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I placed my hand on the cage, barely touching it so it didn’t hurt me. “Of course. No matter what happens, Clawdia. I’m going to be fine. I want us. I want our family. And I’ll fight for it if I need to.”
“Good. Because we need you. I need you,” she whispered.
Of course, Kaatu ruined it by reminding me of how powerless I actually am.“How touching.”
CHAPTER25
CLAWDIA
“Thank you so much for this, Karin.” I sat on her sofa, sipping on a tea that was easing the ache I’d had deep in my stomach all morning.
When I turned up that morning and explained I had my courses, was in pain, and had no products, she immediately ushered me in, cooing over me with sympathetic noises. Which was really nice when compared to the horrified look I’d received from Charlie and the confusion and panic from Zaide.
Karin handed me products, showed me how to use them, and let me pick which one I wanted to start with. Then she settled me on the sofa and handed me a freshly brewed tea she assured me would make the pain a distant memory.
“You’re welcome,” she replied easily as she joined me with her own cup.
I shook my head. “You don’t understand. This is exactly what I needed. The guys weren’t that helpful. But Winnie … she would have done this for me if she were still here.”
“You loved her,” Karin said, her eyes soft and wistful.
I nodded, remembering snuggling on the sofa, helping her choose outfits, and having deep discussions about race, sexuality, history. “We were like sisters.”
Karin stared at me with that intense gaze she had. “When she took Savida’s fire, did your feelings for her change?”
I shook my head. Despite what she’d done, despite the betrayal and the disappointment, I’d always consider her family. “I was disappointed she couldn’t see what she was doing was wrong. I wanted her to listen to me and stop. But she didn’t. And she’d been using me to find information out on them all so she could make that plan. She drugged me to keep me out of the way. Betrayed me.”
“But despite that, you loved her.” She said it like a fact with a smug tilt to her lip I didn’t quite understand.
With Charlie’s warning ringing in the back of my mind, I eyed her as I said, “She was the first person to love me and treat me well in a while. I probably overlooked a lot because of that. But yes. I loved her. Even now, I miss her.”
She set down her mug and leaned close. A manic look in her eyes had me leaning away, my body tightening with sudden tension. She asked quietly, “What if you could have that back?”
“What do you mean? Have Winnie back?”
“The easy life. The sister relationship with a witch who will love and appreciate you.”
I frowned. “Charlie loves and appreciates me.”
She scoffed and glared out of the window. “Charlie doesn’t know how to use you.”
My eyebrows flew into my hairline, and I repeated, “Use me?”
“You have so much power, almost an unlimited amount, and he could draw on that. He could do all kinds of spells. He could be great. But he doesn’t care about being a witch, and he doesn’t have the knowledge. It’s such a waste.”
After everything that I’d learned about familiars and their history, it frustrated me that she believed having power automatically meant it should be used. The animal gods had power but were tethered to witches who wanted to use that power to boost their own. Greed was a common trait amongst humans but even more so in people with a touch of power already.
I swallowed my frustration and replied calmly, “Charlie’s got plenty of time to learn all that yet. We aren’t old. He can grow into a great witch who can utilize all the power we have. He does care about being a witch. He’s just been busy.”
Not that it is any of your business.
“Busy. Yes, you’ve all had quite the adventure. Isn’t it time it stops?”
“That would be great,” I replied with a snort. “As soon as Fafnir is defeated and Sigurd is put back to rest, we can dedicate ourselves to the things we really want and are destined to do.”
“And they are?” she asked, curiosity overtaking the manic gleam in her eyes.
I relaxed slightly and managed a chuckle. “It’s quite a list. There’s going to be lots of traveling around the realms.”
