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Chris pulled out his phone and dialed Marshall as he replied, “They can’t. It’s like they planted their feet in cement, and they can’t move forward. But when they turn around, they think it was their idea to go back.”
“That’s handy. And Raven made the wards here?” She found all this fascinating.
“She did. She’s been a friend and ally to this pack for close to 200 years. My father started the pack in 1824 after immigrating from Ireland.”
Just as she was about to reply, Marshall picked up, “Have you reached town yet?”
Chris rolled his eyes, “We literally left you less than five minutes ago, so no. We’re still about five minutes out.”
They could hear Marshall rustling around, “Okay, well I’ll call you back in five then.” He disconnected before Chris could reply.
Chris dropped his phone into the cup holder, so she took the moment to ask, “How old are you?”
He smiled, “I’ll be 60 this year.”
“Oh okay, so you’re pretty young by werewolf standards. It’s really hard to tell just looking at someone.” Impossible, she thought.
He chuckled, “You should see my dad. He doesn’t look a day over fifty, though he is pushing three- hundred.”
Kenzie smiled, “I still can’t imagine living that long. The things you would see and experience. I thought you were younger. I guess I just assumed you and Rhiannon were really young when you got together.”
A wistful look passed over his face before he answered, “We were twenty- two when we got married. It was six weeks after the day we met. I was gone for her immediately and neither of us wanted to wait. But it took almost ten years for us to be able to have you and your brother. You were our miracles.”
“If I haven’t said it yet, I am so sorry that you lost her. I can’t imagine how hard that was.” The idea of losing a soul mate sounded absolutely wrenching. She didn’t know how a person could get over that.
He was quiet for so long she thought she had said the wrong thing. But then he cleared his throat and replied, “Thank you. It still feels impossible every day, but I keep going for her. She would not have wanted me to give up, and she would have hated if I left our kids alone in the world.”
Kenzie could understand that. She hadn’t had long with Aiden yet, but she already knew that the world would be a much worse place without him in it. “I get that. I had my mom, but Marshall definitely needed you.”
He glanced at her briefly before turning back to the road, “He did and I’m glad I was there. He made life worth every second of living. He has become an amazing man and I am so proud of him. But I should have been there for you too. I hated missing your life.”
She shook her head, “I understand why you weren’t there. It’s okay.”
He cleared his throat and fidgeted in his seat before speaking again, “I checked up on you from time to time.”
“You did?”
“Yes.” He nodded, “Quite a bit actually. I was at your high school and college graduations as well. I um… I took pictures.”
She was shocked, “You were there? Was Marshall there too?”
“Marshall didn’t come. He couldn’t do it. It was just too hard for him. If he had seen you, he never would have walked away. His whole life, Marshall knew you were out there, and he always felt like half of him was missing. It was a hole nothing could ever fill. We wanted to protect you.” He explained.
“I felt the same way. Even with my mom and uncle, there was always something missing. When I was little, I pretended I had a brother and I wished for one every Christmas. I think in a way, maybe I knew.” She felt like she had missed out on so much not growing up with Marshall, but she’d gained so much having her mom. Maybe you couldn’t have it all.
He sighed, “Sometimes I think keeping you separate was pointless. I can’t tell you how many times I almost came to get you. I always had to talk myself out of it. But now that you’re here, you’ve already been attacked. If you had been younger, we may not have been able to protect you. Maybe you’re here when you needed to be.”
She hated that it took her mom dying for it to be the right time, but she thought he was probably right. Otherwise, she would have seen Rhiannon before. “I think you’re right. And we are together now, so we can make up for lost time.”
He smiled, “I think I can speak for Marshall when I say we would both love that.”
“So would I.” She smiled as his phone rang.
When he picked up, it was Marshall, “Hey, where are you?”
Kenzie glanced out the window, just realizing they were in the middle of town. Chris replied to Marshall, “Just passing Main Street. I figured we would need to go farther than that since Kenzie’s magic was still working in town.”
“Head toward Asheville and we’ll see how far you get. Kenzie, how’s your magic feeling?”
