Page 6 of Fallacies

Phoenix snorts, and I shoot him a warning glare before gently guiding Lucina away from the table. “Let’s get you some food.”

She’s quiet as I prepare her plate, watching me warily as we walk to where her friends are seated. The silence must be grating on her because she finally spits out, “Callan, can’t you just⁠—”

“No, Chaos.” I shake my head, gesturing for her to sit. “I can’t tell you anything. Those are the rules.”

“You agreed to break the rules earlier,” she points out, loud enough that Gemma and Selene perk up, casting confused glances at the both of us. Kimber keeps her head in her book, mindlessly sliding over to make room.

“What rules?” Gemma asks.

“I can’t break this one,” I whisper, waiting until she’s settled in her seat, before I leave her to the curious stares of her friends.

I slide onto the bench next to Easton and Pax, the latter smothering a smile. Everyone else sits unusually quiet. I attempt to let it play out, but the silence swells into an uncomfortable tension.

“Alright.” I sit back, folding my arms across my chest. “Spit it out.”

Devon set his fork down. “Boss, you know I never question your judgement⁠—”

“Then don’t.”

“But I think she’s impairing it,” he finishes anyway.

My stare narrows. “What are you talking about?”

“He’s right,” Easton adds plainly, without even looking up from his dinner. “You’re putting her life in danger by having her join our coven.”

“And our lives, too.”

I dart my attention back to Devon. “How so?”

My third pauses, like he’s weighing his options, trying to decide how to phrase it. “Everyone here can hold their own, but with Lucina thrown into the mix, we’d all have the extra responsibility of protecting her.”

I cock my head to the side. “And why’s that, Devon? Because she’s young? Because she’s new to all of this?”

He clenches his jaw tight, but doesn’t answer, likely aware of what I’m getting at.

“Or is it because she’s a woman? Is that it?”

Devon stares back at me, his dark brows bunched together, but he makes no effort to deny it.

“Speak up, D. Is that it?” My voice has enough bite that the rest of my coven stiffens. “If you don’t think Lucina can carry her own because she’s a woman, at least have the balls to say it.” I jerk my chin in the direction of her table. “She had the balls to ask for this. Does she have more than you?”

“There’s a reason this is an all-men coven,” he mutters roughly, shaking his head at his plate. “The risk in having her⁠—”

“Have you not considered the risk that she’s taking?” I snap, anger lashing out beneath my skin, power slipping through the surface of it and skittering across the table. More than a few heads turn in our direction, but one quick look from Pax has the eavesdroppers returning their attention to their meals. I keep my voice low. “She was offered initiation into the Dianic coven, and she declined it. For us. To help us. She’s a fucking Van Reenan for gods' sake. She outranks everyone sitting at this table.”

Devon’s chin sinks to his chest, and Easton avoids eye contact.

I cut a quick glance around the table. Hunter is on the verge of grinning, Phoenix has a wild look in his eyes, and Pax keeps a watchful eye on the Tavern, gaze trailing in the direction of Lucina’s table.

I exhale, finding a more patient tone. “Everyone here knows what it’s like to be underestimated, to be in a position to prove your worth or what you’re capable of.” I direct the statement at Devon, but all of us can relate to it. “And I can’t believe you’d subject someone else to that kind of scrutiny when you know exactly how it feels.”

I pause, giving him a chance to speak, but he doesn’t take it. No one does.

“If that means my judgement is impaired, so fucking be it.” I shrug, shooting a pointed look in his direction. “Yours is biased, and I can’t wait to see the look on your face when she proves you wrong.”

Devon stares back at me, hard and unforgiving. Then he picks up his fork.

We eat the rest of the meal in silence.