Page 75 of The HalloQueen

“That sounds like a lot of excuses to me, Thomas. Did you harvest from someone else instead of coming to me?”

“Annabel, please listen to me and know this - I am sorry. I am sorry that I hurt you. I am sorry thatshehurt you.” He kneeled again between my knees and held my chin in his hand, “It killed me to be parted from you. I didn’t want anyone but you but I could feel myself slipping. Bels, I… I think we’re-”

“Everything okay out here?” My Mama was leaning against the frame of the solarium and looked between the two of us, “You must be Thomas. I’m Sybil Williams. I’ve been assigned your family’s case.”

He frowned, “I’m sorry but you are mistaken, they are not my family, not anymore. The Coalition broke the bond earlier this year. I have no trace or attachment to the Rogue.”

I looked between them and furrowed my brow, “You knew? You know? You knew about this whole fucking Coalition and witch thing? Are you fucking kidding me?” I snapped and felt a silence fall over us. I turned to Mama in surprise, but she was muttering something into her mug and fluttering her fingers downward sealing us into a bubble of silence.

“I assume you’d like some privacy for this conversation, darling.”

“YOU CAN DO THAT?!” I squeaked, “You can just wiggle-wiggle your fingers and suddenly everything goes quiet? What in the actual fu-”

She just grinned at me, “There’s a reason you’ve never heard your mom and I-”

I shouted, “Ah! If you’re about to talk about your sex life you can turn around and go right back inside.”

The witch cackled and turned around, “Don’t invite him in unless we are keeping him, please.”

“I already didn’t invite him in, Sybil, you don’t need to-” I heard my Mom shouting through the house before my Mama closed the sliding door behind her, muffling the conversation.

The silencing bubble was unnerving. We were outside, and yet the sounds of nature and traffic had disappeared, leaving an unsettling hum in their wake.

“She must trust me not to kill you if she’s going to silence us and walk away.”

“I think she’s more worried about me killing you, you French fuck! You knew I was a witch?”

He jumped and shook his head furiously, “Non, amour, I swear to you that I knew you were different and thatwewere different but I had no idea. I didn’t even know your mothers were the witches in the area until Yusuf brought it up yesterday.”

My lips pursed as a fit of unwelcome jealousy ripped through me and an ugly laugh echoed around the bubble, “Right. It’s not just two of you, it’s three. And how is Yusuf? Are you guys back together? Ready to cart Monique off to your happily ever after and pretend this all didn’t happen?”

“You’re kidding with me, right?” He asked dryly.

“No, why would I be joking? You have the opportunity to reunite your family and get out of Quaker’s Wharf. You can take her back to Paris and you guys can get a cute little french apartment and start over.”

“And what makes you think that any part of me wants that?” He bit, “I’ve been honest with you from the beginning that I do not wish to reopen that part of my life.” He gestured to the door, “I just told your mother that I had the bond broken and have no ties to them.”

“So you haven’t been spending this last week with Yusuf?”

“Quoi? Non, I….Oui,but we have been trying to find Monique before she gets us all killed. There’s a limited amount of time to heal an Undead; Yus has to get her back before it’s too late and-”

“So, the short answer is ‘yes.’”

He growled, “Yes. But he needed my help - she’s too strong for him to do it alone and it will be quite the struggle to get her to France with how long she’s been hiding.”

“My moms can’t heal her?”

“Non, chérie.”

“So you’re going to France.”

“Non! Why aren’t you listening to me? They’re going, I’m staying. I belong here with you, Bels.”

I laughed, “Why the fuck would you stay? Our agreement is done in November - frankly, it should be done now. No, you know what? It is done now.” Resolve slid into place, coating my heart in cement, “Not only did you feed from someone else, but you didn’t help me with my anxiety leading up to the launch. None of our deal was adhered to, so there’s no reason to drag this out any longer.”

His face flashed through multiple emotions, confusion, sadness, and rage contorting his features all in the blink of an eye. “Non.”

“Too fucking bad, Frenchie. Deals off.” I stood to go back in the house, wanting to escape from the conversation and my impending panic attack from formally ending our arrangement, but he quickly grabbed my hand and smashed through my metal barrier, coursing through my emotions. He tapped into the fear and sadness that I’d been grappling with all week, as well as the hurt and heartbreak that he’d left behind.”

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