Page 37 of November Reign
Seeing how little the coven knew me really made me wonder about my future with them. Unlike a shifter, I’d be fine on my own. I wasn’t a wolf who got touch starved and struggled outside of a pack. If Damon was willing, he could give me rights to stay and practice my magic in the city. I wouldn’t be a member of the coven, but I’d be close to my sister and Poppy whenthey decided to return from Abrocaelum. That way, I’d be able to see Sage grow up.
I’d be close to Thyme then.
Part of me wondered what he would do if I was still exiled from the coven once the dust settled on the Basil situation. Would he leave them too? Could we have a relationship with one of us in and the other out? I was worried coven politics would have an adverse effect on us. We would have to split a lot of things if I wasn’t welcome to come along to coven celebrations, for instance.
Being on my own in the city was a bit of a wake up call. All of my adult life I’d lived and worked in the coven, usually in the center of things, so I slept in the coven house, worked for coven businesses. Sure, I had money, a lot of witches, my family included, had investments or were old money people. Money wasn’t an issue for me, I just was lost and maybe lonely being on my own.
Staying in a hotel was new to me. I was thirty-five and had never really traveled much. When Zinna and I had come to Northarbor, we had been guests of the coven and stayed with our patron’s family. If we had to travel, we normally had someone to stay with along the way.
I hated it. The room was so sterile. The hotel too noisy. My magic felt constrained by allthe spells on the building. I’d specifically picked one with anti-portal wards so Basil would have to come to me in a public place. It also gave me the security I needed to be able to sleep at night. Not that it worked.
Didn’t help that my sister absolutely hated this plan. I was berated by her every night, usually ending the call feeling guilty for the stress I was causing her and Poppy, who at this point was as much my sister as Zinna was.
Even at a distance, I felt loved. I just wanted to get this over with and get back to Thyme, who I missed so bad it ached.
Somehow, I’d gotten used to Thyme sneaking into my bed at night. Without him next to me, I struggled to switch off enough to rest. I spent my days bleary eyed with lack of sleep and needed to take naps just to survive the day. Basil couldn’t catch me unawares.
My phone buzzed with a text letting me know the players were in place. I’d spotted my tail about an hour before, then tested him just in case. He followed me through a number of stores, looking more and more frustrated as I went about my errands.
Once I was sure he was one of Basil’s people, I went to a cafe and watched people go by.
Basil didn’t leave me hanging for much longer. I’d been doing this dance all week, waiting for him tomake his move. I knew he’d come for me. He wouldn’t be able to resist.
I’d chosen a seat on a bench facing the window, my back to the rest of the cafe. This way I could be seen from outside.
“Hey, baby. I’ve missed you,” Basil whispered into my ear, dipping slightly to kiss my cheek. I wanted to scrub the touch from my skin, but I had to bear it.
He took a seat next to me, waving down a server and ordering an Americano.
“So,” he said in a gossiping voice, “I heard a rumor about you.”
“Did you now?” I tried to play it off like I was bored. My palms were sweaty and bile rose in my throat. If I didn’t care about everyone around me or even getting out alive, I could end Basil.
In the distance, I caught a flash of copper hair. Thyme was waiting for me to make this look convincing.
Before he spoke again, Basil waited for the server to drop off his coffee. He drew the moment out by taking a sip first.
“Word is they kicked you out of the coven. Turns out they didn’t like you fraternizing with the enemy! Can you believe it?”
“Shocking!” I took a drink of my tea, desperate to get this done, but not wanting to look obvious.
Basil laughed. “Thanks for outing me, by the way. All the coven leaders are throwing their sons at me now, too.”
“Sorry, I guess.” I gave a careless shrug.
“You should be. They were most upset when I explained my heart was already taken.” Basil was grinning. I couldn’t believe I ever thought he was attractive. It was easy to see the monster under the mask now.
“I wasn’t aware you had a heart,” I deadpanned.
He got closer to me, practically snuggling in. “Only for you. Now I’m ready to forgive your last mistakes and take you back.”
Tamping down my urge to cringe away was difficult. There it was. The reason he was here. He wasn’t doing this because he loved me or even missed me. He had another motive.
“What mistakes? I meant what I said about the shifters. You can’t treat them like animals just because they can turn into them.”
“And haven’t I listened to your wise advice?” He held a hand against his chest in a dramatic fashion. “The aviary has been most welcoming. I’ve even been helping them with their magical needs!”
“For a price.” Internally, I rolled my eyes. He was insufferable.
