Page 35 of Shadow's End

I sucked in air and tried to chase the insight down, desperate to get more information. But it was moonlight quick and just as impossible to catch.

“Monty,” I said abruptly, “you and Belle need to come stay at the café until all of this is over. You can even bring that wretched cat of yours with you.”

His gaze swung to mine. “I can protect?—”

“I know, but thanks to Roger, Marie knows how vital Belle is to me. She will go through you to get to Belle if things go bad.”

Or if we didn’t back off.

A shiver stole through my soul. I’d come close to losing Belle once before. I did not want to go through that ever again.

Monty studied me for a second. “A premonition? Or just being extra cautious?”

I hesitated. “Both? I mean, I’ve seen nothing definite, but destruction is coming, and I can’t risk losing either of you.”

A smile tugged at his lips. “I’m glad to be included in that.”

I nudged him far harder than he had me, sending him sideways with enough force that he had to throw a hand down onto the rock to steady himself. “Idiot. You know that you’re the one family member aside from Mom that I can stand.”

“Speaking of your mother, it might be worth talking to her about what is happening here. Not with the vampires. With you and the wellspring.”

I frowned. “We can’t risk the high council?—”

“She already knows about the wild magic, Liz, and she has contacts that we don’t. There must be information about the Fenna somewhere in this damn world. She wants to help you. Wants to help her granddaughter. I think you should let her.”

“I don’t know, Monty?—”

“It takes a village to raise a child,” he cut in softly. “And you have that village here, with all of us. But your child will never be ordinary, and we all need to know what we might be facing—whatshemight be facing—in the future.”

I drew in a deeper breath and released it slowly. He was right. I knew he was right. But I’d spent well over ten years running from my family and relying on no one else except Belle. The habit was so ingrained it remained hard to break.

But I also wanted—maybe even needed—to mend more bridges with Mom. This might be a good way of doing that.

“When did you get so damn smart?”

He laughed. “I’ll grab some clothes once we finish here and then drive over to the café.” He paused, and though his voice retained its seriousness, there was a twinkle in his eyes. “Just as well Red is safely tucked away in off-site storage. I’d hate for something to happen to her if they hit our place.”

I rolled my eyes. Red was his classic Mustang and, according to Belle, he was so in love with the damn thing he crooned to it when he polished it. Monty denied loving it more than Belle, of course, but it was a pretty close thing in my opinion.

The caress of Belle’s spell faded, and she turned, walking toward us. Her face was drawn and her silvery eyes flat, without their usual sparkle—both a sign of just how much energy she’d used. Monty immediately jumped up and went to her side, catching her elbow and helping her up the slight slope to where we’d been sitting.

I rose. “We need to get you back to the café?—”

She raised an eyebrow. “So you can feed me one of your terrible potions? No way.”

“The poor woman is so weary she’s getting confused,” I said to Monty. “It’s her potions that are foul. Mine at least contain honey to sweeten the experience.”

“Sorry, my love,” Monty said, his grip on her tightening a little as she briefly wavered. “But I’ve tasted your energizing concoctions and, trust me, she’s underselling their hideousness.”

“Ungrateful, the pair of you.” She reached for her pack, but I picked it up before she could. She sniffed but didn’t otherwise object. “I take it we’re going back to the café because of the portents of doom you had moments ago?”

I nodded. “I just … need to be sure you’re both safe.”

“And Aiden?”

“After the whole not-really-a-dream confrontation with Marie this morning, we’d already decided to temporarily relocate.”

“And won’t that please his fucking mother,” she said. “I daresay she’ll use it as more ammunition against you.”

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