Chapter 21 #2
The scrape of silverware died; the sisters also turned their full attention to her now. Avery swished her wine glass before taking a long sip of the merlot. “Fine.”
“Fine,” Eleri repeated, the word turning sour. “Care to elaborate?”
Felix’s ears flattened. The urge to claw her eyes out was pulsing through him in time with his thumping heart. The goddamn bond made something as simple as an insult set his teeth on edge.
Gwyn spoke for her, fork twirling between her fingers. “I heard you couldn’t even heal a basic cut. Professor Bran was telling Mother all about it.”
Wren lightly slapped Gwyn on the shoulder as a warning rather than a reprimand.
Avery ignored her. “So you know?” she asked her mother.
“Of course, I know, Avery. I know everything that happens in this school.”
Felix’s claws extended slightly, rumpling up the tablecloth. The urge to hiss built in his throat. Avery’s mother obviously didn’t know everything, otherwise he wouldn’t be here right now.
“It was nothing,” Avery said, her shoulders slumping forward in order to make herself seem smaller.
Felix wanted to slap some sense into her.
If he knew anything about her, it was that she was more resilient than she seemed.
She had stood up to what was supposed to be her mortal enemy, but her mother made her crumble.
He supposed parents had a way of doing that to their children, grinding them down until they believed the enemy was themselves.
“It was an embarrassment,” her mother said, taking a sip of her wine. “You’re as useless as your aunt was.”
Avery swallowed the insult and lowered her gaze. He had never wanted to punch a middle-aged woman more than he did now. Gwyn smirked as she pretended to move around the food on her plate, while Wren said nothing.
“Mother—” Avery started.
“Enough.” The word cut through the air. “I won’t have your bumbling excuses. I’ve heard enough of them already.”
Wren cut in. “Perhaps we could get Avery a tutor? Someone to help her outside of class?”
Gwyn snorted, and Avery only became smaller, tears burning in her eyes and her breathing starting to pick up. Panic spidered down the bond and wrapped around Felix’s ribs.
“Breathe, little witch, remember what we talked about before.”
Avery’s gaze cut to him, and she took a deep breath.
“No. She won’t get special treatment for her shortcomings,” her mother said, talking about Avery as if she weren’t even in the room.
“Another breath, Avery. You passing out won’t help you get out of the situation.”
Avery snorted a laugh before immediately covering her mouth. If Felix could smile right now, he would, like the cat that got the cream.
Finally, her mother looked at her. “It’s sink or swim, darling.” There was nothing motherly about the way she said it.
Felix started to lick his paws in a way to act natural rather than letting the growl rip from his throat like he wanted to. Despite the bond screaming at him, it would take a bit more than that to get him to shift.
Eleri cleared her throat, finally choosing to acknowledge his existence. “Avery, get your familiar off the table.”
That would do it. Felix stopped mid-lick to let out a hiss, his tail lashing hard enough to send the salt shaker toppling off the table and skittering across the ground with a crack.
All eyes snapped to him. Including the dust bunnies holed up in the corner.
“Please don’t make this worse than it already is,” Avery pleaded.
He sighed as much as a cat could. “Fine. But I’m doing this for you, not because your ghastly mother demanded it.”
A smile ghosted across Avery’s mouth. Felix leapt down, wound between her ankles, then sprang onto the mantel above the fireplace.
This had a better vantage point, anyway.
He eyed the oil painting of her mother’s face and considered his options.
He contemplated knocking it off the mantle, but he thought better of it.
Who hangs a painting of themselves anyway?
Felix was slightly narcissistic—he knew he was handsome—but that was just straight pathological.
Eleri stared him down, suspicion swirling in her eyes. Instead, he held her gaze, not backing down like a good little pet, and straightened his spine. Just for good measure, he let out a little hiss. In case it wasn’t already abundantly fucking clear.
“Felix,” Avery mentally scolded him. Damn. Why was that kind of hot? He had always been the dominant one in bed, but for her…maybe he’d let her try. Only for Avery, though.
Her mother’s jaw went tight. “Interesting.”
Avery cleared her throat, pulling back the attention. “Mother, I—” Her voice trembled.
“For the love of god, woman, stand up for yourself.”
To his surprise, she lifted her chin. “I will be a healer before I graduate. Then I will leave to join the others in the field.”
Silence fell upon them, the tension almost choking the room. Even the smirk fell away from Gwyn’s face.
“Leave?” Gwyn said, her voice high-pitched in surprise. “Why would you want to leave? Caerwyn is the safest place for witches; the human territories are crawling with shifters.”
Oh, sweetheart, if only you knew.
“I’m sure I will be safe. I haven’t heard of a random shifter attack in years.”
Wren laughed. Dammit. Wren was just growing on him.
“You cannot seriously be that na?ve. Shifters are animals; they’re dangerous.
My entire career is eliminating them so you can have that type of opinion, Avery.
” Her voice grew heated. “In London, there have been five witches killed this week by shifters.”
His crew had been busy since he was gone; good for them.
Avery stiffened at the words.
Felix jumped in before she spiraled. “We only kill them if they have breached the policies in the treaty.”
Avery’s mother held up her wine glass, peering into the red liquid like a crystal ball as the firelight reflected off it.
“The world is dangerous, Avery,” she said, eyes returning to her least favorite daughter.
“Which is why the council is working on something, something that will protect more witches against the shifters.”
Eleri’s gaze swept over Felix.
She fucking knew. She knew he was a shifter.
“What kind of protection?” Gwyn asked.
Eleri’s smile was as wicked as a witch. “All in good time, darling. The council will make an announcement when we are ready,” she said simply.
She had to know something about the missing shifters. He would bet his left nut on it.
Eleri stabbed her fork into the chicken with far too much force. “They have run rampant for far too long; someone needs to put them in their place.” She paused. “Especially after what they did to your father.”
Both sisters froze, forks halfway to their mouths.
Wren’s eyes went wide. “Mother!”
“Are you saying a shifter killed our father?” Avery’s voice wobbled.
Fuck.