Page 22 of Enemies By Fate

I chuckle at the mental image of Malachi in his earlier years wreaking havoc on the estate.

“No, really, I don’t think I will.”

“It might be fun. You could show us how to do spells,” Warrick presses.

Shaking my head, I replace the book in my hand back in the box. “No, I mean… I didn’t really practice magic that often. I’m not a witch, so it’s never felt natural to me.”

He appears startled by the revelation. “Aren’t you part of a coven?”

“I mean… yes… but no,” I mutter, trying to explain it to him. “The witches never really accepted me as one of them, so I never went above and beyond what was expected by my mom. They always knew I wasn’t a witch, even if they didn’t know exactly what I was. They tolerated me because of my mom. Then when I started shifting, they really didn’t want me around. I guess shifters and witches don’t work together well?”

“That’s not always true,” Warrick sighs, but he avoids my eyes. “They just try to keep their lives separate—like us with humans.”

I trail off and smile weakly at Warrick. “It’s hard to explain.”

“No, I think I get it,” he says gruffly after a pause. “When my brothers and I took over the Apex Alpha roles, when I was nineteen—after our parents died—we faced something similar. Respect wasn’t easy to come by, especially as teenage Alphas. It felt like we had to prove ourselves every step of the way, just to be tolerated.”

Our gazes meet, and we share a weak grin.

“On the subject of witches…” I mumble, clearing my throat and breaking the moment between us. “I should get in touch with my mom and let her know I’m safe. She’ll be worried.”

I cringe as I hear the words aloud.

Am I safe? Or am I getting ahead of myself?

To my relief, Warrick nods. “That can be arranged,” he agrees. “I’ll have a phone brought to you.”

My eyes narrow slightly. “That was easy.”

He grunts and heads for the door. “We’re not the ones who came for you, Poppy. You came for us.”

Shamed, I hang my head. “Warrick!” I call out before he can leave.

He pauses at the door and looks back. “Did Asher talk to you about speaking to the prisoner in the underground cells?”

A look of discomfort crosses his face. “Let’s discuss that tomorrow.”

His response disheartens me, but at least I’ll get a chance to call Sadie today and let her know I’m all right. Small wins, I suppose. I shouldn’t push my luck, considering.

“Thank you,” I say, struggling to hide my disappointment.

He doesn’t respond, and then he leaves, and I’m left wondering what will happen next.

Asher delivers a cell phone to me a few minutes later, and I eye him as he makes himself comfortable in the sitting room. It’s clear he has no intention of leaving me alone to call Sadie.

“Can I have some privacy?” I ask, already expecting the answer.

He shakes his head. “No,” he replies conversationally. “For all we know, you’re calling in reinforcements.”

I laugh aloud. “How? No one can come to your town without an invitation from you!”

Stubbornly, Asher shakes his head. “I’m not leaving.”

Smothering a groan, I accept my fate and dial out, but to my chagrin, Sadie’s phone goes directly to voicemail.

Is she at the hospital? Out looking for me?

“Hi, it’s me,” I say, glancing over at Asher. “I’m fine, everything is fine,” I tell Sadie’s voicemail. “You don’t need to worry about me. I’ll try to call you again soon, okay?”

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