She went still, and the rest of the drive passed without another word. She didn’t move, didn’t shift, just sat there, eyes forward, breath shallow enough I almost missed it.
When I pulled up in front of Alto’s shop, the engine idled for a second before I cut it.
She turned then.
And I caught it, her eyes glossed over, water brimming in her eyes, something breaking loose behind them.
“I didn’t have a choice,” she said, her voice cracking as it came out. “I hope he takes that into consideration.”
A tear slipped free.
My hand lifted on instinct, magic stirring, air bending to catch it before it could fall from her cheek.
And then… nothing.
The current stopped short, like it had hit an invisible wall, and the tear fell off her chin.
“What the?—”
She gasped softly, eyes darting to my raised hand, then she shoved the door open.
Wait. Did she feel that?
She was out of the car before I could say anything, boots hitting pavement hard as she rushed toward the shop, moving fast enough to almost stumble.
I watched her go. The shop door slammed behind her, and the car sat quiet again.
Slowly lowering my hand, I stared at the shop for a second longer than necessary, then exhaled.
It was better this way.
She needed to be afraid. Of him. Of us. Fear was the only thing that kept humans alive in our world.
That didn’t stop the way my chest tightened when I thought about that tear.
I shifted the car into drive, pulling away slower than I should have. The shop stayed in my rearview mirror longer than necessary, its dim lights fading inch by inch until they disappeared completely.
“I didn’t have a choice.”
Her words circled back to me, and I thought about why she might be scared.
Manshu. I almost growled his name. Was he threatening her?
My phone rang. The screen lit up. Ezra.
I answered immediately. “Yes, Boss Ezra.”
“Do you know you’re the most formal of all the second-in-commands?”
A smile tugged at my mouth, one I’d never show in person, but alone, it slipped free.
“I’m only giving you the respect you deserve.”
Silence lingered before she chuckled softly.
“Always such a stickler for the rules. If you’d been this disciplined as a kid, maybe we wouldn’t have gotten caught after setting Grandfather Easton’s car on fire.”
“That wasn’t my fault,” I said, my response coming out quicker than I meant it to. “You and your brother came up with the idea. I just happened to be the one with the power to pull it off.”
