Page 67 of Firedrake Betrayal
“Look, I know staying is a bad idea, and I’m scared, truly terrified, of going anywhere near that man. But…” I struggle to explain why I need to stay. Why it’s so important that I do. “I’m used to staying where it’s safe. That isn’t a life I want to live anymore.”
Meliah’s expression doesn’t change. “This town isn’t safe for you.”
“Because it belongs to him? What happens when I leave?”
“Your father won’t have to wake up to find you dead or captured.” She doesn’t raise her voice, but she doesn’t have to. I hear her disapproval loud and clear.
I lean across the island. “Are you seriously telling me a man like Atticus Chira is going to be content to just let me go? That he won’t put all the money he spent building a compound he uses to house people he regards as things to track me down? Am I supposed to crawl back into an attic somewhere and wait for Atticus to find me, take my baby, call it a thing and cage them?”
I’m shaking with anger when Meliah’s gaze dips and her expression turns wary.
I have my hands flat on the kitchen island, and my blue ribbon friend is looping furiously around my right wrist.
I straighten, tucking both hands behind the island before I slam Meliah into her refrigerator when she doesn’t deserve it.
Embarrassed by my lack of control, I can barely bring myself to look her in the eye as I apologize. “Sorry, I’m?—”
“Emerging,” Meliah says, smiling softly. “I know.”
“Buthowdo you know?” If there was one thing Dad was good at, it was keeping secrets. If anyone should know, it’s me. “Dad is like Pandora’s box after they shut it again. Determined never to reveal anything,ever. Even to his own daughter.”
I try to accept that being closed-mouthed is a facet of Dad’s personality, but my voice is still bitter. More than I intended it to be.
Her smile fades and she steps closer, resting her palms on the kitchen island. “I need to tell you something, and it goes expressly against something I swore to keep silent, but I think it’s important.”
My muscles tense. “What?”
She hesitates for so long I want to shake whatever it is out of her.
“Brennan had a reason for being gone so long,” she says so slowly it’s clear she’s forcing herself to speak.
“What do you mean?” I prompt.
“He didn’t mean to leave you with Nigel for as long as he did.”
“How do you know that?”
Alarm tingles down my spine, and I steal a peek at my right wrist as subtly as I can. Of course, there’s no sign of spirit or the blue ribbon friend to help if I just walked into a trap. Patten has a good reason to distrust witches, and I’m alone here with an uncontrollable power.
An easy victim.
“He came here,” Meliah admits softly.
I abandon my plan to bolt out of the front door. “He didwhat?”
She darts a rapid glance up the stairs, as if afraid Dad will overhear. “He came here. It was a couple of years ago. I’m surprised he was alive at all given?—”
“Jade!” The front door swings open, and Patten fills the doorway. “Oh good. You’re already down here. Time to get out of here.”
“I can’t. Meliah was telling me something important.”
He snorts as he crosses over to me and starts walking me toward the front door. “Doubt it. A good witch is a dead witch.” Then he glances at her. “No offense.”
“That was actually very offensive,” Meliah says tightly.
“So it was,” Patten concedes and looks at me. “You good to go? There was a weird guy at the end of the street, and I’d rather not wait around for him to start trying to kill us.”
I hesitate.
