“What do you want to do?” Tor asked. “We can’t hide forever.”
Heath ran a hand through his blond hair, looking pale. “I’m thinking.”
I paced, trying to focus on anything but my racing thoughts: Sierra, stuck who-knew-where, maybe scared. And the guilt she’d feel if she found out about this. My parents, who’d never been privy to our secrets - not even to the fact that Gerald was still alive.
“Hey, your mom hasn’t told them yet about your dad, has she?”
Torin shook his head sharply. “Not that I know of. I doubt it. She agreed to keep it a secret for now, and she’s still struggling with it, herself.”
I nodded. It made sense. Would be a hell of a thing to try to explain that your husband—whom everyone in the coven thought had died of heart failure during a spell miscalculation—had actually been sent to the underworld for not fully accepting the Unconsecrated into his life. And hey, looky here - he’s back!
“We still have to warn your parents,” Enzo told me.
“No,” I said. “We don’t. They don’t need to know, if we can prevent it.”
Tor nodded. “He’s right. They don’t.”
Heath rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know. But what if we can’t stop it, or they figure it out on their own?”
“Then we deal with it,” I said.
Enzo agreed. “I’ll start work on a distraction spell,” he said, and I was impressed with his quick thinking.
Heath started to pace again, running his hands through his hair like it was the only way he could contain his nerves. “I’ll get back home and scope it out, see what they’re planning.”
“I’ll come with you,” Tor offered.
“Umn, maybe you should go out through the front door, though, while Heath takes the portal, since mom only saw you and Enzo arrive. I’ll leave with you guys and tell her we’re going to Warner’s house.”
“Sounds good. I’ll meet you back at my place. I’ll open the bedroom portal on my end, so you can avoid Lyle.”
It wasn’t long before we arrived in Heath’s bedroom, where I was greeted by the smell of rich mahogany and old money.
Tor sat down behind the big, wooden desk and started typing away on his phone, while I took a seat on the sofa in front of the fireplace.
Heath frowned at Tor. “What are you doing?”
“Messaging mom. Keeping her distracted and reminding her to put off speaking to Helene.”
“Good idea.” Heath nodded and took a seat in one of the armchairs by the sofa, while Enzo plopped down in the matching chair on the other side, the leather creaking as his muscled frame landed in it.
“So, what’s the plan now?” he asked, crossing one booted foot over his knee.
Heath started to open his mouth, and we all flinched when banging came from the bedroom door.
“Heathcliff, open this door. I know you’re in there.”
Helene.
My stomach clenched and I looked at Heath in panic. “What now?” I whispered, even though his mother probably couldn’t hear us since he’d cast a privacy spell as soon as we’d arrived.
Heath stood up and sighed, walking over to the door. “What do you want, Helene?” he drawled.
“To know where you’ve been.”
Heath rolled his eyes. “With friends. Same old same old. Now if you don’t mind, I’d like some privacy.”
The banging continued, but I felt a shiver run down my spine when I heard the lock click.
“Heathcliff, this isn’t a request.” Helene’s voice was colder than usual, but her motherly tone remained. “I know what you’re up to.”
Crap.
She pushed the door open, walking in with her eyes trained on her son.
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play dumb with me, boy.” Her cold, calculating gaze swept over all of us. “You boys think you’re so clever. But I know you’ve been involved in dark magic. What I need to know now, is how far you’ve gotten with the girl.”
I avoided her gaze, feeling nauseous.
“Dark magic? I guess you would know all about that.” Heath returned her expression, sneer for sneer.
“Don’t lie to me, Heathcliff. Your powers have been fluctuating,” she whispered harshly, glancing at me again. “Why?”
A sense of dread washed over me. Was she suggesting that I had something to do with this? My parents influence, maybe?
“No, mom,” Heath sighed. “It’s not like that,” he shook his head. “It’s . . . different kinds of magic. It’s complicated.”
