"This isn't the way to my house," I pointed out, flexing my fingers in front of the vent in a feeble attempt to warm them.
"It's the way to my house." He said. The "you idiot" was implied.
I huffed in annoyance. I mean, what the actual hell was wrong with me? I loved Cal. I knew that. I knew he loved me. I just gave him my virginity. I should be still wrapped in his warm arms, in his plushy, gauzy, wholly romantic bed, rejoicing in our physical commitment to each other.
Instead, I was sore, regretful, freezing my ass off, and trapped in a car with a man who may or may not be completely certifiable. Cal never said for sure that they were actually related, just that to him, Hunter was the child of his father's girlfriend. I certainly didn't see any resemblance, but that was to be expected since Cal was a clone of his mother. Still, blood brothers or not, they had a family connection, and that idea was startling.
"How old are you?" I asked.
Hunter glanced over at me and assessed me for a moment before looking back at the windy road. We were nearly out of town, and I felt my heart falter a beat. I didn't have a cell phone—that was the number one item on my Christmas list—so whatever happened tonight, I would most likely end up sending a witch message to Cal, begging for his forgiveness and to come rescue me.
"Nineteen. Almost," he paused and turned onto what looked like a deserted road. It did not help my anxiety in the least. "You?"
My eyebrows rose as I eyed him. He glanced at me again. "You don't know?"
"Should I?"
I shrugged. "I just thought you knew everything about me," I explained mockingly, and he smirked. "Seventeen today,"
He stopped in front of an older shabby house that looked unkempt at best. Shaggy bushes, rickety staircase and weeds mingled in with the sparse grass. Three other cars were parked outside; a small green one I vaguely recognized, Raven's battered black Peugeot, and Breezy—Bree's BMW.
"Quite the eventful birthday?" he asked, his expression was neutral.
"That's one word for it." I stated calmly. "However, you're not the person I can discuss this with."
He nodded. "So why'd you leave him tonight? Not as good as you were hoping?" the teasing, overly-confident grin had returned to his lips, and I found myself glancing at them too often.
"It was fine." I sighed and rested my head against the window. "How'd you know anyway?"
He laughed quietly and took the key out of the ignition. "You had this look about you, wasn't hard to guess,"
"A look?" I asked, taken aback. "Is 'whore' written across my forehead or something?"
Hunter opened his door. "Your face said it all… and your clothes aren't on straight. That was the giveaway." With that, he got out and shut his door, and I followed suit.
"Are you always this much of an ass?" I grumbled, taking my time following him up to the house.
Inside, I almost moaned at the heat of the fire in the small living room. I straightened up when I saw Sky, Raven, and Bree huddled on mismatched furniture with mugs of tea, discussing something with strong intent, and I thought back to the conversation Bree and Raven had had in the school bathroom about giving Sky my hair, and I took a step back towards the door.
"What the hell is she doing here?" Raven demanded, looking at Sky, who was staring daggers between me and Hunter.
Ignoring her, Hunter nodded to Sky, and she stood and started to head out of the room. Hunter rested his hand on my shoulder for a brief moment and indicated for me to follow Sky, and he led me from behind.
Bree caught my eye quickly and looked cautious and calculating, which I hated to admit stung quite a bit. We used to trust each other more than anyone else in the world, and now we were both glancing at each other to make sure either of us wasn't about to attack.
As I walked, my mind conjured up ridiculous images of the mafia "taking care of" those who had backstabbed them, and I felt a bit like I was heading off to my execution. We entered what appeared to be a large parlor, and Hunter closed the door behind him. I wondered if this was where their circles were held as I felt faint traces of magick in the room.
"Start talking." Sky demanded, folding her arms across her chest. "You were going over to get Cal to bring him in for questioning, and instead you bring his little pet home?"
My eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?" I demanded, and she rolled her eyes in annoyance and focused back on Hunter.
"I was—I was there, and I saw Morgan leaving and asked her where Cal was."
"And?" Sky asked.
Hunter looked uncharacteristically abashed and rubbed the back of his neck tiredly. "I decided not to pursue it tonight." He told her calmly. "Morgan needs help." I turned on him then, and he gave me a harsh look that quieted me instantly. "She has Belwicket's tools."
Sky's mouth dropped silently and started deeply into Hunter's eyes, and then looked over at me, shaking visibly now. "How is that possible? She's untrained, uninitiated—"
"That's why they need her." He stated, and I felt sick.
Cal would never hurt me intentionally. The idea of Selene being behind some horrid plan to use me for my powers was unsettling. The idea of Cal being a part of it would make me lose my mind. It wasn't true—Hunter was either hell bent on vengeance or taking his assignment way too far and receiving false information.
It just wasn't possible.
"Do you really scry with fire?" Sky asked me warily. I nodded. "Where are the tools?"
I cleared my throat of the lump that had formed and glanced between her and Hunter. "They're hidden."
Sky swallowed and uncrossed her arms, relaxing a tiny bit. "Does Cal know where they are?"
I nodded again. "I told him, and I showed him this." I said, taking the athame out of my coat. Sky was awestruck, not taking her eyes off of the blade.
She straightened up again, business-like. "Right then, you'll need to find a new place for them and keep it to yourself. Cal may not hurt you, but Selene will stop at nothing to have you and those tools. We can't take risks like that to spare the feelings of a talented amateur."
"What could she do with them?" I asked, surprising myself. The rational thing would've been to tell her she and Hunter were insane, but curiosity got the better of me.
Hunter answered, cutting off Sky. "The tools were made before Belwicket had renounced dark magick. They've since been purified, of course, but Selene could restore them to their original state. It's not something we want happening." His eyes bore into mine at the last few words, and I felt my stomach drop.
I slid the athame back into my coat and looked back over to Sky. "So if he's here for work, why are you here?" I asked her.
"Because we look out for each other." She answered simply.
I bit my lip, glancing between the impossibly blonde cousins who could've been twins, and sighed. "So if you guys are right, what should I do about Cal?"
Hunter and Sky entered into another silent conversation, one I was clearly not trustworthy enough to hear. I waited impatiently, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Act normally," Sky said. "Continue to be his little lapdog until Hunter has the information he needs to turn them into the council."
"And then what?" I asked, decidedly ignoring the jab at me.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Hunter said. "Come, I'll run you home."
I nodded after a moment and followed him out of the room, only to be bombarded with Bree and Raven's matching faces of distrust and irritation.
We were almost to the front door when Bree grabbed my arm and pulled me aside. I yanked my arm back out of her grip, and she huffed.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she asked, sounding almost bored.
"That's none of your business, Bree." I replied coldly.
She laughed without humor. "Bullshit. Are you here to spy on our coven?" she accused, hands on her hips and nearly towering over me with her three-inch height advantage. "If that's the case, you're a couple of hours too late."
"No, I'm not here to spy on your coven." I said. "Hunter needed to talk to me."
"Why?"
"Again. That is none of your business. Stay out of this, Bree. You have no idea what the hell you're starting."
She looked taken aback by my boldness and shook her head. "Hey, I will do just that. Have fun with your boyfriend, Morgan." She turned to walk back to Sky and Raven but stopped mid step and turned back around. With her hands still on her hips, she looked like a model posing in a fashion shoot, and I could only imagine what I looked like through her eyes in my current state of dishevelment. "Oh, and happy birthday!" she said with a fake smile, and turned again to stalk off.
I blinked quickly, swallowing to ensure the tears that were dangerously close to forming would not fall.
I left the house with Hunter without looking back. Thinking back, Bree had always been this much of a bitch. I'd just hardly used to notice. Now it was aimed directly at me, and I was unprepared.
I cannot express how sorry I am for the month-and-a-half long wait. I was going through a lot but I'm settled now and starting to write again.
Thank you to everyone who's been sticking with this story, and I swear I'll be updating again this week along with Silver Lining!