Chapter 11
Taylor
I heard the distinct sound of skin being slapped right before I reached Dad’s study. I froze and moved back a bit to keep out of view because… Habit. Being sneaky and covert was simply habit now.
“Laura, please,” Dad said before Mom came flying out of his study with tears trailing down her cheeks.
Rage built too fast, always reminding me of my anger issues, but I was in his study in the next breath stepping towards him aggressively. “What did you do, Dad?”
He did a double take and sighed, not afraid of me even when he should be. The fool was way too trusting and always thought loving someone would protect them.
Fool.
“Not what you’re thinking—not what she thinks.” He scrubbed his hand over his head and sighed.
I chilled when he looked at the door and his eyes were full of agony. “What happened?”
“I don’t lie to my mate and sometimes I think I should to save her pain, but she wouldn’t mate me without it in our vows and I can’t ever break them.” He met my gaze. “I’ve never broken my vows to your mother.”
No, he wouldn’t. Dad didn’t have as many faults as most, but he still had them. Hurting his mate wasn’t one of them.
Then I put the pieces together. “Mom thinks you were unfaithful?”
He relaxed a bit and sat on the edge of his desk.
“I’m glad you know me well enough to know I would never.
” He scrubbed his hands over his face. “No, not that I’ve cheated, but—apparently I said a name in my sleep and she asked if I thought they were attractive.
Yes. Okay, yes, the woman is attractive.
I’m not dead, but I have—I would never. Never. ”
“Who?”
He shook his head, but it seemed more like a shiver and he rubbed his face again. “Taylor, I wasn’t even fantasizing about her. If I said…” He frowned. “The council estate was burning. That’s what I was dreaming. The familiars were inside and someone ran in. I guess…”
I almost fell over. “Bevin? You’re fucking attracted to Bevin Millen? Are you fucking—”
“No, no,” Dad argued, getting to his feet.
“I’m not lusting over a teenager, Taylor.
I said the woman is attractive. She is. I’m—” He shivered again.
“I’m still disturbed at seeing those pictures of her underage.
It was grotesque that her parents passed bikini pictures around to sexualize her.
” He gave me a hard look. “I don’t have thoughts of her like that. Not ever.”
I let out a slow breath and took it down a notch. “I get it. She’s got pretty features and—she could easily model. She’s—I get it, but she’s not my type either.”
“Yes, exactly. She’s a damn kid—young enough to be your kid.”
That was pushing it, but I understood his point. “And Mom asked if you thought she was attractive, not if you were into her—I get it. I’ll talk to her.”
“I wasn’t thinking—distracted and not giving my mate the attention she deserved,” he mumbled, gesturing to his overflowing desk.
“She asked me and then… I didn’t know I said her name in my sleep.
” He frowned again. “The only thing I remember dreaming of was the fire at the estate. It would take out all of our familiars if we’re not careful.
“I remember someone running in and… Yes, blonde hair. It was probably her in the dream—nightmare. I woke thinking we need to do a test on the sprinklers and magic. We need to learn from Charles Shaw’s demise and maybe not have all of our familiars together even if that’s helping.
Put more protections in place. All of us. ”
“Conrad. You’re upset about Conrad.”
“Of course I am,” Dad snapped, rare anger in his eyes and features.
“I want that monster dead.” He sighed when I flinched.
“It’s not because Bevin is attractive. She is more—I believe her that she is a test from the gods, Taylor.
That is the way the prophecies are told about a god or goddess witch being born to the former noble bloodlines.
“And that disgusting cockroach we despise already tried to—it’s unforgivable. It’s sexual and magical slavery. I am furious we didn’t do more to him, but it would give whispers to her being a goddess witch. Which they wanted. They want her named our pet goddess witch.”
I couldn’t hide my shock when he picked up a lamp from his desk and launched it across the room. “Dad?”
His chest heaved as he turned to me looking destroyed.
“Why has our family—my mate—suffered so much to help this fucking society if the cancer is so far into our council and I let it happen as its leader? I’m so ashamed I didn’t see how bad it was and—I struggle to not step down.
I’ve failed in the mission and the ones I love have paid a steep price for my failure. ”
Fuck. Just… Fuck.
This wasn’t the time for Dad to have a crisis of faith.
It took me a bit to talk him off the ledge and I was honestly impressed that I could given it wasn’t my strong suit.
Then I went to speak with Mom. She was much easier to deal with and I knew that wasn’t because of me.
She confessed that she came back to discuss things with him and partially overheard us.
I told her the rest and was glad that she understood. I told them they needed to take a weekend for themselves. Even a fucking night without social events and go hide away at a hotel and have room service. Just do something for themselves before we all imploded.
“Take your own advice, Taylor,” she whispered, kissing my cheek. “You are doing so well and I’m so proud of the man you are, but I wish you would be a bit more selfish for your own health.”
“I’ll try.” I nodded and promised thinking it was great advice for all of us. Really, it was.
I was sure that my parents would figure it out, so when I got a text from one of my guys that the food was good at the new campsite area at the Millen place, I let my stomach win. Plus, I wanted to do my parents a solid.
And yes, I was worried about Bevin.
I called out to Cheese that it was time to play and set a circle for us, glad I was allowed on the magic. Not all of us needed to be, but it was smart Link and I were added.
Hopefully, it wouldn’t ever be needed but… Smart.
I was surprised to find more of a college barbeque setting than work being done, but the mood was better than I’d expected, so I wasn’t about to say anything. Bevin immediately flinched when she saw me and I knew it was best not to put this off.
“No, I don’t want to talk to you and not about the stupid council or their stupid faces,” she grumbled with a petulant huff.
I blinked at her for longer than I should have and then put it together when I saw the hard seltzer in her hand. I glanced around and found Emma. “Really?”
“Yeah, really, Taylor,” she drawled. “If there was ever a freshman in the history of college that deserved to get a bit drunk, it’s this one.
On her own land with dozens of big brothers and sisters watching her.
” She pointed at Tracey, Clare, and Jasmine who were all close by just to make her point.
Fair enough.
I chuckled when Bevin turned around on the bench as I moved closer.
I squatted down next to her so she’d see me if she flipped back too.
“We don’t have to discuss anything. I just want you to listen to me for a minute and I think it will help.
” I swallowed a laugh when she huffed again.
“And I’ll repeat it again when you’re sober. ”
She frowned and faced me. “That might be smart.”
“Yeah, I know how this goes,” I drawled. I let out a slow breath and met her curious eyes. “I’m on the right team and like Link, I knew it wouldn’t be you or my family. It’s the same team of doing good no matter your roles of council or what you’re doing, okay?”
Her lower lip quivered and she looked away. “You didn’t keep me safe. You promised to keep me safe if I kept up the war. You’re a jerk.”
Fuck, talk about kicking someone in the balls. “I’m sorry you got hurt and we didn’t prevent Conrad’s insanity. It was too bold of a move that was doomed to fail for me to have seen it.”
“That’s what the others say and I get, but I’m the one who gets hurt,” she rasped. “I don’t want to get hurt anymore.”
“I can’t promise that and we’re all going to get hurt, but I can promise we’re all doing our best and we’ll always fix what goes wrong.” I swallowed when she shot me a disbelieving look. “Both of my parents made it clear they’re upset at the outcome. They wanted him to be punished more.”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” she whispered, her shoulders drooping.
“I know, but you need to hear how upset they are. My dad exploded and he never does that. He was scared people would stay on you being a goddess witch if they punished Conrad more.” I nodded when she peeked at me.
“That’s the only holdback, Bevin. He’s… They’re both struggling. The answers aren’t easy for any of us.”
“It wasn’t enough for what he tried to do to me,” she whispered.
“You’re right.” I repeated it until she seemed to hear me. “But the public cannot know the full extent, so how can they explain that? You know this.”
“I know this, but it’s not fair and hurts.”
“Valid.” I snorted when she looked at me. “Bevin, I want him in the fucking ground and I think we’re all idiots for not making that happen. He needs to be taken off the board, not spanked and ‘reformed’ when we all know someone like him won’t ever be reformed. So you are not alone in how you feel.”
I went to tell her more like even my mother said she hoped Conrad didn’t survive prison, but that wasn’t for me to say. And certainly not with so many ears around.
I rubbed her knee when she seemed lost. “You are the future. You and the better half of the council who need to step up and support you so we can cut the cancer out of our society and get back on track. I completely believe that down to my soul after seeing how good you are and what you can do. Fuck, what you can do is bigger than the council.”