Page 54 of Witch Unexpected
“Help yourself to whatever you want,” Sloane said. “It’s quite a trek to the cabin. You’ll need your energy.”
“The cabin?”
“It’s where Charlotte lives with her mates,” Pen said, spooning egg onto her plate. “We’ll head there after breakfast. So, eat up.” She handed me the ladle for the eggs.
Bramble shoved a wad of bacon into her mouth and chewed. “Cora can jump there, can’t you, Cor?” She nudged me.
“I can.” No need to go into details as to why I wouldn’t, though.
Sloane’s full lips lifted in a smirk. “But you won’t.” Her gaze dropped to the amulet around my neck. “I heard about your pest problem.”
“Well then, you know the score.” I gave her a tight smile and began piling up my plate.
I was hungry, and nothing came between me and my food, not even new acquaintances and awkward conversation.
“So, I assume you’re some kind of bigwig here? I mean, you have a special table, after all.”
Pen gasped, but Sloane looked unperturbed by my question. “We’re The Elites,” she said. “The highest-ranking unit of witches with the most revenant dispatches in Grimswood history.”
“I’m sure that’s impressive shit, but I have no idea what any of that means. Care to elaborate?”
She leaned forward, her arms braced on the table, and looked deep into my eyes. My stomach did a weird flip.
“It’s so much more fun if I show you,” she purred.
Pen let out a squeak. “Sloane, with all due respect, this is the anchor. You can’t just take—”
Sloane whipped her head round to pin Pen with a glare. “I can’t what?” She tipped her head to the side. “I can’t show the woman who’s about to give up her freedom, her right to fuck and procreate, why she has to do it? I can’t show her first-hand a fraction of the danger she’s protecting us from by making this huge sacrifice?”
Pen looked thrown. “But the danger…”
“She’ll be with me,” Sloane said. “Undermyprotection.”
Pen snapped her mouth closed and nodded. “Of course.”
“So, Cora…” Sloane said. “Do you want to come on patrol with us tonight?” She sat back and shrugged. “You don’t have to. I understand if you’re too scared.”
She swung from advocating for me to taunting me. Who was this woman? I kinda wanted to find out, and I also kinda wanted her to know I wasn’t a sit-on-my-ass-and-do-nothing kind of chick, but like she’d said a moment ago, that shit was better when it was shown.
I took a sip of my tea and looked thoughtful. “And you’ll be there to protect me?” I gave her a wide-eyed look.
She frowned slightly, then nodded. “Of course.”
“In that case, I’d love to.”
Chapter Thirteen
“Cora!” Wren barreled into me outside the dining hall.
“Hey, buddy, where have you been?”
“Exploring with Dottie,” he said. “Then I made a friend. Her name is Jules. She’s making scones in the kitchens. Can I help?”
“Wren, you don’t need my permission, remember?”
He nodded as if to say,yeah, yeah. “But can I?”
“Sure.”
