Page 38 of Live To Tell

“Violet…”

I wrinkle my nose. “I understand. Don’t insult the elders.”

As long as they don’t insult me or threaten Leif because if they do, my mouth will be very open.

Eloise holds my cheeks in her soft hands. “To be safe, I’ve added a little something extra to your potion to prevent unwanted incidents.”

“In case I attack Grayson again?” I smile. “Thank you.”

She smiles too. “I can’t do anything to change your attraction to Grayson’s blood. I’ve added an extra ingredient in case your relationship with Rowan ‘navigates’ into new territory.” I gawk, speechless. “Or Leif. Preferably not Grayson.”

Finally, I overcome my struggle for words. “Are you saying you’ve added something to repel me from sexual relationships as well as blood?”

Eloise bursts into laughter. “Now, I could see your fathers requesting that if it were possible, but no. We can’t allow you to make the same mistake as Dorian and I.”

The same mistake... “You added a contraceptive to the potion? When?”

“To the one you’re taking with you today. Violet, if you tell me you’ve had no thoughts of sex with any of these guys, I’d accuse you of lies.”

Heat fires my cheeks and I hope she sees this as anger, not a memory of the evening in Rowan’s room and the discussion of the direction we’re headed. “Conversation closed.”

“Alright, but I’m here if you need to talk or want advice.”

“I believe we’ve discussed the topic enough,” I say stiffly.

As we walk back to the house, I’m deflated. I’d expected help from Dorian, for him to listen to my concerns. Then my mother decides to delve into my relationships in an uncomfortable way. I’m returning to the academy no further forward. Seems the tiara will be my investigation, since my narrow-sighted father doesn’t want to dig deeper.

And I meant what I said—when I prove the connection to the other situation that he deems worth investigating, Dorian can apologize to me. Eloise realizes I’m not their little girl anymore, and she never mocked me for wanting to help others.

I have to hope Dorian can find us a way into the Circle, then my visit here won’t be a complete waste of time.

Chapter 13

VIOLET

The hotel Sawyer chose for his son's birthday celebrations is located on the opposite edge of town to the factory and his home. Naturally, he selected a prestigious venue found on many tourist recommendation sites as exclusive and expensive. I researched the place plus every name associated before I'd set foot inside.

The manor house once belonged to a witch family and is now named the Royal Manor Hotel. Founding witch families often see themselves as royalty, but that’s going a bit far. Mind you, they had to sell the place and move on—we found no witches connected to the venue—so ‘royal’ or not, things didn’t end well for the family.

As the manor is also a popular wedding venue, the once private grounds are now more commonly covered in marquees with guests tramping across the lawns and filling the tranquility with drunken celebrations. Sawyer chose to hold his celebrations inside. He claimed due to unpredictable weather. The truth? An outside occasion means unwanted guests can more easily sneak in from the night.

I also studied the map to ensure I'm au fait with the building’s layout. The two-story hotel is divided into a wing with bedrooms for guests and several function rooms used for social or business gatherings by people who can afford the prestigious hotel’s prices.

Dorian persuaded Sawyer not to pay for guests to stay overnight and ensure any significant ones leave at the end of the evening. My father has enough concerns about what might happen without turning the evening into a game of Cluedo—a board game Holly introduced to me and became upset that I immediately won, accusing me of mind-reading.

Granted, most guests come from either the Sawyer inner circle or Kai’s friends—so a distinct lack of shifters—but one can never be too sure.

An unpleasantly cramped minibus ferries those invited from the academy, and I'm squashed between Holly and Leif, seated amongst another ten or so students. I'd considered protesting against travelling in this fashion only to be reminded that my new attempt at integration won't succeed if I stride in at my father's side.

As the unwitting savior of Sawyer’s son, I'm one of several 'guests of honor' at Kai’s rite of passage. Rowan and Grayson are naturally included on that dubious list, and of course Dorian for his work in extracting the truth (no doubt after a threat to extract other parts) from the witch Adam Woodlake. Well, what Sawyer believes is the truth.

Christopher Sawyer decides to host an evening of thanks for those who saved Kai's life on the night he celebrates his son's eighteenth birthday? Good grief, the man must think we're stupid. Sawyer wants Kai protected.

Holly sits with the ever-vacant Chase, one of several witches invited, including Marci, who somehow scored an invite. Although the occasion requires less casual attire, the teenagers around aren't dressed in the same stiff suits and impractical dresses as the dance. Holly's chosen what she informed me is a 'cocktail dress'— a long-sleeved item that stops halfway along her thighs, the pink sequined material wrapping tightly around her body.

I too searched for a 'cocktail dress', informed by my mother I needed to 'look right'. The number of options in black eased the pain, and I managed to find something in keeping with my preferred style—black with flared skirts that reach below my knee, the long lacy sleeves and high scooped neckline ensuring I've much less skin on show tonight. I refuse to use a purse and the dumb dress has no pockets, so I’m forced to improvise.

The minibus crawls along the hotel driveway that’s lit by tall, old-fashioned lamplights, the gold and burgundy hotel sign illuminated by spotlights beneath.

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