows are furrowed harshly, and his lips are pressed tightly together. He lets the silence sit for a moment before stating, “Gina is a bad person.” Donovan snorts with derision, but Felix ignores him. “Not that I’m totally on board with murdering her, but she’s done awful shit for years. Nolan deserves justice. Callie deserves justice. Every single person she’s harmed over the years just because she could deserves justice.”
“I agree that she deserves to be punished,” Kaleb insists after releasing a controlled breath. “I’ve been saying that we needed to do something about her for years, but murder wasn’t the way.”
“And she’snotdead,” Felix repeats, rubbing the back of his neck. His unease with confrontation is evident in his expression. “Callie healed her and wiped the memories of anything happening at all. She’s going to be fine.”
“I’m not sure if that’s better,” Kaleb argues quietly and then turns to look out the windows at the hazy, overcast morning. “She’s done horrible, monstrous things. I’m not denying that. But violating a person until near death then covering up all the evidence to the point they don’t remember being attacked in the first place… Is that who we are now?”
“Wedidn’t do it.Idid it, and I’m sorry. I can’t take back what I did,” I mutter, feeling extremely tired and a little lost. I never expected to answer for my actions because I was never supposed to see today. Callie puts her feet on the floor and shifts closer to me, attempting to hug me from the side. I lift my arm and draw her closer, needing her warmth. “But I’m going to do it the right way now. I’m… I’m going to tell my parents the truth. All of it.”
Donovan’s eyebrows shoot up his forehead. “What the hell was the point of covering it all up if you’re going to confess anyway?”
“Keeps humans out of it,” Connor supplies, sliding down the couch until Callie is sandwiched between us, his hand resting on her thigh. He’s been particularly clingy this morning, always needing to be in contact with her in some way. Granted, he could be ripping out all our throats for daring to touch his mate, so if the clinginess doesn’t bother Callie, I’m not going to dig too deeply into it.
Felix waves his hand, his lips pursed with one eyebrow raised. “Hi, hello. Human sitting right here that is very much in it.”
“You don’t count.” I laugh, and some of the tension that’s been building inside me eases.
His face pinches in a way that makes him look like he’s thinking too hard. “Is that speciesist? Should I be offended on behalf of all the boring humans who don’t have cool supernatural abilities?”
Donovan grabs a small pillow from the couch and throws it at Felix, hitting him in the face. “Shut up.”
Felix grins, shaking the pillow side to side like it’s a prize he won. He’s definitely changed since he took over James’s life. He’s more confident speaking his mind, for one. I like it, but it’s also good to see his goofy humor hasn’t been lost in the transition. It makes it easier to separate my best friend from the guy I used to fool around with—which I don’t plan to tell him, ever. Some secrets are meant to stay secret.
I startle when Kaleb rests his hand on my shoulder. It’s warm through my three layers of shirts and sweater, the cold already starting to seep through me. “You know that I’m worried aboutyou, right? That all of this” —he makes a vague circular gesture with his free hand— “is because I don’t want you to suffer consequences for whatshedid.”
