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I pressed my fingers against the desk and leaned forward, imitating his stance and attitude. “I came here to give you a warning—once I leave this room, you are never to talk to me again. You are never to contact me again. You are not, in any way, to interfere or attempt to interfere in my life ever again.”
“I am your father—”
“You were never my fucking father. I was never powerful enough, never smart enough, for you to show me any love or attention.” I leaned closer. His scent filled my nostrils, thick with the anger and frustration that burned within him. What there wasn’t was any sense of culpability. No indication that he in any way accepted he was wrong. “Well, guess what? That unwanted child, the child you illegally sold off to an old friend, turns out to be more powerful than either of your precious protégés. But you burned your bridges long ago, and your actions at both the café and in court have amplified the fact that the only thing you still care about is power.”
“That is not true—”
I snorted. “Save the lies for those who might believe them.”
“Bitterness does not become—”
“My bitterness has been well—”
“I am not interested in hearing anything else you have to say, Elizabeth. Get out of my study.”
“Make me.”
He half raised a hand, as if to spell me, then lowered it again.
I smiled. It was a very nasty smile. “You spent nearly sixteen years belittling me, telling me I was worthless, barely giving me the time of day. While I personally hope your magic never returns, I also hope you spend the intervening time experiencing exactly what being considered a ‘lesser’ witch is like in a town that values power above all else.”
His gaze narrowed. “That sounds like a threat.”
“There’s nothing ‘sounds like’ about it. Come near me, come near anyone I care about, and all Canberra will know exactly what has happened to you.”
With that, I pushed away from the desk and walked out.
And felt the weight of the last ten years finally lift from my shoulders.
Epilogue
I stared at the little stick in apprehension, waiting for the indicator to do its thing. The instructions on the box said it should only take a few minutes to get either a positive or negative result, but never in my life had “a few minutes” seemed more like fucking hours.
“Well?” Belle said.
She leaned against the bedroom’s doorframe, her arms crossed, and her expression amused. Not by my possible pregnancy but rather the poor job Ashworth and Eli were doing concealing their presence further down the hallway. A herd of elephants would have paced quieter.
The council had finally brought down their verdict in the case—guilty, with instant removal from the high council and all his duties, for the period of one year. It was a verdict that had no meaning if he couldn’t regain his magic. Even if his knowledge of magic and spells was unrivaled in Canberra, he couldn’t be a councilor without any power of his own.
The wraith had given him a punishment far harsher than the council ever could or would.
And I still didn’t feel sorry for the man.
Not one little bit.
I did feel sorry for Mom, because she was going to have to deal with the fallout. But I had no doubt she could cope. The family business would go on in leaps and bounds, probably more so now that there was a kinder hand fully guiding it. We’d spoken nearly every day on the phone, and our relationship had improved to the point where we’d already agreed on a date for her to come and stay with us for a week or so.
The paperwork for the agreement we’d made with Clayton’s family still hadn’t come through, but Anthony had said that, given I needed to sign them in the presence of a lawyer and a witness, he’d bring them down to me as soon as they did.
We were going home this afternoon, having already said goodbye to everyone who mattered. This was the last thing on our list.
Two lines appeared.
I closed my eyes, a weird mix of excitement, joy, and apprehension swirling through me.
I’d dreamed for so long now of my blonde-haired, blue-eyed little girl that I wanted nothing more than to bring her into this world, wrap her in my arms, and give her all the love and attention and encouragement that had been missing from my childhood.
The apprehension stirred from the fact that I had no idea if I’d be doing it alone.
