Ryan looked around completely baffled as he watched us talk to … nobody.
“Wynn, I’m glad you’re safe!” Caleb said frantically. “I lost my trace on you around noon and was starting to panic. I tried calling you, but there was no answer!”
Oh, damn. I guess it wasn’t a telemarketer.
Now that my safety was no longer in question, his relief turned to frustration. “The Council left me responsible for your safety. If anything happens to you during your probation, then I'm the one in trouble. They could take my wings for this, do you understand?”
“I'm sorry, I-I didn't know. The terrace is warded against scrying, but I didn’t know that until we were already inside, I’m sorry.”
“What are you doing in New Orleans in the first place?”
“I came to ask Nadia about Mom.”
Caleb pondered that for a moment while Ryan balked at the obscurity of only being able to listen to half of a conversation, “Am I missing something?”
Nadia shushed him with a condescending pat on the hand. “Of course you are, dear.”
Ryan clenched his jaw and she turned her attention to Caleb. She gave him a polite smile, but didn’t make the mistake I did of trying to offer him her hand. “It's not every day I get to meet one of the Divine Guardians. It’s an honor, truly.”
“A pleasure,” he responded stiffly. “Although, it would have been nice to know Wynn was acquainted with Ellyllon's daughter.”
Nadia blushed, fumbling nervously with her suitcase and I stared at her in shock. “Well, we are currently on the way back to Mobile, is there anything we can do for you?”
Caleb shook his head. “Wynn, I'm glad you're safe, but next time could you at least let me know if you’re going to be out of contact? I about went mad trying to find you. However, now that I know you're fine, I will leave you to your business.”
He turned to leave and there was a sudden pang to my heart at the thought of his departure. I blurted out suddenly, “Will you come by later?”
Ryan watched my part of the exchange take place and was visibly shocked by the intensity of my plea. Caleb paused before he left and looked back over his shoulder, the ghost of a smile across his lips. “Only if you want me to.”
I nodded vehemently. “Yes.”
“Then I'll try my best to accommodate.”
Another burst of light and he was gone, leaving the three of us alone on the sidewalk. Nadia was unimpressed, as if this happened every day, but Ryan was still getting over the shell shock of our previous conversation. “Does it … stop?” he asked her curiously.
Nadia stifled a laugh and gave him a one armed hug. “Sweetheart, this is only the beginning.”
~ * ~
Not a word was spoken the entire drive home — it was the longest two and a half hours of my life. I knew Ryan was still processing everything and I didn't want to pressure him. When we finally made it to my house, he put the car in park and let out a tired sigh, “We need to talk.”
Crap. “Okay … you realize conversations that start like that never go well.”
“No, no they don't,” he agreed sincerely. “I had no idea your family was so messed up. Poor Elyse….”
I nodded. “Yeah, I still can't believe she's not my sister. Well, technically she’s my half-sister. I guess that makes sense—”
“Wynn, I can't do this!” he blurted out suddenly. I stared at him in shock and there were tears streaming down his face. “When you said ‘family drama’, I thought you meant like an episode of Jerry Springer! Not actual witches and demons.”
“I … I tried to warn you. I wanted you to stay in the café.”
“I know. I wish I had.”
We stared out the window in tense silence for what seemed like an eternity. “She called you a demon … was she lying?” he asked me bluntly.
I shook my head and when I finally spoke it was in a tired sigh, “No, she wasn’t lying. I shouldn't have dragged you into this, I'm sorry.”
“No, I'm glad,” he told me honestly. “Because now I understand … all this stuff you’ve been dealing with — it makes sense now. You don’t want to be with me, you never did. I heard it in your voice earlier when you were talking to … whoever that was. There was never going to be anything between us, because you have feelings for someone else. You like him.”
“Maybe?” Even to me it sounded like a question. “But you're right, I should have been honest with you from the beginning. You're my best friend and I know you would like our relationship to be more than that, but it just can't be — I'm not the girl for you. I should have told you sooner, but I think we both got caught up in the natural progression of life, it was easier to go along with that then consider what we actually wanted. You deserve someone who wants to be with you too.”
He took a deep breath and sat pondering for a minute. “Starting Monday, I think you should find a new ride to school. I think we should give each other space and try to avoid each other during rehearsals too.”
I nodded slowly, feeling a new kind of pain ripping through my chest. I could see it in his face — I was hurting him, and that made me feel dirty.
“You promised that we would still be friends,” I reminded him, grasping at straws.
“And we are,” he promised in a lame attempt to reassure me. “But I still need some time. This is a lot of crap to handle. I mean, demons? Fairies? Those weren’t real when I woke up this morning. And even though we weren't together, it was real for me and it’s going to take some time to get over you. I'll let you know once I've had the chance to … process all of it.”
“You promise?”
He nodded solemnly.
“Then take as long as you need.”
I opened the passenger door and stepped outside as he brought the engine back to life. Nadia was already waiting on the porch.
Before he took off, I turned back to him and said, “Hey, Ryan?”
“Yeah?”
“I really am sorry.”
He sighed and looked back at me with the most heartbreaking expression I had ever seen. “I know. Me too.”
I waved goodbye as he drove away and Nadia walked up behind me to give a quiet, understanding hug. I hugged her back robotically and then headed towards the door, resting my hand on the handle. “Maybe I should go in first, give them a bit of warning before you come inside.”
“That's a good idea,” she agreed. “Come get me whenever you're ready.”
I was about to go in, then thought twice about it and wrapped my arms around her in a hug. “Thanks for doing this,” I murmured into her shirt.
She was alarmed at first, but then wrapped her arms around to hug me back. “You're welcome.” Nadia sighed and rested her chin against my forehead as she looked out across our property. “It's been ages since I've seen this house,” she told me calmly. “The last time I was here, Michele and I were screaming about how we never wanted to see each other again.”
“She’s a jerk,” I mumbled sadly.
Nadia pulled away and told me sternly. “Yes, she is. And we both love her anyway.”
I nodded, opening the screen door to the porch.
Dad was waiting for me when I got inside, a severe expression on his face and crazy eyes that warned me he was in no mood to be messed with. Even his hair was a little disheveled and anger rolled off of him in waves as it mingled with his aura.
Uh-oh. Nate and Elyse both had the forethought to scuttle in the other direction and avoid getting caught in the crosshairs of the fight about to happen.
“I got a call from your school today,” he started. “You weren’t in class. Apparently, you've been missing a lot of class, which is odd because I don't remember keeping you home.” I set my jaw stubbornly in response, but didn't answer. “Do you have any idea how irresponsible and reckless you are being in regards to your education? I haven't heard you mention a word about attending a university in the fall and now I find out you’ve been cutting class? What do you have to
say for yourself?”
“I'm sorry, okay?” It came out ruder than I intended and he was clearly unimpressed. I didn’t want to fight with him, but missing school was so low on my list of priorities it didn’t even register as warranting a discussion.
A distinctive hush fell across the living room I’d never felt before as he took a step towards me. “Don't you take that tone with me, young lady! I want an explanation.”
“Of what? What do you want me to say?” I asked him angrily. “I already said I'm sorry. It won't happen again.”
“Damn right it won't! Your mother and I did not raise you to behave like that. I expect more from you than acting like a delinquent. Ever since she went into the hospital, I’ve been doing the best I can to raise you kids as a single parent. But I don't even know who you are anymore!”
When he brought up Mom I couldn't help but roll my eyes and turn away. He took me by surprise, grabbing me by the wrist and whirling me around to face him. “Don't roll your eyes at me! I take this very seriously, young lady! If your mom was here—”
I cut him off before he could say anything else, “Don't go there. I won't have anything to do with her again.”
“That is your mother we’re talking about,” he reminded me, trembling with rage. “You will show her some respect! I don't want you to ever speak about her that way again, do you understand? We’re a family and we don’t talk that way about people we love.”
“How can you still be defending her after everything that she’s done? You of all people should hate her for tearing us apart! She deserves to be punished for what she did!”
“Wynn!”
“No! She’s evil! All these years people have been calling her a witch and I didn’t want to believe it, but it’s true. I hope she never wakes up. Mom brought this on herself. She’s a mur—”
The backside of his hand made contact with my face before I could get out another word. We both stood there in shocked silence as I wiped the blood away from my bottom lip where his wedding band had broken the skin.
“Hit me again, Dad. See if that changes my mind.”
Dad looked away, embarrassed from having actually struck me, and ran his ringers through his hair in frustration. The sound of our yelling must have carried farther than I thought because the screen door to the porch swung open again and Nadia stepped inside. Her long, black braids fell down across her shoulders and vanilla perfume came breezing in from the doorway. Her eyes were dark with concern as she pulled the jacket up around her. The already tense situation worsened tenfold with a witness in the room and he looked back and forth between us a little confused.
“Hello, Will. It's been a long time.”
Chapter Twelve
My Inner Demon
“Nadia?” Dad asked her in astonishment. “What are you doing here?”
She smiled at his bemused expression and glanced around the room from her place in the doorway. “Are you going to invite me in?”
He stuttered and opened his arms to gesture towards the couch, “Of course. Why don’t you come inside?”
“Thank you,” she responded airily, breezing past him into the living room. Dad looked away, embarrassed from having struck me, and scratched the back of his neck. His face was still beet red from arguing and a vein bulged in his neck. Nadia took it all in stride and set her bag down on the floor next to Hemingway, who had come with her from New Orleans.
“You’re looking well,” she told him in a complimentary tone. “I wasn’t sure that would be the case after everything that has happened. It must be hard trying to raise all three of them by yourself.”
He seemed to relax a bit and nodded. “It’s been rough,” he agreed. “But the kids are doing fine. You didn’t answer my question though, what are you doing here?”
Nadia smiled and removed the hat that she was wearing, before setting it on the coffee table. “Wynn and her friend Ryan came to visit me today in New Orleans. We had a most enjoyable conversation about your wife … and your other daughter, Elyse. You can imagine my surprise when neither of them had been informed of significant events in your family’s past.”
“Yes,” I nodded in agreement, “the trip was quite enlightening.”
It took him a moment for the realization to sink in before shock and horror crossed his face, glancing back and forth between us. “You told her about Anna?”
“Of course. The question is, why didn’t you?”
Dad swore angrily and then buried his face in his palms, probably wishing that he could melt into the floor. “How much did she tell you?” he demanded quietly.
“Enough.”
He looked up at me with tired eyes, defeated as Elyse stepped into the room with a dish rag in her hand. “Is everything alright? Oh my goodness, Nadia!”
All three of us turned at the sound of her voice and looked at her, thinking the exact same thing — who’s going to be the one to tell her?
Nadia positively beamed at the sight of her, stepped over and took Elyse by the hand. “My goodness, you look just like her! Will, doesn’t she look just like her?”
Dad choked back a gargled sob and nodded. “She does. I think that to myself every single day.”
“Does someone wanna tell me what’s going on?”
I snorted, threw my bag back over my shoulder, and walked past them into the kitchen. “I'll be in my room in case anyone needs me. You obviously have things to talk about.”
Dad addressed me one more time through the doorway before I left, “This conversation is not over. You and I are going to have a talk about ditching school when Nadia and I are through.”
I snorted in amusement and retrieved a bag of frozen peas from the freezer to cool my cheek. “Looking forward to it.”
The fire flared in his eyes again, but he turned away and put his arm around Elyse, guiding her towards the couch. “Sweetheart, why don't you sit down?”
I didn't hear the rest of their conversation as I ascended the stairs up to my room. Cleo was waiting for me at the top, so I picked her up and brought her with me. The cozy, down comforter looked particularly appealing after the long day I'd had, so I collapsed on my bed and buried my face in one of the pillows. Cleo rubbed her head against my face and chirped a welcoming, happy sound. I popped one eye open and saw her looking at me quizzically, the way cats always do, her head cocked over to one side. I pet her gently on the head and pulled myself up on my elbows.
It could have been worse, I told myself, pulling out my phone. I opened Pandora and began making a new playlist of the songs I’d heard in New Orleans. Listening to the sultry rhythm, I could close my eyes and imagine a large dance hall with couples swaying to a melody that was slow, dark and intense.
Downstairs I heard them yelling, so I grabbed my phone and climbed out the window to listen to music outside. Elyse was hurt and confused right now, but that was between her and Dad — I couldn’t get in the middle of it. When the time was right I’d find something to say, but tonight she needed to hear it from him.
Out of nowhere came a brief fluttering of wings and a blue orb materialized on the rooftop. It was Caleb’s subtle way of offering me privacy before barging in unannounced. “May I come in?” he asked.
“Sure,” I responded softly.
As I spoke, Caleb stepped out of the mist and offered me a withering smile, “Hey.”
“Hey,” I breathed out nervously. “Long time, no see.”
Caleb smiled grimly, but his eyes were fixated on the frozen bag I had pressed against my cheek.
I cleared my throat in an attempt to be dismissive and said, “Oh, this…? Returning home didn't go so well.”
“Yes, I heard. I'm sorry.”
Looking past him at the sky, it seemed as if the entire world was on fire. The setting sun had set the sky ablaze with a crimson palette of orange and red. Pretty soon it would be dark and the trees swayed gently in the breeze. He sat down on the roof beside me and I sighed, trying to think of what to say. “It's not
your fault.”
“It's not yours either,” he insisted gently. “You're scared and trying to get some answers, I understand that. But your father just doesn’t have the same information that you do, so he can’t fathom what your reasoning is. Try not to judge him for that.”
I raised an eyebrow skeptically and challenged his previous statement, “Really? Because you seemed kind of angry earlier, I didn't think I needed your permission to leave the city.”
“You don't,” he assured me instantly, his voice a little panicked. “That had nothing do to with you leaving the city, and everything to do with that protection spell. Aside from the use of your powers, I have no intention of telling you what you can and cannot do. What you did was brilliant and showed an impressive sense of initiative, I'm just sad that I wasn't allowed to be a part of it. In fact, I’m a little offended that you thought I would try to stop you. What I was angry about was … how nerve wracking it was not being able to sense you, or know that you were alright.”
My brows knit with confusion as I pressed him for more information, “What does it feel like? being able to — sense someone, I mean?”
He sighed and gazed out at the horizon, “It’s like … being blindfolded while holding on to a piece of rope. If there’s another person on the other side you can feel them tugging this way and that, and know which way they’re going. It’s not always a strong tug, but it’s there. When you went behind that wall, it was like you suddenly ‘let go’ and I had no idea what that meant. It scared me.”
I felt awful after he explained his point of view. “All this time I've been harping at you to trust me and I should have extended that same courtesy to you. Next time, I promise to give you a little more credit and let you know my plans.”
His expression softened and he eyed me tenderly, glancing towards the ice pack. “Come here and let me see that cheek,” he said gently. I obliged his request and turned to face him while carefully lowering the bag of peas. Caleb leaned in closer to examine the abrasion on my cheek and after a moment he smiled and sat back against the wall. “It's not too bad, your lips are going to be a little swollen though. Does is hurt anywhere else?”
Dealing with the Devil (The Earthwalker Trilogy Book 1) Page 18
