<Chapter 28
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Chapter 28
Kiana
I half expected Finn to balk, but he agreed saying he wanted to meet Irene as well. There was a
little bit of awe in his voice when he said it.
“You’ve heard of her?”
“Are you kidding? My father tried desperately to get his alpha to find her when she went missing five years ago. She’s powerful. Like, Darkwyn coven powerful. It’ll be a real shame for the pack if she doesn’t recover her magic.”
“And for her,” I reminded her. “It’ll be a real shame for her.”
Finn nodded. “Yeah. Right. Sorry.”
Irene’s little cottage was along the southern border of the territory. It was a faster walk from Razor’s Edge than from Troy’s home. When we first returned, Troy insisted on moving her closer to the center of the pack, but she balked. After a few days in the infirmary, she went back to her cottage, probably with a few guards to keep watch. Finn drove. I was used to walking most places, but Wolfspire territory was vast. If you were moving on two legs, it was faster to take a car.
I didn’t know how to drive one, so Troy had driven me to the restaurant to meet with Finn. The new guy was now both bodyguard and driver, I assumed.
“You’ve spent all of your adult life in Wisteria Woods. How do you know how to drive?” I grumbled.
“I wasn’t always in Wisteria Woods, and as messenger, it meant that I was allowed to enter certain territories. Some of them, like your pack, have a hub for renting cars. I had someone from Snake Valley teach me a few years ago. I love it. One good thing about being here is that I can drive more. I can teach you, if you want.”
“That would be great. Thanks.”
With Finn at the wheel, we reached Irene’s cottage in twenty minutes. When he stopped, I practically fell out of the car. I still wasn’t used to it.
“Motion sick? It helps when you’re behind the wheel. Gives you more control. I’ll try taking those turns a little slower,” Finn said, but there was a grin in his voice. He liked his speed.
A guard stood by Irene’s door, one that I recognized. “Cassius,” I said hesitantly. Another guard who
didn’t like me all that much.
“Alpha mate,” he said stiffly. When he caught sight of Finn, he raised an eyebrow. “Have you already
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< Chapter 28
done something to be punished?”
“I volunteered,” Finn laughed. “I like Kiana.”
Cassius just grunted.
“I wanted to see how Irene was doing. Do I need Troy’s permission?” I asked.
To my surprise, the guard moved to the aside. “You are the alpha’s mate. You do not need
permission.”
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Well, wasn’t that nice? Something I could do on my own. “Thank you. Finn, do you mind staying out here for a minute? I promise to let you meet her afterward.”
Finn just shook his head. “Not until I make sure the house is safe for you. Sorry, Cassius. I hope you
don’t mind.”
“I would have been pissed if you didn’t. I’ll be accompanying you, of course.”
Wonderful. Two sets of ears to overhear what I had hoped would be a very private conversation. Opening the door, Cassius announced us. To my surprise, a very energetic witch greeted us in the kitchen. “You’re here! I’ve been asking to talk to you every day for a week, but Troy said you were still adjusting to pack life.”
Did he now? I grimaced.
“I’ve been asking to see you as well, but he says you’re healing. I guess he just didn’t want us to
meet.”
“Can you blame him?” She laughed and winked. “Gentlemen, we’re going to sit and chat in the living room. If we promise not to move a muscle, can we get some privacy?”
“After he’s finished with his walk-through,” Cassius said flatly. A few minutes later, with one guard at the front door and one guard at the back, we relaxed in the living room.
“The place is cheerier than I imagined, but then, the Darkwyn coven is the only witch den I’ve ever
seen.”
“All fake sunshine,” Irene said as she rolled her eyes. “But they have more to protect than I do. Perhaps if I had been more cautious, I would not be attempting to recover my magic.”
“How is that going?”
“Slowly. I’ve healed the witch wound, and now I work on replenishing.” Irene studied me closely.” You should know that the first year I was here, Troy had me…observe you from afar.”
“Observe me? What do you mean?” Realization hit me. “Use witch sight.”
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Chapter 28
“Yes.”
I waited a beat. “Did you try it?”
“Yes.”
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Well, damn. “I’d say I feel a little violated, but I guess we both knew that wasn’t true. So Troy knew
the whole time that I’m a…”
“Careful, Kiana. That is not something you want to admit out loud,” Irene warned me suddenly and glanced at the window. “No, he did not know. I did not tell him.”
Surprised, I frowned. “Why not?”
“Because I came here for you,” Irene said quietly. “The whole reason I came to Wolfspire was for
and I knew then that you were not all that you seemed. I kept your secret.”
you,
I had no idea. Maybe Irene and I could have been friends. Maybe we could have helped each other. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You needed to heal in more ways than one, and I could not help you.” She folded the palms of her hands in her lap. “You want to know what the Darkwyn witches said to Troy? I do not need magic to know that you came with intent.”
Swallowing hard, I nodded. “I get why he doesn’t want to let me go, but he hates me again. I thought we’d moved past it. I thought we were…trusting each other. Something changed while we were there. When he looks at me, it’s with disgust. It has to be because of what I am.”
“I doubt that. What you are is special. Even he knows that. I don’t know any more than that. I’m
sorry.”
It was a long shot anyway, but I could feel the disappointment welling up inside of me.
“Thank you for seeing me. Is there anything I can do to help you heal?”
“That’s kind of you. There is a ritual that I am looking into. You might be able to help with that. I’ll
let you know.”
“So you can help fight the ‘rising darkness”?”
I laughed bitterly. “Have you ever considered that I’m the rising darkness?”
“Yes,” Irene said without missing a beat. “Yes, I have.”
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