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The more I studied Farren after the attack, the more confused I was about what she could be. I was like a magical bloodhound, my skill honed through blood, sweat, and more tears than I cared to admit. I could spot dark magic from a mile away, even if the tones were subtle. I could also identify nuances in magic, and hers was unlike anything I’d ever witnessed. Her magic held a sharp edge to it, ancient and volatile, but it wasn’t evil. That much was clear. Ancient magic always had a distinct note to it. For instance, Levi was a dragon, masquerading as a witch. His dragon was an enormous emerald and golden beast that breathed fire and could manipulate the world around him with barely a thought. Shaping energy? That was child’s play for him. His was an ancient form of telekinetic magic that was amazing to behold. But his tattoo and bracelet held strong, keeping his true nature at bay. When his wards were in place, his magic seemed moderately powerful, but it scented like normal elemental magic.
“Hey,” Levi said, interrupting my thoughts. He looked at me like I was crazy for standing on the balcony while it snowed, but the cool air was refreshing. “You alright?”
“Yeah,” I promised the omega, giving him a small smile. “Trying to figure Farren out. We know she isn’t a witch, but what the hell could she be?”
“Cadmus is certain,” he said firmly. “But she’s like a freaking vault, only showing us the parts of her she wants to. We could ask her directly, but she’d likely lie.”
“Well, apparently Niko found out a bit more,” I joked, bumping my shoulder into his. He was Niko and Farren’s mate as well, and I worried he’d be upset, but he looked happy for them. The omega had a bigger heart than anyone I’d ever known.
“I’m glad,” he said, and I laughed at his tone. He sounded like someone trying really hard to appear unaffected. “No, really. Sure, the thought of my mate with someone else is a bit… rough. But it’s Farren, so that softens the blow. She’s also my mate, so it doesn’t feel weird. It feels normal. This would never work if she was only in a relationship with me and Niko as a pair. We’re individuals, and we will have to learn to love her as individuals. So if they progressed, then great. Not to mention this will make it easier to get past those walls of hers.”
“That was my thought as well,” I agreed. “Though you were the first to kiss her.” He grinned triumphantly.
“One point for the omegas,” he called out, making a check mark in the air. We both turned as the door opened, Niko walking in. He had a small grin on his face, and his hair was disheveled, something he never allowed.
“Where’s Kane?” he asked before we could say anything to him.
“Desk duty,” I laughed. We’d been taking turns covering a few hours at a time while Farren recovered, and he’d opted for morning since there was far less interaction with actual guests. Plus it gave him time to work on the floor in the lobby so guests weren’t tripping over the person-sized dent.
“I just got a call from Kylan.” The quick disappearance of his grin had us both hustling back into the room. We sat on the bed, ready for him to go on. “They were right.”
“The witches attacked?” I asked. Their coven had helped us get here, and Kylan being West’s uncle was the reason we’d gotten these jobs in the first place.
“And the wolves,” he admitted. “It didn’t end well.” We’d only been gone for a few weeks. How had things escalated to that point? “There wasn’t a whole lot of information, but he’s heading here with his family. West helped them land a place in town, and Kylan’s talking to realtors to make it happen. This sleepy town isn’t going to remain that way for long if we all keep coming here for refuge.”
“The more the merrier! We’re stronger together,” I noted, relieved we’d have even more allies nearby.
“It just makes me sick that the covens have fallen so low. First, our prestigious university, and now this,” Levi said. His shoulders slumped, his whole body practically deflating. The man was an open book when he felt something strongly. Who could blame him though? We might have settled in, but what had happened there was a betrayal we wouldn’t soon forget.
“Power and greed aren’t a human-centered sickness,” Niko said solemnly as he paced. He was filling the air with his worry, and it was adding to my own. “I just worry that between their group and ours, one of us will bring danger to Emberwood.”
“To Farren, you mean,” I clarified with a humorless laugh. “Well, we know she can defend herself, but I agree. It’s risky, but we can’t leave now.”
“No," he agreed quickly. “We can’t.”
“So…” Levi prompted with a grin. “How was your evening?”
The alpha couldn’t hide his smile, and that was answer enough. He simply whistled and headed for his bedroom to change, like we couldn’t all smell the lust in the air and the way her scent mixed potently with his. I snorted, shaking my head as I turned on the TV. I figured I’d watch some mind numbing shows to unwind until it was time to head down for lunch.
A few hours later, we left the room. It was our day off, well, except for Kane, who’d worked all morning, and we were determined to enjoy it. The lack of a strict schedule was still strange to adjust to, but I was no stranger to adapting to change.
“Talk,” Niko demanded, pulling me aside as we reached the dining room. The others went ahead, and I put on my favorite mask, the laidback smile that hid my true thoughts and emotions. He glared immediately, not missing a beat. “Don’t use that bullshit on me. I can sense something is wrong.”
“Nothing. Just the attack, the questions, it’s a sore subject,” I said, trying to play it off. He sighed heavily, crossing his arms. Even though he was becoming frustrated, he wouldn’t raise his voice at me. Niko knew where I had come from, the methods my coven had used for control, and he did everything in his power not to trigger memories of that. An involuntary shiver ran down my spine at the reminder of them.
“Don’t go there, Avi,” he ordered gently. “You’re away from that life. They’ll never find you. And if they did, we’d kill them with a fucking smile on our faces.”
“You know,” I sighed, “We all have our skeletons, but while I’ve escaped my past, there were tons who haven’t.”
“You gave them up,” he reminded me. “You’ve done all you can.”
“Did it even matter?” I asked bitterly. “What stops them from reforming? Doing the same things they did to me to some other poor kid?”
“Nothing,” he said bluntly. “But the fate of the world isn’t on your shoulders.”
I laughed bitterly. “Always one with words, alpha.”
“You don’t want sweet words.” He shrugged, unapologetic. “You want the truth.” That I couldn’t argue with, so I took a deep breath and let it drop, forcing myself to lock the darker thoughts back into that corner of my mind where they normally dwelled.
