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Xander had looked guilty when he excused himself. He had also seemed less disturbed by the scent of the rogue that had been following us. Despite my family’s wish to respect his family dynamic, I wanted to know what he knew. Did they know exactly who was out there? I wanted to know exactly why they were following us.
My gut told me that it was all connected to the way we had met. It was far too coincidental. He had used the same means to hide his scent to get into the packhouse. He had to know who was making the potions and what plans the rogues had in hiring a witch to work with them.
“Here,” Mom said, suddenly appeared in front of me, holding out a mug with steam wafting over the top. “It’s best to have a clear mind when you have so much on the brain. Drink.”
I sniffed the tea and sighed at the minty fragrance. “Thanks, Mom,” I whispered under Dad’s continued discussion of his plan.
Mom sat beside me and smiled at Dad and Brady as they pointed to each point of the map they were discussing at the moment.
“Your dad has always been a brilliant strategist. His mindset is consistently geared to planning and remaining concentrated on strategizing the subsequent steps. A nightmare to play chess with, but great to have on your side during a time of need.”
“I really think we could cut right to the chase by asking Xander,” I suggested after a sip of my tea.
“I know,” Mom said. “And you are probably right. However, you can’t push him. The mate bond doesn’t make it impossible to lie, and you could be putting him in a position to lie to you.”
“Like you lied to Dad?” I asked, wishing I didn’t have so much bite to the question.
Mom didn’t bat an eye, however. She simply brushed away my tone and nodded. “Yes, and look at what a mess that caused. Let him come to you. It’s all about trust.”
“But trust has to be earned,” I argued.
“Yes, sometimes. But the thing about trust is that at times, give it blindly. You must let go of all the reasons to not trust someone and leap.” She turned to look at me. “Like I did when I released the spell that hid you and me from your dad all those years ago. I let go of my fears and distrust in him. I took a leap of faith and never looked back. It was the best decision I’ve ever made.”
She cupped my cheek then, running her thumb over the apple of my cheek. I leaned into her motherly touch and soaked in her shared knowledge. She was right. Just like Brady’s riddle, she was telling me to give Xander the trust I was fighting so hard to offer him. Trusting someone like that felt like I was losing control, but just as Mom had said, sometimes you have to just take a blind leap of faith.
“Does anyone have anything else to add to the plan?” Dad called out to us.
I stood and looked down at the maps, taking in the points where Brady and Dad had posted a scout to watch the bar. As I looked, Imade a few suggestions and changes, while considering the wind direction for this time of year. Even with scent blocking spells, it was best to adhere to nature and not risk being caught upwind of a bar full of rogue wolves and a potentially very strong witch.
By the time we had finalized the plans, it was well past the witching hour. I knew we were all ready to get to bed. I wished my family a good night before entering my bedroom. Xander slept on the couch, where I had been making him sleep every night since he arrived. His left foot poked out over the arm of the couch on one end while his arm dangled along the side.
I tapped him a few times before he finally woke and looked up at me, dazed and confused.
“Come to bed,” I said.
“Huh?”
“Come to bed. You look uncomfortable. I can’t imagine you’ve had a goodnights rest a single night here on the couch,” I insisted, pulling his arm up.
He perked up as my words sank in, his lips pulled up into a joyful grin. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure. Now come on before I decide that I’m not sure.”
He quickly jumped up and followed me over to the bed, taking the side opposite where I usually slept. Just as he climbed under the blankets, I took two pillows and built a wall between us. I nearly laughed out loud at the look on his face when he saw the downy wall.
“No touching. Just sleeping. Deal?”
He frowned before laying back on the bed with a frown. “Deal.”
“Good. Then goodnight, Xander.”
“Goodnight, babydoll,” he replied.
“And may the gods above help me,” I pleaded and smiled.
Chapter Eleven
Xander
