Page 53 of Counting Quarters

Chapter Twenty Three

Kyle

TheQuarterscalleda Watchtower covenstead. It was the first one they officially called as a unit since Silas was stripped of his position. The whole town was talking about it, even those who weren’t a part of the coven. Everyone wanted to know what the Quarters had to say. So much so, people who hadn’t been to a meeting in years were considering attending.

They were going to share the news about the animals that kept popping up and what they thought it meant for the future of Beacon Grove. Mayor Douglas and his council had no idea. If they did, they would have fought against it with everything they had. But Lux and Remy thought their coven deserved to know about the threat that loomed, and Rhyse and Enzo were ready to begin the war against the Movement.

“I can’t wait to watch Douglas’ face turn purple when we expose him,” Enzo mused as we walked through the woods. Rhyse barked out a laugh, and they went back and forth about how repulsive they found each old, decrepit member of the council.

The covenstead would be held in the community center, just like most of the town meetings. It was the largest space the town had to offer to hold as many people as they anticipated would attend. The last time we planned a meeting this large, Rayner was still openly spewing his Movement propaganda to anyone that would listen.

“What are we going to tell them about Blaire?” Storie asked from the other side of me. She and Remy were holding hands, with Blaire trailing one step behind them.

“Tabitha doesn’t think we should reveal her yet,” Lux answered from ahead. He was leading the group through the worn-down trail.

I glanced back at Blaire and caught the end of her eye roll.

“I agree with her,” I said, earning a sneer from the peppy redhead. I discretely winked and smirked at her and faced forward again.

“At this point, she’s one of the only secret weapons we’ve got,” Remy added in a low voice, darting his eyes around for any sign of someone trying to listen in.

They raised a privacy spell around us, but there was no way to know for certain if it worked against whatever magic the Movement was using.

The other three muttered their agreement, and it was Storie’s turn to look back and offer her friend a remorseful look.

I felt out of place walking with the pack of twenty-somethings. Tabitha asked me to escort them to the meeting so she could get to the community center ahead of time and look for any potential traps or surprises. Of course, she asked for the favor without any of their knowledge, fully aware how offended they would be if they ever found out she thought they needed a babysitter.

Truthfully, all of them were far better equipped for protection than I was, but I agreed nonetheless. At the very least, it gave me the chance to keep an eye on Blaire, who I was growing more and more protective of with each passing day.

The memory of the feel of her skin against mine last night flashed through my mind. I let it go too far. I knew it. But nothing about it felt wrong at the moment, and there had to be a reason for that. I pushed the thoughts away before I could beat myself up over it any more. Or before I had to adjust myself in front of a group of four guys who would know exactly what I was doing.

“Well, I’m not much of a weapon if I don’t even know how to use my gifts,” Blaire complained.

“We’ll train you,” Remy assured gently.

“Yeah, Granger. I’ll spar with you,” Rhyse said with a wicked smile.

“No thanks.”

Rhyse lifted his hand to his chest in mock offense. “Why not?”

“Because you just want an excuse to throw flames at me, and I might not be able to control my gifts, but I’ll still kick your ass.”

Rhyse and Enzo laughed again, slowing their pace to wrap their arms around Blaire’s neck, and I fought the urge to rip them off.

“We’d never try to hurt you, Little B. We just want to have some fun,” Enzo razzed.

“Yeah, it’s been a while since we had someone new to spar with. Enzo turns into The Hulk too quickly these days. I hardly have a chance to practice before he’s an all-out animal.”

Blaire made a disgusted face and shook them both off of her. “You’re insufferable.”

“Why don’t you start by shifting the streets so we can get there on time,” Lux offered over his shoulder. “Since Enzo is so distracted.”

She huffed out an irritated breath, and the path changed before us. It was like we’d jumped forward at least five hundred feet. I had seen Tabitha do the same thing, but I didn’t realize it was part of the gift.

“I’m not that inexperienced,” she mumbled, and then did it again.

Mayor Douglas looked like he wanted to disappear from his spot in the front of the crowded gymnasium. He requested to sit on the stage with the Quarters, as he had always done when Silas Forbes was in charge of these meetings, but they unanimously refused. Instead, he was stuck between the four men who were going to expose his secrets, and the crowd full of people who would want answers from him.

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