Page 50 of Magic's Rise

“Shocking,” Aspen says dryly.

“To be fair, they only gave me a spot because of my name, and I didn’t want to be there, anyway.” I purse my lips. “As a new arrival, I had no business deciding things.”

Haut snorts from the front and turns to look at me. “You’ve made plenty of decisions about Hartford Cove.”

That earns him a frown. “Only ones that no one got to vote on.”

Levi chuckles. “My Alpha enforces changes like that, too. Sometimes there’s no time to let the council hem and haw about it.”

“Besides, you were only kicked out of the wolf shifter exclusive one, sparky.” Tris glances at me through the rearview mirror. “You’re on the new one!”

“Boo!” I give that a big thumbs down.

“Good to see you’re not power hungry,” Levi says.

“Rowe is the least power-hungry person I’ve ever met.” Aspen considers that for a second, then amends, “Unless she wants something.”

Unable to argue that point, I swirl the last of my chocolate shake and live with my regrets of not ordering a large.

“What was your life like before moving to Hartford Cove?” Curiosity lights Levi’s warm, brown eyes. “It must have been strange to be hiding among humans.”

“That’s true of most witches.” Face pale as Tris whips through the narrow gap left by two cars, Aspen grips his armrests. “Sanctuary cities are not common.”

“That you know of.” I toss my empty cup into the trash bag between the front seats. “My dad and I moved around a lot after my mom died. We lived in seclusion, never really leaving our apartment, because he was afraid that the huntsmen would find me.”

Levi’s brow furrows. “Wait, your father was a witch who worked for the huntsmen?”

“No, he was a vampire.” Though I didn’t know it until after his death.

“Then how did you receive training when your magic presented itself?” Levi’s gaze jumps to Aspen. “That’s important for witches, right?”

“Very.” Aspen’s lips flatten into a grim line.

“I didn’t have any training.” I pluck at the hem of my shirt. “My dad tried to control my disintegrating mind with human medication, which actually helped. So I wasn’t completely insane when I finally learned of my heritage.”

Despite having heard this before, Aspen’s frown deepens. The topic makes him twitchy.

“But don’t worry.” I tap my forehead. “My toaster is in full working order now.”

Aspen rubs his temples. “Your father should have surrendered you to the paranormal council so they could place you with a coven to be trained properly.”

“True, but my dad had his reasons.” Like being a villain on the run from what he’d done to witches in the name of the Sunlight Project, but that’s neither here nor there. “And if he’d given me up, I never would have found Tris and saved his balls.”

Tris twists to grin at me. “I appreciate you, sparky!”

“Eyes on the road!” Haut grabs the wheel before we veer into another lane.

“What was that about Tris’s balls?” Levi raises his eyebrows.

“I adopted Tris from a shelter after his nasty ex cursed him and turned him into a dog. He was on the schedule to be neutered.” My fingers make a snip-snip motion, and all the men in the van squirm.

“She almost killed me the first time I turned back to human.” Tris laughs.

“You were a naked man in my bedroom.” I turn to Levi. “During the crescent moon, he temporarily returned to human form.”

“It took several shifts to convince Rowe she wasn’t imagining the whole thing.” Tris thumps his fist on the steering wheel. “We got there eventually, though.”

“It was the first time I realized magic was real.” I grab my headrest as the van shoots sideways. “But it wasn’t until Hartford Cove that I realized I was magic.”

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