Chapter 7 This Whole Sharing Thing Is a Lot
SEVEN
This Whole Sharing Thing Is a Lot
By the time we finished, we were all feeling pretty wrung out. The house, though, had lost much of the oppressive darkness hanging over it. The three of us worked well together. Our magic was different, but we complemented each other.
When Aunt Elizabeth arrived to pick up Faith, I told my mom to have some tea, snuggle up on the couch, and read a good book. She needed a rest, body and mind.
She held my hand. “I’m all right, darling. It had to be done and it’s my job to do it.” Squeezing my fingers, she added, “Having you beside me helped.”
“Good. I need to see if I can catch a ride with Elizabeth. Call me if you need anything.”
Nodding, she shooed me out the door.
Elizabeth and Faith were waving and pulling away as I closed the front door behind me. Shit. But then I saw Declan leaning against his new Bronco, waiting for me.
“Hey,” he said. “When I couldn’t get through to you earlier, I decided to just come. It saved me from worrying and it meant I got to see you sooner.”
I walked into his open arms, melting against his chest.
“Rough meeting, huh?”
“I’ll tell you about it on the way home.” I patted his side and moved to the passenger door. Declan was already there, opening it for me and giving me a boost up.
After I explained what had happened with Colin and Uncle Joe, Declan said, “I’m glad I didn’t know that earlier or I might have stopped them and beaten your cousin unconscious.
” He glanced over at me. “We passed on the road to your Mom’s.
It looked like Colin was yelling and waving his hands around.
Your uncle looked blank, staring straight ahead. ”
“I’m sorry.” I rested my hand on his thigh. “That means you were waiting a long time for me.”
He lifted my hand and kissed my wrist. “It’s a very restful courtyard. I opened the windows, tipped my seat back, and enjoyed the breeze. I sensed you nearby, so I was fine.”
He gestured to the time display on his dashboard. “I’m going to have to leave in a few hours to meet with the pack. Are you hungry? We can stop somewhere for food or if you want to rest, I can pick something up for us to eat at home.”
I was bummed about him being out all night. I never slept well when he was away. “Can we go to my studio then?”
He looked over quickly before returning his attention to the winding road. “You don’t want to go to our home?”
“No. It’s just—” Shit. I was going to have to tell him about the vision.
Sighing, I turned in my seat toward him.
“I love the home you built for us. When you’re not with me, though, I have nightmares and wake up.
Sometimes I bake, which I can do in our home, but sometimes I want to work.
Normally, I’d walk over to the gallery but there was something about me in the shared Council vision. ”
Declan pulled over onto the dirt beside the road and stopped the SUV. He turned in his seat, his expression severe. “What did you see?”
I hadn’t been expecting this much focused attention.
I’d been hoping that if he was driving while I told him, it wouldn’t seem too dire.
“Okay, well, I didn’t see me—which isn’t unusual for me and visions—but Mom and Faith both said it was clearly me.
Anyway, what I saw was a woman walking down the grassy side of the road.
Mom and Faith say it’s the stretch of road between the gallery and your workshop. ”
“Our home,” he corrected.
I nodded. “Right. So a car was racing down the road, passing other cars, and drove straight at me.”
“A car is going to run you down?” His voice was gruffer than normal as his eyes lightened to wolf gold. “And hit you?”
I thought about the sounds of bones breaking and the blood on the windshield. “In the vision, yes, but now that we know, I won’t walk between our two homes anymore. For a while, anyway, until that possible future disappears.”
His growl rumbled in the quiet. “Was this car out of control because it was speeding or was it aiming for you?”
Glancing out the window, I mumbled, “Not sure. It was hard to tell—”
“Arwyn.”
He was already on edge. I didn’t want to push him over, but I also promised I’d tell him. “We all see parts of the vision from different perspectives. From my point of view, the woman—who I didn’t see as me—was walking along the side of the road and the driver floored it, aiming for her.”
Declan reached for his phone. “Kenji and Daniel can handle tonight’s run. I’m staying with you.”
I pulled his phone from his hands. “I know it sounds scary, but I’m fine.
Look. I’m sitting right here with you and I’m fine.
I had a vision a month or so ago about my Uncle Andrew riding his bike and getting hit by a truck.
We told him not to ride his bike on that route again and he’s alive and well.
When I have visions, it’s like of all the possible futures, this is the most likely right now.
Once conditions change, it becomes less and less likely until it disappears as a possibility. ”
I unbuckled, leaned in, and kissed him. “You don’t need to babysit me.
That’ll only drive us both nuts. Until the possibility fades, I need to avoid walking between our places.
That’s all. And that’s why I’m asking you to take me to the gallery.
I won’t need a ride to work. I’ll already be there, and Bracken will be nearby if something comes up. ”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I hear what you’re saying, but my heart is still racing. I’m not okay with leaving you tonight, even if what you saw happened on the road and you’ll be safe and sound in your studio.”
“You know I can take care of myself,” I reminded him. “And your pack needs you.”
Pulling his phone out of my hands, he began texting. “This is for me. I can’t leave you right now. We’ll go home. We’ll have dinner. We’ll make an early night of it. Kenji and Daniel are perfectly capable of handling a simple run.”
When he finished, he put his phone back down and said, “Anything else I should know—not what you think I need to know. What you know I’d want to know about you. You don’t have to tell me other people’s secrets. I want to know what I need to be aware of for you.”
I shrugged. “I’m hungry. I meant to take some of the leftover sandwiches home with me, but I forgot.”
He turned back onto the road. “Okay. Good. Food is easy. What are you in the mood for?”
Tapping my hand on my stomach, I considered. “Pasta.”
He turned the corner and pulled over again. “Sounds good. Pick a restaurant so we can look at the menu online.”
I did and we started scrolling. He tapped his dashboard screen, calling the restaurant. When someone answered, he said, “We’d like to place an order for me to pick up.”
“Absolutely. What would you like?” the woman on the line said.
“We’ll take an order of the garlic bread, the crab arancini, um, the beet and orange salad, the lamb pappardelle, the lobster ravioli—that’s okay, right?” he asked me.
I nodded, understanding he was asking if it was okay to eat certain kinds of seafood. I loved that he understood that for me, some sea animals were friends and some were food.
“The lasagna,” he continued. “Oh. The balsamic glazed salmon.” He turned to me. “What do you want?”
The woman on the phone made a funny sound, but whatever. We could be ordering for six people, instead of a werewolf. She didn’t know. “I’ll have the apple gorgonzola gnocchi and the poached pear salad. Thank you.”
She read back the order and said it would be ready in about thirty minutes.
“I’ll take you home first,” he said, “and then run and get the food.”
“I feel silly saying this, but I’m really excited about lying down on the new couch.
” We were slowly finding furniture pieces for the new place, and we’d actually found a couch that was big enough for my six-and-a-half-foot boyfriend to stretch out on.
It was huge, deep, and so very cozy. Luckily, he’d built us a large living room, so it didn’t feel dwarfed by the couch.
“I got a call today,” he told me. “The new bed is being delivered tomorrow.”
I clapped my gloved hands. The sound was muffled but no less excited. “I can’t wait. Do you know when you’ll have the bed frame done?”
“All done and set up in our bedroom. We’re ready for the mattresses to be delivered.” He reached over and rubbed my thigh. “Finally, a bed big enough for me.”
We’d ordered an Alaskan king bed, which is longer and wider than a Cal king. Sheets were hard to find, but that’s what the internet is for. I’d already received a couple of sets, and they were washed and ready to go. Our home was starting to come together.
Declan dropped me off and I climbed the back stairs to our flat above his workshop.
Like the gallery, I’d created the wards on our home, so I didn’t need a key.
With a flick of my fingers, I unlocked the door and went in.
I dropped my backpack by the umbrella stand beside the door and went to the bedroom to change.
I stopped in the doorway, stunned. The bed frame was incredible.
It was a deep, rich wood, with drawers integrated into the base.
It was the headboard, though, that took my breath away.
It went almost to the ceiling. He’d carved Monterey Cypress trees in relief, their gnarled trunks disappearing behind where the mattress would soon be.
Even in our home, we’d be sleeping under the trees.
After putting on my softest lounge pants and hoodie, I went to the couch, curled up at the end, and sank into softness. I felt myself drifting when I remembered I needed to call my Uncle John.
I pulled out my phone and tapped the screen. I worried it was going to go to voicemail, but then he answered.
“Arwyn?”
“Hi, Uncle John. I’ve missed you.” I tapped speakerphone so I wouldn’t have to hold it a hairsbreadth from my face.
“It’s good to hear from you, honey. How are you?”
“The Council met today, so I’m feeling worn out,” I told him, wishing I had a throw on the new couch. I wanted a blanket.
“I know sleep is hard for you. Would you like to try a sleeping potion again?”
I shook my head, not that he could see. “No way. The last time we tried that, I was trapped in a horrific nightmare that went on and on.” I paused for a moment, considering. “Can I tell you a secret? Well, two actually.”
“You can tell me anything, honey. You know I’m always on your side.”
Tears rushed to my eyes. I tried to speak, but nothing would come out.
“Arwyn?”
I sniffled. “Still? Even after…” Even after I killed his daughter.
He cleared his throat. “Don’t cry. Please.
I’m her father. It was my responsibility to stop her.
” We were both quiet; the enormity of what had happened was too much for both of us.
“I don’t blame you—or anyone. Callio—” he breathed heavily, then said, “Calliope killed her own mother and her grandmother on her cursed crusade for more power.”
He paused. “I don’t know who ultimately stopped her and I don’t want to know, at least not yet. It had to be done, and we’re blessed that someone was strong enough to do it.”
It took me a moment to make peace with his acceptance. “How’s Serena doing?” I asked, referring to his eldest daughter.
He sighed. “She holds more anger than I do. She hates her sister loudly and I have a hard time hearing it.”
“I see, and I’m sorry.”
“Me too, sweetie. Me too,” he said. “So, what are the two secrets you need to tell me?”