Chapter 10 - Grace
Choosing the new council takes most of the day. Even though it’s tiring being out in the heat, no one wants to take shortcuts, and we don’t settle on our new members until the whole pack is happy.
After the official business is over, we mingle for a while, and new bonds are made. Everyone is very respectful towards me, and instead of being uncomfortable, I find I actually enjoy it a lot.
I’ve always been the odd one out. If I have to be outside the crowd, the best possible place to be is at the head of it.
Even though it means people don’t fully relax around me, I never really expected them to, and after a lifetime of being trodden on, I’ll take respect over fake friendship without hesitation.
The crowd begins to break up, and I wave to Dan before I head down the street towards home. When I hear his footsteps behind me, I’m disappointed. I’d hoped to get home and have some alone time while he stayed with the pack for a while.
If that’s the one thing we failed at today, it’s being a united front. I know that no one really noticed anything wrong, but we sure as hell didn’t look like a happy couple, either.
“Wait up,” Dan says, jogging up to me. “Damn, you can walk fast. How do you do it? It’s like you’re not even trying.”
“Long strides,” I answer, chuckling. “It’s not magic.”
He cocks his head and gives me a strange look.
“It’s really not,” I say, a bit defensively. “Do you think I use magic for everything?”
“Well, I don’t know,” he replies. “But I’d like to.”
“Like to what?”
“I’d like to know what you use magic for,” he says. “I don’t really know anything about it, and I feel like I should.”
“It’s pretty complicated,” I reply. “It might be better if you just don’t worry about it.”
“That’s impossible,” he says. “We’re married, and you’re a witch. Besides, we have the snake to worry about, and that thing is bound to magic.”
His words send shock waves through me, but I keep my even, slow stride and don’t look at him in case my eyes give me away.
I can’t tell him anything I know about the snake, or the plan might not succeed. I don’t even know what the plan is, except that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.
“You were there, weren’t you?” Dan asks. “Every time the snake demanded sacrifices, you were in the circle, or somewhere close by.”
An uncomfortable shock sweeps up my spine, sending waves of tension through my neck and shoulders. The memory of the snake’s gold eyes staring straight into mine sucks the air out of my lungs, and my heart stops in my chest.
Having Sakesh look into me was the most terrifying moment of my life. It felt like he was about to engulf me in flames, consume me, remake me… and part of me wanted him to.
“I don’t want to talk about that,” I say, more harshly than I meant to. “I mean—it was pretty scary for me. I know we’ll probably have to talk about it. Just not now, okay?”
“Okay,” he says, and I catch a hint of suspicion in his voice.
Great, he doesn’t trust me. That’s just fine. I don’t trust him, either.
Even though silence falls between us, it isn’t strained or awkward for a change. As we cross the front lawn towards the house, I know that space is filling up with things we want to say, but don’t have the courage to voice.
We have to do something. Obviously, I’m going to be here with him for a long time, and if we don’t figure out a way to live together, I’m going to die of stress.
“How about we make dinner together?” I ask, trying to sound friendly. “I can show you a few things, so maybe you won’t burn the kitchen down every time you walk into it.”
“Okay,” he says, smiling. “That sounds great.”
I smile back, my gaze lingering on his pretty mouth and dark blue eyes.
He really is so gorgeous.
“Okay, I’ll freshen up and meet you there,” I say.
“Sure,” he answers as he opens the front door. “I need to change as well. I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”
Nodding, I go past him up to the bedroom and find a clean, comfortable dress. As I’m getting changed, I hear the water start up down the hall and realize Dan’s in the shower.
Standing in front of the mirror with my clean dress in my hands, I stare at myself and let my mind wander. I imagine Dan standing behind me, his hard body pressed up against me, and his arms curling around my waist as his big hands reach for my breasts.
My eyes close, and a vision of him under the water fills my mind, his huge, hard muscles sheened under the spray, white foamy bubbles spreading under his fingers as he soaps up his massive chest and flat stomach.
Warmth creeps up my thighs, and I give in to the moment, imagining his hot, wet lips on mine. Sensation streaks through me, and I have to press my thighs together, almost dropping my dress.
My eyes snap open, and I lock on to my own gaze in the mirror, giving myself a stern glare.
Stop it right now. This is fun, but you don’t know this guy. You can’t just jump into the shower with him.
I turn away from the mirror, putting on my clean dress and trying to ignore the heat in my nipples and the throbbing between my legs.
After brushing my hair, I hurry downstairs, completely ignoring the sound of running water and refusing to think about Dan soaping himself up underneath it. It takes an extreme mental effort, but I put all my focus on making a sweet tomato sauce and manage to forget about Dan in the shower.
I’m so caught up in what I’m doing that I don’t even notice him coming in behind me, and when I turn around, I jump and shriek in surprise.
“Oh, sorry,” he says. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s okay,” I say, holding my chest as I get my breath back. “I was lost in my own little world. Just thinking too hard.”
“About?”
Your sexy, hard body.
“Pasta sauce,” I answer.
“Okay,” he says, clapping his hands and rubbing them together. “Show me how this is done. I’m ready to learn the mystery that is cooking.”
“Well,” I say, trying not to giggle. “It all started thousands of years ago, when humans discovered fire.”
“Oh,” he says, chuckling. “I didn’t realize there was so much study involved.”
“Not for most people,” I reply. “But for you, we might need the full education.”
“I’m here for it,” he says.
We go over to the stove, and I begin explaining the different amounts of herbs and how they affect the flavor of the sauce. Even though he listens intently, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t get any of it.
“I’ll tell you what,” I say. “You put the pasta on, and I’ll make a salad, okay? That should be fairly simple for you.”
“Okay,” he says. “Should I butter some rolls as well?”
“If you like,” I reply. “I’ll be right over here if you need help.”
No one on earth should need help to cook pasta. This is idiot-proof.
A few minutes later, when I’m outside picking rocket leaves from the garden, those words come back to me as smoke begins to pour out of the kitchen window.
“What the fuck?” I yell, racing back into the kitchen to see Dan holding the saucepan high over the stove as he bats desperately at the flames.
“It just caught fire,” he says. “I don’t know what happened.”
I go over to him and look into the pot.
“It’s completely boiled dry. You must have had it on the highest burner—and it would have started sizzling before it caught. Didn’t you notice?”
“No,” he says, shaking his head. “At least, not until smoke came out of it.”
I have to close my eyes for a second and set my teeth together to stop myself from shouting.
“It’s okay,” I say. “Let me start again.”
“Can I help?”
“Fuck, no,” I snap. “Take the bread and butter over there and stay out of my way.”
“Okay,” he mumbles, going to the other counter.
I put the pot aside, knowing that it will have to be thrown out.
How he managed to set fire to spaghetti, I’ll never know.
It doesn’t take me long to get some pasta cooked, and I serve it up with salad on the side. Dan puts his plate of rolls on the table, and I try not to notice that they are clumsily cut and there seems to be more butter on the plate than on the bread.
“Sorry I snapped,” I say. “I was just a bit flustered.”
“That’s okay,” he replies. “I’m sorry, too. I’m just clumsy, I guess.”
I want to make a light-hearted remark, but I don’t have it in me, so I just stay quiet while I finish my food.
I can’t live like this. How on earth am I going to stay married to this man when we can’t even eat a meal alone together?
A couple of times, it looks like Dan wants to say something, but he always goes back to his food without saying a word. I can feel myself shutting down, and I pray he doesn’t try to speak to me.
I can’t take it. I can’t even try to be nice to him, not right now. I’m too upset.
When I finish my food, I take my plate to the sink and stack it with the other dishes, heading straight to the door.
“I just need to clear my head,” I say. “I’m going for a walk, okay?”
“Okay,” Dan answers. “Is there anything you want me to do while you’re gone?”
“You could do the dishes,” I say. “If you can do that without setting anything on fire.”
“I’ll give it a try,” he says, smiling.
I can’t bring myself to smile back, so I just turn and quickly cross the backyard, walking into the woods.
I do desperately need a few minutes to myself, but I’ve also felt a faint tingle of magic in the air like a psychic doorbell.
There’s a witch nearby, and she needs to talk to me.
I know by feel it’s one of my sisters from the coven, and excitement begins to flood through me as I hurry out to meet her.
Maybe there’s a change in plan, and I can go with them! We might not need the connection to Dan at all.
As I get closer, I can tell it’s Kyra, and she lights a small magic glow on her fingers so I can see her.
“Merry meet, sister,” she says, hugging me.
“Blessed be,” I answer. “What are you doing here?”
“There was movement from Sakesh. Did you feel anything this morning?”
“No,” I reply, thinking about Dan in the kitchen and how it would have been hard to feel anything with that going on. “Home life has been a bit stressful, so I haven’t been paying attention to my instincts.”
“Well, you should be,” she says, taking my hands. “We need you to be on alert. Sakesh wasn’t just poking around—he was watching you.”
“What?” I choke out, my voice very soft.
“Gretchen is in deep meditation right now,” Kyra says. “And she is passing information directly to me. Sakesh left the mountains to follow you, specifically.”
“Are you sure?” I ask, a plaintive note in my voice. “And if you are, do I really have to stay here? Please say I can come back with you.”
“No, Grace, I’m sorry,” Kyra says firmly. “You have to stay here.”
“So, you’re using me as bait?”
“No,” Kyra says. “That would mean there’s a trap. We don’t have that kind of plan—at least, not yet.”
“But what could this possibly have to do with Dan?” I ask desperately. “Even if I have to stay here, why do I have to be with him?”
Kyra stares at me for a moment, biting her lip as thoughts race through her mind.
“Wait,” I murmur. “You know, don’t you? You know what this has to do with Dan!”
“I know something,” she admits. “And I don’t think it will do you any good to hear it right now.”
“What do you mean?” I almost shriek. “This is my life you’re messing with!”
“I know that,” Kyra says, hugging me. “And I’m sorry, but things just need to unfold. Go home and stay on alert. Sakesh is around, and we need you to keep an eye on him, but we want you to stay safe, too.”
“And stay with Dan,” I reply sadly. “Right?”
“Right,” Kyra says gently. “I’m so sorry, Grace, but all of this is exactly what is supposed to happen.”
I shake my head, stepping away from her. “I can’t hear any more of this,” I whisper, the pounding of my heart strangling my words. “I’ll keep watch and be careful. But I don’t understand this, Kyra, and I hate it.”
“I know,” she says as I walk away. “But you’re strong, Grace. Stronger than you know.”
I turn my back on her, hurrying through the woods with quick strides. My breath starts to heave in and out of my lungs, and I know it’s not just from exertion; it’s loss as well.
I’m mourning a future that was never even mine, I realize bitterly. I thought I’d go to the coven eventually and live out my days there. It kept me going when I had nothing else. Now I know it was never my destiny… and this hurts more than anything else.
By the time I get home, I’ve managed to calm down a little, but the weight of my situation rests heavily on my heart. As I walk across the back garden, I mentally prepare myself to see Dan, not even knowing what I’ll say to him.
I’m almost at the back door when I look up and see him standing in front of it, his arms crossed across his chest and his eyes fixed on me. His glare shocks me so much that I actually skitter backwards a little.
“Dan,” I say, my voice a little squeak.
“Grace,” he growls, and I can hear the heat in his voice.
I’ve never seen him so angry before… and it looks like he’s angry with me!
I stand in front of him, trying to swallow the lump in my throat while I think desperately about what to say to him.
How can I pretend to be innocent when I really am hiding things from him—and even I don’t know all the details.