this, and I’ll be completely in love with you and die from losing you all over again.”
“Agra, you’re the only family I’ve had from the moment that fucker bashed in my noggin and took you,” he whispered. “You and this misfit family you’ve built that I want to be apart of. I was never really a Moore besides in name, and I always knew it. Now I know why. My fate was to be yours and to help end their madness and fucked up network. There’s nothing to resent. I want to do it. I just want to do it with you more.”
I nodded. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you and—”
He brushed his lips over mine and he pulled me against him. “Don’t. Please don’t apologize. You have nothing to apologize for. It was my family that put you in such danger, wanted to do such horrid things to you. I led you right to the worst possible—we both suffered traumas, and a break was what we both needed, even if it killed me to take. We should have had that distance for perspective.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, because it was all wrapped together, and you weren’t only dealing with me and my family stuff.” He sighed and cupped my face, kissing me again. “And there was a lot of vampire stuff dumped on you too. Collins. Holly.” He kissed my forehead when I flinched. “Are you going to be okay seeing them?”
I admitted I had already seen Dean Collins at a meeting over the summer, but I hadn’t Holly, and I couldn’t get over that I would have to. How she wasn’t in jail or serious, serious shit for breaking the law of all councils by getting the location of my phone meant only for emergencies to protect supes was a joke.
She got the typical slap on the wrist after giving the bullshit of being sorry and it was a youthful indiscretion. This time, with the added crap of female drama between young girls that was so easily dismissed by the council, I seriously wanted to kick her fucking ass for playing into the sexist gender roles the supe world was already up against. It completely worked, and she was given a stern lecture.
Are you kidding me? Why didn’t they say something about her hormones ruling her or offer her smelling salts next time she got upset? And Holly would brag like she’d won something by pulling this over on them, except she’d set all women back by playing things this way and acting like she agreed with this sexist bullshit. So she hurt all women to save her own ass rather than own up to what she did.
So I personally thought every woman who saw her deserved to deck her for that. Think the councils would lecture me for being hysterical then?
Assholes.
“You know part of it was they hoped it worked, or now they want someone else of a different species to be the one to pull the same to try and find me,” I grumbled.
“It sounds too paranoid, which means you’re completely right,” he agreed. “The whole situation is insane, and this is before they find out you’re the last fairy. I’m terrified what it would be if they really did.”
I snorted, but then realized he was. I cupped his face and made him look at me. “I’m not worried for me. I’ve been on the run since I was fifteen, and I didn’t have magic then, Darby. I only had Mel for help, and we had no real money until the past couple of years. Sort of. Things are way different now. I worry for you guys, but if the shit hits the fan, I want you to promise me you go home and let the dogs protect you.”
He searched my eyes. “One of them is sworn to you, right?”
I smirked at him. “I have five packs sworn to me and more that help me.” I nodded when his eyes went wide. “Yeah, so the councils have no idea who they’re fucking with if things go wrong. Trust me. I know I’m going to be outed one day, and I’ve got lots in place for when it happens. We’re just trying to buy me as much time as we can so I can get more answers here. I haven’t found anyone here yet.”
“I’ll do anything I can to help, agra.”
Instead of hurting, this time, my heart healed a bit at hearing him call me that again. “I missed you,