Page 93 of Live To Tell

Holly’s eyes widen at my arched brow. “Alright. I'll shut up.”

“Good.”

“Though I like your analogy.”

“Thank you.” I pause. “Why?”

“Have you ever asked a guy to assemble furniture, Violet?”

“That is an insane question that you know the answer to.”

“They never follow the instructions and just dive right in.”

“What instructions?”

Whatever Holly’s talking about makes no sense to me, but apparently it’s hilarious to her.

“Nothing.” I look at her in surprise as she sits on the bed beside me, but fortunately doesn’t take my hand. “As long as you have the 'being safe' part covered.”

“I have a potion for that.”

“I don’t mean safe from you attacking one of the guys.”

“Yes, Holly, I am aware what safety you mean.”

“And consent,” she adds.

I scoff at her. “How would you rate the survival chances of somebody who did not acquire my consent?”

“Fair point.”

“Could we please direct our 'girl talk' in a different direction, Holly? Did you have an enjoyable evening?” I pause and hastily add. “But if that evening was intimate, perhaps don’t answer.”

As often happens, I lose track of Holly’s breakdown of her day as my thoughts drift elsewhere.

Straight back to my day.

Life lurched in a new direction for me again, but this time I’ve pulled somebody with me. Leif understands with crystal clarity how I feel about him, but will that be enough to keep him safe?

Chapter 32

VIOLET

I'm wary how Leif will respond to me the next day, and if Rowan might want to discuss the situation. He does—but only to tell me Leif doesn't want to talk about the what’s happening with the elders any further. Until Ethan communicates events to Dorian, and he subtly—or unsubtly—investigates, Leif wants the subject dropped.

The elders gave their word that they'll leave Leif alone until Ethan explores the issues further, but I'm suspicious how far this 'word' goes. The relationship between shifters and Dorian's council is shaky at best, and now his daughter interfered with talk of consorts.

However, Ethan has a stronger hand—he and Dorian can find the deeds and uncover more secrets behind the apparent witch and human plot to rid Sawyer’s land of shifters. The elders chosen solution would be violence, which hasn't worked so far.

The papers we found with the tiara and photographed—the ‘half’ legible ones—must be the shifters’ missing deeds. The box disappeared from the location hidden beneath the factory floor before it could be retrieved. Josef removed the box before the investigators looked? Or somebody else we never saw that night?

Either way, the deeds may be out there. Nobody destroyed them yet, so hopefully there’s a reason and they stay intact.

But what if Dorian does find the documents? Will that drag Leif further into the situation we’re trying to pull him out of? Dorian showed me the current land documentation at the academy the day he interrupted the meeting. They’re signed by the now deceased Grant Underhill and Josef Petrescu. How interesting that Josef killed the witch who countersigned a document that gives his client the rights to the land and to collect rent. At the warehouse, Adam mentioned a ‘double cross’ by Josef. This?

My father has a lot of investigation ahead. We all do.

The cryptic comment from the elders that Trent is ‘gone' may not necessarily mean he's dead. And what if other shifters are now constructs? If witches exist who're practicing unauthorized magic and killing, Dorian won't appear in control of his world at all. What if they move on to attacking humans next? Add in Josef's clearly stated intent that he'll overthrow Dorian, and my father needs to be extra careful what information to reveal to the world and where to target his efforts.

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