Chapter 20
Elsie
“Noah,” Lukas spoke into his phone. “What’s going on?”
Lukas had put his phone on speaker as soon as Noah picked up the call so I could listen in on their conversation.
“The doctor is saying she had a hypoglycemic episode, which I think is fucking bollocks.” The anger in Noah’s tone was prominent, but I could hear the shake of fear in his words. “Now they have her back for imaging and won’t let me see her. She has a severe concussion.”
On Noah’s end of the line, someone else was speaking, but I couldn’t quite make out the words.
“Don’t patronize me! This is the third witness in the case who has had a medical issue just before their time to take the stand! And Henri is lying on a table completely unconscious!” Noah was yelling at someone, and I worried for the recipient of his words. He was absolutely terrifying.
More muffled words were spoken to Noah, and Lukas cast me a concerned glance.
“Lukas, I’ll call you when someone around here gives me some fucking answers.”
“Let me know if you need anything,” Lukas responded just before Noah hung up.
We remained silent for a while. Lukas took a long, deep breath, his stress evident, and I pinched the bridge of my nose. I’d been concerned about Henri hitting her head, but now I was sick to my stomach. Lukas looked ill, too.
“How did this even happen?” Lukas muttered, his jaw flexing.
“Does she normally have blood sugar issues?” I asked, my mind trying to piece anything together.
Before today, I hadn’t given too much thought to the other witnesses who had become sick before their court date. But now, with Henri—the most important witness—collapsing just seconds before she took the stand, I wondered. Was there any possibility that the three were correlated?
“No. Not in the time that I’ve known her.
She’s the perfect picture of health.” White knuckles gripped the steering wheel, so I gently reached out to touch his hand.
Surprised blue eyes found mine briefly before Lukas took one hand off the wheel and grasped mine.
Our hands stayed connected for the rest of the drive.
When Lukas pulled into the driveway of a maisonette, I wasn’t surprised.
The entire neighborhood was made up of older luxury homes split into multiple flats, and Lukas’s was just as beautiful as the rest. The house looked like it could once have been an estate for a duke and had been split into two flats.
A wrought-iron fence surrounded the entire building, with two separate gates.
Tall arched windows were settled into dark brown brick, and there was a white terrace off of one of the upper rooms on each side.
It made sense that he would have a high-end flat after seeing his car.
And I realized with horrifying clarity that I didn’t know much about his family life. I learned about his love of football, potions, and his friends. However, in my avoidance of talking about my own family, I never asked him about his.
“Home sweet home,” Lukas drawled as he opened my door and helped me out.
He held my hand as he pulled me up the stone path to the front door.
Waving his hand at the door, he unlocked it and opened it for me to enter.
I almost giggled at the use of magic. I never used magic so casually, but clearly I should.
When I first started magical schooling, I was so excited to use a wand, learn wandless techniques, and master the spells I thought I would one day use. Now, as a magical literature student, I found the daily use of magic wasn’t as practical or necessary.
My eyes couldn’t take in Lukas’s home fast enough as he flicked on the foyer lights.
It was a picture of vintage charm with parquet flooring, an aged brass chandelier that was missing a few crystals, and the most stunning crown moulding on the ceilings.
A spiral staircase stood proudly on the right, leading to an upstairs mezzanine that overlooked the foyer.
I was speechless as I took in all the tiny details, while Lukas stood behind me, watching.
“My parents bought this years ago, and used it as a bit of a vacation home. When I chose Forrestbriar for my mastery, they gave it to me. My mother has threatened me—on multiple occasions—not to damage any of the decor and certainly not any of the original features.” Lukas sounded almost uncomfortable as he spoke.
“It’s beautiful,” I said breathlessly, feeling as though it belonged in a period piece with distraught lovers.
“I’m very fond of it,” Lukas said quietly, and I turned to find him staring at me.
His lips quirked up, and he took my hand and led me to a classic parlor, fitted with ornate furniture, a brick hearth, and intricate rugs covering the wooden floors.
There were no candles in sight, but the room smelled like citrus.
It seemed he was only leading me through, so I took in all that I could as we walked into the kitchen.
Marble counters adorned dark wood cabinets, neither of which seemed original to the house.
The appliances were also new, but they fit in with the rest of the design.
Lukas pulled out a swivel stool from underneath the marble island, and I took a seat.
He moved around the kitchen, gathering supplies to make tea.
“Are you feeling okay?” he asked as he put the kettle on the large range. The range clicked as he turned the burner on.
“Much better now,” I answered, my eyes staying glued to the kettle.
It wasn’t a lie, but the aftermath of such a day would remain with me.
My brain wasn’t fully functioning, only faint echoes of thoughts bouncing around.
Numbness settled into my lungs and limbs, protecting me from whatever else could happen.
It was always like this after a panic attack. And it would take a while for me to feel normal again.
Already, it was better than the last few times I’d had one, and I could only give credit for that to Lukas. If he hadn’t been there to pull me out and talk me down…I would probably have needed to be wheeled out after all the gallery trampled over me.
I jumped when I felt a hand on my shoulder, unaware Lukas had walked around the island. He used his hold on me to turn my chair so I was facing him, and then his hand moved to my chin, gently tipping it up.
My eyes focused on him slowly. It was so clear in his eyes and on his face that he cared for me.
It showed in all of his actions since the moment I met him, and I was suddenly shocked into a visceral awareness of it.
I’d tried so hard the past few weeks to ignore how genuine and gentle he really was.
But now, with the tenderness in his eyes, I couldn’t deny it any longer.
I couldn’t lie to myself that this was a man of worth, and I would be so utterly foolish to let him go.
Especially over my father, who’d never been more than a stand-in parental figure.
Lukas didn’t say a single word, yet tears were already forming in my eyes. The realization of how much he meant to me, coupled with the overwhelming experience of the day, was more than I could handle. I had no power to stop the tears from sliding down my face rapidly.
“Hey,” he whispered, immediately wrapping his arms around me.
I buried my face in his chest and just breathed, because it was all that I could do.
Exhaustion plagued me from today, and every day before that I’d tried to be an obedient daughter for a man who never looked at me with half as much affection as I’d received from Lukas.
“You’re okay,” Lukas murmured into my hair as he pressed his lips to the top of my head.
A few deep breaths later, I nodded. I was okay. Lukas had proved it time and time again. He’d given me the space to be myself, to take my time. And he’d pulled me out of the darkness of today, but really, he was pulling me from the bottomless well that I’d been stuck in for far too long.
The teakettle whistled, but Lukas didn’t move. He continued to stroke my hair lightly and press soft kisses to my head. Only when I pulled away did he move, yet even then, it was after he checked my face and found my small smile.
My decision was made here. I wouldn’t let anything keep me from him, and that included the truth about who I was.
If Lukas had any inkling of who my father was, he didn’t show it.
But I was going to tell him. I was going to tell him everything that could clear up my inconsistent behavior around him.
And I could only hope he would still want me after he knew everything.
“Thank you,” I whispered while Lukas poured the water into two teacups. He paused to look at me, and his eyes were sparkling with warmth.
“Do you want to watch films for the afternoon until we hear—”
The sound of his phone ringing cut him off, and I picked it up for him, seeing Noah’s name before handing it to him.
“Hey,” he answered, holding the phone to his ear as he continued pouring the tea. He listened to Noah and then put the kettle down. Lukas stiffened and turned away, grabbing for something in a cabinet as he muttered something back to Noah.
When he hung up, he looked at me cautiously, to-go cups in his hand.
“Henri is going to stay at the hospital overnight. They’re still not sure what caused the episode, and she has a pretty severe concussion. Noah asked if I’d bring them some overnight items.” He looked wary, and I knew immediately it was out of concern for me.
“Okay, I’ll go with you if that’s alright?” I responded, straightening my shoulders.
“Only if you’re sure.”
I nodded quickly, standing and rounding the island to join him. He transferred the tea bags and water to the paper cups and handed me one.
“We’ll go by Noah’s to grab their things.” Lukas bent to press a kiss to my forehead, and tingles spread through my entire body. His voice was rough, holding the stress of the day and the worry for his friends and for me.
I wanted to spill everything to him just to get it out, but I knew now was not the right time. He was already carrying too much. Hopefully, we would return here tonight and I could tell him all the secrets I’d been holding once he had a chance to calm down.