Page 49 of Witch Unexpected
“Ah, feck, Cora. Will it make a difference?” She studied me. “Is sex more important than saving the world?”
“Hey, that isnotfair.”
She exhaled and closed her eyes. “I know. It isn’t. Especially when the wolves can bang as many women as they like. In fact, they’re encouraged to in order to keep the primal bloodlines alive.”
“What about the anchor’s bloodlines?”
“Anchors are born every century,” Bramble said. “Always have been.”
My chest was tight with that awful feeling that came with being backed into a corner. The weight of the responsibility pressed on my chest.
I needed Fee. I needed to speak to her.
Breathe, Cora. Breathe. “You need to get me a new phone.”
She nodded. “I’ll sort it.” She leaned her head to the side. “You’re not going to run, are you?”
At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to do just that, but then what? How long before the seal cracked and our world fell into jeopardy?
“No. I’m not going to run, but I need time to digest all this. It’s a huge ask.”
“I know.”
I needed to take my mind offmefor a moment and clutched at the first question that popped into my mind. “What’s the deal with Lauris?”
“Urgh.” She flopped back onto my bed. “Lauris is a freak.” She turned her head to look at me. “I don’t mean that in a bad way. It’s just a fact. The poor fecker shouldn’t even exist. I mean, gargoyles don’t procreate. They just…are. If not for Lauris’s existence, I’d have thought they didn’t even fuck, but rumor has it that Bador stuck it to a human, and eighteen months later, Lauris was born. He’s an anomaly.”
An anomaly… Like me. “He said he wasn’t a gargoyle.”
“I don’t blame him for thinking that way. It’s not like they made him feel welcome, the pompous bastards. All holier than thou, and follow the rules, and lick Anna’s ass. Urgh. They treat him like shit. Always have. It’s a fecking shame cos he’s not a bad guy, just… He’s just in between.”
“He doesn’t have wings, does he?”
“Nope. He can’t shift to stone either, but his skin is super tough, and he can climb any surface like a spider.”
“How old is he?”
She considered this for a moment. “A baby in gargoyle years but around thirty in human years.”
“He said he was twice as old as you.”
She smiled at me. “I’m fifteen in human years and thirty in pixie years.”
Bloody hell, my head hurt. “So, you’re kinda the same age then?”
“Hell, no.” She sat up quickly. “Lauris is an immature twat who needs to get his shit together.”
“Seems like the gargoyles aren’t really giving him a chance.”
“No.” She sighed. “They really aren’t. Thing is, he’s too different. No wings, no ability to shift to stone, and no respect for order.”
“Yeah. Bador does come across as a stickler for rules.”
“You have no idea,” Bramble said. “The gargoyles thrive off order. E says it feeds them and makes them stronger—something to do with their heritage. He never said what, but Lauris is different. He seems to thrive off chaos and mischief.” She pushed off the bed. “Look, you need to get some rest. You’ve got a big day tomorrow—orientation with Pen and then meeting Charlotte.” She placed her hands on her hips. “Is there anything else you haven’t told me?”
Huh? Oh, wait. She didn’t know about Torsten and my plan to go get him, or did she?
“Wait a second. Did you watch the testing from behind the mirage enchantment?”
