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Chapter Nineteen

Istood beside Tyson next to the Suburban. We were on the far side of the shop and, hopefully, hidden from view from the people moving around inside. I'd taken the call off of speaker but hadn't ended it before sticking it in one of the front pockets of my hoodie. I still wasn't willing to disconnect from Quinton, even when I knew he'd be here in just a few short minutes. I also didn't hang up because I wanted him to know what was going on and that it wasn't safe for him to bring Rain here with him.

A man I had only seen twice before—the second time he didn’t know about—stood before Tyson and I. His arms were crossed over his chest and he was glaring at us like we were his naughty children he'd just caught doing something he'd forbidden us from, multiple times. Now we were in for a lecture and maybe even a time out.

I watched him nervously, warily, as I waited for him to speak. Or yell, I wouldn't be surprised if he yelled instead, he looked about ready to blow.

The reason he made me so nervous was because he was a member of the Council and I think we all knew by now that they set me on edge.

His name was Daniel. He was either in his early forties or was older and aged well. He had a broad forehead and a wide nose. Not a man I'd ever call attractive in the sense he was beautiful. But there was one thing I had to give him, becauseitactuallywasbeautiful and that was his hair. He had dark, thick brown hair that was roped into a heavy braid that fell all the way down to the middle of his back. His hair was a thing to envy, and even if he wasn't a man you'd originally want to take a second look at, that hair would catch you by surprise at the last minute he walked past you and you'd have to take an extra peek over your shoulder at him just to check it out.

Out of the Council members he'd been the one I'd disliked the most. Probably because his eyes weren't mean and cruel like most of the rest of them.

That is to say I'd disliked him the least until I had seen that glorious braid slither around down his back while he and his Council buddies were giving it dirty to Annabell in some weird Council tries to knock up the female witch gang bang that I could have died happy never even knowing about, let alone having seen it.

Odd, I know, because one would think that after all the years I had spent living with Vivian I would have been desensitized to watching other people have sex, but as it turns out that just wasn't the case.

Maybe Quintonwasright, maybe I was a prude. Please, don't let anyone tell him I said that.

Tyson cleared his throat and bravely looked Daniel in the eyes, and said, "This is private property. What are you doing on it?"

I choked as I turned to gape at him. That's how he wanted to lead into this talk?

"You own the land across the street, Young Alexander," Daniel drawled. "If you want to talk about trespassing on your private property then perhaps we should go across the street and have this conversation."

"I don't think that's a wise idea," I rushed out, and shrunk back when Daniel turned his hostile gaze on me.

"Tell me, Ariel," he started in a casual tone that was at odds with the look on his face. "Why is it you think it's not a wise idea to go across the street to your shop? Why have you two been parked out here for almost ten minutes and not gotten out of your vehicle?"

I scratched at the side of my neck, nervously.

"Well," I said, "technically it's Marcus's vehicle and not ours."

Tyson snickered from beside me and I jerked my elbow toward him, nailing him in the ribs.

Instead of getting angry with me, Daniel glared at Tyson and leaned in to snarl, "You think any of this is funny? You're out here with one of our only females, one that's only recently been brought to our attention, and you want to stand here laughing when there are witch hunters across the street pilfering your store, a store I might add, that she spends most of her timeworkingat. Tell me, young Alexander, what part of this scenario here do you find amusing?"

Well, when he put it like that I could understand why he seemed to be so angry and upset with us.

Still...

"How do you know they're witch hunters?" I asked in a quiet voice. He'd sounded so sure of himself. "What are you doing here, Daniel?"

"Girl," Tyson said in a voice full of warning. He wanted me to be careful here while talking to this Council member. He and I both knew what could happen to me for treating them so poorly. However, I was starting to believe, probably foolishly, that the Council wouldn't hurt me for asking questions or even being slightly snotty toward them. Heck, half the time Adrian found it amusing when I talked back to him. The other half he did get angry, though, so I knew not to push my luck too far.

A terrible thought struck me and had me gripping the front of my hoody, my fingers digging into the material to keep myself from reaching out and clutching the front of Daniel's sweater.

"Are you following me?" I whispered in a voice full of horror.

I hadn't noticed anyone following me, but half the time I was too busy rushing from place to place and I didn't always pay enough attention to the world around me.

What if they'd been watching me in the shop and had seen me with Rain? There was no hiding the fact he was my father, we looked too much alike to try and hide it from anyone. What would they do if they found Rain with me? What would happen to him?

I shuddered at the surge of fear that roared through me.

Daniel eyed me warily. "Of course I'm not following you. We would never do such a thing to you. However, that doesn't mean we don't expect reports from Quinton on your progress and welfare because we certainly do. He just doesn't report in as often as he should, and we've been forced to take matters into our own hands if we wanted to know how you've been doing. Today, I came by to check in and make sure you got Adrian's messages about when Marcus's dinner party is, because you haven't responded to him. He might not have gotten so angry if when he tried to get into contact with both your new guards, they had actually gotten back to him. Since they did not, he was going to come out here and see you himself and if you weren't here he was going to stop by the cottage. I didn't think these were wise decisions given his temperament, so I offered to go in his stead. I showed up here and you can imagine my surprise when I see witch hunters pull up and break in. Now, the thing I want to know here, is why don't you seem surprised to see them?"

Ohhhhh boy.