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“Well, what can I do about it?” Lily asked, frustrated. “Let him sit with us at lunch?”
“Claim him,” Rowan replied.
A short, surprised laugh burst out of her. “You’re joking.”
“I’m not.”
“Do you have any idea what he tried to do to Lily?” Tristan asked angrily.
Rowan glared at Tristan, silencing him, and then looked at Lily. “Unclaimed, Scot’s a wild card. Claimed, you can do whatever you want with him.”
Lily stared at Rowan with her mouth open. “That’s why she claimed Carrick,” she whispered.
Rowan nodded slowly. “And Gideon before him,” he added. “You have to start thinking tactically, Lily. Claiming isn’t just about surrounding yourself with loving people who adore you. It’s about keeping your enemies in check. You need to claim Scot as soon as possible. Today.”
Lily’s stomach turned at the thought of being inside Scot’s mind. “I can’t, Rowan.”
Rowan backed off, but he looked at Tristan. Lily was miffed to see understanding pass between the two of them. Somehow, Rowan always seemed to end up with Tristan on his side.
Juliet arrived, shedding books and winter layers as she made her way from the garage to the living room. She paused when she sensed the tense atmosphere. “What’d I miss?” she asked.
While her mechanics explained the whole sordid mess with Scot to Juliet over dinner, Lily and Rowan stayed quiet. She could feel Rowan’s mind constantly brushing against hers, asking for entry, until she snapped.
Stop it, Rowan. I don’t want you in my head right now.
Show me what happened between you and Scot. I saw a fragment of that memory when you claimed me, but not the whole thing.
Why? You’re leaving. I’m done sharing myself with you.
She felt the sting in Rowan’s chest as keenly as he did. Worse, even. Lily realized that the problem with loving someone more than she loved herself was that when she hurt him, she was the one who was hurt the most.
When it was dark, the group went down to the beach and built a bonfire. They trained until dawn. Rowan barely let any of them sit for a moment to rest.
“Dude. We have school in the morning,” Breakfast complained, panting.
“When you get to school, you can take energy from Lily,” he replied unsympathetically. “With a witch to fuel you, you can go days without sleeping or eating.”
“And what about me?” Lily asked.
Rowan wouldn’t meet her eyes. “I have herbs that will keep you energized. You’ll be fine.”
You want them trained as soon as possible so you can leave as soon as possible, right?
He didn’t answer her, but she could feel that sting in his chest again. Hurting him hurt her, but she couldn’t seem to stop doing it.
When Rowan finally said they were finished for the night, Lily and Juliet trudged up from the beach alongside each other with the rest of the group several paces behind.
“I’m actually okay with the no sleeping thing,” Juliet said, yawning. “Been having horrible nightmares, anyway.”
Lily’s skin pricked. “About what?” she asked in a low voice.
“Dad. He was getting—”
“Tortured,” Lily finished for her. The sisters looked at each other, their faces mirroring the other’s dread. They both broke into a run at the same time.
“Lily, wait,” Rowan yelled.
They didn’t stop. Lily and Juliet ran side by side, their fear entangled. “Please, no. Please make it have been a dream,” the sisters chanted under their breath.
