After giving Rachel the letters and promising I would talk about them later, I found Devlin in the kitchen, making himself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I stood there, studying him for a minute. He held himself rigid. Not even a light snack could ease the tension in his shoulders. His sandy hair had grown out. He half-turned and gave me a once-over. His profile made me pause. I’d always wondered about his heritage. His coloring suggested he was mixed, but I could never place it—not ’til now, and that realization would have to wait for another time. Right now, I needed to apologize for my actions.
“I’m sorry,” I said, still standing in the doorway.
“Do you want a sandwich?”
“I prefer to eat my peanut butter with a spoon.”
He harrumphed. “I used to eat it that way when I was a boy. Still do sometimes.”
“We have something in common.” I walked over and joined him at the counter. After pulling a spoon out, I dug in. “You know,” I said, my mouth working. “I didn’t mean to go off alone and not call for backup. I just wanted to keep the team safe like I promised.” It was a ridiculous excuse, and I knew it. I should have called.
“And you’re part of that team. So, you broke that promise. You weren’t safe.”
I nodded, using the mouthful of peanut butter as an excuse not to respond. It was hard admitting I’d been wrong. Sure, I didn’t really believe so at the time, but that was the benefit of hindsight. Everything became clearer when looking back, though when looking forward, the road was murky. It always would be. And now, I had people who could help me navigate it. “I’ve always been reckless,” I said finally. “And I don’t want to be that way anymore.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, taking a bite of his sandwich.
I set the jar on the counter and moved in front of him. “Tell you what: I’ll promise not to bicker when you’re trying to teach me; promise I won’t disobey an order again or put myself in danger.” I placed my hand on his arm. “If you promise to take the empty bedroom, and once you furnish it, use it instead of the front room to rest. You can’t stop everything. You have to let us help.”
He set his sandwich down and ran his hand over his long hair. Resolve crossed his face, along with relief, like he’d been waiting for someone to give him permission to relax. “I might need help with that,” he said, barely a whisper. He was still seeking permission. It was painful to see on such a strong man. This rare glimpse of vulnerability moved me.
My eyes rounded. “Devlin needs help?” I asked, trying to make light so he didn’t feel so uncomfortable. Or maybe it was me not knowing how react to this side of Devlin.
He smiled and pulled me into the third hug this week. His chest felt like solid rock, but a slight give in the hardness allowed me to relax into him. “Oh, my. Even your hugs are rigid and uptight.” The rumble of his laughter soothed the last of the awkwardness. I smiled and allowed myself the reprieve, because I just knew tomorrow, we’d be back to our sparring. For now, he was relaxed—something we all knew he needed to do.
“You’re like the sister I never had, Nicole.”
I pulled back and stared up at him. “You mean obnoxious and annoying.”
He kissed my forehead. “Exactly like that. Now…” He leaned back against the counter. “Let me finish my sandwich so I can go to the store and get a bedroom set. You’re coming with me.”
“Like hell, I am. I do not go shopping, especially not on a Sunday.” The stores were pure hell on Sundays. All those people, fresh out of church, looking for ways to spend the money they didn’t put in the collection plate.
He picked up his sandwich and smiled. “That’s an order.”
Well, shit. I walked right into that one. “Well played, Boss Man. Well fucking played.”
He saluted me with his sandwich and closed his eyes around the next bite, enjoying the peace for just a little while. We were in the calm before the storm. Because with the new revelations, there was going to be one. Maybe even a war. And we all needed to find a little joy before the pain.
The water rushed over me as I lay my head back, enjoying the feel of it on my skin. The sudden rain shower had mixed with the already sweaty grime covering my skin, and I felt a little unclean. I also needed time to think about the fact that my mother had magick again. The heat had been building for weeks now, keeping the rain at bay, which made me wonder just how powerful my mother was—how powerful I was as well.
I heard a commotion outside the room. On a sigh, I stepped out of my happy place, wrapped a towel around me, and made my way out of the room. Alek stood in the middle of the war room with a pained look on his face. He’d left earlier on an errand he said he’d tell me about when he got back. His eyes locked with mine.
“What’s going on?”
He ran his hand down his face and looked over at Devlin. “More girls have gone missing, and Petronela needs our help.”
“Does she know who took them?” Devlin asked.
“I think she believes Daniella either took them or lured them away.” He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and taped it to the board. “She found this on the body of the parents.”
“They’re dead?” Devlin asked.
Alek nodded.
Alek had taped a single white sheet of paper to the board underneath the Peterson family’s information. The Peterson girl-school crest had been drawn on the front. Underneath the symbol were words written in another language. I turned to Alek. “What does it say?”
“Loosely translated…We are Tribe.”
The End