the information and captured several Underground agents. So to me, the system failed her twice.”
“Once, to make her think the Underground might be better, and again to not let her be forgiven when she tried to help.” I shook my head. “I doubt a man would have been treated that way in this sexist society.”
She did a double take as we walked along. “I didn’t consider that, but you are right. I was too lost in my own head and hurt, but I think you are right on that.” She cleared her throat. “Tamsin.”
I smiled. Yeah, we all had our demons. “Sorry you lost one. It’s hard.”
“You speak from experience.”
I nodded. “I helped get some out of bad stuff, and they tried to do better and have a real life, but then changed their minds. They went back into prostitution with shit pimps beating them or drugs or whatever else because… I don’t know. Maybe it was easier to be told what to do in life? Maybe the drugs held them too tightly? But we lost them after getting them out. Not my fault, but it hurts.”
“It does, and I do bear responsibility as a teacher, advisor, and dean.”
I snorted. “You weren’t her parent, White. She was a fucking college kid. That’s adult enough to make her own choices, right or wrong. You lost one. Horrible, but it was going to happen, and it will probably happen again. To me as well. It’s not us, but free will. We can only lead them to water, but not force them to drink or however that goes.”
She was quiet until we reached the kitchen. “Yes, I supposed you might lose some from your havens as well. I didn’t think of that.”
I shrugged. “Leaving everything and forging out on your own is too much for some. It took me a while to understand that it wasn’t me, but I’m not the gods. I can’t control that and I wouldn’t want to. They make their choices.”
She nodded, seeming to think about that, but I could tell she wanted to move past the conversation. She came up with the topic change before I even could. “How is your eating out fun? Where did you decide instead of London?”
I winced. “Actually, Izzy had way more than London mapped out, including a lot of England. We might do that next summer, but we’re starting with Tokyo instead and working out from there if we have time. She says we will, but the list of what she keeps adding and adding seems crazy. I know a lot of summer festivals since we’re not doing the outings with the dragon royals anymore.”
“I would think not,” she sighed as I went for the fridge. “I assume they will still keep up their end of the deal?”
I snorted. “They’re going way over what they were buying before as compensation for the traitor and what your council tried to pull. More, probably, but they say it’s because they don’t have to arrange it all, pay for security, and all those other expenses now. It’s that, but really, we know it’s so I don’t pull the plug after the threat to me like some wanted.”
“You’ll be safe?”
I smirked at her. “I was a hot target with a lot of humans for a lot of different reasons and knew how to handle it and be safe.” I gestured to my bright red hair. “And that was before I knew about magic or had access to glamour charms. Yeah, we got this, trust me. Hell, it’s some of the most fun I think the Rothchilds have had in a while.”
“Guarding you?” she asked.
“That, and because I feed them as well, but also glamouring as me.” I chuckled when her eyes went wide. “Yeah, we got this. I’m going to be popping up at certain places all summer. Very popular, very exposed, and very good places for college kids to take breaks, so idiots assume I’m being stupid and am around there somewhere.”
“You’re going to let them chase their tails looking for you.”
“I do misdirection fairly well.”
“That you do. That you do, Tamsin.”
I had my moments for sure.
2
A few weeks later, I was standing in a bedroom at the main estate of HAVEN, waiting for my summer soiree to start. It was the only address we’d made public—for obvious reasons—and while people had scoffed at us starting it or taking such precautions… They had since changed their tunes.
We had been submitting reports to all the councils