Page 19 of Starlight Witch

“You’re right. Even though I’m terrified to find out, I need to. All right. I’ll text him back and I’ll let you know what he says. But if it’s bad, I may need to come over and eat my weight in ice cream while you hold my hand.”

She laughed at that. “I think that’s in the best-friend contract. It covers handholding and helping broken hearts. Let me know what he says.”

I stared at the silent phone, and then, before I could chicken out, I texted Kyle back. what the hell were you doing? how could you screw up something so bad? i want an explanation. and i want it now.

I set the phone on the log and held my face up to the wind, letting the biting gusts hit me full force. It felt good, in a painful way. It woke me up, bracing me for what Kyle might say. I sat like that until it rang. It was Kyle.

Taking a deep breath, I answered.

“Hey,” Kyle said as I answered the phone when he called.

“I want an explanation. You’d better have a good one.”

There was a silence, and then Kyle let out a long sigh.

“I have an explanation, but I don’t think you’re going to like it.”

“Try me,” I said.

“I had a talk with the elders the other day. They asked me some pointed questions about you. Apparently, the guards reported that you were at the hospital a lot. Once Faron woke up, the council wanted to know everything that happened between the two of you. Apparently, he hadn’t mentioned you to them before this.”

That stung, but I tried to keep my focus. “And you told them?”

“I can’t lie to them, Elphyra. I had to tell them that you and Faron were…together…before the attack. They weren’t pleased and they blame you for his condition. They can’t directly confront him about it, because…well…he’s the King. But they made it clear to me that during the rest of his recovery, if he starts to remember you I’m to put a stop to things. I told them that right now he thinks of you as a friend.”

“What did they say?” I held my breath.

“They told me that as soon as he remembers, or even begins to remember, I’m to step in and then report back to them.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. When he’s ready to take the throne again, he can do what he wants. How is this going to change anything in the long run?” I paused and then added, “And what’s so objectionable about me, anyway?”

“You know exactly what the problem is. You’re a witch. He’s a wolf shifter. Our kind and your kind don’t get along and we certainly can’t allow marriage. And Faron can’t do just anything he wants. He may be king but he answers to the elders. The council prefers to keep the bloodline pure. A child from a mixed union wouldn’t be welcome in our Pack. And a child of mixed heritage could never claim the throne. Faron wouldn’t be allowed to acknowledge an heir from you as his own.”

“You’re talking about children, and Faron and I haven’t even delineated what our relationship is.”

“Perhaps not, but there’s also the fact that… Elphyra, you could never claim the throne beside him. You could never be queen of the Pack. Our people wouldn’t allow it. The best you could hope for is to be his mistress. Even though he is King, he must abide by our traditions. The elders made this clear when we talked a couple days ago, and I’ve been thinking about it since then. I couldn’t tell you yet. I didn’t want you to carry the weight of this knowledge on your shoulders. I was hoping that Faron wouldn’t remember anything about you other than you’re a friend. But this morning, when he asked me to call you, I needed to know for sure. When he pulled you into his arms… I’ve already contacted the elders.”

“So you interrupted to throw him off. So he wouldn’t remember.” My heart was on the floor, quietly getting trampled on.

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. When he wakes up from the migraine, chances are he won’t remember the meeting. If he doesn’t, then I’m going to let it lie and I ask you to keep away for now.”

“What if he does remember?” Everything was just getting bleaker as the moments passed.

“Then I’ll have to deal with it. But I can’t allow you to continue pursuing him. The King is in a delicate situation right now, and I can’t allow his health to be undermined—either his physical health or his emotional state. Please don’t try to contact Faron on your own. I guarantee you it won’t end well.”

I started to argue but the line went silent. I stared at my phone, humiliated and furious.

The wind suddenly rushed through, chilling me to the bone. Staring up at the sky, I willed it to rain. I wanted it to rain hard, and steady, to bring in the clouds and thunder and rain. I needed to match my mood against the storms. But the sky remained partially overcast, and the diffuse light taunted me. I made my way back up the steps, brokenhearted and wanting justice. But somehow, I didn’t think I was going to get it.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Grams and I began cooking for Thanksgiving the next day. I hadn’t told her what had happened with Kyle, but she could tell something was wrong. I had, however, called Bree. She said she was coming over and I decided to wait until she got here to tell Grams.

“Are you okay? You look tired today,” Grams said.

I stared at the pumpkin filling I was mixing up. Grams was making the pie crusts. “I didn’t sleep well.”

“Did Bran upset you last night?” She fitted the crust into the pie plates, using a fork to crimp the edges against the rim.

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