Page 69 of Potions and Proposals
“Ignore him,” Benedict snapped.
“Already do,” Lucinda said as he opened the door for her. She hesitated, and he could see she wanted to say something, but when her eyes darted to Peter, he knew she wouldn’t.
He rested his hand on the door, making sure she was gone before he turned on his brother.
“Are you insane?! She might be my wife, but she’s a Hawthorne, and you only just got promoted. Let’s not tempt fate by confessing what happened in that gods-forsaken hovel!” he hissed.
“Yourwife? Aren’t you getting ahead of yourself?” Peter said smugly.
Benedict ran his hands through his hair.Was this day ever going to end?Of course his brother had only heard the least important part of what he’d said.
“You know what I mean. You’ve got to be more careful,” he ground out. At least he hadn’t called Lucinda his wife to her face. He didn’t think he would’ve survived the ridicule. He hadn’t even realised he thought of her as such.
“Seeing you happy so often is quite unnerving,” Peter said, amused.
“I’d be happier if you forgot about helping me! Lucinda and I have it all under control. She found a potion in an old Hawthorne grimoire that might help us, and if not then we’ll wait it out.” As a matter of fact, he was rather proud of how they’d handled each other’s elements. So far no one had been drowned or burned alive.
“A powerful crone couldn’t help, but a potion in a dusty old Hawthorne grimoire can? I’d love to get a look at that book,” Peter mused.
“Don’t even think about it. It’s going back to the Order, and you don’t need to be anywhere near them or it.” Benedict wasn’t surprised by his desire to see the book. Peter had always been fascinated with power– the more volatile the better.
Peter raised his hands defensively. “Consider it forgotten.”
“What happened to the soul you were supposed to collect? I haven’t heard of anyone passing recently.”
“It’s turned out to be a rather complicated case.” Peter frowned, which was unusual. He’d never seemed bothered by his job before.
Benedict paled, thinking the worst. “Are you collecting someone we know?”
“I can’t reveal my orders. But rest assured it’s nobody you know. Well.”
Foxford was a small town; Benedict probably knew them in passing. To be honest, there weren’t many he wanted to know well. He liked to keep his cards close to his chest.
Trying to veil his concern, he asked, “What makes this case different from any other?”
“I don’t want to collect them,” Peter admitted, producing a small bottle of vodka from his jacket. Benedict wasn’t even sure if Grims could get drunk.
“Nobody close to Lucy?” he panicked, watching his brother wince as he took a swig.
“I can’t tell you, but not necessarily,” he repeated, clearly frustrated at not being able to name his charge.
“What happens if you refuse?” Benedict asked, not versed in Reaper procedure. Their ways were more secretive than most, because they belonged more to the next world than this.
“They’ll send another Grim. You can’t mess with fate,” Peter said, rubbing his hands over his face.
“Are you going to collect?” If Peter lost his position as a collector, he wouldn’t be able to return to the living realm. As much as Peter drove him crazy, the thought of losing him twisted his gut.
“Yes. I don’t have a choice.”
Benedict rubbed his brow. He hated to think of the death of someone his brother clearly cared about, but at least this meant he wouldn’t lose him again. “If you’re unable to distance yourself, maybe you should give it over to Gregory. He’s your mentor; you should let him help you,” he suggested.
“Imight not be able to change her fate, but she can.” Peter sounded like he was talking more to himself. “I can’t take this to Gregory – he’s already done so much for me. Refusing to collect would be an insult to his recommendation for my promotion. Can you stop looking at me like I’m going to break? It’s not Mum, and the Hawthornes are safe.”
Benedict let out a sigh of relief. He didn’t want Lucinda to have to go through losing a family member. Death was inevitable, but he wanted to spare her that pain for as long as possible.
“I can’t imagine how hard it is to do what you do. You should know how proud we are of you.”
“It was hard at the beginning, but Gregory reminded me that we get to be there for people at their most vulnerable moment. Help them find closure, and cross over.” The contentment in Peter’s voice told Benedict he truly believed it.
