Chapter Eighteen
The cold air bit at my cheeks as we returned to the train station. Celeste walked beside me, her arm linked through mine, while Darren strolled on her other side, their fingers loosely intertwined, as I rolled her suitcase behind me.
I tried not to let the reality of her leaving so soon weigh me down. She was happy. She was thriving. That was what mattered.
Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched.
I knew who it was before I even looked.
Keegan.
I kept my expression neutral, but my back prickled as my magic stirred, almost like it recognized his presence before I did. The feeling was so familiar now—Keegan watching from the shadows, lurking on the edges of my life, stepping in when he deemed it necessary.
But this wasn’t his moment. This was mine.
I turned to Celeste as we reached the entrance.
"Call me when you get there, okay?” I said, my voice steady despite the mixed emotions pressing against my ribs.
She rolled her eyes but smiled. “Yes, Mom.”
I cupped her face, brushed her hair back like I used to when she was a child, and kissed her forehead. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
She stepped back, looping her arm around Darren’s.
“It was great meeting you, Maeve,” he said warmly.
“You too, Darren,” I said, watching them disappear into the terminal.
I barely gave myself a second to breathe before I turned on my heel, my boots clicking against the pavement as I marched toward the alley where I knew Keegan was.
Sure enough, as I stepped around the corner, he was there… just leaning against the brick wall, arms crossed over his chest, eyes focused.
Before I could open my mouth, he spoke first.
“Who’s that with your daughter?”
I threw up my hands. “Are you serious right now?”
Keegan’s gaze didn’t waver. “Answer the question.”
I let out a sudden breath, crossing my arms to mirror him.
“That’s her boyfriend, Darren. He’s a college student, smart, polite, and seems to be a decent human being. Why? You planning on running a background check?”
Keegan didn’t smile. “Maybe.”
My irritation flared, but I tamped it down, pressing my fingers to my temples.
“Keegan, why are you even here?”
His expression didn’t change, but something flickered in his eyes.
“I told you I was worried about you leaving Stonewick.”
I scoffed.
“So instead of saying that, you decide to skulk around and spy on me? You should be resting after what you just went through.”
His lips pressed together in a firm line.
“I wasn’t spying. I ensured you weren’t walking into something you weren’t prepared for. And I don’t need rest. I’m fine.”
I took a step closer, narrowing my eyes.
“And what exactly do you think I wasn’t prepared for? A lovely lunch with my daughter? A heartfelt goodbye?”
His gaze darkened slightly, but not with anger.
It was something else.
Something expressionless.
“You don’t understand how much of a target you are now, Maeve. You might not see it, but they do.”
I swallowed, the weight of his words settling in my chest.
He wasn’t just talking about Gideon.
He was talking about all of them. The ones in the shadows, the ones who had been watching long before I even knew what I was capable of.
I shifted my stance, tilting my head.
“And what about you , Keegan? Where do you stand in all of this?”
His lips parted, and for a moment, I thought he wouldn’t answer.
Then, after a long pause, he said, “Right where I’ve always stood.”
Something about that statement made my stomach flip.
Because if that was true, it meant he had always been watching.
Always waiting.
Always protecting.
I glanced back toward the terminal, where Celeste had disappeared.
“She’s my daughter, Keegan,” I said, my voice quieter now. “I can’t just stop seeing her because I’m a target. That’s not how this works.”
Keegan took a slow breath, running a hand through his dark hair. “I know.”
I searched his face. “Do you? Because it sure doesn’t seem like it.”
He held my gaze, and I saw something crack in his usually impenetrable expression for the first time since this whole conversation started.
“I just don’t want anything to happen to you.”
The words were soft, barely audible, over the sounds of the city around us.
My heart skipped a beat or three.
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.
Because what was I supposed to say to that?
That I wasn’t going anywhere?
That I was invincible?
That no matter what, I’d be fine?
I couldn’t promise any of those things.
So, instead, I took a step closer and reached out, gently resting a hand on his forearm. “Nothing will happen that you don’t see coming.”
It was the best I could offer.
For now.
Keegan studied me, his eyes searching like he was trying to decide if he could believe me.
Then, after another long pause, he nodded. “Let’s get you back home, then.”
I didn’t argue.
As much as I hated to admit it…
A part of me felt safer knowing he was watching.
The air between us hung heavy with unspoken words, the weight of Keegan’s concern pressing against my chest. I was still trying to process everything—his presence, his warning, the way his voice had softened when he told me he didn’t want to lose me.
But his posture changed before I could even think of what to say next.
The shift was immediate, like a ripple through a still pond. His shoulders tensed, his jaw set, and his entire body went rigid.
I barely had time to register the transformation before his gaze snapped past me across the parking lot.
Something in the way he stiffened sent an icy prickle down my spine.
I turned to follow his gaze.
And that’s when I saw him.
Gideon.
Standing near the edge of the lot, just beyond the streetlamp’s flickering glow, watching.
My breath hitched.
Even from a distance, the sight of him made my stomach turn. The energy around him was wrong —like the air distorted just by his presence. Shadows curled subtly at the edges of his coat, twisting and shifting as if they had a mind of their own.
I felt it instantly.
A pull, a weight—an unnatural stillness that made my magic hum uneasily beneath my skin.
Keegan took a sharp step forward, putting himself slightly in front of me. His hand hovered near the blade's hilt strapped to his waist, fingers flexing like he was deciding whether to draw it.
My heart pounded against my ribs.
“What is he doing here?” I whispered, barely able to get the words out.
Keegan didn’t answer immediately. He was too busy watching Gideon, his entire body a coiled spring of tension, waiting for the slightest movement.
Gideon just stood there.
Still.
Unmoving.
Smirking.
That was the worst part.
His lips curled up like he knew something we didn’t.
A chill skittered down my spine.
This was a message.
A warning.
A reminder.
I had stepped outside of Stonewick. I had let my guard down.
And now Gideon was making sure I knew exactly what that meant.
My stomach twisted, and I glanced at the train to Colorado and saw it already moving.
Thank God.
I had put Celeste in danger. I had put Darren in danger.
Hell, I had put Keegan in danger just by existing in this space.
Keegan’s voice was low and sharp, his concern palpable. “We need to leave. Now.”
But my feet felt rooted to the pavement, my hands clenched into fists at my sides.
Because I wasn’t just scared—I was furious.
I had been gone for hours. Just a short trip to see my daughter. And already, he was here. He was watching. He was ensuring I knew that my life and choices were still tangled in the mess of the curse.
The worst part? Keegan had been right.
I wasn’t safe. No one was safe. The realization hit me like a physical blow, and I struggled to keep my composure.
“Maeve,” Keegan snapped, his voice a low warning.
I forced myself to move.
Keegan reached for my wrist, gently pulling me toward the parking lot where my car sat waiting.
Gideon still didn’t move.
He just watched.
The smirk never left his face.
Something about it made my stomach churn.
I didn’t look away until Keegan practically shoved me into the driver’s seat, slamming the door behind me. He rounded the car in record time, yanking open the passenger side and sliding in, his movements quick and tense.
“Drive.”
I didn’t argue.
My hands shook as I fumbled to start the engine, and I hated that he got to me. Even with all the magic I had and all the things I’d learned, he could still do this to me with just a look.
The moment the car lurched forward, I checked the rearview mirror.
Gideon was still standing there.
Still watching.
I clenched my jaw and forced my eyes back to the road.
We drove in silence for several miles, the streetlights flickering past in a blur.
Keegan’s fingers tapped restlessly against his knee, his jaw working like he was trying to decide what to say first.
Finally, I exhaled sharply. “You were right.”
He didn’t gloat. He didn’t smirk or say I told you so.
Instead, he let out a slow breath.
I tightened my grip on the wheel. “He wasn’t there for Celeste, was he?”
Keegan shook his head. “No. He was there for you. ”
I swallowed hard. I’d known it, but hearing him say it out loud made it feel better.
Keegan shifted in his seat, his gaze flicking toward me. “He wanted you to see him. He wanted you to know that he's watching no matter where you go.”
My grip on the wheel tightened.
I wanted to be angry. I was angry.
But underneath the anger was fear.
And that was the part that made my blood run cold.
Keegan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “We need to talk about this. About what’s next. ”
I nodded, but my mind was still spinning.
What was next?
I had made a promise. A vow to the Academy, to the people of Stonewick, to myself.
We would break this curse.
We would stop Gideon.
But now, staring into the unknown, I couldn’t shake the feeling that time was slipping away faster than I’d realized.
And the next move?
It had to be ours.