Page 79 of The Magic of Eternity
“I feel more like myself. Finally.”
She sat a plate of food down in front of me before taking a seat herself. “Do you remember when I told you the story of after I gave birth? I went through the same thing. I wish I’d gotten help like you did. It was just… Back then, you didn’t talk about mental health problems. And I was so deep in my grief with missing Rick that I didn’t know which end was up. I’m proud of you.”
“Thank you, Gran.” I reached for her hand. “I was just so worried that if I didn’t do everything, be a part of every moment, that I’d be likeher.” I didn’t need to say who. We both knew. It was something I’d been working through with my therapist. In order to be the mother I wanted to be, I had to make sure I was taking care of—at the very least—my basic needs as a person. Eating, showering, sleeping. She was right. Even on days where showering was exhausting, I pushed myself to do it because I always felt a tiny bit more like myself when I got out.
We ate together in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying each other’s company. “Have you heard anything more about Fern?”
Gran’s fork paused halfway to her mouth, and she sighed. “Just the same. She’s being held in a WISP holding center until a more permanent facility can be arranged.”
Hunter had shown up a few days after his expected return to Emerald Lakes without Fern. Apparently, Fern had tried to make a run for it and Hunter tracked her down once more. Only this time, she’d used her magic on him. It went wrong. Very wrong. A few people were seriously injured—one of them was still in a coma—and it was her fault. She’d nearly killed Hunter in the process too.
Her power was strong but untrained, thanks to the shitty area she’d grown up in and the lack of support from responsible adults. She’d never learned anything about restraint, and according to Hunter, she was a very angry young woman. Gran had offered up the spare room in my cottage to him, and Hunt had lived at my place while we were all away in Besmet. He’d insisted on moving out once we returned, saying we needed the family time together. Apparently, he’d found a place downtown, above Dinner Thyme.
Since Asrael was dead, Montague Industries had been shut down, the truth of his evil work finally coming to light. All of Asrael’s work was confiscated by WISP, and so many children had been recovered. Each new article I saw on it never ceased to make me smile. Khol had hired Hunter straight away, more than impressed with his resume and skill set. Hunter now led one of the rescue teams for the missing kids, and seemed to really enjoy his new line of work.
My temples throbbed as I thought about this sister that I’d never known. She wasn’t allowed visitors yet, but I really wanted to meet her. I didn’t know what WISP had in store for her—if she’d be sentenced to jail time or if they’d try to put her in some kind of mandated magic course. It was anyone’s guess.
“Maybe if the guys get Kai’s project up and off the ground soon enough, she could be transferred there…” It was something I’d thought about ever since they started planning this new training facility seriously. Khol had offered to fund the entire project, adding it as a new division of the Radical company. Since my mates needed a new type of job to be close to home, they’d all seemed surprisingly excited about the idea of being trainers and teachers at this new location.
The warehouse they’d been pretending to be interested in when they first blew into town was part of the purchase, but there also was a massive old stone school building about half a mile down the road that had come up for sale. Now they were eyeing that as well, to convert into dormitories. It was pretty exciting, though I was also getting curious because twice in the past month, Sloane and Fischer had gone to this warehouse to check it out.
Last week, they’d been getting ready to leave, slipping on their riding gear and grabbing their backpacks, when I heard Sloane ask Guppy about his flame butt plug. I’d walked right into a fucking wall. One of these days, I was going to show up there and see exactly what it was they got up to. Just the thought made my blood pump and my thighs clench. My body had been off-limits since having the babies, but damn, I really was starting to feel the desire returning.
“Wouldn’t that be great? We could really get to know Fern then, and be a part of her progress,” Gran mused, and I smiled. I really did hope that Fern would eventually want a relationship with us.
I didn’t get a chance to respond because Gran’s phone rang, ending our conversation about my estranged sister. She answered, listening intently to whatever was being said, then her mouth fell open.
“Oh, I don’t know if I can make that work. An hour?” She paused, listening. “One second.” Gran lowered the phone to her chest, covering the mouthpiece. “Saige, you know how I put the apartment up for rent again?”
I nodded. It had been empty for a few weeks now, Miranda having bought a new place for herself and Annie. Kohl was there when he wasn’t in Besmet, but from what my bestie had told me, he was usually at their place almost every night.
“Well, I have a tenant who wants to see it, but their schedule is very busy. There was an opening in their schedule and they can be there in an hour. I have an appointment today for my full body wax so I—”
I held my hand up. “I’ll go. Just, please, don’t tell me anything more about that.”
“Great!” She beamed and returned to the call. “My granddaughter will meet you there in an hour. Yep. Okay, perfect. Let me know what you think.” She disconnected the call and went back to eating. “Thanks. You’re a lifesaver. Rick and I are going to do a little Vegas trip and I want to be smooth as a whistle to receive his meat missile.”
“Okay, I’m out! Enjoy your wax! BYE!” I practically ran from the room and up the stairs. Right. I needed to hurry up, shower, and get to The Pig.
Well,wearing regular clothes after having a baby is a bunch of bullshit. I squeezed into a pair of black yoga pants which was as close to regular clothes as I was getting, and one of my store t-shirts. This one was black, with The Pig logo and white lettering that readI beg your garden? Tossing on my backpack, I texted the group chat, letting the guys know where I was heading. I slipped into my old faithful leopard print flats and pushed through the screen door.
“Son of a bee sting,” I cursed, noting that the cars were gone. Six weeks ago, I’d pushed out two whole ass people from my vajingle, and now they’d only left me my bicycle.Stars, have mercy.I hadn’t ridden my bike in so long, which I was quickly reminded of when my thighs started burning. Oh, I was going to kick some ass. What used to take me five minutes now took me ten, and I was huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf.
I dug around in my bag for the keys to the shop, desperately trying to catch my breath. Gran, Rick, Frank, and Arlo had been running the store and doing a fantastic job while I was in Besmet and then recovering from having the girls.
As I placed the large skeleton key into the lock, I caught my reflection in the large glass window on the door. My face was fuller, my hair shorter, my stomach softer and rounder… but my eyes, they were no longer the eyes of a woman who’d lived her entire life in this small, quirky town. They were the eyes of a queen—though we were working on getting Besmet established with a democratic type of government. These were the eyes of a woman who had lost so much and gained even more.
Twisting the key, I swung the door open and stepped inside, the dated hardwood floors creaking beneath my shoes. The scents of sage, rosemary, wood, and patchouli slammed my senses, and I smiled wide. Damn, I’d missed my shop. It looked just the same, smelled the same. For the first time since having the girls, I felt the urge to come back and work.
Checking my watch, I saw there was only a minute until this tenant was due to arrive. Fuck. I could feel how sticky my face felt, and I darted around the bar, looking for some tissues to clean myself up.Where the hell are they?I pulled open the drawer where I usually stored extra boxes, finding it empty.Fuck!
I crouched down and rooted around on the deep shelves beneath the bar top. The doorbell jingled, startling me. “Just a second!” I shouted, finally spotting the damn tissues. I swiped the box and hopped up, a shriek leaving my mouth when Kai’s face was right there. An inch from mine. “Oh. My. STARS!” I clasped my hand to my heart as it tried to escape my ribcage.
Kai laughed, deep and rich. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.” The doorbell jingled again, and I looked over to see… Cam?
“What are you guys doing here? Can you wait in the back or something? There’s a—” Cam held his finger to my mouth, a grin forming on his own.
“We heard there’s an apartment for rent?” He lifted a brow as he stared down at me.
