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"And when it happens?"
"When it happens, it happens. There is no undoing it."
"Except?" I asked, jerking my chin toward Minos, suddenly understanding his withdrawn, miserable nature, why he so infrequently came out anymore, why he always seemed to be hurting over something.
How had I missed him Claiming someone?
And who had it been?
Where was she now?
"Except if she rejects you," Ace said. "You still Claim them. If you are near them, your nature responds, you protect them. But if she rejects you, it creates a deep cavern inside that never gets filled again."
Shit.
I felt like a terrible friend to Minos suddenly.
"It doesn't seem like she is rejecting him," Aram said.
"She looks up at him with puppy-dog eyes," Red agreed.
"The question comes back to how we use the witch if Ly here goes all homicidal if anyone even looks at the witch—Lenore‚" Drex said when a rumble moved through me, my talons poking out from my fingertips.
Ace sighed, raking a hand through his hair.
"I guess we ask her to do it," Ace mused.
"Ask her? You'd think she'd be willing to do that?" Red asked, scoffing.
"I think she might. If she knows what I can offer her," Ace said, eyes bright.
About an hour later, I was making my way up the stairs, feeling older than I had when I'd walked into the house, body tired, mind conflicted.
But I had to bring the facts to her.
I had to give her the choice.
It wasn't mine to make.
I told her we needed to talk.
About what came next.
"Okay," Lenore agreed, taking the towel I handed to her even as damn near every nerve ending wanted me to toss her up on the counter and fuck her until everything else slipped away.
I didn't for two reasons.
One, she was still sore.
Two, this was important.
There would be time for fucking later. Depending on what her decision was.
"Are you okay?" she asked, eyes concerned, gaze roaming over me like she might find injuries.
"Fine. But we need to talk about what comes next."
"Okay," she agreed, grabbing one of my tees, slipping it on. "What comes next?"
"You have some decisions to make," I told her, kicking off my shoes, climbing onto the bed, patting the spot beside me.
Lenore, emboldened by our time together, didn't move next to me. No, she climbed onto my lap, straddling me instead.
"What decisions do I have to make?"
"If you are going to willingly help us."
"Okay. Help you do what?"she asked, eager to know what generations of her witch sisters were used for.
"Open a hell mouth."
"A hell mouth?" she repeated.
"A hole between the human plane and hell."
"That's what you want us for," Lenore said, lips parting. "You think we have the power to open a hell mouth."
"You do have the power to open a hell mouth. Witches are the only beings capable of doing so," I told her. "We just haven't found a powerful enough witch."
"What happens to the witches?" she asked, tone grave.
I took a deep breath, knowing this was a blow she didn't want to take. "In the past? The ritual drained every bit of power from their bodies. Everything. Even the ability to interpret their cards or runes was gone. They become completely mortal."
It took a long moment for her the words to truly penetrate, leaving her looking stricken. "You took away everything?"
"Yes." There was no use softening the blow. The truth was the truth.
"What happened to them then?"
"They were useless to us," I told her, shrugging. "Ace gave them books, money, set them free."
"Free in a world they didn't understand with no loved ones, no way to go back home?" she asked, eyes tearing up.
My wings moved out, circling around her.
"Yes."
"That's cruel."
"Yes," I agreed. "We are, by nature, cruel, Lenore."
"Have any of you checked on them?"
"No, why would we?"
Her gaze slid from mine at that, her head shaking. "Why only one of us?" she asked. "Each generation, why only one? If you drain us?"
"Because it takes a long-ass time to find potential sites for hell mouths. That is what Ace is obsessed with, finding them."
"That's what the map was about," she said, making my brows draw together.
"What map, babe?"
"The map. In his room. I found it the day you all left. That was why I was in the woods. I was trying to figure out what was in the woods that he wanted, thinking it might be the key to what you all wanted from me. I was right. He thinks he found another site."
"Yes."
"And he needs me to try to open it. Even if it drains me."
"Yes."
"I'm not sure what choice I have now."
"Claiming you means they can't make you do anything without me fighting to the bitter end," I told her, my hands sliding up and down the sides of her thighs.
"And they are loyal to you."
"Exactly," I agreed, glad she was being rational about all this. No waterworks, no screaming.
