Chapter 3 - Kira #2
Kira kept her back to him, her hands in front of her as she willed herself to get control again.
What wasn’t she telling him? Everything!
How she still hurt from his rejection. How terrified she was of the demons returning.
Even her magic, something she had longed for, was almost a threat to her well-being.
“It’s the same as it’s always been,” she whispered, her voice shaking.
Joshua’s fingers brushed against her shoulder, so light and quick she nearly thought she imagined it. “What do you mean?”
There were no more sparks, and the energy had passed, so Kira risked turning around again. Joshua was closer than she thought, and it made something else, a different type of energy, jump through her skin.
“I mean, I’m a witch descendant,” she said, forcing herself to keep eye contact. “I mean that people still blame me and other witch descendants for everything wrong on the island. We’re the problem. The reason their happy little town isn’t perfect.”
Joshua’s jaw tightened. He shot a glare over his shoulder toward the store. “But it’s not. I thought we had changed the town’s perceptions.”
The anger in his voice caught Kira off guard.
Yes, the three men had been working hard to make things better and more equal through the town, but she hadn’t realized that he felt so strongly about it on a personal level.
It made her heart skip a beat, even as she scolded herself.
It wasn’t because of her. It was never because of her.
Still, she couldn’t let him think that all of his efforts had been in vain.
“Things have gotten better. There are fewer people who talk like Jenny to my face,” she said, shuffling on the spot.
Her tone was strained, like she didn’t want to tell him this.
The truth was that she hated being this close to him.
With his scent curling in her nostrils, she could feel the distant excitement in her chest. The sensation of her wolf battling its own weakness to get closer.
Kira wondered what Joshua would do if he knew that her wolf had never been stronger than those few weeks when she thought he loved her. Or that she had been unable to shift since the night he rejected her.
“Better,” Joshua murmured under his breath. “But it hasn’t fixed the problem.”
Kira shook her head slowly. “No. No, I don’t think that it’s something that can be ‘fixed’ just like that. Not when you’re fighting against generations of assumptions.”
“But they seem to accept Gwen just fine.”
“They accept Rafael. They accept Lianne. And they respect Gwen’s efforts to help them,” Kira said, folding her arms tightly now. “In their eyes, she’s proving herself as worthy of their acceptance. I’ve proven nothing to them.”
Joshua’s gaze returned to hers once more. His eyes were dark, intense as he stared at her. “Prove yourself? You shouldn’t have to do anything to prove yourself in order to be treated with a baseline of dignity.”
Her heart stuttered. Kira’s arms dropped as she processed what he had just said. He wasn’t looking at her, and she struggled to get her expression under control as he continued to speak in a low voice.
“They’re the ones who treated you badly. If anything, they should have to prove themselves to you, not the other way around.”
She opened her mouth, a question on the tip of her tongue.
Do you see me as a worthy person? Was he talking about himself when he said they should prove themselves to her?
Or did he think of himself as separate, different from them?
She wanted desperately to ask, but she snapped her jaw shut.
If she asked, he might see that she still had lingering desires for him; she might also see that even now, his rejection still stung.
No. No, she wasn’t going to give him that sort of power over her.
She’d just gotten her face back into a carefully arranged neutral expression when he looked back at her. His eyes, a beautiful and unique shade of gold, hardened.
“Your magic is why I’m here to talk to you,” he said, as though this was a natural continuation of the conversation.
She tensed instantly. That tone wasn’t one that someone who thought she was worthy of respect would use.
Her hands clenched into fists as she struggled with the sudden, swooping changes in her state of mind.
What did he care about her magic? Or worse—did he know that she could access it now?
Did he realize she could cast small spells?
“Mind your own business!” The words came out in a harsh, low whisper. Kira winced internally but only glared at Joshua.
“It’s important,” he said, his voice low.
Kira yanked open the door to her car. “I don’t care. If it has something to do with my heritage, Gwen can tell me. Not you.”
She slid into her car and started driving away, then put on her seatbelt. When she glanced in the mirror, she was relieved to see Joshua remained where he was standing. He watched her go but didn’t chase after her.
Good. She didn’t want him anywhere near her.
***
She’d been home for less than an hour when a council errand boy knocked on her door.
He handed her an envelope, inside which was a summons to the Elder Council.
Kira stared at the letter, then checked the envelope to ensure it was addressed to her.
The boy stared at her, expecting some sort of answer.
“They couldn’t have phoned me?” she grumbled, looking up at him. “Why do we let them boss us around when they’re so stuck in the past that they can’t even use a phone?”
The boy twitched uncomfortably. “What answer do you wish to send?”
Kira sighed. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
Relief washed over the boy’s face. Kira stepped back inside her house; she had just started cooking her supper and quickly put things away, wetting her hands to pat her hair into some semblance of order before heading out.
The town hall was being decorated for some event that Kira hadn’t heard about.
She took a moment in the large hall to calm her racing heartbeat.
What was this summons about? Only one way to find out.
She’d never been asked to meet with them before.
Did they blame her for the demon activity, too?
If they did, she didn’t know how she’d defend herself.
But they couldn’t banish her without the approval of the Alpha, right? And Rafael wouldn’t allow that. He would stand up for her. Gwen would, and so Rafael would as well.
She took a deep breath as she made her way through the hall to the upper floor, to where the Elder Council’s chambers were. The Council was there, chatting idly to each other. They all grew serious and attentive as she entered.
“Ah, Miss Smithson,” Elder Priest Thera said, her voice sharp as a blade. “Thank you for finally joining us.”
Kira glanced at the clock behind them. It had only been fifteen minutes since the errand boy arrived at her house. She clenched her jaw, refusing to apologize for nothing. Her gaze dropped to the floor, though, unable to stop herself.
“Well, now that you’re here,” Thera continued, “we’ve been studying the information left to us by generations past about witches.”
Kira tensed. Her hands clenched, and she held her breath.
It was about her heritage. They were going to banish her!
After all these years of being in this pack, they were going to kick her out.
Where was she even going to go? What would she do?
Kelsie paid her good enough to get by, but her savings wouldn’t last long on the mainland.
“It’s been decided that all witch-descendants who show signs of being able to access their magic will be married to a strong wolf,” Thera said, her voice breaking through Kira’s thoughts.
“Married?” Kira repeated, her chin jerking up.
Thera nodded, her expression inscrutable. “It’s clear from Rafael’s union with Gwen that a strong wolf father and a magical mother create strong children. And I presume you do want children of your own?”
It wasn’t so much a question as it was a statement. Kira wanted to say no just to see the Elder’s reactions, but she kept quiet. She did want children. Her mind swirled in confusion as she processed what was being said.
“I don’t understand where this is going,” she said slowly.
Thera waved a hand. “We know you have no potential mates in the pack. So we have decided to arrange your marriage, Miss Smithson.”
Arranged marriage. Kira stared, her jaw hanging loose.
“You will be married to Joshua Woods tomorrow.” The Elder Priest smiled as though she had just told Kira she was now a billionaire. “Congratulations, Miss Smtihson.”
“Congra…” All the air left Kira’s lungs. “Joshua?”