Page 99 of Research with Rivals
“I have news.”
Both Mom and Stephen looked up. I’d never been shy about my accomplishments, but all of a sudden, this felt weird. Was it an accomplishment to have so much magic that I was deemed next in line to be Vesten Point?
Maybe? It might have also been something I was born with, and I had these two to thank for it.
They both stared, waiting for me to proceed as I considered this question. The memory of Ambrose’s notes returned to me—the idea that he’d tracked the increasing range of my magical detection. That he’d noticed such things made my heart soar. It also indicated that the answer to my question wasn’t so straightforward. The power that made me the next Vesten Point must be a little of what I’d been born with and a little of how I continued to test and flex my magic and grow my abilities. I wondered if Ambrose knew how much he’d helped me with the Vesten magic. For the first time, I wished I had a stupid notebook to match his so I could remind myself to tell him.
And now I had completely lost the thread of what I needed to tell my parents. I cleared my throat, reorienting. “I didn’t get the Vesten historian position.”
“Oh, honey.” Mom stood and was almost around the table when I realized how that sounded.
“Oh, wait, that wasn’t the end.” I tried again. “I didn’t get the Vesten historian position, because I was disqualified due to being named the next Vesten Point.”
Mom froze, her eyes wide. She didn’t know much about fae society, but she knew that title. Stephen rose to his feet, a smile playing on his lips, his head tilting in question.
“What—” she started. “How—” She looked to Stephen for help. He glanced at me like he was unsure if I wanted him to intrude on this moment. I wasn’t sure I did, but it was clear Mom wanted him there, and my next question would impact his life as much as hers.
I needed to attempt to clear the air between us first.
“I know it wasn’t your fault that you were away from us,” I said to Stephen.
Words wouldn’t fix this, but it was a starting point. Our relationship would need time to evolve. The hurt I’d felt from his absence had rooted deep, but Mom wasn’t the only one who deserved this. I thought about what I wanted: Mom happy, those who loved me close. If it hadn’t been Stephen’s choice to be away from me, he probably fit into that group, too. I needed to give us a chance to find out.
“I’ve told myself for the last twenty years that you didn’t want me. I know it was my twisted form of self-defense, but it’s still not something that will disappear overnight. But if you’re interested in getting to know me as an adult, I’d like to know you as well.”
I glanced at Mom. Her smile filled her whole face, so broad it looked painful. Her eyes were already watering as I continued.
“Mom and I had a dream of living at Compass Lake. We’d have one of the cottages as our own. We’d be one of the first human families to live among the Vesten.” I glanced between the two of them. Stephen moved closer to Mom, and she grabbed his hand for support, her knuckles white with how hard she squeezed.
“I know this is a little different, but I still need to move to Compass Lake for this position. I will live in Vesten House, but it would still bring me a lot of joy if you two would consider moving to the Vesten neighborhood anyway.”
It wasn’t easy, exactly, but the words flowed more freely. Every opportunity Ambrose had taken to press me on what I wanted … they’d paid off. It was Mom and Stephen’s decision whether they came, but I could tell them what I wanted and let them choose. That was progress.
Mom glanced at Stephen, her question written plainly on her face. It was a true testament to Stephen’s commitment that he saw it, too. “If your mom wants to move and wants me to come with her, I will, happily.”
I glanced out the window at the flowers that grew so high they were visible beyond the sill, and Mom flung herself at Stephen. Moments later, she threw herself at me.
“Honey, I don’t quite know what all of this means, but I am so proud of you. I know you’ll be able to do everything you dreamed of in this position.”
I hugged her back and smiled at Stephen over her shoulder. “I think so, too.”
My conversationwith Carter before he left was simple. We’d have a formal announcement to the Vesten Court at the nextmeeting, which would be in ten days. He’d asked that I fully relocate by that time. I got the sense he had understated the urgency of hisother commitments.The current Vesten Point was slowly tearing in two, and my running the court would allow him to be pulled in the direction of his preference—beyond the Veil.
He promised to help with my veil cat. He’d tell me everything he knew about the shifted form, including how to reach him when he left the realm. Something like fear spiked through me at the thought, especially after reading the journal’s details of the passage.
Terrifying? Probably, but I wouldn’t find a better teacher for this particular set of skills, and my veil cat trusted him. Which I now knew meant I trusted him.
“Did you decide on the historian position?” Carter asked with a glance over my shoulder. Ambrose had entered the Great Room as he asked. We might no longer have been connected by blood magic, but my fire magic burned for him at every opportunity.
I nodded. “Ambrose will take the position. He will fulfill the duties from Compass Lake. He won’t be there quite as quickly. I believe he needs more time to help his family move.”
Carter nodded like he had expected this response. “And what about your family?”
“My parents will also relocate to Compass Lake.”
Again, he nodded. “Wonderful. I will see you soon, then.”
Ambrose and I had cataloged the rest of my work. He would do most of it; no one else studied blood magic like we did, but he seemed eager for the new challenge now that he’d decided for himself to test on living things. He would also spend his extra time in Sandrin helping Gabriel find new researchers to train. I heard him advocate with all the authority of his new positionthat we should find someone with a particular interest in blood magic.
