Page 56 of Calling Quarters

“I can try to talk to them, but there's no guarantee they'll come.”

I didn't want to reveal that there was a chance theycouldn'tcome. That a hike through dense, uncleared woods might kill them faster than the Movement or Watchtower ever could.

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Three hours later, the six of us hiked in a single line through Lux's property until we saw the outline of an old log cabin set beside the creek. It shouldn't have taken as long as it did to get there, though I was sure that if it were just the four of us, we'd take twice the amount of time. Rhyse, Lux, and Enzo stubbornly pushed through their extreme fatigue to avoid allowing a Granger to see them fall.

Pride was apparently a strong motivator. The thought crossed my mind that maybe I should let Blaire go off on them the way she had with me. That might get them fueled enough to actually fight this thing.

“This place is a dump,” Rhyse said as soon as we pried open the rotted wood door.

Blaire glared at him and Storie held the same bewildered expression she's had since we met up with the three of them.

“It should be an easy cleanup for the most powerful witches in Beacon Grove,” Blaire retorted sarcastically.

The three exchanged glances, a wordless conversation passing between them. They could try to hide it as hard as they liked but anyone who knew them could see how feeble they had become in the past few weeks.

“Why is she here?” Enzo asked me, earning a growl from the feisty redhead.

“Why are any of us here? This rotted heap of wood is way less protected than our homes. If there really is some sort of uprising, I wouldn't want to be caught here.” Rhyse purposely turned his body away from Blaire, making it easier to ignore her dramatic facial expressions.

Lux was slowly walking around the space, his eyes assessing the aged home skeptically. Blaire was in the middle of berating Rhyse once again over not being strong enough to lift his own protection spells when Lux finally turned and gave us his attention again.

“She's right, Rhyse. Let's not try to stand here and pretend our gifts are what they once were. The Grangers and Storie clearly know more than we want them to.” He pinned Storie down with his intimidating stare, silently accusing her of knowing too much. Of sharing too much.

She shriveled away a bit and my chest vibrated with a deep, soft growl. I surprised everyone by taking a step between them and grabbing her hand in mine. “I don't think this is the time to point fingers. Especially when she's been nothing but helpful.”

Lux's brow quirked up in surprise. This was the first time we'd ever been in a disagreement of any sort. Rhyse and Enzo were usually the one's picking fights with everyone. But he couldn't treat my Counter that way and get away with it.

None of them could.

“What aren't you telling us, Wildes?” Enzo stepped closer to Lux and Rhyse followed suit, drawing an invisible line between us.

“Oh, for goddess’ sake. They don't even know?” Blaire yelled incredulously, her hands waving in the air. “You four need to get it together. Seriously, you're an absolute mess.”

She waved her hand between us, ignoring our shocked expressions. “She's his Counter. Not sure how you missed that one since you've supposedly been trained to spot her from miles away,” she explained unceremoniously.

Three pairs of eyes swung to Storie as they realized what she said. When my arm lifted across her chest protectively, their stances widened, ready to fight.

I did the same.

Blaire scoffed from the side in jest, rolling her eyes toward the ceiling. “You three don't have a snowflake's chance in Hell against him as long and she's here and your Counters are off in the wild somewhere, hiding from you.”

“Does she have an off button?” Enzo growled.

“Someone needs to explain what's happening,” Rhyse called out, his glare locked on me.

Lux was the first to relax.

“This is why you've retained your gift,” he mused. “Hunting our counters… It was another lie from our fathers. And you've known all this time.”

“No, I haven't. I suspected something was off about her and you three blew it off. I knew I couldn't tell you until I figured out how to explain that everything we know is a lie.”

“How does it work, then?”

I hesitated for a beat, giving my heart a moment to stop racing and step out of fight mode. When I dropped my arm from across her chest, Rhyse and Enzo followed the lead and relaxed.

“I'm still not entirely clear. But it's like she fuels me. There's this massive amount of power that moves between us every time we're near each other. I couldn't risk losing her if you guys chose not to listen.”

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