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I was well-aware that Abi wasn’t too excited about a girls’ sleepover because Gilbert would be back any minute now, and she’d truly missed him. I glanced back at Liana. “This place is huge,” I said. “I’m sure Walter will find you a room so you can have some private space.”
“Who’s Walter? The pilot from the private jet? Does he live here, too?”
I smiled. “Well, kind of. He’s more like Fenris’s personal assistant. He’s been working with him for a while. Piloting is just part of the job.”
Abi grinned. “He’s also anamazingcook.”
“Are you guys sure this isn’t a resort?” Liana asked, looking even more astonished than she had before. “This all sounds luxurious—amazinglyluxurious. Like the vacation we always dreamed about in college, but never took.”
“It’s all real,” I promised. “I can give you the full tour in a bit, but we need to catch up first! I’m sure Abi caught you up a bit, but I have no idea what you’ve been doing.”
“Oh, well, you know. Just work,” Liana said, shrugging. “One of the women I hired to work at the bridal shop is an amazing seamstress, so it’s been nice to be able to take more time off for myself recently. I think I told you I was going to break up with Steve, right? Well, I did. I even did it in person, though I don’t think he deserved that much.”
My face fell. “Oh. So hewascheating on you, then?”
“Yeah,” she said, sighing. “I was going to break up with him regardless. He’d become an entirely different person from when we first met, you know? He stopped wanting to tell me anything, snapped at me randomly. Even if he was just having a hard time…I can’t love someone if they don’t treat me like a partner, you know? I guess, in a way, I’m relieved it’s over. I got the closure I went out there for.” She opened her mouth to say more, then seemed to think the better of it, her cheeks turning pink as she suddenly looked down.
A grin spread across Abi’s face as she caught the look. “What is it?” she asked. When Liana pretended to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, Abi nudged her knee. “C’mon, what is it? Liana, seriously. I told you aboutwolf shifters,okay? Anything you have to say can’t be that weird by comparison.”
“Well,” she said slowly, studying her hands, “I read tarot cards for myself, and before I went to Kansa to break up with Steve, I pulled the Death card, the Hermit card, and the Eight of Cups. They all signify new beginnings, in a way, but I assumed this all had to do with Steve. Breaking up with him would be a fresh start for me, never mind the fact that staffing changes at work were freeing up my time. But they meant more than that.” She looked up. “I know you’re both scientists and don’t believe in this crap, but…I’m here now, right?”
You have no idea how much what I believe has changed, my friend,I thought. My life had taken such a sharp left turn, but I didn’t want to overwhelm Liana with all the details right away.
“Yeah, well, I can be wrong sometimes!” Abi laughed. “I mean, I don’t know exactly how astrology or tarot cards work, but after meeting witches and seeing what Celeste can do, I’m not willing to write anything off just because I don’t understand it.”
Liana’s expression softened, and her smile returned. “So, Abi gave me a bit of a rundown before we came, but…what exactly are we doing on this island?” she asked, looking between the two of us.
I paused, relieved that Abi had, at least, not spilledallthe beans at once. I exchanged a quick look with my best friend. After tonight, Liana’s entire world was going to change. At least she wasn’t wrong about my skepticism. Even after meeting Fenris, Piers, and Gilbert, I’d still struggled for weeks to wrap my head around there being an entire paranormal world lurking in the shadows of the one I thought I knew. Some things in my life made more sense, like my “weird” Aunt Esme being an actual, literal witch, but other things were downright frightening, like the psychic vision I’d had at age five of my kindergarten teacher dying in a car crash.
This, of course, was to say nothing of fated mates. As grating as I’d first found Fenris, at least I’d been able to talk to him. Liana was fated to Lyka, and while I hoped her presence would help heal his mind and restore him, there was no guarantee. What Sabine and Sela did to him may have been irreversible. Besides, even if everything worked out perfectly and Lyka was a completely changed man, that didn’t guarantee Liana would like him.
I took a deep breath and decided not to let the silence between us drag on too long. “I’m going to show you,” I said. “Take a deep breath and close your eyes.”
Liana paused. “Wait, how can you show me if I close my eyes? Is this supposed to be some surprise? You guys know I don’t love those.”
I reached out to give her hand a squeeze. “I promise we aren’t going to spring that on you. Right, Abi?”
Abi nodded. “No surprises,” she said solemnly. “Promise.”
Liana studied both of us for a moment before nodding. She took a breath and closed her hazel eyes. As she did, I steadied myself, then I reached out, finding her mind easily. It reminded me of a pleasant garden gate, easy to swing open once I found the latch.
I was careful with my friend’s mind as I heard her inhale sharply, and I offered her a few memories: meeting Fenris, coming to Isla Lobo, meeting Piers and Gilbert, how Abi got involved. I carefully skirted around anything involving the Solar Sovereign or Sabine, at least for the moment, but allowed Liana to witness Fenris discuss some of the Celestial Pack’s history, as that would soon be relevant to her.
After a few minutes, I released the spell and retreated from Liana’s mind. She looked at me, awestruck, a tiny smile on her lips.
Abi glanced at me. “You just did some witchy shit, huh?”
Liana’s smile grew. “So you’re a witchanda werewolf,” she said to me breathlessly.
“Wolf shifter,” Abi and I replied simultaneously.
Abi looked at me and cackled as I rolled my eyes. “‘Werewolf’ is a derogatory term,” I said quickly. “It has to do with that curse. I can explain it to you in more detail later, if you want.” I didn’t want to overload her with minutia just yet.
After waiting for what felt like forever for Liana to say more, I spoke up again. “Are you alright?”
“It’s a lot to take in,” Liana acknowledged, nodding to herself. “But honestly, I’m just really glad to know I’m not crazy.”
I blinked, exchanging a quick glance with Abi before looking back at Liana. “What do you mean?” I asked.
