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We’ll get every one of them,Sariel vowed, anger burning down the bond.For her, Neo, and… Mikey, they’ll all pay.
I nodded at the sentiment. Every single witch who’d taken part would pay for every tear she cried.
“What happened?” Rebecca asked quietly, brow furrowed in concern. She’d joined us in administering shots, more than happy to help when I’d let her know I wouldn’t be able to leave for lunch. The two of us hadn’t had much time to reconnect, so it made me giddy that she was making time for me.
“Marilyn was a witch, and the Upper Council stole her magic.”
She gasped. “They candothat?”
She looked heartbroken as I nodded, but the feeling soon slid off her face in favor of her normal calm. Now that Johnny had pointed it out to me, I’d become hyperaware of blessed-bloods’ expressions—it was disturbing to see her go from near tears to completely fine now after he’d explained how frustrating it was.
“You’ve come so far, Aria,” Rebecca murmured as we lingered outside the clinic. “I’m so proud of you for getting out there.”
Her hug was like a balm on all the little cuts and scrapes I’d gathered over the last few days.
“Let’s have a girls' night,” I suggested without thinking.
She brightened, giggling. “I was about to say the same thing! I mean, we really need to have a family night so that I can officially give your mate the third degree, but I’ll settle for some wine and gossiping.”
Sariel grumbled when she teased him, but a quick peek at the bond revealed that he was more amused than bothered.
“This is where I get off, then,” he joked, leaning down to kiss me softly and then winking as he headed back toward the training fields.
Rebecca and I took the long way to her house, with me pointing out different places and people along the way. She’d been getting pretty well-acquainted with everyone on her own, it turned out, because most of the people I tried to point out to her, she would chirp about having met them before.
It wasn’t until we’d plopped down on her little couch and she’d poured me a second glass that I realized she wasn’t drinking with me.
“You’re so much more observant than you used to be,” she whined, sipping her water, then grinned at me. “As you might have guessed, I’m pregnant!”
My immediate reaction to the confirmation was panic because we were in the middle of awar, but I smiled anyway when it was clear she was happy.
“Congratulations!” I hugged her, stuffing down my negativity by sheer force of will. “Have you told Harry yet? What do the girls think?”
“Oh, gosh, no, I haven’t told them yet! I wanted to do something cute for them, like when I got the little elephant to tell him about the twins, you know?”
Our conversation spiraled into potential reveals she could do for her husband, then derailed again when I mentioned how weird it was seeing the members of Pack Homer again.
“Speaking of!” she exclaimed, beaming. “Sean has done a complete turnaround. Honestly, I’m surprised he hasn’t talked to you yet; the man went on a warpath when he saw what they’d done to you.”
I winced, remembering howrevealinglyI’d been strung up for the execution. Before the mortification could settle in too much, though, she went on to explain how he’d turned the pack completely around—apparently, I’d been the straw that broke the camel's back.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. Touched, in a way, because I hadn’t thought the man would care at all, but also a bit frustrated. Why couldn’t people look outside their own experiences to see when others were being mistreatedbeforethe worst happened? I was sure I wasn’t the first hybrid he had seen be executed in his long life, but the man had stood by and let them all happen without comment.
“It's great!” She took in my strange expression and giggled. “No, seriously, I’m glad he decided to get with the program and bring everyone here. We’re safer together, you know? I know it’s weird, but even slow progress is progress.”
Grabbing my hand, she squeezed it and then pulled her legs up beneath her, grinning at me. “Now that I’ve got you caught up on my end, I want every dirty detail about this fated mate business. Rumor has it that you completed your bond? I heard some crazy stuff about a demon helping you do it, but I figured people were exaggerating.”
I ducked my head. “I wish. Let me start at the beginning, though.”
Rebecca sat through the story, commenting theatrically when I told her something she’d already read about on my blog posts. When I told her about meeting my parents, I’d thought she would be disappointed in me for not choosing to talk toourparents, but I’d been worried for nothing—she’d just held my hand as I tried to unravel how that felt, only to come up short and carry on.
Thinking about them just reminded me that my grandfather was out there, and possibly coming here soon. I wasn’t ready to delve into that yet.
When I finally wrapped it all up by explaining how our bond had been completed with the help of an Archdemon and Lucifer himself, she breathed, “That’s insane. I mean, they shouldn’t have pushed you two, but honestly, it really did work out for the best. You said you’re more connected than ever, right?”
I smiled, plucking at the bond just to feel Sariel do the same affectionately. “Yeah, it’s… I love having it there. I thought it would be weird never being alone, but it’s kind of comforting.”
Rebecca nodded in understanding, muttering about how she wished she’d bonded with Harry.
