“Are you alright?” Tavlor asked, stepping closer.
I grunted at him, struggling to get my anger under control. “I just... expected her to support me more.” I huffed out a laugh, releasing the bitter tension. I shook my head and my hair fell over my shoulder. I began to play with the ends. “But why should I? She didn’t support my dreams when she was alive, why would now be any different?”
Tavlor smiled. He reached for me, seemed to think better of it, and let his hand drop to his side.
“She’s a mother,” he said, “and from what I’ve gathered, a good one. Perhaps overprotective, but she raised three independent, powerful witches. Alone. Surely you can’t deny how impressive that is?”
I crossed my arms over my chest. Just because he wasn’t the sort to let his emotions get in the way, didn’t mean he needed to take her side over this.
“You didn’t have to live with her,” I muttered. “My mother wanted me to be the most responsible and then she wouldn’t trust me with that responsibility. You wouldn’t understand.”
He sighed. “No. I was raised by my aunt, who for all intents and purposes did her best to shield me against the hatred I got from the rest of our community.”
My cheeks pinched and l dropped my arms back to my sides. I was being selfish. “Sorry, Tavlor,” I said. “You’re right.”
I had no idea what it was like to grow up with anything but unconditional love, even if it had been stifling.
“You are allowed to feel your frustration, of course,” he said slowly, tilting his head. It must have been a new sensation for him, to think about someone else’s perspective when he had only ever been directed by his superiors and thinking wasn’t a requirement. “I don’t want you to feel guilty for feeling the way you are. But, perhaps, it might behoove you to try to understand it from her perspective. She might be feeling the same way about you.”
I sighed and rubbed my lips to keep from saying something I might regret. Instead, I did as he suggested.
“I guess, I wish my mother was here helping me through all this,” I said finally, picking up my gaze. I wanted to touch the locket again, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready to talk to her about everything we were planning on doing just yet.
Tavlor grinned. “I do too,” he said. “It sounds like she was an incredible woman. From what I’m told, you remind your sisters of her. She sounds like a formidable person. I would have been honored to meet her.” He cleared his throat. “And speaking of which, what was that second book Bell gave you to look at?”
There was movement to my left.
A wolf shifter was stalking us, watching us and moving stealthily.
“Ah, I don’t think now’s the time to get it out,” I said. “We’re being watched.”
I glanced to the side, nodding as subtly as I could. Tavlor stiffened, his eyes narrowing.
“Well, since we’ve been detected already, then there’s no need for me to hide my magical print any longer,” he said.
I didn’t understand how he could be so calm about this. We had just been discovered by a wolf shifter and he was looking at the bright side. Part of me wanted to laugh.
“Hold my hands.”
I had no idea what he meant but I gave him both my hands. Without warning, without even a word from his mouth, cold wind swirled around us, whipping through my hair and tugging at my clothes. Before I could try to get a sense of what was going on, the world disappeared behind a whirl of color.
I squeezed his hands harder, not wanting to let go. I had no idea if I would fly away, or if it mattered whether we touched at all. But I didn’t want to take that risk.
Then we stopped and my stomach twisted with travel sickness. Yuck.
I swallowed hard. “Where are we?” I asked as I nearly keeled over. My stomach tumbled and turned, and for a moment, I thought for sure I was going to throw up. Luckily, I managed to get control of the feeling, breathing in and out, over and over again until my stomach settled and I could stand upright.
Tavlor looked to his right and I glanced in the same direction. We were at the top of the stairs, right in front of the Council’s building.
I sighed, my stomach twisting again.
“Brilliant,” I muttered. “I hate those stairs. Especially after traveling.?
?
Tavlor chuckled and as a pair, we turned towards the doors.
“Moment of truth,” I said. I sucked in a deep breath. Nerves prickled my skin and I tilted my head to the side. “Do I still look like me?”