Page 155 of Sigils & Spells

A light knock came from the door jamb, then Morana and Amaryllis filed in.

Amaryllis stretched out across the bed on her stomach and Morana took a seat on the floor.

When Natalie showed up, then Rowan a few moments later, Pippa knew Tempest must have left the door open on purpose.

The only one missing was Jo.

Nope. There she was, sliding in the door and slipping down to sit with her back against the wall.

Pippa leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

She knew they wanted her to talk, but she had no idea what to say.

For long moments, no one said anything, then Tempest asked Morana a question and she answered, then slowly, conversations started all over the room as everyone chatted quietly, leaving Pippa to her thoughts.

She had none, though.

She was completely hollowed out.

Had no idea what to think or say or do.

Her life had been on one trajectory and now it was spun all the way around, heading in the opposite direction.

It was being banished all over again, only this time, she could barely breathe through the pain and the hope and the fear.

“I don’t know what to do.”

Everyone fell silent.

“It’s not supposed to be like this. I’m a witch. We’re supposed to have a choice, get to date, decide for ourselves. Fated mates are for shifters and for people who want to be part of something more, to be half or a third or whatever of a whole.

“I’m whole already and I hate this idea, I’ve always hated this idea of becoming less than what I am just so that I can be part of something else.”

“Why do you think having a mate means becoming less?” Jo asked.

“It just does, okay? That’s what relationships require. They’re all about compromise and living for someone else. Fated mates are even worse about it. Once you knot your souls together, it’s highly unlikely one will survive without the other. You literally tie your life to another’s and hope it all works out.”

“You don’t believe it will work out between you and Jared?” Natalie asked.

“I don’t know. There’s no way to know. You just take a leap of faith and expect it all to work out, but it rarely does. It rarely does.”

“Why do you say that?” Natalie asked. “I’ve never heard of a fated mating that’s failed.Never.”

“And how many witch marriages do you know of that have succeeded?”

Natalie sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe thirty or forty percent. It’s higher among the older generations though.”

Pippa nodded. “What about the rest of you?”

“About the same,” Jo said. “But I have some witch friends who are mated to shifters and those matings are solid, like titanium. I’ve never known one to fail.”

“So because I’m lucky enough to have a shifter mate, you think the odds are better. Is that what you’re saying?”

“Actually, no,” Jo said. “I think any shifter mating has the potential to be as miserable as a human or witch one. It requires commitment and a desire to put the other person first.

“In the case of shifter matings, it’s very much their instinct to make sure their mates are happy, so that kind of selflessness is pretty much guaranteed, but that doesn’t mean they don’t still have to work at the relationship. And putting someone else first is never easy, no matter who you are.”

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