Page 209 of The Warlock's Trial

“Professor Blackbird has military training. He’ll help us, along with others,” Brayden said.

He and Alex took off the same time a man and woman approached. I’d never seen them before, but the woman looked all too familiar, with dark hair and a straight nose identical to Chloe’s. These had to be Chloe’s parents.

“If you’ve come to stop me, save your breath,” Chloe sneered. “I’ve already made up my mind, and the coven has spoken.”

“Chloe, honey,” her mother begged. “We aren’t here to stop you. We’re here to tell you how proud we are. We were out there in that crowd cheering for you.”

“Do you really think we’d side with your grandmother?” her father added.

Chloe spoke slowly, appearing stunned. “Well… she is your mom. Aren’t you on her side?”

Chloe’s mother scoffed. “Your grandmother is a coward who ran from her own people. You always came first, Chloe. We always knew you were destined for greatness. We’d rather see you on the council.”

Tears welled in Chloe’s eyes. It had to be the first time I’d ever seen her cry. She’d told me stories about her parents—how they’d always pushed her to be the greatest. She never thought anything she did was good enough for them, and it was clear all she ever wanted was their approval.

“You really mean it?” Chloe whispered.

“Of course we did,” her father said. “Does this mean you’re coming home now?”

Chloe sniffled. “You mean… you want me to move back in with you?”

“I mean home to Octavia Falls,” her father clarified. “You’re an adult now. You should get your own place.”

Chloe scoffed. “Yeah, let me just borrow a down payment.”

“There’s no need,” her father said. “Your grandmother’s house belongs to the family estate. I imagine it will be vacant for some time. If you want it, it technically belongs to you.”

Chloe’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious?”

“Your mother and I already have a lovely home,” he said. “What would we do with that big empty house?”

“You’re right…” Chloe mused. “It is a big empty house. I can’t live there alone.”

Slowly, she turned to the rest of us, looking hopeful. “What do you guys think about continuing our roommate arrangement?”

Something in her eyes told me that Chloe had really enjoyed our time together at the safe house. She wasn’t ready to give that up.

“There’s lots of room,” she started.

Grant chuckled. “You don’t have to convince me. The more time we spend together, the more we can get done.”

“I’m on board,” Talia agreed.

I looked down at Marcus. “Are you all sure you’re okay having a baby in the house? He’s going to make a lot of noise.”

“Are you kidding!?” Chloe asked. “Marcus is part of the family now. Of course we want him there. There’s a whole section of the house with a second kitchen and everything. You and Lucas can stay there. It will be like your own apartment. Plus, it will really piss off my grandmother, and I’ll do anything at this point to put her in her place.”

Lucas wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “It’s a very kind offer. Of course we’ll stay with you.”

“Yay!” Chloe clapped in excitement. “Thank you so much for the offer, Daddy! We’re going to be so happy there. I just know it.”

She threw her arms around her father’s neck, and he went completely still. Chloe quickly realized what she’d done and backed off. It seemed she’d only done it on instinct, but they didn’t appear to be the hugging kind of family.

Chloe took a step back. “Sorry…”

Her father finally composed himself. “Don’t be sorry, honey. Come here.”

Her dad pulled her back into his arms, then grabbed her mom. The three of them embraced, and for the first time, I saw a tear roll down Chloe’s cheek. It was everything she ever wanted from them.

---