Chapter Thirteen
Dailey didn’t truly love her.
His forgiveness was all a result of an enchantment Payton had no way of removing.
Her chest ached, and the desire to have Witchmere in her rearview was growing exponentially with every painful inhale.
“Please stay calm, P.” Elara clasped her hand, bringing it up to her cheek. “Please don’t run away until we can resolve this.”
“I wasn’t planning on it,” she lied. But her sister saw straight through her, as she always had. She glanced toward Tripp and Dailey over by the kitchen counter. “What do I do, El? I thought he forgave me and might be on his way to loving me again. But it’s all an illusion.”
Elara sandwiched Payton’s face between her palms and leaned in with the intensity of someone hoping to make a point. “Listen to me. Dailey loves you. If he didn’t, there would be nothing to magnify.”
“But you and Tripp just said the boots amplified feelings in reverse. Meaning, deep down, he still hates me.”
“No. You’re misheard. The spell attached to him changed.
It went from taking away his feelings to returning them with a vengeance.
Meaning his love for you was already great.
Now, he’s ready to annihilate anyone his brain sees as a potential threat.
With ever-increasing-sized meteors,” she stressed. “All to protect you.”
As Payton considered this new angle, the tightness in her chest lessened.
“When can I trust this to be over? How did you and Tripp resolve your issues?”
“Ours centered around commitment to one another. Maybe yours is the same.”
Was it as simple as her sticking?
A stone at the tip of her shoe illuminated as her feet grew warm. “Uh, El, is this normal?”
“Yes. For every jewel that lights, you have a problem to solve.”
“So just the one is good?” Optimism was slowly creeping in until Payton saw Elara scrunch her nose. “What?”
“It isn’t a science. For me, one lit whenever I guessed another thing I needed to address. Parents, relationships, admitting my love for Tripp, acknowledging my fears.”
“That’s right! I’d forgotten.” She attempted to recall their conversation. It had something to do with Elara’s list of people she needed to speak to and settle the score.
The boots put on a full-blown light show—Vegas-level—then dimmed back to the single stone.
“Fucking great.”
“What were you thinking about when the diamond lit?” Elara asked.
“Commitment. I... Wait! Diamond? I thought they were rhinestones.”
“Girl, no! You have a king’s ransom on your feet.”
“Would you mind if I borrowed your fiancé as a bodyguard?” Though she sounded like she was kidding, she totally wasn’t. The idea of strutting around in millions of dollars’ worth of footwear was unnerving.
“Oh, we’ve formed an entire babysitting brigade.” Elara’s grin shouted self-congratulations for her own cleverness. “We’ll use anyone not affected in round-the-clock shifts.”
“So you and Tripp,” she replied dryly.
“Verron and Hermes, too.”
“Not Hermes. If I see that twatwaffle again, I’m going to separate his dick and balls from his body then drop them into the Mariana Trench.”
Elara giggled, bless her heart, believing Payton wasn’t serious. Clearly she didn’t understand Payton’s current level of fury with the Trickster.
The guys returned with a tray of coffee and sandwiches. Payton rose, allowing Tripp the spot beside Elara, then she sat on the opposite couch. Dailey joined her, but he left space between them, unlike the couple across from them.
The happy twosome were cuddled down, sharing a plate, with Tripp stealing all the chips and grinning between bites.
They were perfect for each other. A year ago, Payton wasn’t quite so sure, but their bond had strengthened.
Where Elara was light, Tripp was dark. Looking at them, one would mistakenly believe he held all the power, but it was she who was the stronger of the two.
“You told me the boots required you to commit, but you once mentioned other issues with people that needed to be resolved,” Payton said. “What were they exactly?”
Her sister frowned as she attempted to recall. “Mom and Dad were one. The abandonment, accepting our heritage. Finding out about Flo being our grandmother was another. The sense of betrayal was strong.”
“But you have to understand, the spell attached to those magical menaces will not be the same for you, Payton,” Tripp warned, causing her stomach to tighten. “You’ll need to figure it out before Dailey creates a global-extinction event like with the non-avian dinosaurs.”
“Not funny,” Dailey said sourly.
“Not kidding,” Tripp replied.
Payton inhaled deeply and lifted her chin to meet the challenge head-on. “Okay, we’ll figure out the key problem. Dailey was right. For me, as hard as it is to admit, it’s the feeling of not being good enough.”
“And for me, it’s the crushing failure I experience when I can’t please everyone or keep them safe,” Dailey said.
She glanced down, but only one stone was illuminated. “Did anyone catch what triggered it?”
“You did, which means he isn’t being a hundred percent honest.” Tripp gave him a pointed look. “Dig deeper.”
“Maybe therapy with Harrison will help,” Elara suggested with a bright smile and a pat on his shoulder. “It worked for you, right?”
The demigod’s eyes danced with humor, and his tone was droll when he confirmed it had. In other words, it hadn’t. Not really. Whatever conclusions Tripp had reached were primarily on his own.
“What about couples therapy?” Payton touched Dailey’s hand. “We don’t have to see Harrison; we can go to another doctor.”
“Pay, our situation is unique,” he hedged.
Her hope died. If he didn’t want to work on their problems, there was nothing more she could do.
Turning to Tripp, she asked, “If I were to leave here, go far away, would Dailey still be affected?”
Dailey didn’t give him time to answer. “What the fuck? This is precisely what I’m talking about, Payton. When things get hard, you bolt.”
A second jewel lit.
And outside… a FWOOOOOOOSH, followed by a resounding crash.
“I need a sedative,” he muttered.
“Not to say I told you so, but—”
He cut her a don’t-you-dare-say-it look.
Compressing her lips, she nodded.
The need to escape was stronger than he’d ever experienced, and he had the fleeting thought that perhaps this was what Payton felt whenever a situation overwhelmed her.
Another diamond illuminated.
“What were each of you thinking?” Elara asked excitedly.
“I didn’t want to piss him off again,” Payton said with a wary side glance at him.
Was she afraid of him? His skin prickled, and his hands grew clammy as his sense of unease grew. “You don’t piss me off. This entire nightmare does. Hermes should never have given you such a dangerous gift.”
“But what thought ran through your mind prior to Payton’s comment?” Tripp prodded.
He wasn’t ready to confess, but he also knew complete honesty was paramount.
“I experienced an urge to get away, and wondered if the overwhelming need was what Payton felt whenever things got rough.”
The light flickered before flaring brighter and returning to normal.
“Understanding her point of view is one of your lessons!” Elara’s excitement was contagious.
For the longest of moments, Tripp watched him. “How do you feel about your mother?”
Dailey recoiled, and embarrassment for his visceral reaction heated his skin.
“I’m not discussing my mother with any of you until I’m on elephant tranqs.
” To Payton, he said, “This isn’t rejection.
I just need to work through all of it in my head first. Besides, I see flames through the window. I should see about the damage.”
She caught his hand when he stood. “Do you want us to add an emotion-numbing spell?”
Curbing his desire to swear half of outer space down upon them, he shook his head and dashed for the door.
Tripp followed him out.
“Please, can I get a damned minute alone, Nightshade?”
“You could, but two of us are better than one when it comes to extinguishing the forest fire.” Tripp indicated the ridge behind him.
What looked to be an acre of his land was ablaze, and the sinking sensation returned. Would his life ever be normal again?
As if the Gods were tuned in, two men appeared on the other side of the gravel driveway.
“I guess the cavalry has arrived,” he muttered with a sigh. “Thank the Goddess they didn’t bring Junior or I might throw myself under a falling tree.”
“I feel your pain.”
The only consolation was that Tripp didn’t love having Hermes around any more than he did.
“Can we beat the hell out of him when the boots are finally off Payton’s feet?”
The demigod’s grin was pure evil, and promised retribution shone in his dark eyes. “I have a much better revenge in mind.”
“Care to share? It might put me in a better mood.”
“A taste of his own medicine.”
Dailey considered what a serving of Karma might be. “You plan to gift him the boots next?” he asked with an incredulous laugh.
“Indeed.” Tripp chuckled, and it was as menacing as his grin. “And I know just the Goddess to do it.”