Page 50 of Outlawed

I pull away before things get too heated. “Shepard back yet?”

He shakes his head. “He said not to expect him until late. I left food for both of you in the fridge. Jackie stayed until Hannah went to bed, then I told her to sleep in one of the spare rooms. I don’t know. I just had this feeling she should stay.”

“I’m glad you did.” I bite my lip, wondering whether to tell him what happened tonight.

“What is it?”

“Right now, you have plausible deniability.”

“Right now, you’ve got a pissed-off boyfriend who thought we’d moved past this.”

I press my head to his chest and breathe him in. “We can never tell Shepard. I know that sounds shitty, but⁠—”

“No, I get it.”

I look up at him and see that he does. “I asked Austin to find Porter for me.”

“I know. You told me that earlier.”

“Yeah, well, he found him, and we don’t need to worry about that odious man again.”

“Good. What did you do to him?”

“I didn’t kill him. Neither did Austin.”

“Okay, didn’t see that coming. My question still stands, though.”

I bite my lip. “I may or may not have made Austin drive us to the cemetery where we shoved my father in the casket that was left conveniently empty for the last fifteen years, and then we buried him alive. We might have also consecrated his grave with some really dirty sex.”

He stares at me for a beat before he throws his head back and laughs. “Fucking hell, now that’s what I call poetic.”

Chapter Fifteen

It’s a beautiful day. I focus hard to keep my mood even, so it doesn’t rain, but it’s harder than I thought it would be.

Most of the town has turned out to say their goodbyes. Everyone is dressed in the brightest colors, and each person is carrying a flower. The priest reads a poem as the crowd stands quietly, soaking in his words about life after death.

Hannah grips my hand tightly, her eyes on the casket. I was unsure about her being here today, but right or wrong, I let her decide. Losing her mom will be hard, even if I left her at home. At least this way she’ll get some closure. Shepard and Riggs stand on the other side of Hannah, each of them keeping guard while Austin stands next to me, his fingers laced through mine, offering me support in the only way he can.

When we first arrived, Shepard noticed right away that my father’s grave had been filled in. Riggs, with his quick thinking, told him he’d arranged for it to be done, so it wouldn’t detract from Dawn’s day or upset me. He laid it on a little thick, but Shepard seemed to buy it, his concern for me overriding any suspicion. And as he pointed out, the scene had been processed, and he had everything he needed from it.

Knowing my father was buried only a few feet from where we stood made the day that much more bearable. Austin had to elbow me a time or two for smiling in that direction.

“Can I go say bye to Mommy?”

I look down at Hannah and nod, giving her small hand a squeeze, the bracelet I made her catching the light. I lead her forward as the priest keeps talking, feeling the crowd’s eyes on us. Nobody says a word, held captive by the poignant moment. When we reach the casket, I let go of Hannah’s hand for a moment, and I pick up the small bouquet of daisies someone had placed on the ground. I hand it to Hannah, who takes it in both hands. I wrap my hands around hers, pushing power into the flowers.

The result surprises not just me but the crowd too, and I can hear the ooh and ahhs. I aimed to make the daisies bigger and ensure each one was open and in full bloom. But using Hannah as a conduit changed things. Even though she won’t come into her power for a long time yet, we’re now holding a huge bouquet of wildflowers in every color known to man. Her power is there, buried deep inside her.

I don’t know why Hannah has power, but Dawn didn’t. Perhaps that’s the way it presents in their bloodline. Either way, Hannah will be a target for wayward hunters, which means I need to make sure she’s prepared and ready to defend herself at a moment’s notice. I might have to ease her into things, but I won’t hide either the risks or the rewards of being a witch. I will never be one of those people who believe keeping her in the dark is the same as being safe, because it’s not.

It’s far easier to sneak up on someone in the dark, especially if they aren’t expecting you, and I refuse to let that happen. My anger at the thought makes my pulse thunder in my chest, and one of the flowers catches fire.

“Whoops.” I snuff out the flames and look at Hannah sheepishly, who giggles. “You ready? I’ll be right beside you the whole time.”

Standing in a pink tutu and a purple T-shirt with her hair in braids and a ladybug clip pinning the wispy parts of her hair back, she looks like she should be going to a party, not burying her mother. I wish life were kinder to those of us left behind and that the weight of grief wasn’t so heavy a burden to carry. When she lifts her head high and nods, I know she’ll get through this. She has no idea how strong she is, but she will, even if I have to remind her every day.

I take a deep breath and let go of the bouquet. She struggles under the weight of it for a moment, and though I want to help her, I know it’s important she does this part herself. Determination crosses her face as her little arms shake, but she places the bouquet on the coffin without dropping it, then presses her hands to the wood.