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It’s nothing I haven’t thought about before. “The point is, Sebastian isn’t the horrible monster I painted him to be my entire life. He made mistakes, which he fully admits, but he was wronged, too.”
Elara nods. “You’re an empathetic woman, Josie. A lot of people would never be able to see beyond the callus and autocratic chaos he causes.”
That might be true, but they aren’t bound to the man. I feel what he would never let outsiders know about him. Behind all the murder and arrogance, he’s a wounded man who was rejected and publicly humiliated by my mother.
And cursed by her.
The kettle whistles a shrill squeal and Elara fills the pot. “So, you’ve learned your grandmother and mother weren’t perfect and Sebastian isn’t wholly evil. What else is bothering you?”
I think about that. “Too much.”
“That’s fine. We’ve got time.” The ceramic lid clinks the top of the teapot when she sets it to steep and then faces me. “We’ll unpack your upsets one at a time until they’re more manageable. We’ve got the witch trials, your revelations about people you thought you knew, and what’s next?”
What is next?
“All right, let’s say, by some act of divine intervention, I make it through the next two trial challenges and beat out the other four witches in the running.”
She sets two mugs up and starts to pour. “I don’t think Mother Gaia will need to be involved, but sure, I’m with you. You’re now the New Orleans Sun Witch High Priestess.”
Even the sound of that seems unreal. “I never intended to stay here. How long do I serve as high priestess before I leave? As long as it takes to set things right for the Moon Witches and get Egan under control? Will that be a month? Six months? A year? And what happens when I leave?”
Elara frowns and sets the pot down. “You talked about going back to England before the ball, but you’re way too smart to miss the fact that your life—your destined path—is unfolding here.”
“Me getting pulled into the trials was a magical prank pulled by Adelaide’s dying raven familiar, not destiny.”
She shakes her head. “You’re a Dumont witch, Josie. You’re meant for more than hiding away in a cottage in Leeds and running a funeral home.”
I’m not sure I believe that.
And what’s wrong with hiding away in a cottage in Leeds, running a funeral home? “I love my life back home.”
“You loved it—past tense. Mother Gaia bound you to the three hottest, most powerful men in this city. She didn’t do that for you to shrink back into your shell.”
Is that what I’d be doing?
“I bet if you tried, Rune and Finn would just drag you back to their bed, anyway. Those boys are smitten. There’s no way they’re letting you get away from them.”
Rune and Finn are definitely a complication I wasn’t expecting. “It’s one of the reasons I’ve kept them at arm’s reach. I don’t want them reading too much into our bond.”
Elara bursts out laughing. “Do you know how crazy that is? You’re unity bound to them. They are yours. You are theirs. There is no long-distance scenario where you wave to them from over the pond. They’ll go feral and you’ll ache for them.”
I pull out a work stool and save myself from falling on the floor. “Is that your opinion or a fact?”
“That’s a fact, Josie. You belong here, so you need to wrap your head around the fact that your bond will only grow stronger. You’re not going anywhere.”
I accept the tea and inhale the warm scent before taking a sip. She’s right. I can’t imagine Rune and Finn living an ocean away, and what would that do to Sebastian?
I won’t add to the torture he’s been put through, especially when I know how fragile his sanity is right now because of my mother.
The thought of what he’s endured is like a dagger pierced through my heart.
My thoughts weave through tangled images of a future here or there and when I emerge from my musings, Elara is smiling against the lip of her mug. “Why do you look so smug?”
“Because you know I’m right.”
I chuckle. “No comment.”
Her grin widens. “I’ve got you, Josie. We’re a team. And since I refuse to live in dreary Leeds, it looks like we’re both here to stay.”
