Page 37 of Elemental Healer

“This isn’t going to be a pleasant conversation, is it?” he asked, not bothering to eat his food, but sat by my side and held his hand out to me.

“I’ve done something really bad, Nathaniel.” Tears slipped down my face, and I didn’t even care that they, in all likelihood, messed up my makeup. “Gosh, I’m so embarrassed. And confused.”

“Okay, why don’t you tell me what’s going on.” Strain showed on his face, but he didn’t overreact. He never had. How long would it last?

My throat was thick, and I gulped a swallow to clear it. “Last night, or rather really early this morning, well, Jeff and I haven’t been getting along well.”

His brows furrowed. “You were kissing him last night.”

I shook my head. “He did that to intentionally embarrass me to get back at me for what I did to him.”

Nathaniel’s hand tightened around mine, and I’m not sure he noticed he’d done it. “What did you do, Tessa?”

Pulling my hand from his, I rubbed my face with both of my hands. “Okay, so a few hours ago I used magic on Jeff. Bad, powerful magic.”

“Oh boy,” Nathaniel also rubbed his hands over his face. I learned that move from him.

“It was a death magic, and he fell off the balcony. Oh gosh, Nathaniel, I thought I’d killed him!” My voice sounded as if I was about to start into a panic attack. Nathaniel noticed.

“Relax, Tessa. Jeff is obviously not dead, or we would’ve been having this conversation much earlier.”

I nodded. “He’s alive. He has a bad burn on him, but he’s alive.”

“Okay.”

“He said something, ‘Like mother, like daughter.’ I don’t understand, and he told me to ask you about it.” I looked to him to find his face buried in his hands.

“Oh, Tessa. I should have told you this long ago.”

“Told me what?”

“How your mom died.”

I snorted and he looked at me. “What? I already know how she died. The Lanshays killed her.”

His eyes narrowed slowly. “How do you know that?”

“You talk in your sleep. About five years ago, you spoke of them and my mom. Things weren’t completely clear, but I did my research and found out they were assassins. I’ve been following them ever since, trying to find their weaknesses and learning about them.”

“Why?”

“So I can kill them.”

Nathaniel’s eyebrows flew up as he gasped. “Tessa, oh gosh, Tessa.” His eyes were wild as he stood and paced the length of the table across from me. “Oh Tessa. I’m so sorry. I should have told you sooner. Oh gosh.”

He stopped and with eyes closed like he attempted to deny the truth, asked, “You were the one who poisoned Jeff? That’s what he was getting back at you about.”

“Yes.”

His groan was forlorn. “This is all my fault.”

“What is going on?” I was so confused.

He sat down heavily beside me again and pushed his plate away. “It was always too painful to talk about, and I kept telling myself that when you could handle it, I’d tell you. I haven’t, and this is on me.” He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. “First, the boys did not assassinate your mom.”

“Wait, what?”

“You’re throwing Witch time on them, Tessa. They are twenty or twenty-one, and your mother died almost sixteen years ago. The boys were five years old and not yet assassins. They were still in training and minding their own business walking through the woods.”

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