Page 24 of Which Witch Is Wicked?
“I do have a question that has nothing to do with what you’ve told me. I need to know the truth. Did you or one of the other Horsemen steal Grim?”
“Grim? As in Grimoire? No, Claire, I did not, and as far as I know, none of the others have possession of it either.”
She let his words settle, waiting for a sign of deception. When none came, a blessed wave of relief washed over her. “Okay. Good. It’s hard enough to explain you to my sisters when you’re trying to kill them. The missing Grimoire doesn’t help.”
“I understand.”
She supposed he might. “One more thing. If I asked you not to kill any of them, either, could you promise me you won’t?”
A drawn out silence crept through the airwaves, leaving her uneasy.
“It’s not that simple, love. I’m honor bound to my duty to stop the Apocalypse. If the opportunity presents itself to do just that, I don’t believe I could walk away. It’s ingrained in my very essence.”
“I thought you said I was now ingrained into your essence.”
“‘Tis true you are. Which is why you are safe from harm…at least from me.”
“But not my sisters?”
“I do not wish to take their lives, Claire. To know the damage that would do to you pains me greatly. But I cannot guarantee their safety in my presence. I would like to think I could resist for your sake, but I might have to kill one of them to save you.”
She released a weighted sigh. “I see.”
“I cannot predict the outcome of unfolding events. My gut tells me what we know is only what’s scratched on the surface. There is certainly more.”
“More information that you know but can’t say. More that none of us know. How do we fight that?” How did any of them make the world okay?
“The way any good soldier would. Make solid plans. Stay alert. Conduct surveillance. Strike when the enemy is weak, and, most importantly, never back down from a valiant cause.”
“You’re right. My sisters and I will stay strong. Though it seems we’re on opposite sides from you and your Horsemen, I believe, ultimately, we’re all fighting for the same thing.”
“Exactly. Good night, Claire. Sweet dreams.”
“Good night, Drustan.” She didn’t want their call to end…ever. But life moved forward, carrying all of them with it. Still, if she and Dru could find a way to communicate, perhaps the rest could as well. If they could find a way to work together instead of against each other, they all might have a chance. But that was like asking elements of fire and water to combine forces when neither could survive in the presence of the other. Though they did unite to create new forms of elements, which may not be a bad outcome after all.
Despite their continually darkening circumstances, a glimmer of hope burned brightly within in her heart.
11
Claire stood in the sunny kitchen and filled her cup nearly to the brim with her favorite chai tea. She still housed some resentment for her sisters interrupting her potentially thrilling evening, but she longed to have everything back to normal with them as well.
Still, they’d never understand her connection to Dru, never understand what it was like to suck out a person’s soul and leave a loved one nothing more than a shell just because she showed her love. They had no idea how aching and empty that experience could leave a person.
Dru was immune to her destruction. She could love him, and he’d never die. Destiny seemed determined that they were a match. She had no desire to argue.
But how did she explain all that to her sisters? She supposed she had to try.
Tierra’s singing drifted in from the solarium where her sister tended her plants while she crooned with Stevie Nicks. Claire should talk to her. Tierra obviously still harbored feelings for Killian, even if she didn’t act on them. She carried his child, for heaven’s sake.
Perhaps she would understand.
Just as Claire swiveled, she caught sight of a woman with long, blond hair walking toward the pathway leading to the front of the house. The same lady Claire had nearly knocked over the day she’d run from Sirens to escape the Horsemen.
The woman stopped as though stunned by the wards Claire and her sisters had placed around the house, and Claire set down her mug, prepared to sound an alarm. Then Aunt Justine appeared, smiled at her companion, and together they approached the house.
Apparently, neither of the women meant them any harm.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to pass through the wards.
