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“But you love hernow, don’t you?” Thora said, urgency in her voice. Clearly, she didn’t like the idea of contention between her parents. Romy didn’t either.
“With all that I am, Thora. With everything in me.”
Romy did some quick addition and subtraction in her head. Her parents were married fifteen years before she was born. “You didn’t love each other until you had me, did you?”
“After we married, I grew to love her as one loves a friend or a relative. But you’re right. I didn’t fall in love with her until we got pregnant with you, Romy. I hope and pray to The One and The Only that it doesn’t take you and Dane so many years to fall in love, but if loving him doesn’t come naturally, know that it will come. Good things always come to those who wait.”
Before Romy could ask any follow-up questions, Cyril squinted at the bedside clock. “Mom would skin me alive if she knew you were still up, Miss Priss. How ’bout a drink of water for your throat before I tuck you in?”
Using deep concentration, Thora closed her eyes and inhaled. A glass levitated from the dresser, then settled into her hands. After a big grin, she skipped to her room, and her father followed.
Romy glanced again at the picture of Dane and sighed.
Several minutes later,Cyril returned to Romy’s door. “May I come in again?”
“Sure.” Romy patted the place where he’d sat earlier. “She’s good, Dad. Thora. She’s… gifted.”
“Yes, she is. A quick study and an eager learner. But don’t be disheartened. Your time will come, and it will be perfect for you.”
“What if my powers never activate and all my kids are duds because I suck at being a witch? Then I get to add invalidating the entire Delacroix Dynasty to my list of failures.”
Cyril’s head shook from side to side. “Impossible. Thiswillhappen. You just need to be patient and have some faith in yourself. I believe in you. So does Thora.” He cupped her chin to look directly in her eyes. “And contrary to what you may believe, your mother does too.”
“Hmph. I’m not so sure. Maybe she believes in my ability to be a smart-ass about the things I don’t agree with her on, but I don’t think she’s too confident I’ll excel at witchcraft.”
“Well, I have proof otherwise. It’s the original reason I came upstairs to see you tonight. An emergency convergence of the High Council has been requested, and Mom wants you there.”
She raised an eyebrow. To be invited to sit in with the High Council without activated powers was an enormous honor. Composed of the most elite preternaturals, their meetings were held at the witching hour every full moon at one of their most sacred places—Tuiteam feòil is fuil.
While Romy had little interest in how witches handled their personal business, the lives of different preternaturals had always fascinated her. Other than the random faerie or elf stopping by Delacroix Manor to speak about council business, Romy’s exposure to other magical beings had been limited to field trips to the Preternatural Constabularies Headquarters. Cassia and Cyril weren’t prejudiced; they simply followed the long-held rule of little-to-no fraternization between the races.
Romy thought it was a stupid rule, and when the time was right, she would question her mother about it.
“Seriously? She wants me to come to the High Council?”
“Yeah, seriously. Take a look for yourself.” Cyril removed his phone from his pocket, punched some buttons, and passed it to Romy.
Romy read the text messages between her parents at least three times, and the words didn’t change.
Cassia:pot roast in the crock pot for tonight’s supper. Sorry I won’t be home. Problems with Asa and the RW pack again
Cyril: Not surprised. He’s not been the same since Ylfa died. We’ll save you a plate in the fridge.
Cassia: You’re right. He’s just requested a meeting with the High Council. Don’t want to do it, but in the name of keeping the peace…
Cassia: What do you think about Andromeda attending? I think it’s time.
Cyril: It would be a good experience for her. She’d prob be more interested in coven business if she saw what you did firsthand.
Cassia: Ask her for me, if you will. And call a sitter for Thora.
“Well…”Cyril leaned in. “Do you want to go?”
A smile tugged at the corners of Romy’s mouth. Yes, she absolutely one hundred percent did want to go. “I can be ready in fifteen minutes.”
CHAPTER2
between the lycan and the vampire
