Jason stopped near Allison's car and turned slowly to face me. “I thought you were staying underground,” he said blandly as his dark blue eyes met mine.
My pulse sped. “Really?” I asked breathlessly. “After everything that happened, you just left, and that's all you have to say to me?”
Jason clenched and unclenched his fists a few times, making me remember Allison's earlier comments about his anger, but his face remained calm. “I just need some time, Xoe, and I think you do too.”
“Don't tell me what I need!” I shouted. A couple walking nearby turned and gave me uncomfortable looks before getting into their car.
“Fine,” Jason conceded, drawing my gaze back to his face. “I need time. I'm sorry.”
I shook my head and pinched the bridge of my nose to stave off the dull throb of a building headache. “Normally, when you want to take a break from someone, you tell them,” I said tiredly, not looking up to meet his gaze.
He wrapped his arms tightly around himself, symbolically putting distance between us. “I told Allison,” he explained. “I knew if I told you directly, you would get upset. I don't think I would have been able to stay away if you asked me not to.”
I took a deep breath and tried to slow the beating of my heart. It wouldn't help anything if I accidentally blew up someone's car. “I know we had a fight before you left,” I explained calmly, “but it was just a fight. I assumed we would talk and everything would be okay.”
“It wasn't just a fight,” he argued, finally dropping his arms to his sides. “All I've ever tried to do is keep you safe, but you don't listen to a word I say.”
“You were asking me to hide when my dad and Chase were in danger!” I exclaimed. “I'm sorry I couldn't do what you wanted, but they could have died.”
“And you could have died!” he yelled back, finally showing some emotion. “You've come so close to death so many times, and you act like none of it bothers you. It's selfish to endanger yourself when there are people who care about you.”
I bit my lip to keep from screaming at him. When I felt calm enough to speak, I said, “Selfish? You're honestly going to tell me that helping my friends form a werewolf pack, and not wanting anyone I care about to die is selfish?”
Jason sighed. “I know you have the best intentions, Xoe, but you're not looking at the bigger picture. In going to Utah to form a pack for Lucy and Max, you forced Chase and I into a dangerous situation too. By getting involved in the werewolf community, you've put your mother in danger. You destroyed her home and basically destroyed her life. If I had been able, I would have followed you into the underground when you went after Josie, and it kills me that I wasn't there to protect you.”
I shook my head as tears began to build behind my eyes. “You act like I had a choice in all of this,” I muttered as I began to cry. “Why is it okay for you to protect me, but it's not okay for me to protect everyone else?”
Jason looked away from my tears. “There is always a choice,” he mumbled.
“And you chose to leave,” I accused, suddenly angry again. “I may have hurt my mom, but she completely bailed on me. Do you know how it feels to be shut out by your own mother? And you just left me to deal with it alone. I needed you.”
“You had your dad and Chase, and Lucy and Allison. You weren't alone,” Jason replied bitterly. “You know nothing about being completely alone.”
He was right, but it still stung that he wasn't there. “Having friends around is not the same as having a partner. You were supposed to be there for me?”
“And they're all just friends?” he asked bitterly.
I suddenly remembered that Jason knew I had kissed Chase, and here I'd just been yelling at him about how horrible he was. “About Chase,” I began.
“Allison told me,” he cut me off. “It's not why I left.”
“I-I know,” I stammered. “I just wanted you to hear it from me.”
Jason was silent for a moment, then seemed to release some of his tension with a sigh. “Was it only the one time?” he asked finally.
I nodded.
“I need to go,” Jason stated, surprising me with his bluntness.
“What?” I asked, confused. “No yelling? You're not even upset?”
“It was just a kiss, Xoe,” he said like I was being childish. “We have bigger problems to deal with.”
He could play things down all he wanted, but I'd heard the anger in his voice just moments before. “Well you leaving isn't what I'd call dealing with things,” I replied quickly.
Jason sighed and looked back at Irvine's. I'd almost forgotten that we'd both come with other people. “What are you doing above ground?” he asked as he gazed off into the distance.
“What, am I not allowed to be here?” I snapped, then bit my lip. Getting angry again would get me nowhere.
“You haven't come up since you left that day,” he explained as he turned his gaze back to me, not reacting to my tone.
“How do you know?” I asked suspiciously. “You told Allison you were leaving.”
Jason glared at me. “Well I didn't go far,” he admitted, “but you never answered my question.”
I wanted to say I was just up to visit Lucy and Allison, but I stopped myself. No more lies. “A girl was killed,” I explained.
Jason nodded. “I know. Her parents hired me to find out who did it.”
It took me a moment to close my gaping jaw. “Why on earth would her parents hire you?”
Jason gave me a confused look. “You don't know?”
“No . . . ” I trailed off, hoping for an explanation.
“Her parents are witches,” Jason explained, “and so was Claire. The human police are out of their depth on this one.”
I had a tendency to forget that Jason was a bounty hunter by trade. He hadn't worked much since we'd gotten together. There hadn't been much time.
“Devin is on his way to Shelby,” I offered, seeing as Jason had been honest with me. “Abel was worried that the murder had something to do with my pack, but maybe he was wrong. I don't think he knows that Claire was a witch.”
Jason looked at me curiously. “Does this mean that you will back off and not get involved in things for once?”
I opened my mouth, then closed it. If Claire was killed because she was a witch, I really might not need to get involved. Yet, there was no way to be sure.
“No,” I answered simply.
Jason threw his hands up in exasperation. “Why not?” he snapped.
“Witches were killed before when Bart was trying to get to me. I can't just write off Claire's death and hope for the best,” I explained.
“I'm being paid to figure out who did this,” he replied. “Please just wait until I find something out before you come running in.”
Movement in my peripheral vision caught my eye. I turned to see the two people Jason had been meeting with walking toward us. “Who are they?” I whispered before they could reach us.
“More witches,” he said at a normal volume. “I have to go.”
I grabbed his arm before he could walk away. “We still need to talk about us,” I pleaded.
Jason nodded as he pulled away from me. “Just back off from this case. I'll contact you when I know something, and we can talk about everything else as well.”
I let him walk away then. Rather than going back into Irvine's, Jason and the two witches got into a silver SUV and drove away. I stood in the parking lot and watched them go, feeling an odd mixture of emotions. I probably should have gone back into Irvine's, but I couldn't seem to move my feet.
Eventually Allison and Lucy came out to the parking lot to check on me. Allison put her arm around my shoulders as she reached my side. “You've been standing alone in this parking lot for a mighty long time,” she observed.
“We didn't figure anything out, and he just left,” I replied, feeling stunned as I reflected on our conversation.
“And you just let him leave?” Lucy asked from
my other side.
I shook my head. “He asked me to leave Claire's death alone, and he'd find me when he had more information.”
“What a jerk,” Allison grumbled.
“He's not a jerk,” I said quickly. “He's right. He was right about everything, but I just can't help it.”
“Help what?” Lucy asked, confused.
I shook my head. “I just can't help getting involved. I can't sit back and let Jason investigate Claire's murder. If it has something to do with me, then I need to know.”
“We're not going to argue with you on that,” Allison replied. “Though if Jason is working on it too, we should all be working together. Explain to me again why Jason is working on it?”
“Claire was a witch,” I answered. “Her parents hired him.”
“You really should have led with that information,” Lucy chided.
I looked past Allison to see Max and Chase emerging from Irvine's with several boxes of pizza in hand. At my questioning look, Allison explained, “We talked to everyone we could while you were with Jason. They all know the story that Claire's sister blabbed, but that's about it. We figured we'd eat at my place instead.”
I nodded in understanding, glad I didn't have to go back into Irvine's, and suspecting that Lucy and Allison knew just how badly I didn't want to go back inside.
When the boys reached us, we all piled back into Allison's car. The smell of pizza permeated the interior, making me feel hungry and sick at the same time. I wasn't sure if my nervous stomach would even let me eat once we got to Allison's. You knew it was a bad day when Alexondra Meyers would turn down a slice of pizza.
5
We pulled into Allison's driveway to find my dad already waiting for us. He checked his shiny, silver watch that went with his designer charcoal suit as Allison brought the car to a stop.
“What happened to just staying here?” he asked with a scowl as I got out of the car.
I glared at him. “We got hungry.”
He waited while everyone else got out of the car and went for Allison's front door. I tried to follow them inside, but he caught me by the arm and held me back. “I need to talk to you in private, Alexondra.”
My friends all hustled inside, shutting the door behind them. Traitors.
“When does Devin arrive?” he asked as soon as we were alone.
“How did you . . . ” I began, but then I realized just how he knew. “You talked to Abel, didn't you?”
“I knew you were up to something,” he replied, as if it justified him going behind my back to ask Abel what was going on.
I clenched my jaw in annoyance, but kept my inner tirade to myself. “Tonight,” I answered sharply. “He didn't give me an exact time.”
“And you plan on investigating this murder?” he asked casually.
Suspicious at his tone, I looked up at his expression. His earlier annoyance had disappeared as if it had never existed to begin with.
“Yes?” I said like it was a question.
“Well then you'll want to meet with the local coven,” he stated just as casually. “They would know if anyone had anything against Claire's family.”
I crossed my arms and peered up at him. “You're really not going to drag me home kicking and screaming?”
My dad sighed, and suddenly looked tired. “You're seventeen, and you're smart. I can't very well go around making rules for a daughter I wasn't even around to raise.”
“Well up until today, you've been doing just that,” I countered. “What changed?”
He shifted from foot to foot, as if uncomfortable with the conversation. “Every situation you've gotten yourself into, you've also gotten yourself out of,” he explained. “All you want to do is take care of your friends, just as I've failed at taking care of you. Being raised around humans obviously did you good, and I won't stop you from being a better person than I am, than most demons are, for that matter.”
I wasn't expecting such a heartfelt admission, and it left me at a loss for words. I also wanted to point out that he was the one to get me out of several of the more sticky situations, but I figured I'd keep my mouth shut while I was ahead.
My dad gave me an awkward pat on the shoulder. “I brought some of your things,” he went on, “and I set up a meeting with the local coven. They refuse to meet with me, but they've agreed to meet with you . . . and Devin.”
This was just way too easy. “Is it really a good idea for me to meet with witches? The only other witches I've met were trying to kill me.”
My dad shrugged. “They're human, and you'll have werewolf backup. Plus, you're trying to help them. While the majority of witches are organized, they're nothing like the werewolves. They will receive little help outside of their individual coven.”
I nodded, still trying to get over the fact that not only was my dad letting me stay, he was helping me. “Well, thanks for the tips?” I offered, not sure of what else to say.
“I just want you to promise me one thing,” he said quickly before I could try to walk away.
I took in a deep breath and prepared myself for the lecture that I had expected initially.
“It's okay for you to protect your friends,” he began, “but don't forget about yourself.”
“I'll be careful,” I said tiredly.
“That's not what I mean,” he replied. “Don't forget about yourself as a person. Both your grandmother and I forgot, and now we're both alone. If you focus too much on every emergency that comes along, you'll lose yourself in the process. Think about what makes you happy, and make sure that you don't lose it.”
Finally he stopped talking, which was good, because I was beginning to feel incredibly awkward. I was used to having heart-to-hearts with my mom, but I'd never really expected to have one with my dad.
“Do you promise?” he said when I offered no reply.
“Y-yeah,” I stammered. “I promise.”
With that, he handed me a small piece of paper and disappeared in a puff of smoke. I looked down at the paper to find an address I didn't recognize, and the word “midnight”. The witches wanted to meet at midnight. How portentous.
I wrapped my arms around myself and thought about what my dad had said. Think about what makes you happy. I hadn't really thought about that in a long time. I thought about keeping everyone alive, and about doing my best to keep them happy, but I hadn't really considered myself. Mostly I'd just thought that if the people I cared about were alive and well, then that was good enough.
I shook my head and went for the front door. I'd think about it another time. For now I'd just worry about meeting with a coven of witches. I went inside to discover that everyone had retired to the kitchen to eat. Two small suitcases were sitting by the inside of the door. Apparently my dad had popped right in when he'd discovered that no one was home.
I went into the kitchen to find everyone sitting at the dining table with all of the pizza boxes open, and parmesan and red pepper strewn about. I took the empty seat next to Chase with Lucy sitting further left, then Max further left still, and Allison at the corner on my right. I was somewhat relieved that Allison and Max weren't sitting together. I really didn't mind them dating, but I could only take so much change at once. Before grabbing a slice of pepperoni, I handed Chase the little piece of paper that my dad had given me.
He looked it over, then looked up at me in confusion. “Am I supposed to know what this means?”
“Devin and I are going to meet the local witches tonight,” I explained.
“So he's really letting you stay?” he asked, confused. “I mean, I saw the suitcases, but I really did not see this coming.”
I shrugged as I bit into my pizza, feeling instantly better as the cheesy bite slid down my throat. “Something weird is going on with him,” I replied thoughtfully. “He got all . . . sentimental on me. I feel like he's hiding something.”
“Hmmf,” Chase replied with a thoughtful expression on his face.
“Why only you and Devi
n?” Lucy asked from Chase's other side. “Doesn't he remember what happened the last time we ran into a group of witches?”
I shrugged. “He doesn't seem to think it will be a problem, and I'm guessing the witches don't want to host an entire werewolf pack, especially since one of them was recently murdered.”
“We should at least come and wait in the car,” Lucy argued. “Just in case.”
I nodded and took another bite of my rapidly cooling pizza. “Agreed. Despite the fact that my dad seems to trust them, or he's at least not afraid of them, I really don't want to end up in the back of a van getting injected with tranquilizers again. That was just no fun.”
Lucy smiled. “Yes, let's avoid all badly lit dungeons while we're at it.”
Allison, who had been silent until then, finally perked up. “Do you guys think this could have something to do with what happened before?”
The before we were all referring to was the time we were all kidnapped by witches and a werewolf who were trying to steal other people's powers. It was all a scheme set up by the demon Bartimus, and Bart was dead. I'd personally witnessed my grandmother removing his head from his body.
“It wouldn't make any sense,” I replied. “Even if the few survivors were still trying to achieve their goal, they'd have nothing to gain from killing another witch.”
“We'll know more after you meet with the coven,” Chase assured. “Until then, try not to over-think it.”
I sighed. Asking me to not over-think things was like asking a fish to stop swimming. In an attempt to distract myself, I rose from my seat and pulled out my phone, then walked into the living room to call Lela. Done eating, Allison and Max followed me, then sat on the couch to watch TV. Irritated by the extra noise, I stepped out the front door to make my call. Lela answered on the second ring. Yes, she would come with to meet the witches, yes, she would be over in just a few minutes. With that settled, I went back inside. Averting my eyes from the spectacle of Allison and Max snuggling up on the love seat, I went back into the kitchen.
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