“Yeah, sure. No problem. But, to be honest, I came here to give you a hug goodbye. I’m leaving—”
“No.” She nearly snapped to attention, such was the force of his bark. “You will not leave.”
Thankfully, she had a lot of experience rebuffing a powerful alpha.
“Sorry, Dad, but you can’t stop me. Neither can your manservant-assassin. Unless you try to kill me, that is, but if you do that, you should remember that I can rain down lightning. I’ll take your best fighters to the grave with me. We halvsies can be unpredictable fuckers.”
Her father’s eyebrow ticked upward again. That eyebrow could convey so many things. She hadn’t a clue about half of them.
More footsteps. Halvor quickly ducked out to allow Charity’s grandmama to fill the doorway.
“Oh, Charity,” her grandmother said, out of breath and pale-faced. “Yes. I wondered… I’ve heard word that the guest houses are on fire. Blown to bits.”
“Yes, Mother,” Romulus said, a twinkle in his eyes. “We’re planning some improvements.”
“We’re…” She looked back and forth between Charity and Romulus. “We didn’t discuss—”
“I also need to speak with you about some logistical issues.” He stepped closer and lowered his hand onto Charity’s shoulder. “Charity and I need to leave within the next few days. We’ll need supplies and to arrange adequate coverage for my governing duties. Charity was not able to finish her business with the Alpha Shifter before he moved on. I will, of course, need to chaperone her to the human lands.”
“You’re… You…”
“First,” someone said, also out of breath. “The Red Prophet! She’s gone!”
“No, dear. Check the trees,” Charity’s grandmother replied, annoyed. “Or that crawlspace in her house. She got stuck there last fall, remember?”
“She left a note, First. She’s gone with the Alpha Shifter. She has decided to spend her days in the Brink, where the sky is blue and the ocean is purple.”
Charity grimaced. The Red Prophet might be a little disappointed when she made it to the beach. Unless, of course, she got her hands on some acid.
“There.” Romulus nodded triumphantly. “Now it cannot be denied. I will escort Charity to the Brink, both to ascertain the whereabouts of the Red Prophet and so that Charity can complete her business.”
“We won’t have Vlad’s protection this time,” Charity said, thinking out loud. “It’ll be dangerous, and that’s if the elves or demons don’t find us.”
“Elves or demons bothering our kind?” the First scoffed. “A custodes needing a vampire’s protection? Ridiculous. We are the protection.”
“Is this like when an old—I mean, out-of-touch person tries to figure out the internet?” Charity grinned. “They just don’t understand things have changed and someone has to explain it?”
Her dad pressed his lips together, which meant he was holding back laughter.
Her grandmother’s eyes flashed fire. “No,” she said, taking a step back. A strange sort of heaviness pressed down upon the room. The desire to stay within this beautiful, natural place intensified. “I forbid it. The Flush is our home. Our people would do well to stay within it. There is nothing for us out there. We are not the royal guard, as the elves would like. We are not another species’ doormat. We are the custodes, and we will decide our fate.”
Music rang in those words. The will behind them tugged on Charity. The hollowness in her middle felt like a vast chasm.
Romulus sighed, his expressiveness not like him.
“You remember when you were away the last time, darling.” The First stepped toward Romulus. “When you were in that tiny cottage in the human lands with that rosy-faced woman. You remember how much you missed it here.”
Confusion stole over Romulus’s expression. The air in the room thickened. The desire to head home, straighten up everything, and settle in for the long haul nearly stole Charity’s breath. It was a feeling she’d never had before. Certainly not in Santa Cruz, and not even where she grew up, where Walt always sullied the definition of home. But here, now, she couldn’t think of living any other place.
She was being manipulated somehow.
“Yes. She did have rosy cheeks, like she was blushing every time she smiled. It was endearing.” His brow furrowed. “I’d nearly forgotten. How did you know that?”
“You talked about her a great deal after you returned.” The First smiled, her condescension ringing loudly. She didn’t much care for Charity’s mom, that was clear. She was human, after all.
The air continued to push down on Charity. The desire to put down deep roots twisted in her middle, nearly as strong as the desire to protect her world, at all costs, from those who would rip it away. From outsiders.
Suddenly it made sense why that woman wouldn’t look at Devon. Why the pack was pushed out to the edges of the community, out of the way. This feeling, which threatened to sweep her away, made that treatment more comfortable. Only one thing kept her head, and it wasn’t her head at all. Devon had left with her heart. He had a place in her soul. No magic could touch that.