Page 44 of Destiny of the Witch

‘Bastion must be so scared for me,’ I admitted. ‘I feel awful for him. I just… I need to know he’s okay.’ I met my father’s eyes. ‘He’s my familiar and I can’t feel him. Do you know how awful that is?’ Tears welled in my eyes. ‘I can’t feel him.’ My lip quivered.

My father studied me. ‘He’s your familiar?’

Oh shit.

Chapter 37

I had forgotten that few people knew that Bastion was my familiar. We had used it to our advantage to get me out of those spurious charges levelled by Tristan but we hadn’t let it become common knowledge. And now I’d let the cat out of the bag, all because my dad had brought me food and quotedThe Princess Bridewith me.

I nodded.

My father’s expression was inscrutable before he gave a small sigh. He rubbed a hand over his face, pulled out his phone, dialled a number and passed it to me. I listened to it ring. Finally it stopped ringing and there was silence.

I sniffed and wiped away my tears. ‘You have terrible phone manners, Bastion.’

‘Bambi,’ he breathed.

‘I’m okay. They’ve shut down our bond somehow. But I’m okay.’

‘I thought—’ His voice quivered.

Hot tears filled myeyes. ‘I know. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.’

‘I’m coming for you,’ he promised. ‘I’ll kill them all.’

I don’t know what it said about me, but that made me smile. ‘I love you.’

‘I love you. Be strong. I’m coming,’ he promised fiercely.

My father snagged the phone from me and disconnected. ‘Now eat your greens,’ he ordered firmly, like I was still seven years old.

I ate quickly, keeping a surreptitious eye on the one cauldron that was still simmering quietly. I needed to add the yarrow root in the next five minutes or the whole thing would be ruined before it even got started.

I pushed back my plate. ‘Thank you for the food,’ I said politely. ‘It’s been a trying day and I’m tired. Perhaps we could meet for breakfast or something.’ I dangled the carrot before him:look at all the willing cooperation you’ll get if you just leave me alone now.

He stood. ‘Of course. You must be tired after all the excitement.’

Excitement? That’s what we call kidnapping, is it? I kept the bitchy thought off my face with effort. ‘Why can’t I feel him? Bastion, I mean?’

‘This cell is carefullyruned. One of them is designed to disrupt the bond between a familiar and their witch to make the witch more malleable.’

Lovely. ‘Thank you for telling me.’

‘Of course.’ He paused. ‘I’m under no illusions that we can repair our relationship in a day, Amber. But you’re my daughter and I love you. One day at a time.’

I sighed. ‘And how do you propose we overcome our fundamental differences? At the core, we are polar opposites. You are an evil witch, Dad.’ I gave him the paternal title to throw him another bone of hope.

He smiled a little. ‘You used forbidden runes to save Jake, Amber. You’re not so different from me.’

My heart hammered. ‘How do you know about that?’

He looked amused. ‘Did you really think that, as two twenty-one year olds, you and Jake escaped and evaded assassins all alone? That house you rented in Shropshire for a very cheap rate? You rented it from me, Amber.’

I went cold. He had been my puppet master for far longer than I’d known. My heart was hammering and my time was nearly up. He needed to go now or my potion would be ruined. I stood. ‘I think you should leave. I need to absorb this.’

‘Amber—’

‘Please. Go.’

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