“Why is it that nothing I ever do is good enough?”
“Because everything you do is not even half of what you can do!” he hollered back. “I do not know what makes you so soft and weak! But one day, that will cost not just you but all of us! You could have sent a powerful message today. You could have done so much, yet you barely did anything except threaten them. Everything this coven has sacrificed, all the witches who fought before you. All the magic you have been blessed with sometimes feels like a waste. When will you stop being such a disappointment?”
I knew he was upset, but he had taken it too far, and it…it hurt.
“Sorry for being such a disappointment to you, Uncle. Maybe you should find another witch to play your goddess,” I whispered, doing my best not to let the angry tears in my eyes fall, but they sure burned. “I, on the other hand, never wanted the job, and I am tired of being blamed for it.”
Turning from him, I bit my lip as I walked away. Not a single tear fell until I got through the mirror and stood inside the guest bedroom. I didn’t want to stay here, and I didn’t want to see the others, either. I wanted…I wanted to go somewhere I could feel better.
Reaching for my phone, I stared at it for a moment before I dialed. It only rang once before he answered, and I spoke first.
“Where are you, and can I come there?”
“Of course.”
* * *
I pulled up to a beautiful cozy cabin right on the lake and nestled between the trees about an hour away from my home in Bymoor. When he told me he had a home here, this was not what I’d imagined. I wasn’t exactly sure what I had imagined, but still. Parking, I leaned over the steering wheel, searching to see him, when all of a sudden, there was a tap on the side of my window, causing me to jump.
“Oh, my God!” I gasped, looking over to see him dressed in jeans and a casual long-sleeved shirt.
“I apologize. I thought you would sense me,” Theseus said as he held the door for me to get out.
“You arrived too fast, so I didn’t sense anything until just before you tapped.” I laughed awkwardly as I grabbed my bag over my shoulder.
He glanced at it, then at me but didn’t mention it. “Welcome,” he said instead with a kind smile on his lips, but I did notice the slight dark circles around his eyes.
“Thank you. Are you okay?” I asked, leaning in. “You look really tired. Are you hungry?”
“Why? Will you try to offer your own blood again?” He grinned. “I pity your poor arm.”
I gaped. “Excuse you! I was trying to be considerate!”
“Thank you for your consideration,” he mocked and stepped aside for me to walk past.
I made a face at him for that tone in his voice, but I let it be and walked on the rubble toward the cabin. “Is this really your home?”
“No, it belonged to a delightful old couple. I ate them and took it.”
I spun around so fast I nearly slipped on the rocks, but he caught hold of me, smiling, and at that moment, I knew he was teasing me! I pushed his chest away. “Not funny!”
“Your expression was slightly funny.” He chuckled as I stood on my own again. “You believed it for a moment. Good.”
“Why is that good? You want me to think you are a murderous, bloodthirsty vampire?”
“Yes.” He nodded. “For I am. There is no hope for us if you do not first accept that. I’ve already come to terms with the fact that you are a murderer as well.”
I gasped. “What? I am not!”
“Really? Do the vampires you slay not count as lives to you?” he asked casually, making my shoulders drop and my expression fall. He noticed and cupped my face. “Forgive me. I do not seek to blame or chastise you. I merely want us to feel free to be honest with one another. Come.”
He offered his hand, and I gave him mine. I noticed that he inhaled quickly before kissing the back of it and leading me closer to the cabin.
The first thing I noticed inside was the temperature. It was extremely warm, even though it wasn’t that cold of a day. The next was the bowl of fruit and some of my favorite snacks that sat on the table—in fact, the whole cabin had things I liked. From my favorite radio station playing in the background to the same large, fluffy pillows I had in my room and even a small area in the corner to paint. It should have been a little creepy because it was proof of how much he had watched me, how much he knew about me, but at the same time, I couldn’t help but be a little bit touched.
Dropping my bag at the door, I walked to the couch and sat down, running my hand over the fluffy, white pillow and smiling. “I’m trying to imagine you going to Target, pushing a cart and carefully picking out all the things I like.”
“It would be quite a sight. However, it did not come to pass. All I did was make a list and pass it along to a human,” he replied, still standing at the door and observing me.