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Bo

“They plan on staying.”

I don’t have to be able to read magical auras to know that Mor is terrified by the thought of her parents settling in Folk Haven.

My father was a waste of space and did a number on my self-worth, but at least I was never scared of the man.

“Can’t The Council deny them?” I ask.

Mor shakes her head.

“I went to Selena right after talking to my mother. She said The Council can’t even consider expelling someone unless they’ve attempted to harm a resident of Folk Haven.” She blinks her big green eyes up at me.

“But by the time they do that, it might be too late to mitigate the damage. And they don’t do big things. The pain they dole out, it’s small and secretive. Hard to nail down and hold them accountable for.” She shudders.

“I thought we got away from them.”

Fury roils in my chest at the thought of those two toxic witches digging their emotional-damaging claws into Mor and her siblings.

I want to shield all of them, but I don’t know how.

“I can drive them off,” I offer.

“Run them out of town. Jack would help.”

Hell, Jack would draw first blood.

Mor shakes her head.

“Selena warned that if we become the aggressors, it’s us who could be banished. We don’t get to decide the laws.”

My teeth grind together at the unfairness of the situation.

I cradle Mor tight against my chest until, eventually, she slips into a fitful sleep.

But I don’t slumber, my mind shuffling through possibilities that will keep my new family safe.

There is one I can’t deny.

A solution that would fix everything.

But how high will the cost be?

Whatever it is, for Mor’s safety and peace of mind, I’m willing to pay it.

Carefully, I roll my witch onto her side and slip out of the bed, my steps soft now that I know which floorboards creek.

I slink down the steps and out into the chill night.

Instead of transforming, I set off at a steady jog in my human form, letting the idea turn around and around in my head.

Making sure I’ve examined all the angles and I’m still satisfied with my decision.

By the time I reach his house, my mind has not changed.

I pause at the edge of the barrier that kept me back last time, but when I step forward, I’m allowed through.

Tonight, I mean him no harm.

My fist is a loud pound on the door, echoing through the mansion the monster built for himself in the far corner of Lake Galen.

He keeps me waiting, but I keep my patience.

This is too important to let my prejudices creep forward.

Finally, the door swings inward, revealing a smirking Sev.

“Well, if it isn’t my old friend Bosephus. What did I do to deserve this”—he flicks his eyes to how close I am to his front door—“nonviolent visit?”

“I want to make a deal.”

He blinks once.

Twice.

Then his smirk curls into a satisfied grin.

“In that case, do come in.” Sev turns his back on me—a clear message that he’s not scared of me in the slightest—and strolls into the depths of his house.

I follow after, shutting the door behind me and praying to the gods that I am still able to depart at the end of this conversation.

I trail him to a sitting room that’s full of furniture that looks like he bought it at a Dracula garage sale.

Old, fancy, and possibly hiding bloodstains.

He settles onto the most ornate chair, as if perching on a throne, but makes no indication that I should sit.

That’s fine. I’d rather stand even if it gives the dynamic of a peasant begging royalty for a favor.

“Two new witches came to town yesterday. Helena and Alistair Shelly.”

“The parents of your precious librarian,” he says.

I’m not sure if he already knew they were here or if he simply used deductive reasoning.

Either way, I nod.

And there’s no point in being coy about how I feel toward Mor.

I don’t plan to love her quietly.

“I want you to make them leave town.”

Sev raises a single brow.

“You don’t get along with the future in-laws? This is a drastic step, don’t you think?”

“You don’t need to know my reasons.”

“No, I don’t. But I want to know. And what I want I get, or you have no hope of convincing me to make a deal.”

I clench my fists, then relax them.

“They’re cruel. Mistreated Mor and her siblings. Those two weren’t parents. They were … owners. They treated their kids like toys they could play with. Poke at. Hurt, if they found it interesting. And now that Ame and her brothers are mated with other mythics, the Shellys got their eyes on any grandchildren.” I grimace at the thought.

“More fodder for their experiments.”

Sev goes preternaturally still.

“Experiments?” He whispers the word, and I swear the syllables drip with venom.

I can’t read the eerie note in his voice, but I really hope it’s not interest. Sev tends to have the deadly air of a cat that enjoys batting around their prey.

“That’s what they did. Tested different magics on their children. Leeched power from them.”

Sev stares out the window toward the dark lake.

Silent. Contemplating.

And I wait, holding tight to my patience so I don’t ruin this chance.

“I will make them leave and never want to return,” Sev announces at last. “In exchange, you will be in debt to me for the rest of your life. I can call on you for whatever I wish.”

“Done.”

He turns, brow raised.

“Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

“You hesitated the first time. With your siren.”

“She isn’t mine. Never was.” And thank the gods for that.

I was a fool, infatuated with a selfish woman.

Now I know what love truly is.

“What about the witch?” He studies me.

“Is she yours?”

“I am hers.”

Sev sighs.

“Your candor chafes. Don’t you know how to keep some secrets?”

“When they count.”

He tilts his head, a sharp smirk cutting across his lips.

“Does your witch know you are here?”

That has my back molars grinding.

“She would if I could speak about you to her.”

“Ah, yes. The binding. I think I’ll keep that in place. I, for one, know that secrets are power.”

“So we have a deal then?”

“Yes, Bosephus. We have a deal.”