Page 35 of A Silenced Midlife

I tapped my fingers on my desk, stalling. "Jax, there's something else..."

"Tell Sam that if shifting becomes too much for him, he can call me," Jax offered, totally missing my hesitation. "Though, I'm not sure how much I can help since it's such a rare ability. But at least he'll know he's not alone."

"Thanks, I will," I said. A deep breath steadied my nerves. This was it, the conversation I'd been avoiding. "Um, the necromancers have formed a council, as you might've heard."

"Go on," Jax prodded gently.

I chewed on my lower lip. "They want compensation for the necromancers who were imprisoned by vampires. We both know your council won't go for physical payback," I rushed out the words like ripping off a bandage. "So they're willing to discuss financial compensation instead."

"Financial?" His tone didn't give anything away.

"Yeah," I said, feeling the council's demands heavily. "It's either that or... Well, I don’t. Dad and I are head of the council, so we’ll try to keep the peace. There has to be something we can agree to."

I paced the length of my office, phone pressed to my ear, waiting for Jax's response. The silence on the other end was thick, charged with unspoken concerns and a history marred by conflict.

"Okay," Jax finally broke the silence. "I will take this to the vampire council and let you know what they say."

"Thanks." I stopped pacing and leaned against the desk, relieved but not relaxed. "Please let me know when we can schedule a time for our two councils to meet." I paused as something occurred to me, a niggling doubt that made me bite my lip. "Actually," I started, hesitating before blurting out my next thought. "Perhaps Dad and I should be the only one to meet with your council. I can't guarantee that mine won't want to subjugate yours. They're... pretty angry."

"That is understandable," he replied after a beat. His tone was calm, but he had to have been planning what he was going to say. "I promise to be in touch soon."

I nodded even though he couldn't see me. "Talk to you then and say hi to Hailey for me."

I ended the call and set the phone down, the quiet of the room closing in around me. That had gone better than expected, but the road ahead was still littered with potential landmines. I'd have to tread carefully.

16

OLIVIA

After dropping Sammie off at camp, I stepped into the quiet of my home. Sammie's laughter still echoed in my mind. He loved it there.

The breakfast dishes lay scattered on the counter. Blah. We'd been rushed this morning. I rolled up my sleeves, ready to tackle the mess. I could've used magic, but that always felt like cheating… though I did it more often than I wanted to admit.

Just as the water started to run, my phone buzzed with a text from Ava.

Potion contest tonight. Winner gets the crown. You in?

My hands were wet, but I managed to type out a reply with a grin.

Heck yes, get over here. Found a new cauldron in one of Luci's mad rooms.

Within minutes, Ava burst through the door. Together we fell into an easy rhythm, scrubbing plates and stacking them to dry. As the last dish was wiped clean, she leaned against the counter, her gaze meeting mine.

"Liam's set for Rune Academy," Ava said with a hint of excitement. "He'll be with Zoey. Wallie and Michelle might audit some classes too."

"Wait, hold on. I didn't know Zoey was going to Rune Academy," I said, rinsing the suds off the last plate.

Ava nodded, wiping her hands on a dish towel. "Oh, yes. She's technically past high school age, but you've seen her, she could pass for seventeen. And she's never had the chance to learn all those basic classes like math and science. It's something she feels she missed out on."

"Math and science?" I chuckled, imagining Zoey wrestling with algebra instead of her usual shifter challenges.

"Yep, and some shifter history, too. Rune Academy seemed like the perfect fit," Ava explained, tossing the towel onto the counter.

I mulled it over for a moment. "That's such a great idea." Seeing Zoey get a shot at learning things we took for granted felt right.

"Let's head upstairs," I said. The house was silent as we made our way up the staircase to Lucifer's corridors. The first door I tried led to a library that smelled of leather and dust. Not there. The next opened into a room full of mirrors reflecting infinite versions of ourselves. Nope. Didn't like that.

"Try the one with the crescent moon on the handle," Ava suggested.

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