“Does that mean you guys aren’t together?”
“No. We’re not. I really don’t care what happened earlier. You can save that story for someone else.”
She laughed dryly. “You are just as messed up as you’ve always been.”
Surprisingly, no one else at the table jumped in. I was glad. This was my fight. I was handling it. “Oh? And that means anything coming from you?”
“Why wouldn’t it? You’ve always envied me. You don’t like being a halfling, do you?” She practically spit the words.
I instantly forgot the mantra of not letting her win. Anger swirled throughout me.
Anger at her. Anger at Cad. Anger at the ocean. Anger at everything.
“Stop while you still can, Bridget.” Pierce pushed back his chair,
She laughed. “Oh yeah? You going to stick up for Delpha, huh? I’m surprised you even talk to her now that you’ve found your human mate.”
“God, have you always been this much of a bitch?” Jackson laughed dryly. I barely heard him over the pounding in my ears.
“Excuse me?” Bridget turned to him.
“What don’t you get?” Jackson sneered. “You are a bitch. I don’t remember you much, and now I realize that’s a good thing.”
“You are going to side with this hafling over me?” Brittney put a hand to her chest. “Are you serious?”
“She’s my cousin. You’re a bitch. I’m not getting why it would go down any differently.”
“You know what? I don’t care. Cad is done playing your games, Delpha. He’s moved on.”
“That’s great… hopefully he’ll move on to someone better soon.”
“He’s never going to move on from me.” She pursed her lips.
I snapped. Without meaning to I reached for the water. I could feel it coursing through me. I could hear the waves crashing into the shore.
“Delpha…” Jackson warned in a low tone. “You can’t do this to Drifter’s.”
I nodded. I agreed with him 100%. I pushed back my chair and raced out toward the porch before I flooded the bar.
“You running away?” Bridget called after. “That’s what you always do, you little coward.”
I was halfway down the boardwalk when I turned back to see if she’d followed.
She was a few feet away from me. I glanced back and then toward the bar. There was no one else out there.
I felt the water begging me to use it. I’d called it, and now I couldn’t let it go. “Did you call me a coward?”
“I did. It’s not your fault really. Even your parents ran away from you.”
The waves lapped against the boardwalk sending spits of salt water into the wind. “Get out of here. Get away from me now.”
“Unlike you I don’t run away.” She held her hands up, and I knew she was about to do a spell.
I didn’t think. The water did it for me. Waves streamed from both sides of the boardwalk sending a tidal wave at Bridget. She fell hard onto the boardwalk, the water continuing to hit her even as she lay there.
“Calm down, Delpha.” It was Mattie talking from a window of the bar. “Let go. You won.”
No. I’d lost. I’d stooped to her level. I’d lost Cad. I’d lost everything. I turned and ran the rest of the way down the boardwalk, the waves still crashing and the wind still blowing. I didn’t care. I didn’t care about anything but getting far away.
There was only one place I wanted to go. There was one set of arms that called to me. That always called to me. But I couldn’t go there. Just like I couldn’t turn to the ocean. It may have given me power, but it didn’t want me as a protector. I had nowhere to go, so I kept running, not really caring where I ended up.
Eight
Cad
Pax called again. Part of me didn’t want to pick up. I didn’t want to know what kind of mess was going on with Jackson. I was worried enough about facing Billy, and I had M.P. in the passenger seat. Add in that there were three dogs howling in the back of the truck, and a chat with Pax didn’t exactly appeal. Not to mention it served as a reminder that I wasn’t in town.
But I had to pick up. If there was any possibility something was wrong with Delpha I had to know. “Hi.”
“You really picked a shitty time to leave town,” Pax grumbled.
“Jackson came back again?” I knew Pax could handle himself pretty well, but Jackson was a powerful sorcerer when he put his mind to it. Pax was in Willow Harbor, which limited what Jackson could do thanks to the strict rules, but Jackson had left town once before. I doubted he was overly concerned with doing it again.
“No. This isn’t about Jackson. This is about Delpha.” His words were like a giant weight.
“What?” I slammed on the breaks far too hard.
M.P. cursed as I pulled to the side of the road.
“What do you mean? What happened?” I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. Pax wouldn’t have mentioned it if it wasn’t a major problem. The possibility of something hurting Delpha had me seeing red.
“She’s ok,” Pax spoke formally, almost robotically. “I think.”
“What do you mean, you think?” I needed answers not conjecture.
“I wasn’t there, but word spread. Other words spread too.”
“What aren’t you telling me?” I was completely out of patience.
Pax sighed. “It’s like this. Bridget confronted Delpha and said something implying you and her were together.”
Anger surged through me like never before. Every inch of me was on fire. M.P. put a hand on my arm trying to calm me down. It took all my restraint not to rip it off.
Pax gave me a moment to process before he continued. “I know. It’s my fault. I get that. But let me finish.”
I calmed down enough to stop the ringing in my ears. I needed to listen. “What happened?” I went through every possibility in my mind trying to figure out what Pax was leading up to. The initial break had given me time to calm down, but every additional second was sending me back in the opposite direction.
“She didn’t kill anyone.”
“Kill anyone?” I tried to process his words. Had she really been that mad? A small part of me celebrated the knowledge that the thought of me with someone else made her angry, but that part was grossly over shadowed by the sane side that knew this wasn’t good. “Of course she didn’t kill anyone. Delpha would never.”
“But she could have.”
This was bad. Really bad. But my reaction to all this was likely just as important. “She used that much water?” I’d seen Delpha control water countless times, and I knew it could be lethal, but she was always in full control. There was a beauty to the way she could command it to any shape she wanted.
“Lots. She pulled from the ocean, and it went beyond her usual.”
The ocean? Now that was something else. I’d seen her take water from the pipes or from a tide pool, but to command the waves: I didn’t even know she could do that. “Does she know Bridget was lying?” Maybe that wasn’t the most important piece of information to glean from Pax, but it was on the forefront of my mind. If the lie was what spurred her to lose control, then it was paramount she learned the truth.
“I don’t know.”
“Then tell her.” I wished I could get back to town to tell her myself, but I was afraid if I gave up now I’d never try this again. Not to mention if she believed the lie, I was the last one she wanted to listen to. “Now.”
“I would if I knew where she was.” His words hung in the air.
“You don’t know where she is? Have you checked her apartment? The library? My house? Pierce’s? She’s usually with Mattie. She barely talks to anyone else anymore.”
“I’ve checked all those places. I can’t find Mattie or Pierce either. I’m pretty sure they were with her when this all went down.”
“Are they okay?” Delpha would never forgive herself if she hurt her friends. Especially a human. She was extremely protective of Mattie.
“From what I know, but like I said I wasn’t there.”
“Who was there?”
“Everyone at Drifter’s tonight.”
“She did it at Drifters?” If Delpha destroyed Drifter’s bar she’d already be wracked with guilt.
“Outside of there from what I hear. She sent a tidal wave of water at Bridget. Almost flooded the place, but no one was hurt. But again this is all second hand. Jackson was there. I know that.”
“I still don’t get why the hell Jackson is even in town.” The bad timing in all this was getting old.
“Jackson?” M.P. interrupted. “What are you talking about?”
I held up a finger to tell him to wait. “Should I turn back?”
“No.” There was some sort of banging. Pax was probably still in the kitchen. “Find her dad. She needs time to cool down.”
“Find her.” I wasn’t asking a question.
“I will. Okay if the shop doesn’t open tomorrow? There’s no way I’m getting the prep work done.”
“You know the answer to that.” Delpha would always come first.
“Got it. Any updates from your end?”
Compared to the bomb he’d just dropped on me, finding out Billy’s location didn’t seem that extreme. “I know where I’m headed. It isn’t all that far.”
“You’re not alone, are you?” Pax read between the lines. “Who did you turn to for help?”
“An old friend.” I wouldn’t give up M.P.’s involvement without his permission. He liked to stay under the radar.
“Ok. Keep your secrets. Get back here soon.” His voice had returned to normal now that he’d spilled the beans. He’d probably been nervous to relay the news.
“Find Delpha.”
“I will.”
I hung up and pocketed my phone.
M.P. looked over. “I hope you aren’t talking about the Jackson I think you are.”
“If you are talking about Delpha’s cousin, then yes.” I pulled back onto the road. After the initial shock wore off I remembered the sooner I got to Billy, the sooner I could get back to Delpha.
“I was afraid you’d say that.”
I waited for M.P. to say more. When he didn’t, I did. “I know he’s always been trouble.”
“That’s the understatement of the century.” M.P. pulled a couple of balls of yarn out of his backpack.
“What’s that?” I pointed to the yellow string.
“It’s yarn. What do you think it is?”
“Yes, but what are you going to do with it?” Was he planning to tie Billy up with it if he didn’t come willingly or something? He was going to need something way stronger if that was the case. Maybe he was talking about himself when he described sorcerers going crazy.
“I’m going to knit. What else would I be doing?”
“Knit?” I tried to hide my shock from my voice. “Oh.”
“Is there anything wrong with that?”
“No. None at all.” I kept my eyes fixed on the road. “So what were you saying about Jackson?”
“I wasn’t saying much at all, but I know you want me to elaborate. You’re right, Jackson has always been trouble, and if he’s back in Willow Harbor, he isn’t there for any good reason.”
“Is there more you aren’t telling me?”
“Isn’t there always?”
“Come on.”
“I’ll let Billy tell you. We’re only a few hours out.”
“Really? You’re going to make me wait?” Anger and frustration warred inside me.
“Yes.”
Normally I’d have demanded more, but I knew M.P. well enough to know I wasn’t going to get information faster by yelling or demanding. I was better off sitting back and waiting. He was still my best shot at getting Billy to come back with us.
The sun had nearly disappeared from the sky by the time we reached Billy’s property. I knew we were getting close when we passed half a dozen no-trespassing signs. I was sure the property was enchanted with something strong as well, but thankfully it wasn’t enough to keep us out.
Billy was sitting on an old wooden rocking chair on his porch. He was sitting up, his elbows leaning on his knees, and he made no move to get up even as we parked.
I took in his large cabin. It was about double the size of M.P’s, but by the looks of the logs on the outside, it wasn’t in nearly as good of shape.
I opened my door to get out, but M.P. touched my arm. “Let me go first.”
I nodded, following closely behind as M.P. headed toward Billy. “How’s it going, Billy? Long time no see.”
“What’s with the kid?” Billy nodded in my direction.
M.P. glanced at me as if making sure I was who Billy meant. “He’s in love with your daughter.”
Billy jumped out of the chair in a whirl. I’d barely blinked before he was in front of me. “What have you done to my daughter?”
“I’ve done nothing, sir. What M.P. said is true. I love her.”
He made no move to step back, but the crazed look in his eyes died down just a little. “You stink of warlock.” He spit to the side. “A warlock, M.P? You think I want my little girl with the likes of him?”
M.P. tilted his hands to the sides. “You gave up your choice in that matter when you left town.”
“Don’t you push that on me.” Billy stepped away and took a seat on the porch step. “But why would Vanessa allow this? It makes no sense.”
Vanessa? That was Delpha’s mom. Didn’t he know she went to the ocean? Hadn’t anyone told him?
M.P. lowered his eyes. “I told you about Vanessa already. Why can’t you accept it?”
“Because it’s nonsense. Utter nonsense. There is no way Vanessa did that.” Billy buried his head in his hands.
Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut, but when M.P. didn’t say anything, I did. “But she did. She went into the ocean.”
Billy’s head flew from his hands. “Were you there? Did you see her?”
I shook my head. “No. I wasn’t there, but Delpha was. Delpha saw her do it.” I told him because he needed to know. He needed to realize he’d left his daughter to face her mother’s decision alone.
“What did you say?” Billy rose to his feet.
I ignored the anger in his eyes. He needed to know the truth. “Delpha watched her. Delpha saw her mother disappear under the water and never come back.”
“No.” Billy shook his head. “There had to have been something else at play. Vanessa would never have done that. And in front of Delpha? Impossible.”
“Delpha says she saw it, which means it happened.” I still remembered when Delpha told me. I’d finally gotten up the nerve to kiss her. I was on such a high, but then she’d come over with tears streaming down her face. I remembered her exact words. I’m alone. They hurt, cut me to my core. I’d promised her that wasn’t true. That I would always be there for her. And I was, just as I would always be.
“I’m telling you even if she thinks she saw it, it didn’t happen.” The anger in his eyes was gone.
“Then where is she? Where did Vanessa go?” I tried to calm myself down. Things weren’t going as planned. If he wouldn’t even accept his wife had left, then how was I going to get him to come back?
“I don’t know, but wherever she went, she didn’t go on her own accord.”
I shook my head. I wasn’t buying it. “If you believed that, if you truly believed that, why didn’t you come back?”
“Because I can’t.” He looked down at the gravel drive.
“Yes, you can. Delpha needs you.” I’d come this far. I was going to push as hard as I could.
Billy shook his head. “Delpha needs a chance, and she couldn’t have that with me around.”
“She won’t take a chance because she blames herself for everything.” I kicked the gravel, channeling my anger in the least destructive way I could.
“For her mother disappearing?”
“Yes, and for you leaving.” She’d been so unlucky.
I wanted that to change. I wanted all of it to change.
“She was so young…” He looked off into the distance.
“That didn’t stop her from blaming herself. It’s why she doesn’t even want a real relationship.”
“Or she doesn’t want you.” There was amusement in his eyes.
“She does.” I knew that. I wasn’t going to pretend I didn’t. “I need to get back to her. And you need to come with me.”
“No.” He shook his head. “I’ll only make things worse.”
“Please. I’m begging you. She needs you.” I’d have gotten on my knees if I had to. Delpha needed closure, and I was going to get it for her.
“Not a chance I’m returning to that town. My baby girl is better on her own.”
“Billy, there’s something else.” M.P. joined the conversation.
“Yeah?” Billy glanced in his direction.
“Jackson is back.”
“Jackson?” Billy’s eyes widened into saucers. “Why? And why didn’t you say that in the beginning?”
This was what had him more upset? Not discussing his wife’s disappearance or Delpha’s struggle?
“Because I wanted you to hear Cad out. He cares about her, Billy. He’s not lying.”
“Then he needs to get back there now and stop wasting time.”
“I’m only here for Delpha.” My hands balled into fists at my sides. “I’m not wasting time.”
“She sent you?” Billy asked.
“No. But I know it’s what she needs. She’s breaking apart inside. She feels like she doesn’t deserve to be happy.”
“And he knows it…” Billy scowled. “That’s why he’s back.”
“Who? Jackson?” I tried to follow.
“Jackson would only be back in Willow Harbor if he thought he could get something he needed.” Billy hurried up the steps and inside his cabin.
After exchanging glances with M.P. I held back.
A few moments later Billy walked out with a large black satchel.
“Think he owes a debt?” M.P. continued the conversation as if he’d never left.
“I am sure he does. And my bet is he’s behind what happened with Vanessa. It’s been ten years. Ten years. That’s no accident.”
[Willow Harbor 06.0] Warlock's Embrace Page 6
