I certainly would have heard an earful from him by now about hiding things from him if that had been the case.So for now it seemed the only people who knew everything were me, Theo, and the High Priestess. Sophia and Dahlia knew something was up, but they didn’t have all the details. I wondered how
Theodore’s POVI chopped the boren mushrooms while the spies slept. I was pretty sure none of them knew the difference between regular and magical ingredients, but I tried to meal prep while they slept just in case. The boren mushrooms had such a strange, gangly shape, but they had come to be one of
Theodore’s POVI opened the door to none other than the High Priestess. My reaction shifted quickly from surprise to confusion to hope combined with concern as I remembered two very important details.First, that Violet had shared back in Owen’s palace that the High Priestess agreed Eva was a fake m
“Are you experiencing any symptoms?” she asked.“No, nothing like my initial response at the temple. Do… others… experience symptoms?” I gave her a knowing look, hoping she knew I was asking specifically about Violet.But she didn’t meet my eyes in a way that almost felt intentional. “Everyone respo
Violet’s POV“Render.”The word echoed all around me in a red room I didn’t recognize.“Render, render, render.”The word grew louder, the red haze around me clearing until my father’s face came into view, young and healthy, decades before he became ill.And I realized it was a dream.“Render her ma
Kincaid burst through my bedroom door, recognizing the urgency in my call for him enough to not bother knocking first. He surveyed me, scanning me for injuries, before his gaze fell over the flowers. “What the…?”“I’m unharmed, but I don’t know how all these flowers got here, or if the person who pu
Theodore’s POVIt was a little pathetic. I was a little pathetic. But if I was being honest, I was more than willing to be even more pathetic for Violet.For now, I was staring at the paper in the kitchen, not reading at all while I pathetically listened for the doorbell. Bennett’s grocery deliverie
I shut down that thought as I reached for the aloof asshole I had played so well all my life.“Maybe these deliveries need to be packed in sturdier boxes,” I accused loudly enough to cover my ass.Thankfully, Bennett played along. “Of course, Alpha Nightshade. That’s my fault.”I calmed my tone. “It
I dropped the trowel and frying pan next to the baseball and bat, shaking my head at this makeshift arsenal. “My baby is already too smart for its own good.”Bennett opened his mouth to respond, but he was interrupted when we were distracted by Theo suddenly vanishing into thin air. My cousin and I
Violet’s POV“Just try.”It didn’t matter how many times I explained to Bennett that Auntie had said the baby’s magic would sway my magic toward more innocent manifestations. He wasn’t convinced.Theo was on the other side of Marcy’s backyard, fists clenched, gaze unfocused, as he tried to complete
Theodore’s POVI was searching the archives’ computer for anything related to forehead bands when my phone rang. My phone screen showed, “Aunt Lillith”. Adding her to my contacts with the title of “aunt” was partially an affectionate and respectful decision, but mostly it was to avoid Eva’s wrath in
Violet’s POVPart of me wondered it not worrying Theo was an excuse. If the years with Lucas not being the partner I needed had subconsciously trained me to stay independent. To never lean on anyone, even temporarily, because they couldn’t be trusted to hold me up. Even still, Theo was right. So I
We pulled out of our kiss, my head dizzy with love and hope. We would find the answers we needed. We would find a future together.“You said there were answers to four questions.” I looked between the two of them, tallying the three they’d already shared. “What’s the fourth?”Violet thought for a mo
Theodore’s POV“Alari, please wake up!”I held Violet’s head in my lap, her jaw terrifyingly slack. I dared a glance at the High Priestess who had collapsed in a heap at the same time that Violet’s body had gone completely limp. “High Priestess?!”This wasn’t happening.I reached for my phone, thank
Theodore’s POVIn one breath, the love of my life laying still in the grass let out a gut-wrenching scream and the High Priestess dropped to her knees. I lunged for my wife but was thrown back by an invisible force. When I pulled myself upright, the High Priestess had a hand outstretched, clearly us
Auntie folded her hands in front of her. “Altrosis is an attempt to control magic enough to pin it down and examine it. One could more easily pin down the wind.”As if to illustrate her point, a cool breeze swept through the clearing, though not a hair on Auntie’s head swayed in its drift.“Magic is
Violet’s POVThe jungle outside the village my family lived in was beautiful. It was lush and alive, humming with magic like the air itself was breathing. I had only visited this village and its surrounding area a few times in my life, but I’d always made time to come stand among the ferns and frond