Page 111 of Home to the Hollow

“I’m exhausted, Seer. It was time to cool off.” I pat the seat next to me, sitting with my chin on Wolfie’s shoulder. He beams at her and I laugh softly. I’ve known no one so comfortable being loved on than him.

“Now she’s taking my seat! Make room, Boone. Your lap will have to do,” Doyle complains, sidling up to Teddy while batting his lashes.

Teddy glares at him. “Get fucked, leprechaun.” His lips curve and he jerks his chin at Prez. “You can sit if you like Hamilton.”

I blink, turning to look at him as Wolfie and Seer snort behind their hands. “Did we all get drugged again?”

“I’m being friendly! You said to stop arguing,” Teddy smirks, patting his lap. “You didn’t saywhoI had to be friendly with.”

“For feck’s sake, Peanut. I have trouble with three; how in the bloody Hades do you put up with four of them?” Seer makes a face at me as Tharin sits in the chair and makes room for her and Zasha. Julia stands by his shoulder, but she gives the two sitting on her enormous consort a fond smile.

Same girl, same.

“I have no idea, Seer. Every day I wake up and wonder if today is the day I become a mass murderer. I mean, like you said…four.” I yell when either Prez or Teddy pinch my ass hard in retaliation.

Before she can respond, Mayor Nelia approaches with Zareb in tow. “If it isn’t the infamous Miss Whitley and her motley crew! I see you’re making waves yet again.”

My cheeks flush bright red as I look at the elegant woman dressed in what must be a bespoke Queen of Wakanda costume. “Yes, ma’am. I felt the party needed a little levity.”

“What does the song say? You said ‘this looks like a job for me’?” Nelia gives me a mischievous grin.

Teddy raises his glass at her. “If chaos is present, either this Irish asshole or our girl are present.”

“Sometimes both,” Doyle chimes in, looking proud. “She’s a brilliant student.”

“Where have you been, Nelia? We missed you when we came in,” Prez asks, looking up at her curiously. “It’s not like you to be tardy.”

Her eyes widen and there’s a slight shake to her hand as she waves him off. “We’re all getting older, Mr. Hamilton. It took me longer to get ready this evening.”

I frown, a weird sensation prickling over my body. She lied; that was a complete falsehood, and it’s making me itch from head to toe. What in the hell? Squirming, I rub my cheek on Wolfie’s shoulder to keep from scratching my face.

“What’s wrong, sugarplum?” he asks, looking down at me in concern.

“I don’t know,” I mutter, wiggling in my chair again as the feeling continues to spread through my limbs. I have no idea why every time I turn around, I have some sort of physical ailment. This town is making me paranoid; I swear.

“Psst.” Teddy crooks his finger at Wolfie, and Prez rolls his eyes as he hops off to switch places with my McDreamy vet.

I wrap my arms around him, smiling up at his handsome face. His glasses worked perfectly with the costume and I haven’t gotten to see him enough today to tell him how adorable he looks. His fingertips brush my jaw, but he watches Teddy whisper in Wolfie’s ear. A frown forms and I tug his face back to me. “Jealous, baby?”

He snorts. “Not even a little. Just curious about what they’re planning, magpie. Boone loves to cause trouble, and Lucy loves to please people. There’s a little praise kink in our boy, you know.”

“Duh,” I mutter, reaching up to tiptoe my fingers over his chest. “I was only making sure. You’re all so… important to me. I don’t want there to be secrets.”

His eyes widen, and his expression is panicked. “Who said anything about secrets?”

Arching a brow, I shrug. His response is unsettling and paired with that weird feeling I’m getting from Nelia as she chats with Doyle. It’s not good. “No one.”

“Good. Because there aren’t any. Secrets, I mean,” he adds hastily.

That doesn’t feel suspicious at all.

Witches Burn

Nelia sent her pet seer along for the ride. His powers are not useful for battle or capture, but I can understand her desire to trigger his gifts. Even if he is forbidden from directly impacting the timeline, he will report to his patrons and if they feel the Society needs certain details, they will share them.

Of course, that’s assuming the whims of the most powerful extranormals on the planet benefit us. Human myths speak of their volatile tempers and capricious emotions—they’re not wrong. The tales of triumph and failure because of their kind, regardless of affinity, are littered with subtle warnings about their lack of compassion for beings other than themselves.

The Society has an alliance with every major group of deities for hundreds of years, but that does not make them trustworthy. They exist for their own amusement and nothing more. Their glory days of being worshipped by humans and supes alike are long over and they no longer seek to protect or guide us. However, good relations with the pantheons are needed for us to function.

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