Page 62 of Calling Quarters

“It seems as if you're completely unconcerned with us finding our Counters and gaining our strength back since you've found yours,” Rhyse complained for the hundredth time.

Even Lux and Enzo were growing tired of hearing the same old argument.

“Once we decode the passages in the Book of Shadows, everything will become clear,” I reassured in a bored tone.

That had been our biggest obstacle outside of the darkness. It was safe to assume everything our fathers taught us about Counters was spun in some way to benefit them. Lux thought they purposely didn't teach us the Quarter language so that if we ever got our hands on the book, we still wouldn't be able to read it. He spent hours poring over each page and always ended up with nothing to show for it.

The spirit element threw us off as well. We had no idea what it meant or how it affected us. Was there a fifth Quarter? That hardly seemed to make sense, though we were learning that the most confusing things we found were usually closest to the truth.

I didn't want Storie to hear our bickering and blame herself. She was already upset with the abrupt ending to her visit and condemning herself for the condition of the others when she finally came to. I tried to convince her to escape before they woke to spare her feelings, but she refused to leave their sides. She had fallen asleep waiting for them so she could apologize.

These asshats didn't even care.

“With Samhain behind us, we can work at gaining the trust of our coven and taking our positions back so we have full access to town records and our father's studies.” Lux was always the voice of reason.

“Their studies have been cleared out,” Rhyse whined. He picked at the lint on his pants distractedly.

He was right. Especially now, our fathers were going to keep any information they had about us under lock and key. But it didn't matter. Now that we knew Tabitha Granger had our Book of Shadows, the rest of the information could be anywhere—including her office.

Storie shifted in my arms and her eyes fluttered open. They slowly adjusted to the light and then gazed up at me, a sleepy smile forming on her lips. Just before I leaned down to kiss her, she bolted upright.

“I'm so sorry, you guys. I ruined your chance.” She parroted the same words in self-deprecation that Rhyse had been groaning since he woke up. When I looked down at him, all the anger he'd been spewing at me was wiped from his face.

All talk of the events from the night ceased once she woke up. None of them were willing to dig into her as much as they had already done to me, and she wasn't allowing anyone to tell her she wasn't to blame.

We all agreed on one thing: every piece of information we've received from our fathers was completely unreliable and if we didn't find answers soon, we weren't going to survive this war.

Chapter 35

Storie

“They know, Storie. They know you’re a Counter,” Tabitha’s panicked tone startled me from across the house. She breezed past me and Blaire lounging on the couches and began gathering candles, crystals, dried herbs, and other random items from the altar, shoving them all into a bag.

“What does this mean, Grammy?” Blaire was the first to stand, reaching out to help Tabitha before she was swatted away by old, weathered hands.

“It means they’re coming for you. For all of us.”

My mind reeled, my limbs frozen in place as Tabitha and Blaire buzzed around me, grabbing more to shove into the impossibly large bag.

“Your mother’s stuck at the Rafferty birth, but she’ll join us when she can. Storie, you need to warn Remy that we’re coming.”

Blaire disappeared down the hallway, mumbling to herself.

“To the cabin?” I shook my head, imagining the horrors that would happen with Tabitha Granger under the same roof as all four Quarters. Even Blaire had been a loose cannon around them, and she's far more timid than the woman who raised her. It had only been a few days since Samhain, and they'd barely forgiven me for ruining their chance at finding the truth. They'd never let me live this down.

“No, that's not a good idea. Isn't there anywhere else we can go?”

“Quit worrying and go help Blaire pack a bag. I've gathered your things from your room, they're on Blaire's bed. Only bring the bare minimum,” she instructed.

That was an ironic order considering she appeared to be packing everything except the kitchen sink, but I knew arguing would be a waste.

Blaire was already halfway packed by the time I walked into her room. Tabitha had haphazardly thrown all of my belongings into a large pile on the bed. I was about to turn to Blaire to ask what would be considered essential in this situation when she appeared beside me and dumped out my duffel bag. Small pieces of home that I couldn't bear to part with when I left fell into a mess on the floor.

“We need to move fast,” she said breathlessly as she threw random pieces of clothing into the bag. I reached around her and gathered my toiletry bag and clean underwear just in time for her to swing the top over and zip it shut.

She turned and walked out of the room without another word, shutting the light off on her way. I followed her into the kitchen where she and Tabitha were slinging their bags over their shoulders. One of them shoved a black tote into my chest so hard, it knocked the wind out of me, but I barely had time to recover before the next one was thrown my way. Once we were loaded up, we walked through the unlit hotel office and headed south toward the cabin.

I had walked this exact path enough times to know that the streets did not line up the way they appeared to do with Tabitha and Blaire.

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