Page 85 of With This Witch
“One hundred percent,” he says, leaning over to kiss her cheek. As he leans back, he senses another notch in his life sliding into place. This life with Petra, this moment here, being here to support her, to be by her side, regardless of what she may be facing, is where he is supposed to be. This is what he has been waiting for. No, longing for. He’ll never understand how he lived, let alone survived, without his heart with him.
“So. Tell me more about Grog. How? What do you have on him?”
“Oh, this is good,” he responds. He goes into the story from this morning, Selene tracking him down and her offer. But one thing Selene says still sits uneasy in his mind. “She also said that there was a reason Gladys couldn’t be healed.”
“But how did she know?”
“I didn’t ask. Honestly, I don’t even want to know,” he says, churning this over in his mind.
“Do you think Grog is somehow behind Gammy’s illness?”
It’s as if a fire ignites inside him. His demon pushes to the surface ready to fight. That has to be what Selene meant. Grog orchestrated all of this. “I think that’s exactly what happened,” he nearly growls, fighting against the raging tide inside him.
Surprisingly Petra is calm. He catches a flare of anger flash across her face, but that is it. “Why are you not angry?”
“Getting angry doesn’t help me against Grog. If it is true, it is absolutely devastating to know he hated her, and by extension me, so much so that he would willingly cause her not only harm, but death. But the anger right now serves no purpose. I need to remain levelheaded until we get through this. Now, do you think we can trust her?” Petra asks, doubt floating through the air with her words.
“She seems genuine. Like she wants to help. I think she’s feeling lost without Viktor and maybe seeing she has more enemies than she likes. By reaching out to me and offering support, she may be hoping for some protection as she tries to change.”
“Will you protect her? After all that she put you through?”
“I don’t know. I’ve moved past the blind hate for them—well, for her now—but I don’t think I would offer support that way. She also said she wanted me to come back to the underworld. To have a more consistent presence there again and help people change their lives like I did.”
“I mean, you’ve talked about creating positive change. That would be a great way to accomplish that. I’d also like to see more of where you came from,” she says. He can see her mind at work, rolling the idea around, watching as it takes shape. “Maybe as a council, we could create an incentive or program to help community members facing life challenges?”
“That’s a great idea. We need you to be Premier Witch first,” he says, his chest glowing with pride for this woman he is lucky enough to call his wife, “but I think that would be a wonderful step forward.”
“All right. So what do we do now?”
“I’ll reach out to Selene tomorrow. She’ll have mechanisms in place to do what needs to be done when the time comes, but at least she’ll know it may be a quick turnaround as the council doesn’t like to give us lots of warning.”
“Great. Dinner thoughts?”
“Mmm. I do have one,” he says, picking Morris off Petra’s lap and placing him on the floor.
Her eyes flare with heat. “Oh. And what would that be?” she asks, placing her hand on his head and running her fingers through his hair.
“You,” he responds, hooking his fingers atop her pants and pulling them down.
* * *
Over the next few days and multiple conversations, Selene confirms her information and promises that when the time comes, a quick text to her will deliver her sources. Lachlan hasn’t asked how she found these sources, but he knows Selene well enough not to question whether she will follow through.
He may not have enjoyed or felt good about what he did when he worked for Selene and Viktor, but he can’t deny they brought a sense of family in a time of turmoil. An odd sort of bonding occurs within criminal organizations like theirs that, even years later, and upon threats of death, a sense of loyalty remains. Lachlan reasons loyalty is part of what brought her back to him, hoping he will respond and help her. He hopes that all she wants is for him to help support others trying to better themselves. Regretfully, he doubts he will ever be that simple. It may not happen soon, but eventually, she will come back asking for a favor.
“Are we all set?” Petra asks, coming to join him in the library.
“Yeah. Selene said to text her when we need her to deliver. Now we need the summons from the council.”
“Have they not mentioned the decision when you’ve been at the standard meetings?” Petra questions over her shoulder while perusing the shelves.
He leans back, clasping his hands behind his head and putting his feet on the desk. “No. They’ve been surprisingly tight-lipped about it, but I can sense discomfort among the other members. I think Grog bit off more than he can chew and may have alienated his allies. I wonder if it will be easier to rid him from the council than anticipated, especially if there is already so much tension and if he’s been threatening them all like I heard him do to Amare.”
“Wait? What do you mean he threatened Amare?” Petra asks.
He had forgotten to tell her about that. He fills her in on what he heard all those weeks ago between Grog and Amare. Her eyes are wide by the end.
“That fucking scum.”
