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Shane stared at the table before shrugging it off. “I thought you were just being nice.”
“It’s not about being nice. Any person that’s negatively impacted by the Weres, we take care of,” Blaze said. “That’s how the packs work.”
Mr. Dawson nodded. “Exactly. And that’s what I’ve done. I made sure that Beth has everything she needs to live a good, healthy life, and I’m going to continue to do so until she’s fully back on her feet. Right now that means an apartment in Austin, close to campus. She’s got a roommate that can help her, friends, and I heard she’s gone on a couple of dates.” He took a breath. “She wanted a normal, non-magical life, and I told her I’d do anything I could to help with that. I’ll do the same for you, even though you’ve refused it so far, for Raphael, who has done the same, and for Claudia, but I doubt Lucas would let me.”
Lucas scooted closer to his mate. “I’ve got her.”
“Do you think Beth would do the spell?” I asked Mr. Dawson. He was the one who knew her best now.
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “So far she’s wanted to distance herself from magic. I don’t know if that means forever or just for right now. Only she can answer that question for you.”
“Well, then. Let’s ask her.” We didn’t have a ton of options, and even though I didn’t really know Beth very well, I remembered her being nice.
Mr. Dawson pulled out his phone and put it on speaker as it rang.
“Hi, Michael. You’re calling early?” Beth answered, and she actually sounded happy to hear from him.
“Actually, it’s not just me, and we’re calling to ask a really big favor.”
There was some rustling. “Okay. I’m sitting down. What’s wrong?”
“Hey, girly,” Shane s
aid.
She let out a breath. “Hey, Shane. How are you?”
“I’m good. How are you?”
“Getting there.”
“We need your help,” Claudia said.
“I don’t know that I have anything left to give, Claudia.”
“Hey. Tessa here,” I said. She was familiar withe her coven members voices, but I wasn’t sure she’d know who I was. “Just hear us out before you say no. I honestly wouldn’t have called you if it weren’t life or death.”
“Okay. I’m listening.”
Claudia did all the talking. She knew Beth better than I did, and I was fine to take a back seat. Today had been nothing but drama and rehashing the same details for each new person we’d roped into this mess. Honestly, I was exhausted, but there were mountains to climb before the day was out and this was just the first of many.
Dastien rubbed my shoulders, easing away some of the tension. We’ll get through it.
I hoped he was right.
When Claudia was done, Beth was quiet. I looked around the room. Everyone was leaning forward, waiting to hear what she’d say.
“I thought this was behind us,” she said finally. “But it’s not. Is it?”
“No,” Claudia said. “And I think it’s safe to say that I’m feeling about the same as you about that.”
She laughed, but it came out almost like a half-sob. The line was a little too quiet after that, and I kept checking to see if the call had failed. But she was taking a second and that was okay.
She was going to say yes. I just knew it. And not because she was power hungry or because she wanted revenge or because she missed magic. The longer she stayed quiet, the more right she felt.
The only reason this was going to work—and end up better than the Seven—was because we were all doing it for the right reasons. Because we had to. There was no other option.
With the exception of Blaze, I was reasonably sure that none of us would’ve signed up for a job like this. Cosette was forever trying to get away from her court. Chris liked to blend in, too. Claudia was a little timid, but with Lucas, was finding her voice. But even then, she didn’t want her own coven.
