by Amelia Shaw
“Ava...” Tavlor said, his warning clear.
I sat down into the chair next to him as Bella brought over two steaming mugs of tea.
“Thanks, Bella,” I said, taking the mug from her and rewarding myself with a long sip of the hot liquid. Already, I was relaxing under its spell. I turned to Tavlor, offering him a small smile. “And sorry, Tavlor, but these are my sisters, and I tell them everything. You can trust them.”
“Who are we going to tell?” Bella asked, returning to the kitchen to make her own cup of tea. “I mean, it’s not like we get any visitors here.”
“Or that Mother let us have friends besides the servants that she magicked into being,” Courtney pointed out.
“It’s a sister thing,” I added.
Courtney collapsed into the chair opposite us. “Ugly? Are they serious? You’re fucking gorgeous!”
Tavlor’s gaze went straight down into his mug. I didn’t think I had ever seen him embarrassed before. The telltale blush decorated his high cheekbones and he avoided everybody. Instead, he placed his face near the mug of tea, the steam coating his skin. He was gorgeous. Right now, though, he was adorable.
I grinned at Courtney. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen them in... I didn’t even know how long it had been. I just knew I missed them. And I was so, so glad I got to be here with them, introducing them to Tavlor. He was the other important person in my life right now. It was only fitting that they meet.
“So, what have I missed around here?” I asked. I took a seat opposite Courtney before having another sip of tea. From my peripheral, I saw Tavlor pick up his head, as though he thought it was safe to listen to the conversation without being the subject of it.
Courtney groaned. “Absolutely nothing!” She threw her arms out dramatically. “It’s boring as bat shit around here.”
Bella cleared her throat. I could feel tension surround her, as though she was embarrassed by Courtney’s behavior. She sat down with her own cup of tea so all four of us were sitting at the table.
“That’s not entirely true,” she said, her voice tentative.
My eyes darted between my sisters. Courtney’s flair for the dramatic suddenly disappeared and her eyes narrowed. That was a warning glare, if it was anything. I furrowed my brow and looked over at Bella. Her eyes were pointedly looking at her tea, rather than at Courtney.
“Bella...” Courtney began.
I put out a hand to stop her. “What’s going on?”
Bella and Courtney exchanged glances. Bella still wouldn’t look at me, her focus on the mug of tea, while Courtney’s face turned red and her jaw was locked together. It was almost as though they were trying to figure out who would hold out the longest.
Then Bella looked at me.
“Courtney’s been leaving the realm to explore the village,” she said, tracing the mouth of the mug with her fingertip.
I gasped, turning around to face Courtney.
“You didn’t!” I said. I completely forgot Tavlor was in the room. Suddenly, I was back here as a sister that hadn’t left and was trying to play peacemaker between my two sisters. “You know how dangerous that is!”
Courtney groaned, slapping her palm against her forehead. “How would I know anything?” she asked. “Mother never told us anything. You just... left because you wanted to go do something! Why shouldn’t I go out and see what’s out there? Why can’t I just come and go wherever I want? You don’t get to have all the fun just because you’re the oldest, Ava!”
“Fun! You think I’ve been having fun?” I wanted to tear at my hair but instead grabbed my mug and put the soothing warmth to my lips. My hands shook, and I nearly spilled the liquid all over my lap.
Oh, my god, she had no fucking idea!
This was so typical Courtney. How had I not expected her to pull some kind of crap like this?
I took a sip of the tea, and then another, the spreading warmth filling my belly, and concentrated on the healing aspect of the potion, and not on Courtney’s ridiculous statements. I breathed in the scent, loving the warm sensations filtering through me. After a few breaths and a couple of moments, my frustration slowly ebbed away.
While I was drinking my tea, Tavlor sat up,
“Ava is in a lot of trouble, in my world,” he said. I wasn’t sure why he suddenly felt comfortable enough to speak, but I was glad I had someone in my corner. His voice was casual, but his tight jaw indicated that he cared more than what he was actually saying. “I asked her to please seek shelter here, in your mother’s realm, to avoid the people hunting her.” He looked at Courtney. “If you leave the realm, they may be able to track you back here.”
My sisters made small sounds of surprise, and I lifted my head to look at them.
Bella’s eyes were wide as she said, “Hunting you? What does he mean, Ava?”
I glanced at Tavlor. He could explain this much better than I could.
“I better start at the beginning,” he said, taking the hint. He relaxed, but only slightly. He must have been grateful that he wasn’t under such intense scrutiny from them. “To understand everything, I’m going to tell you, you need to understand the politics of our world, so please be patient.”
He went on to tell them everything that had happened to me. From the trial that exposed my power, to the forced interrogation that made me admit who my father was. Then the death sentence that had forced me to run, and the latest chapter, that included a bounty on my head, all orchestrated by the Council our father worked for.
He wasn’t a great storyteller, but he was direct and he didn’t sugarcoat things. He didn’t seem to think my sisters needed to be sheltered from what was going on around here, which I appreciated.
When he had finished, Courtney and Bella were both collapsed back in their chairs with grimaces stretched over their features. Bella furrowed her brow, as though she was trying to reason her way through everything Tavlor had just revealed, while Courtney’s eyes were on the floor, searching for something though I wasn’t sure what.
There was a long silence.
Then Courtney exploded. “But they can’t do that!” She threw her arms out and jumped from her chair so she could storm up and down the length of the dining room. “It’s not our fault he’s our father! We didn’t choose him. So now I can’t leave this place and go see different realms because of him? Because he won’t stand up to the Council?” She faced us, stomping her foot. “That isn’t fair.”
Bella lay a comforting hand on Courtney’s arm.
“They don’t know about us, Courtney... do they?” she asked, looking at me.
I shook my head. “No. No-one except our father knows about you two.”
“So why can’t I go?” Courtney demanded, hands on her hips, eyes narrowed at me. “If they don’t know who I am, I should be able to travel freely.”
“No,” I said. “Do you really want to put everyone at risk because you want to see the world?”
“So, you’re allowed to do it, but I can’t? How is that fair?” She turned to Bella as though she hoped to get our sister on her side. “Come on, Belle, no one knows about us except for our father.”
“And me... now,” Tavlor said, and then cleared his throat roughly. “I’m sorry, Courtney, but it would be in your best interests, and everyone else’s, if you stayed here.”
“Wait,” Bella said. “Ava didn’t tell you about us?”
“I found out when you called out to her the moment we arrived in your realm,” Tavlor said. “I was... surprised to find Ava had siblings. She never once hinted at it.”
I snorted. “Of course not. Once I knew how much trouble we’d all be in if we were found out, I decided not to tell anyone.”
“You made the right choice,” Tavlor said, and I smiled up at him. I had been a little worried how he would take my subterfuge in this manner.
“Thanks.”
“So, what does all this mean, exactly?” Bella said slowly. “That Ava has to hide in here with us, forever?”
“God, I hope not,” Courtney said, and my gaze swiveled back to her. I could feel her fury in one sharp look from her.
“We’ll have to get back to you sneaking out soon,” I snapped. Couldn’t she, for one second, not make everything about her?
She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest but didn’t dispute the accusation. Hopefully once she knew how dangerous it was to be one of Genevieve Melfi’s daughters, she would stop risking her life for a few cheap thrills.
“But to answer your question, Bella, we don’t really know what this all means. What we do know is that I need somewhere safe to hide for the moment,” I said, my voice getting quieter. “The Council has every bad guy around hunting for me, and this is one of the only places we could think of that they won’t look because they don’t know this place even exists. And it needs to stay that way.”
Tavlor nodded. “Very few Witches have realms based off the human world,” he said. “It’s... uncommon actually. Your mother was smart to choose such a base.”
We all looked at each and shared a common smile despite our recent exchange.
“Yes, our mother was very smart,” I agreed.
Then Courtney grinned. “Yeah, with everything except choosing the father of her kids.”
Chapter 6.
“Courtney!” Bella said, pushing at our sister so she rocked on her chair.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “God, I’ve missed you two.”
It was true. My heart felt whole with my sisters. If I was going to be stuck somewhere because an evil Council had sent bounty hunters after me, I was glad I got to stick it out with them.
Courtney grinned. “Yeah, well it sounds like we have heaps of time to catch up, since you’re not going anywhere anytime soon,” she said. There was a begrudging fondness to her voice, as though she was more pleased by this than she wanted me to know. I bit back a giggle and shook my head to myself. “How long’s the hunky boyfriend staying for?”
She waggled her eyebrows, and my face began to heat.
Of course.
Tavlor.
I cleared my throat. “Oh, he’s not my boyfriend,” I said, deciding to focus on that part and not the part of him having to leave. This was the longest we had been with each other since I had been forced to run away. “He’s only here to make sure I got home safely. He works for the Council.”
Tavlor tensed. I wasn’t sure if it was because he would rather have kept that information between us or not. Regardless, it was as I told him: my sisters knew everything about me.
Bella quirked one eyebrow and rested her gaze on Tavlor. I couldn’t tell if there was wariness or judgment there. She seemed like she was trying to figure him out.
“If he works for the Council... shouldn’t he be turning you in for the reward?” she asked.
Damn their quick thinking!
“Well, he’s the head guard assigned to the High Warlock, so our father’s orders are superseding the Council at the moment,” I said. This was a complete guess, of course. I had no idea what the laws were and what Tavlor had to follow. I glanced over at him. “Am I right?”
I turned towards him. He was still looking between my sisters, a smile lighting up his face as though this whole ordeal was amusing to him.
“Yes,” he said, “if the Council found out I was hiding Ava, then I would be punished also.”
“Yeah, and with his hybrid status, they’re looking for any excuse to punish him,” I put in. I ignored the look his was giving me. I understood he didn’t want me sharing so much, but if anyone was going to get us through this, it was going to be my sisters. With all of us together, we could figure out anything.
“How?” Courtney asked, her words breathy.
“More than likely, I would be tried and convicted for Treason also,” he said, finally looking away from me. He said it so matter of factly.
Bella coughed. “And the punishment is death?” she asked. Her voice was wary. “You’re willing to die... for Ava?”
The question hung in the air like a weighted knife over a chopping block.
My cheeks turned red, pinching with embarrassment. I couldn’t believe Bella would ask him that. And yet, I couldn’t help but feel as though I wanted to know the answer as well. I held my breath, part of me, a large part of me, wanting to know the answer.
We hadn’t really discussed the nature of our relationship. Of course, I trusted him more than anything and anyone, save for my sisters. But that didn’t mean he felt the same way about me. Maybe he just liked the way I looked. Maybe he didn’t want me to die but also didn’t want to get into something serious with a wanted woman.
I didn’t know.
But I hoped.
“Of course.” His voice was so nonchalant, as though of course I was worth the risk. It made me feel silly for doubting him, but it also made me feel treasured.
My heart leapt and my stomach tightened, and it took all of my strength not to respond visibly. I cleared my throat and looked away. I could feel my sister’s looking at me. Courtney was grinning from ear to ear while Bella was more reserved with her response.
Then, he continued, “She is, after all, the Heir to the Council, and the High Warlock. It is my duty to protect her.”
The exquisite feeling of hope that had clung to my heart, dropped away. Now it made sense why he was so nonchalant about everything. The thought that he would be willing to fight for me, to die for me, wasn’t personal. Instead, it was something that he felt obligated to do, not necessarily because he wanted to, but because he had to.
Lovely.
Bella’s gaze went straight to me and I struggled not to openly show my pain. I didn’t need them feeling sorry for me over a guy when there was much more going on.
“See, I told you.” I forced myself to shrug. The movement felt stiff. “He’s only here to make sure I got home safely.”
I pushed myself to my feet, my heart aching with the betrayal I could barely fathom. I knew we weren’t together, but I thought, at least I had hoped...
Was the kiss nothing to him? Was that part of his duty as well?
Just because you thought there was something between you two, doesn’t mean it’s true, I reminded myself.
I swallowed hard and forced a smile to my face. “Bella, I know you must have a thousand questions for Tavlor, and I know he has questions of you two, but my head is spinning and I need a shower desperately after fighting the wolf shifters before we came.”
The excuse was shit and I knew it. I was running from the situation. I needed a place to be alone. I needed to cry without my sisters fawning over me, without Tavlor scrutinizing me. I didn’t need him thinking I was weak. Not after everything we had been through.
Courtney’s mouth dropped open. “You fought... what?”
She shot a look at Bella, who lifted her shoulders as though to say had no clue as to what I was talking about.
My smile this time was genuine. It eased the pain that had stalled inside of me, poisoning me into a paralysis. “As I said, ask Tavlor anything you need to know, but I need to retreat for a little.” I tilted my head to the staircase. “Is there still a room built for me or...”
I wasn’t quite sure how to finish that sentence. I highly doubted my sisters wouldn’t have a place for me for when I returned home.
Bella got to her feet and nodded. “Yes. I built you one after you left.” She moved past me so she could take me there herself. I almost wished she could have just told me where to go. I still wanted some time to digest everything with Tavlor and I wasn’t going to do that until I was able to be alone. “It’s not very luxurious yet, but it has a bed and its own bathroom. You won’t be disturbed.”
Perfect.
I grabbed my sister up in a hug. “Thank you,” I said. I left my hand on her forearm as she turned for the stairs. “I’ll find it.”
Tavlor got to his feet as I walked away and I waved him down again. “Please, stay for a bit. My sisters will want t
o talk to you. I won’t be too long.”
He looked like he was going to object, so I simply smiled and walked away. I didn’t want to hear anything else he had to say. I was in too much pain at the moment and I was afraid of what would come out of my mouth if I spoke again.
I walked along the corridor and found a door with my name on it, quite literally. I smiled as I ran my fingers over the AVA inscribed in the wood.
“Oh, Bella.” She had such a kind, beautiful soul. I was so lucky to have a sister like her.
I pushed open the door to reveal a large bedroom. Bella had been right, it was rather sparse. As I closed the door behind me, I began to throw some magic around. It felt good to focus on something that wasn’t Tavlor and his rejection of me.
My heart hurt just thinking about it. A spark of magic shot out, creating a large quilt that fit the bed. Tavlor wasn’t the sort of guy that got entangled with someone like me. I didn’t want his life to be ruined because of me.
Then why are you so bothered by his answer, a voice questioned.
That was the part that annoyed me. I shouldn’t be annoyed by it because I knew he was right.
I flicked my wrist again. A chair with a purple cushion appeared exactly how I pictured it. I was tempted just to collapse on top of it and let myself take a small nap.
But I couldn’t leave Tavlor there by himself. As much as he was curious about my sisters, I knew he wouldn’t last long in their presence. They were far too intense for a man like him.
I pressed my lips together. Something was missing. I glanced up at the ceiling. The smooth oak was a chestnut brown, almost red depending on how the light hit it.
Lights...
Maybe some fairy lights to soften the overall look.
I reached over my head and wiggled my fingers, twirling fairy lights appearing above me and making the whole room relax.
I sighed as I looked around, then spoke one more word and a fluffy rug appeared beneath my feet.
“Much better,” I said.
When I had left, I stayed in a few different places. Some were nice, others were small and filled with tension. But nothing felt like home until now.
