“Okay?” I waited for more and after several long moments of uncomfortable silence he released my hand and placed some distance between us. He ran his fingers through his hair, disheveling it even more.
“Our lycans are larger than your pups. They’re immune to magic and capable of their own. Stronger than your witches. And they are great warriors. Aware of their advantages, they often choose neutrality during conflicts. The draveths, however, were a threat they couldn’t ignore. But since the lycans had set a precedent of not intervening, the draveths took their involvement with even more hostility. When the draveths were defeated, their final act before being banished from our realm was to punish the lycans for handing us the victory. Using a spell that is resistant to my magic, they were imprisoned in our realm.” His words were tinged with sorrow, but I sensed he was withholding something.
“Is there more?”
“You have all the relevant information.”
Accepting the huge concessions he’d already made, I didn’t push for more information despite my desire for it. He seemed to have shut down, the vault of information closed behind his walls.
He tapped at that damn imaginary watch and looked over at Amelia. It was increasingly annoying. I wished I’d added that to the list of promises he made to me.
Then, he was gone.Now you see him, now you don’t.And I was pretty sure it wasn’t a collection that had called him away.
16
All the new information I’d learned from Larkin, which occupied my thoughts during the drive to Jonah’s home, was pushed aside. Approaching the quaint brick house that Jonah shared with other witches, I wondered if I was adequately prepared to deal with a potentially hostile quasi-coven. Too much about their magic was unknown. I rechecked my stored weapons and the few accoutrements I’d brought to protect me from magic. Without access to my own magic, it was hard to prepare for the encounter. Bringing another witch with me would be tantamount to a challenge. A werewolf would be considered a threat. Based on Jonah’s history with the Houses of Hollows and Knight, I doubted they’d even respond to me.
I knew I was being watched through the camera in the doorbell, so I wasn’t sure why someone felt the need to pull back the curtains and observe me. When I turned to face them, their face disappeared behind the thick fabric. Jonah was still a person of interest, and I would have preferred to catch him off guard to prevent him making up a story. Before I could signal my arrival, the door opened. Jonah leaned against the doorframe, using his uninjured hand to readjust the sling securing his cast against his body.
“Does it hurt?” I asked.
“Do you really care?”
“Yes. I don’t like to see anyone in pain. I hate that I was put in a position where I had to injure you.”
“Breaking my wrist was unavoidable?”
“Of course it was. Would you have preferred Belham’s retaliation?”
Rolling his eyes, his lips beveled into a frown. “I had an escape plan.”
“An escape plan that would have gotten you out of the house but wouldn’t have saved you from facing the consequences of your actions.”
His minor irritation had notched up to full-blown anger, making further discussion difficult.
“I’m sorry I broke your wrist.” It didn’t sound conciliatory despite the effort I put into sounding sincere. Jonah’s lips formed a hard line that resembled the look he gave me.
“Why are you here?” He repositioned himself to block the entrance. He was tall and broad enough to obscure whoever was making the noise behind him.
“We need to talk.”
“So talk,” he demanded, looking down at his nails, using his thumb to push at the cuticles.
“I’d rather do it inside.”
After several beats of consideration, he looked over his shoulder. After a clamoring noise and footsteps, he stepped aside.
From the doorway, I could see the living space was a mismatch of various decorative styles.
“You share this home with your coven?”
“Coven.” He spat it out with such disdain I wondered if he’d been expelled from one. Expulsion from a coven wasn’t common practice, but when a witch showed signs of beingunable to abide by the rules, or the Archanist witch suspected they’d cause unnecessary conflict with other covens, they took that route. From what Amelia had told me, it was a last resort. Excommunicated witches became a thorn in the coven’s side, seeking retribution by any means. Based on Jonah’s bitterness, he’d definitely do it.
“You have a problem with covens?”
“I have a problem with their nonsensical rules and commitment to living small. Most covens require that of their witches. They’re unwilling to allow us to flourish, to push the boundaries of our magic or pursue alternative methods to enhance it and our spellcasting abilities so we’re no longer under the thumb of the vampires and werewolves.” He scoffed. “They can’t own wolfsbane because the pack forbade it. It’s absurd that creatures without magic can dictate what we can do.”
“They change into wolves. There’s magic. And when in that form they’re immune to yours. It’s inconvenient, but a war with potential allies is absurd over a flower that’s rarely used,” I pointed out.
