Page 43 of Moonlit Alexandrite

She had been looking out for me for years.

I hoped she took Dion up on his offer because she deserved better than that jerk of a boss.

The longer I stared at the planter boxes, the more I could make out different shades and patterns within the wreckage. There was a kind of beauty in the destruction, a reduction to the particles that all life is made of. But there were no answers.

Why was someone doing this?

What had I done to this person to make them lash out this way?

My head swam with unanswered questions, and I sank down onto the curb to cradle it in my hands. It occurred to me, I had made a habit of sitting in this spot to cope with the shock.

I was missing something here.

A rustle sounded beside me, and a small glance showed me Colbie sliding in close enough to rest her head on my shoulder.

“Fuck them. We’re going to get this place open, and it’s going to be the best damn craft store anyone has ever seen.”

I gave her a weak smile and sat back, tilting my head to look at the summer night sky.

“It will be. I just wish I knew what they wanted.”

Colbie grunted.

“Honestly, babe, some people are just dicks. We’ll find them though, and then we’ll make them regret messing with us.”

I loved her so hard.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Ren

Newt shifted in his sleep as I hung up the call from Dion. When Stone’s number flashed up on my phone, I knew something else had happened. This had gone far enough, and I wouldn’t let my family keep going through it. Lex had worked too hard to build this business to have it taken away from her.

I really didn’t want to do this though.

With a prayer for patience, I pulled out my cell and sent a text to a number that wasn’t saved in my contacts but was still easy to identify by the sheer volume of times I had ignored their calls over the last few months.

Astra’s diner - 9am tomorrow.

They didn’t deserve any niceties, and fates help them if they didn’t show.

“Da?” Newt blinked up at me with huge eyes, the same shade of yellow I saw in the mirror. I searched his face for any trace of her. The curve of his mouth? The furrow to his brow?

Newt had been mine and mine alone since the moment I had learned of his existence. I hated that I hadn’t known earlier, but the way he had bonded with Lex and Colbie gave me hope that blood would not win out.

Although, he had been able to see the mating bond, hadn’t he? That was an irrefutable sign of the witch’s blood in his veins. Before then, it had been easy to pass off any fire affinity as part of his salamander heritage, but this was different. Not that it had any effect on how much I loved him. He was my world and the best kid anyone could ever ask for.

“What are you doing awake?” I asked, gently tracing a finger down his nose. He chuffed and shook me off with a small grin.

“Where is everyone?”

“Still out. Do you want to get some more sleep?”

“No, I wanna show you something.” Newt climbed to his knees and held a hand out. The shy glance he cast me had me leaning forward in anticipation, wondering what he was doing.

He concentrated hard on the palm of his outstretched hand, and time seemed to slow as a spark appeared. It blossomed into a single flame, which then began to roll, gaining size and momentum, until he was holding a fireball.

I whooped in excitement, as it occurred to me that my son could control fire. Salamanders were impervious to the flames, could even spit them when pissed off, but this was something else.

---