Our father didn’t even know her name.
Until now, he’s only shown signs of his sorcery lineage from Father, but that doesn’t mean that’s all he is. Most ‘gifts’ would have already manifested, but there are always exceptions.
“You should have told me. I don’t love it, but I still want you to be happy, and I don’t hate her…” He sounds like he’s trying to convince himself more than me. “Really, I don’t. I just don’t like that she’s so damn good at everything.”
“Seems like she didn’t have much of a choice…” I don’t mean to lecture him, but I also need him to realize he might have the wrong impression. Yeah, Wren is smart, and she’s given him a run for everything, but the alternative…
I blink and see the way she looked: her split lip, black eye, and that gash. She’d covered it up pretty well, and now all that remains is a scratch and slight yellowing around her eye.
“Yeah, I might have judged her alittlewrong.” He huffs a sigh as if admitting that pained him as he lets the book fall closed and tosses it on the table. “I didn’t know Rose was going to do that to her. I would have warned the guys. I want to beat her fair and square, not like that.”
“I know.” And I do. I raised him better than that, and I’m not surprised Rose would try to use him. Actually, that seems exactly like something Rose would do.
“We’ll figure it out, together. If she’s important to you guys, then that’s enough for me.”
Something about the way he says it rubs me wrong, and this time when I look his way, I find he’s lying with his back to me. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he almost sounded sad, but that doesn’t make any sense.
“Yeah.”
Everyone is still staying at my apartment, but I don’t think it will last much longer. I actually only have one bathroom, unlike them, and one bed.
“You guys can’t keep sleeping on the couch and chairs. It can’t be comfortable.”
“You’ve been sleeping on the couch for months now,” I remind her, earning myself a sharp look. I hold up my hands in surrender because I’m not looking to fight; in fact, I’m looking for quite the opposite.
“I only meant that you could keep sleeping here if you wanted,” I say, rubbing at the back of my neck, feeling nervous in a way I’m not at all used to.
“Smooth,” Julian says, elbowing me in the ribs with a smile that says it was actually anything but.
“The couch is fine.”
“Yeah, and if it’s ever not fine, she’s always welcome in my bed,” Julian adds, making her cheeks bloom with heat.
“Guys, we're going to be late for class,” Gavin whines, and Wren nods her agreement before turning toward the door.
“You know it’s bad when they're both on the same page,” Nolan says, shaking his head. I move to follow them, but I stop before I reach the door. It’s dangerous enough with them all leaving my apartment. I can at least claim the brother card for Gavin and, honestly, his friends too. But to walk with them all the way to class, that’s a bad idea.
Being around them, I’m not Mr. Adler the way I am with the rest of the school, and even with things a bit rocky right now, I don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea.
Or the right idea, I guess.
Nolan stays back with me, and I raise a brow in question, but he shakes his head, looking toward them as they file out the door.
“She’s getting worse.”
He’s right. Even beyond her lack of sleep, she’s not eating as much. She seems constantly lost in thought, and despite spending hours on homework, she doesn’t seem to be accomplishing anything. I’d hoped she would bounce back with some time, but she’s not.
“I’m not sure how to help her.”
“Can you make her a sleeping potion?” I snap my head toward him at his request, eyes wide in disbelief.
What he’s asking is illegal, not only because she’s a dud, but to give someone a potion without their consent, well, it’s a lot like slipping something in someone's drink in the mortal world.
Could it be helpful? Sure, but is that how it’s used? Almost never.
He must see the disbelief in my gaze because he’s quick to keep talking.
“You don’t have to give it to her. I will. I’ll take full credit for doing it if something happens. I just need you to make it,” he says in a rush.
