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Aviva speaks up again. “We’re going in circles here for the benefit of you, Riley, because we know the Young witches understand that we did not make these decisions lightly. We calculated all our options just the way they do when faced with important dilemmas. We knew that because of the nature of the shifter mate bond, that you’d heal your mate and that you’d come to a place eventually where you’d be able to move forward. All of this was for the greater good.”
Lucinda adds, “You’ll see that once your hotheaded alpha testosterone levels out.”
I bare my teeth.
Aviva looks my girl in the eye. “You know this, too.”
My mate squeezes my hand with reassurance. “Why don’t we all take a break? Riley and I can go talk. Maybe my family can relax at…” Her eyes search the space. “Is Roxy’s open?”
Mason answers. “They can hang at my house, Erica. Bunch of the women are over there waiting for this to be done. They’ve put out a spread.”
“Thank you, Mason. So, everyone, we’ll talk again in a few hours?” Rikki suggests.
Mitch gets to his feet. As do the two witches.
And then as the rest of the circle rises, I tug my mate’s hand to get her the fuck out of here.
44
Erica
The anger is practically seeping from Riley’s pores as he drives us home. I know if I wasn’t here, he’d have shifted and gone for a long run to try to burn it off. Instead, he drives a little too fast, but in less than a minute we’re in the driveway.
I follow him inside. He slams the door.
“Unfuckingbelievable!” he shouts.
My cat Petunia hisses from her perch on the coffee table.
He points at my cat. “Fuck you, too.”
She lifts a paw and licks it, not caring that he just swore at her.
“They’re right. I would’ve messed up with all this power,” I say softly.
“Baby,” he reaches for my face with both hands, eyes softening.
I shake my head. “No, Riley. I would’ve. I wasn’t ready seven years ago.”
“I don’t believe that for a second.”
“I broke the rules constantly,” I exclaim. “Made invisibility potions so I could spy on you when I was nineteen and got caught by Aunt Lyrica who warned me. But it bounced off me. I always read ahead in the grimoires. She’d tell me to only read twenty pages and I’d read forty. She’d tell me to do something level five and I’d try for seven or eight. I had no patience. I was supposed to wait five years to even practice and I was breaking the rules almost from day one.”
“You’re an overachiever.”
“I broke the rules with blatant disregard and made that love potion!”
“Because of the magic wine,” he adds.
“Even still. I was being careless.”
“Wanting me wasn’t careless,” I tell her. “You identified your fated mate, just like wolf shifters do.”
“If I approached without the spell, you wouldn’t have wanted to immediately claim me.”
“Did I not flirt with you that day when you hit the fire hydrant? I watched you run off hoping I’d see you again. We could’ve started dating. We could’ve built a relationship from there.”
“You wouldn’t have known yet that we’re meant to be. It probably wouldn’t have gone anywhere. I might’ve gone ahead and made a spell anyway because I’d want you a hundred per cent in and to be all about me and only me.”
“We don’t know that.”
“Besides, if I was careful, I wouldn’t have drunk the wine because I would’ve noticed it was open. Do you think if they hadn’t stopped me that day and magicked me out of there, I wouldn’t have let you claim me, mate with me?”
He sighs. “If only…”
“I would’ve, Riley. In a heartbeat. All my dreams would’ve been coming true. And then I’d have all that power and wouldn’t be afraid to use it. I’d use it to solve all the problems I came across. For my coven. For your pack. For anybody I ran into. I’d be like a fairy godmother with her wand granting everyone’s wishes without worry because I wouldn’t have learned the importance of balance. I wouldn’t have had important requests denied because I hadn’t built up enough good will and energy yet. I’d have had you and I’d have had all that power and I would’ve felt invincible because all my dreams came true. I wouldn’t have learned how to break it all down in flowcharts looking at all possibilities as well as probabilities.”
“Baby…”
“No, Riley, I learned the hard way by losing you, by hurting you, that I have to calculate possibilities and probabilities and possible pitfalls. I learned to be cautious, careful, considerate of possibilities. I worked hard the past ten years to learn my craft. Even harder the last seven when I wasn’t just trying to learn, but also trying to do good in the world. To do the right things, Riley, instead of the fun things or the easy things. To be someone you wouldn’t think was just a selfish witch bitch. I didn’t think I’d ever get the chance to wake up beside you. I didn’t think you’d ever aim that beautiful smile at me again. I learned my lesson by what they put me through, and I won’t take having a real chance with you for granted. Ever.”
