Page 11 of A Silenced Midlife

"Here, Dad," I called out, turning toward him as he came down the stairs. His sudden presence caught me off guard. He was supposed to be at the Academy all day. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine." He stepped into the living room, a slight frown creasing his forehead. "Just got a call from Garret Ferguson. He said the rest of the council is getting antsy about us starting talks with the Vampire Council."

I sighed, the responsibilities piling up. "I haven't had a chance to speak with Jax yet. Everything Is moving so fast." My mind raced through my to-do list, already cluttered with tasks.

"All right," Dad said, shrugging. "I'll let them know it's on your agenda and not forgotten."

"Thanks, Dad. I promise I'll handle it."

Once he turned and headed back upstairs, I retrieved my phone from the pocket of my jeans and quickly typed out a message to Jax.

Let me know when you have time for a phone call, something important to discuss.

He probably wouldn't reply until nightfall.

6

OLIVIA

The room emptied out like someone had announced a free buffet in the next room over. Phira twirled her fingers at me with a glint in her gaze before grabbing Luci by his tie and leading him out the front door. Ew. "I don't even want to know," I muttered.

Drew and Ian had already vanished. Wallie and Michelle were off at Michelle's parents. And the cats? Those furry goofballs were nowhere to be seen when you actually wanted them.

"Wanna go shopping?" Ava said. “I need to pick up a few things for dinner.”

"Sure." I stretched my legs. "I really need to get out. Plus, we should fill the mayor in about the spell and the... incidents."

"Three is a pattern," Ava said, grabbing her keys from the hook by the door.

"Two could've been a coincidence," I agreed, following her out.

We drove to downtown Shipton and hit the streets, weaving through the small clusters of people. The sun warmed my skin, a pleasant contrast to the cool breeze that played with my hair. Shops lined the street, quaint little places full of trinkets and necessities side by side.

"Mayor first?" I asked as we passed a display of scarves.

"Mayor first." She nodded. "He needs to know what's going on. Magic stuff shouldn’t be taken lightly."

"Right." Magic was sneaky. It seeped into corners and crevices, sometimes bursting out like uncorked champagne. Three odd magical occurrences since the festival, it wasn't just bad luck.

The door to town hall creaked as we entered, the secretary nodding at us with a bright smile.

I returned her sugary sweet smile with one of my own. “Good afternoon. Is Mayor Brown in?”

"Yes, let me see if he is free," she said, then picked up the phone and dialed. “Mayor, Ava Walker and Olivia Thompson are here.” The receptionist gave a few sounds of agreement to whatever he said, then hung up. She looked up at us and said, “He says to go on back to his office.”

“Thank you,” Ava said, and we headed down the hallway toward the mayor’s office.

We walked through the door, the thick smell of old books mingling with the scent of coffee. Mayor Brown wasn't alone. Two men stood with him.

"Oh, sorry," I said. "We thought you were alone."

"Olivia, Ava, meet Charles Jones and Joseph Clark," Mayor Brown introduced, gesturing to each in turn. "They're the other two founding fathers."

I recognized the nephilim magic that flowed around them. It was that magic and the fact that they were otherworldly handsome.

"Ah, I didn't know we were expecting a reunion," Ava said as she took in the newcomers.

"Shipton Harbor's recent events have been... concerning," Charles said. "We came as soon as we heard."

---