7

Tavlor’s intake of breath was swift and startled. He staggered back, his mouth hanging open in surprise.

His gaze swung back to Bella, as she inched toward us.

“Ava?” she called, eyeing Tavlor standing at my side. I wouldn’t say she was scared. Bella wasn’t scared of anything. But she was wary. And judging by the studious look she was currently giving Tavlor, she didn’t trust him.

I rushed forward. Arms wide open.

“Bella!” I exclaimed. I would explain Tavlor in a moment. All I cared about right now was wrapping my sister into a big hug and never letting go.

I embraced my her and she hugged me back, slowly at first, then tighter and tighter, until I heard an almost silent sob leave her throat. Her body trembled once, twice. I rubbed her back, trying to soothe her.

“It’s okay.” I said. “I’m here. Everything is going to be okay.”

“We’ve been so worried,” she whispered, squeezing me tight.

I held my sister until the tension began to leave her body and I could slowly pull away.

She wiped at the tears on her face and snuck a look at Tavlor. “You, ah… brought someone with you?”

She shot a look at me. I should be grateful that she wasn’t outright accusing me of something in front of Tavlor. Bella had grown in the short amount of time I had been gone. She had matured more than I realized she would have. Tears tickled my eyes. I felt like I was missing a lot and yet, there was nothing I could do to slow down time or to go back and relive it with my sisters.

I laughed as I took a few steps back so I stood next to him, blinking back the tears. “You noticed, huh?”

Bella’s lips quivered up into a smile. “Yeah. Hard to miss.”

I wanted to hug her again. Her sarcasm was like music to my ears. Even though that sarcasm was typically aimed at me, I was just glad I was able to hear it again. I wasn’t sure I ever would again, with everything going on.

I glanced up at Tavlor, who’d gone strangely still. I couldn’t read his face, not really, but I knew he wasn’t going to kill her.

“Tavlor, this is my sister, Bella,” I said. I looked back at my sister. “Belle, this is Tavlor. He is the head of the Council guard, and he’s half Fae, half Warlock.”

Tavlor’s jaw flexed, as though he wasn’t too keen on me telling my sister that. Perhaps that wasn’t any of her business, but I knew my sister, and I knew she wouldn’t judge him badly. If anything, she’d be intrigued.

Bella turned to Tavlor, eager surprise in her face. “What an incredibly potent mix!”

I laughed. I should have known she would react like this. “Bella is the bookworm in our family,” I explained. “She has read a lot about, well… everything.”

Bella stepped forward, throwing her arms out. “It’s so nice to meet you. I have so many questions.”

Tavlor looked at me, his eyes strangely wide. I pressed my lips together, trying to contain my laughter.

I put a hand on his arm. “Don’t worry,” I said. “I won’t let her take too much of your time. But now that you know I’m safe, would you like to head back, or…”

He interrupted me with, “I have questions too, if I may stay a little longer?”

The question burst out of him, like he had been trying to hold it in. I blinked, surprised by his enthusiasm.

Bella shivered and I had to clap my hand over my mouth to stop the giggle.

A red blush stole up my sister’s face and when I saw Tavlor stiffen, I squeezed his arm again.

“Don’t assume everyone’s reactions are negative,” I said. “It’s your voice… we like it. Right, Bella?”

My sister clapped two hands to her burning cheeks. “Yes, I’m sorry. I just haven’t heard anything like it.” She twisted her foot in the grass. “Honestly, I haven’t seen anyone like you. Like Ava said, I read a lot but that doesn’t mean I’ve actually experienced anything like this before.”

Tavlor’s shoulders dropped from their stressed-out high position.

“See,” I said, shooting him a playful wink.

He looked at me, bewildered.

“Your genetics are very unusual,” he said.

I laughed. “Oh, you haven’t met the weird one yet.”

His eyebrows flew up on his forehead. “Excuse me? There’s more?”

“Yes,” Bella said, totally unaware of how unexpected this information was for him. “We have one more sister. She’s back at the house.”

Tavlor gripped my hand. Tightly. “Three? There are… three heirs to the High Warlock?”

Bella furrowed her brow. I cleared my throat, nodding quickly.

I squeezed his hand back. “Yep, and all daughters! Surprise!”

Tavlor went pale. The palest I’d seen him.

I shot a look at Bella. She shrugged, telling me she had no idea why someone would react that way. She didn’t yet understand what it meant to be an heir to the High Warlock. I wasn’t sure how I was going to explain it, or if I was going to explain it at all. Would it be better to leave my sisters in the place where they didn’t know anything? Was ignorance better than possessing information that could potentially put them in danger?

Ignorance had been my enemy so far. Knowledge was always better.

I stepped closer to Tavlor. “Are you okay?” I asked, tilting my head to the side. I didn’t think this was how he would respond to the revelation.

Bella began to step backwards. “How about we get back to the house?” she suggested, her voice careful as her eyes darted between the two of us. “I can make some tea?”

Tea sounded absolutely fabulous right now, especially tea from Bella. My sister was great at potions and I thought with the right training she could become an incredible healer. Plus, she always made my tea a little sweeter than it should be because she knew I liked it with extra sugar.

“That’s a great idea,” I said. I turned my attention back to my companion. “Come on, Tavlor. Bella makes the best food.” I tugged on his hand. “Plus, you’ll be able to meet Courtney—if she deigns to grace us with her presence, that is. She has a mini-fridge in her room, so I’m not sure if she’ll come out at all.”

I was glad to see that Tavlor followed us. Making a man his size come somewhere he didn’t want to go would be near impossible. More than that, a small part of me wanted him to see my home. It wasn’t the home we grew up in, but it was one my sisters had created. Plus, I wanted him to meet my sisters. It felt nice being able to finally tell someone about them and not have to worry about the consequences.

We walked over the field and up to the gorgeous little house my sisters had created when my mother’s magic had disappeared, taking our family home with it.

“The garden’s looking great, Bella,” I said, noticing the additions she’d added since I left. Bright red, pink, and yellow flowers were in full bloom, lining up around a white picket fence that reached our knees. There was even a vegetable garden over to the side with juicy red tomatoes and carrots stuck in the ground, tantalizing wild rabbits.

“Thank you.” Bella opened the front door, bypassing the garden nonchalantly. “Courtney! We have company.”

I pulled Tavlor through the front door and into the small living area.

I could let go of his hand at this point, but I didn’t want to. I hung onto him. This was as new for me as it was for him.

Butterflies fluttered around in my stomach as we waited for Courtney to come down.

“Have a seat,” Bella said, pulling out a chair at the dining table.

He went to step forward, then stiffened as a set of footsteps were heard on the floorboards.

We both turned.

“Did you say we have company?” Courtney called out, moments before she stepped into the room. Her eyes bugged out of her head. “Ava!”

Courtney, my gorgeous little rebel of a baby sister, ran straight for me and grabbed me up into a tight hug. Tears filled my eyes. I hadn’t been expecting that. If anything, I thought she’d be mad that I had stayed away for such a long amount of time. The only time I sent them word was when I’d sent them that note from the Fae realm. I didn’t even know how much time had passed.

She pulled back. “We just received your letter!” Her face was completely lit up. She actually looked happy and not filled to her head with sarcasm. “You said you wouldn’t be able to contact us or come home for ages. What happened?”

I pulled out of Courtney’s grip and moved back, next to Tavlor. He kept looking between me and my sisters, his mouth hanging open like he was a fish. I stifled a giggle.

Bella had gone to the kitchen and was stirring and crushing plants and medicines as we spoke. The soft tapping could be heard from where I was in the dining room, and it soothed me more than I realized.

“Court, this is Tavlor,” I said, turning to Courtney. She stared wide-eyed at my companion. I couldn’t blame her. He was absolutely gorgeous. “He’s the head guard to the High Warlock and has come to escort me home.”

Courtney stared at him, then a huge smile crept over her face as she looked at me.

“You brought a boyfriend home?” she asked slowly, her eyes glittering with teasing. “He’s gorgeous! Wow, Ava, I’m surprised. Did you find one for us too?”

Tavlor collapsed into his chair, shaking his head.

I couldn’t stop the chuckle that rose in my throat. “See?” I asked, knocking his shoulder with my hip. “Told ya.”

“Told him what?” Courtney asked, grinning with impetuousness.

I sighed, wondering how to explain everything all at once. “Well, long story short. Tavlor is half Fae, half Warlock, and most of the Witches in the magical realm think that’s some sort of crime and have treated him like an ugly outcast for most of his life.”

“Ava…” Tavlor said, his warning clear.

I sat down into the chair next to him as Bella brought over two steaming mugs of tea.

“Thanks, Bella,” I said, taking the mug from her and rewarding myself with a long sip of the hot liquid. Already, I was relaxing under its spell. I turned to Tavlor, offering him a small smile. “And sorry, Tavlor, but these are my sisters, and I tell them everything. You can trust them.”

“Who are we going to tell?” Bella asked, returning to the kitchen to make her own cup of tea. “I mean, it’s not like we get any visitors here.”

“Or that Mother let us have friends besides the servants that she magicked into being,” Courtney pointed out.

“It’s a sister thing,” I added.

Courtney collapsed into the chair opposite us. “Ugly? Are they serious? You’re fucking gorgeous!”

Tavlor’s gaze went straight down into his mug. I didn’t think I had ever seen him embarrassed before. The telltale blush decorated his high cheekbones and he avoided everybody. Instead, he placed his face near the mug of tea, the steam coating his skin. He was gorgeous. Right now, though, he was adorable.

I grinned at Courtney. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen them in… I didn’t even know how long it had been. I just knew I missed them. And I was so, so glad I got to be here with them, introducing them to Tavlor. He was the other important person in my life right now. It was only fitting that they meet.

“So, what have I missed around here?” I asked. I took a seat opposite Courtney before having another sip of tea. From my peripheral, I saw Tavlor pick up his head, as though he thought it was safe to listen to the conversation without being the subject of it.

Courtney groaned. “Absolutely nothing!” She threw her arms out dramatically. “It’s boring as bat shit around here.”

Bella cleared her throat. I could feel tension surround her, as though she was embarrassed by Courtney’s behavior. She sat down with her own cup of tea so all four of us were sitting at the table.

“That’s not entirely true,” she said, her voice tentative.

My eyes darted between my sisters. Courtney’s flair for the dramatic suddenly disappeared and her eyes narrowed. That was a warning glare, if it was anything. I furrowed my brow and looked over at Bella. Her eyes were pointedly looking at her tea, rather than at Courtney.

“Bella…” Courtney began.

I put out a hand to stop her. “What’s going on?”

Bella and Courtney exchanged glances. Bella still wouldn’t look at me, her focus on the mug of tea, while Courtney’s face turned red and her jaw was locked together. It was almost as though they were trying to figure out who would hold out the longest.

Then Bella looked at me.

“Courtney’s been leaving the realm to explore the village,” she said, tracing the mouth of the mug with her fingertip.

I gasped, turning around to face Courtney.

“You didn’t!” I said. I completely forgot Tavlor was in the room. Suddenly, I was back here as a sister that hadn’t left and was trying to play peacemaker between my two sisters. “You know how dangerous that is!”

Courtney groaned, slapping her palm against her forehead. “How would I know anything?” she asked. “Mother never told us anything. You just… left because you wanted to go do something! Why shouldn’t I go out and see what’s out there? Why can’t I just come and go wherever I want? You don’t get to have all the fun just because you’re the oldest, Ava!”

“Fun! You think I’ve been having fun?” I wanted to tear at my hair but instead grabbed my mug and put the soothing warmth to my lips. My hands shook, and I nearly spilled the liquid all over my lap.

Oh, my god, she had no fucking idea!

This was so typical Courtney. How had I not expected her to pull some kind of crap like this?

I took a sip of the tea, and then another, the spreading warmth filling my belly, and concentrated on the healing aspect of the potion, and not on Courtney’s ridiculous statements. I breathed in the scent, loving the warm sensations filtering through me. After a few breaths and a couple of moments, my frustration slowly ebbed away.

While I was drinking my tea, Tavlor sat up,

“Ava is in a lot of trouble, in my world,” he said. I wasn’t sure why he suddenly felt comfortable enough to speak, but I was glad I had someone in my corner. His voice was casual, but his tight jaw indicated that he cared more than what he was actually saying. “I asked her to please seek shelter here, in your mother’s realm, to avoid the people hunting her.” He looked at Courtney. “If you leave the realm, they may be able to track you back here.”

My sisters made small sounds of surprise, and I lifted my head to look at them.

Bella’s eyes were wide as she said, “Hunting you? What does he mean, Ava?”

I glanced at Tavlor. He could explain this much better than I could.

“I better start at the beginning,” he said, taking the hint. He relaxed, but only slightly. He must have been grateful that he wasn’t under such intense scrutiny from them. “To understand everything, I’m going to tell you, you need to understand the politics of our world, so please be patient.”

He went on to tell them everything that had happened to me. From the trial that exposed my power, to the forced interrogation that made me admit who my father was. Then the death sentence that had forced me to run, and the latest chapter, that included a bounty on my head, all orchestrated by the Council our father worked for.

He wasn’t a great storyteller, but he was direct, and he didn’t sugarcoat things. He didn’t seem to think my sisters needed to be sheltered from what was going on around here, which I appreciated.

When he had finished, Courtney and Bella were both collapsed back in their chairs with grimaces stretched over their features. Bella furrowed her brow, as though she was trying to reason her way through everything Tavlor had just revealed, while Courtney’s eyes were on the floor, searching for something though I wasn’t sure what.

There was a long silence.

Then Courtney exploded. “But they can’t do that!” She threw her arms out and jumped from her chair so she could storm up and down the length of the dining room. “It’s not our fault he’s our father! We didn’t choose him. So now I can’t leave this place and go see different realms because of him? Because he won’t stand up to the Council?” She faced us, stomping her foot. “That isn’t fair.”

Bella lay a comforting hand on Courtney’s arm.

“They don’t know about us, Courtney… do they?” she asked, looking at me.

I shook my head. “No. No-one except our father knows about you two.”

“So why can’t I go?” Courtney demanded, hands on her hips, eyes narrowed at me. “If they don’t know who I am, I should be able to travel freely.”

“No,” I said. “Do you really want to put everyone at risk because you want to see the world?”

“So, you’re allowed to do it, but I can’t? How is that fair?” She turned to Bella as though she hoped to get our sister on her side. “Come on, Belle, no one knows about us except for our father.”

“And me… now,” Tavlor said, and then cleared his throat roughly. “I’m sorry, Courtney, but it would be in your best interests, and everyone else’s, if you stayed here.”

“Wait,” Bella said. “Ava didn’t tell you about us?”

“I found out when you called out to her the moment we arrived in your realm,” Tavlor said. “I was… surprised to find Ava had siblings. She never once hinted at it.”

I snorted. “Of course not. Once I knew how much trouble we’d all be in if we were found out, I decided not to tell anyone.”

“You made the right choice,” Tavlor said, and I smiled up at him. I had been a little worried how he would take my subterfuge in this manner.

“Thanks.”

“So, what does all this mean, exactly?” Bella said slowly. “That Ava has to hide in here with us, forever?”

“God, I hope not,” Courtney said, and my gaze swiveled back to her. I could feel her fury in one sharp look from her.

“We’ll have to get back to you sneaking out soon,” I snapped. Couldn’t she, for one second, not make everything about her?

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest but didn’t dispute the accusation. Hopefully once she knew how dangerous it was to be one of Genevieve Melfi’s daughters, she would stop risking her life for a few cheap thrills.

“But to answer your question, Bella, we don’t really know what this all means. What we do know is that I need somewhere safe to hide for the moment,” I said, my voice getting quieter. “The Council has every bad guy around hunting for me, and this is one of the only places we could think of that they won’t look because they don’t know this place even exists. And it needs to stay that way.”

Tavlor nodded. “Very few Witches have realms based off the human world,” he said. “It’s… uncommon actually. Your mother was smart to choose such a base.”

We all looked at each and shared a common smile despite our recent exchange.

“Yes, our mother was very smart,” I agreed.

Then Courtney grinned. “Yeah, with everything except choosing the father of her kids.”