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“Yes. It’s good to be home.” I glanced around. “Where is Mother?”
My dad’s face froze, then he said, “She’s resting, but she’ll be down for dinner, and no doubt very happy to see you.”
No-one else would have noticed the unease with which he spoke, but I did.
“She’s worse than before?” I asked, knowing the answer but needing to ask the question anyway. I’d worried about her while I was gone but my father’s letters had always said she was fine.
My father nodded. “Now, come and have something to eat. You must be hungry after your travels.”
I let him direct me to sit at the dining table and magic up some food. I’d spent so long outside the realm that I hadn’t had the strength to conjure food for a long time.
“This looks great.” I gestured to the pies and sweets. “You were right about the outside world draining our magic. It became very hard after a while to conjure even the simplest thing.”
In that way, it was fantastic to be home again. I’d began to recharge the moment I stepped through the veil.
When I’d been out in the world travelling, I hadn’t been at full strength, or even half-strength, for so long, I could barely remember what it felt like to have access to all my power.
Now that I was back, I could feel the magic rushing once again through my system. I felt... energized, in a way that I hadn’t in so long.
“Well, you’re home now.” My father sat with me at the table, a cup of tea in hand. “What are your plans?”
I grabbed a lemon tart and took a bite, enjoying the tangy sweetness and the perfection of the pastry. “Well, my planwasto come home and marry Monique, but she seems to have altered her course somewhat.”
My father’s brow wrinkled and his movements became jerky, more subtle signs of stress that not many people would identify as such. “Yes, she has found herself a pet or two. But they will be gone soon.”
I stared at him, surprised he sounded so calm. My father hated wolf shifters. He hated anyone outside of the realm and that included all other paranormals.
Why was he allowing these wolf shifters access to one of our witches? Especially the one I had declared would be the next high witch.
Once I’d devoured the lemon tart I moved on to one of the meat pies. I approached the next question with caution. “Father. Why did you allow Monique to bring the shifters into our realm?”
I knew my father, and he had enough magic to restrict the veil from being opened by others. Especially to non-residents of the realm.
“I didn’t allow her to bring them in.” He lifted his nose as though annoyed at my question. “Monique is a strong witch, and when she opened the curtain, her magic allowed them in.”
I had known she was strong, but it was also evident my father hadn’t thought to put up the barrier in a restricting way.
“Then why allow them to stay?” I asked, finishing the pie then magicking myself a hot cappuccino. The drink was a human custom I’d adopted in my travels, and it felt good to use my magic once again.
“I have use for them,” Dad said, before taking a slow sip of tea.
I narrowed my eyes. “You haveusefor them?”
That statement didn’t make sense. What the devil did he need them for? Guard dogs? I couldn’t exactly see Xander and Kyle fulfilling that role willingly.
“Yes, I do. And as I said, they will be gone tomorrow, then we will not see them again.”
I doubted him on both statements. We would see them again because Monique was not staying, or leaving, without them. And whether they left tomorrow or not was debatable.
I might just have something to say about that.
My instincts told me not to tell my father about my doubts. I wasn’t sure why, but I knew his hatred for shifters was still as rampant as it had been when I was young. He was hiding it now, and there would be a reason for that. There was always a reason, when it came to my dad. He wanted them for something, probably self-serving.
“You’re right,” I said instead. “It’s only one more day, after all.”
“So, shall I prepare for a wedding?” he asked.
I blinked at him, shocked at how quickly he’d jumped to that conclusion. Then again, my mother had been married off to my father practically before she’d even had a chance to think.
