Kind of a longer chapter as a Thanksgiving gift. I just wanted to thank anyone who reads, and especially those who've taken the time to review, I seriously appreciate it!
"Morgan?" Colm called, moving closer to me.
"Colm, I'm sorry, I'm just not in the mood to talk right now." I said, trying to keep the desperation out of my voice. I didn't know how much more I could handle today.
Colm stopped about a foot away from me, reaching his arm out to grasp mine in what I assumed to be an affectionate, comforting gesture. I tensed but didn't shrug him off. "You feel weird," he murmured. "Like…frazzled. Are you okay?" he dropped his voice even more, his eyes glancing to the car behind me. He began to rub my arm in gentle strokes.
"Please don't do that," I whispered, not looking into his eyes.
He stopped near my shoulder, gripping my upper arm firmly. "Is that him, then?" he nodded towards the car.
"Yes," I gnawed on my bottom lip, trying to stay calm as I felt his grip tighten almost painfully. I could feel Hunter's hyperaware presence—he was watching us, Colm in particular, waiting for him to snap so he could intervene.
Colm scoffed. "You're leaving." A statement, not a question. I nodded. "That prick just waltzes back in here, back into your life, and you destroy everything you've worked for?"
"Excuse me?" I gasped. I had never ever seen Colm lose his temper.
"Why are you doing this to yourself?" he demanded, grabbing my other arm as well. Hunter got out of the car and came over to us. Colm relaxed his grip on me but still held me at arm's length. Not acknowledging Hunter, he continued. "Think of all the progress you've made here, with us—why would you want to run away from that?"
His voice had softened, and he tried to take one of my hands that was still holding the metal box to my chest. "You need to stop." I said, stepping out of his reach. Colm's normally friendly, cheerful eyes suddenly took on a furious burn as he watched me step slightly behind Hunter. I rested my hand on his back softly, grabbing just a little bit of his jacket in my fist.
"You're making a mistake, Morgan. Your life won't be any different with him than it has been—he's going to keep making his work priority while you follow him around like a little dog! You're so much better than that!"
"You don't know anything," I said, appalled.
"I know that if you leave, you'll regret it!" Colm spat.
"And why is that?" Hunter demanded in a cool tone.
Colm's glare shifted to Hunter, and he backed down ever so slightly, noticing his height, his strength, his willingness for battle if that's what it came to. "You don't deserve her." He said, his voice losing the sharp edge. "Do you even realize how incredible she is? Do you know that every time she came back from seeing you, it would take her days to get back on track, days for her to even smile again?"
I let out a breath, resting my forehead on Hunter's tensed shoulder blade.
"Yes," Hunter surprised me by saying. "I felt the same. It was a hell that I wouldn't wish upon anyone." He went on. "But that doesn't mean you get to sweep in and pick up the pieces. I'm not leaving Morgan for my work. I've made that mistake already."
I could almost sense Colm's disappointment at the route Hunter chose—he had wanted a battle, wanted to fight for me, and I felt sick. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, sending out my senses to Hunter. This was all my fault, I realized. I had caused this mess.
I'm sorry, I sent to Hunter. I'm so sorry for all of this.
"I'm not just going to stand by and watch you fall for this. You belong here, Morgan." He said, his eyes willing me to come join him.
They were sad, hopeless. He wanted me with him, wanted me in Cobh with him, with Belwicket. I felt my own eyes fill with tears but didn't have the energy to cry. All of my hopes and dreams for this coven were disappearing, too. My goal to be high priestess like Maeve had been destined to be, to be a gifted healer, to work endlessly for something I knew could be made great again.
It was the same predicament Hunter was in. This was the reason I wanted us to break up. I didn't want to be in pain anymore. But Hunter had seen something I hadn't until just now: I was welcomed anywhere he was, and Hunter would never be welcomed here. Not in the way he would need to be to feel comfortable making magick in this coven.
It broke my heart.
Katrina working with Iona to destroy me was nothing compared to this pain, not when Hunter was right here with me in the place I wanted to be my home. I wanted to have my children grow up here, and they never would. Cobh could never be my home without Hunter.
Still mostly hidden behind Hunter, I let one hand drift down to rest on my belly, where the tiny baby was just barely starting to form. A slight smile began on my face, my tears falling down my cheeks relentlessly. I would be okay.
I could leave Cobh, leave Belwicket, and be okay. Hunter and I could start over anywhere. We could start a new coven. I could meet witches outside of Belwicket to work with me on my healing.
I wouldn't be destroying my life, as Colm had put it. I would just be starting a new one. Perhaps the one I would've had had Katrina Byrne not walked into my life.
Swallowing hard, I looked up at Colm, stepping into view. "I don't," I said. I felt Hunter's confusion as he looked down at me quickly. I reached my hand down and laced my fingers with his. "I belong with you." I told Hunter, gazing hard into his stunningly green eyes. "I don't care where." I smiled up at him through my tears and hoped he could read me, see that I meant it.
"Morgan," Colm said pleadingly.
"Please don't make this harder than it has to be." I sniffled. "I want to be where Hunter is."
Colm's gaze shifted from me to Hunter, and he let out his breath in a sigh. "You know, don't you?" he asked. I held my breath and waited for him to elaborate.
Was he about to confess?
"Morgan, I swear, it was done for your own good." Colm stammered, holding up his hands in defense. "Mum would've never agreed to it if it meant you would get hurt."
"So you admit you've all been spying on me and giving intel to Iona?" I demanded. Colm looked as if he could have a nervous breakdown at any moment. "You've been placing runes and watch sigils on my things when I go to see Hunter, reading my Book of Shadows—what the hell is the matter with all of you?"
"We did it because we care!" he insisted. "We're worried about you!"
Hunter lightly wrapped his arm around my waist and steered me to the car. I didn't fight him. I wanted this all to be over.
"Morgan!" Colm called. The desperation in his voice would've made me turn back to him had Hunter not opened the car door and guided me in.
Hunter got into the driver's side, turned the key, and started pulling back onto the road. I let my head drop into my hands and finally gave myself permission to sob.
The hotel's shower head was intense, spraying my pale skin with hot needles of water that felt surprisingly wonderful. I'd been in here nearly an hour—the shower was the only thing I cared to notice once we had gotten into the room, and I was stripping out of my clothes and turning on the faucet before the door was fully shut.
Hunter had gone out to meet with some colleagues, both of the New Charter and former members of the International Council of Witches, which was all but disbanded now.
I leaned my head against the cool tiled wall of the shower. London was a good distraction in all its beautiful chaos. It was impossible to be bored in this city, which made it a great place to lose your thoughts and worries for a while.
So much had happened in the last few days that it was still hard to make sense of everything. Wales had been a nightmare. Cobh had been a disaster that I wished was a nightmare so that I could wake up and carry on my day as normal with my ancestral coven.
But I had chosen this path, Hunter, and this incredible shower head.
I heard the door to the room open and sensed Hunter coming in. Reluctantly, I turned off the faucet and wrung out my long hair. I grabbed a towel off the hook next to the shower and dried off, then grabbed the convenient plushy white hotel robe.
Hunter was lying back on the bed when I opened the door from the bathroom, the steam pouring out into the room in a translucent cloud of heat. He was fully dressed, shoes still on. He was pinching the bridge of his nose, rubbing back and forth slightly as if he had a headache. I lied next to him on my side, and he didn't stop me from drawing runes on his forehead to rid the ache and relax him. After a few moments his breathing became even, but he still kept his eyes shut.
"Did it go okay?" I asked softly.
He nodded once and turned on his side to face me. He opened his eyes and wrapped his arm around my waist, pressing me against him.
"Katrina and the rest of them will go through a formal inspection," he said, kissing my nose and then my lips briefly. "Iona has a case against her with the old council, so it's difficult to take over with this." He sighed. "But I spoke with Kennett, and he seems willing to work with us on this."
I rested my head on his chest and felt him flinch from my wet hair suddenly under his jaw. "And what about us?" I asked.
"If I'm being honest," he began in a mild tone. "I would rather have you escorted back to Widow's Vale until this is all sorted." I looked up at him in disbelief, and he interrupted as I was about to argue. "But I know you better than that. So I'm willing to compromise."
"That being…?"
"I can easily work in New York—I have enough connections there. I know you don't want to live in the city, so could we find a place halfway between the city and Widow's Vale?"
I kept staring at him, waiting for his words to sink in. "You would do that?"
Hunter nodded. "I'm sorry we can't stay in Cobh, I truly am, but if this could be an alternative, would you do it?"
"Yes," I said without hesitation. "Absolutely, yes."
He began to stroke my back. "In the meantime," he murmured tiredly, eyes drifting shut again. "I'd like you to go to Widow's Vale and wait for me. I don't want you around this."
"Hunter—"
"Morgan." His expression was solemn. "Please. It won't be for long. I just need to know that you're okay and taken care of." He rolled his eyes at my look of annoyance. He knew my argument would be that I could take care of myself. "Not that you're not capable of protecting yourself, Goddess knows I'd be an idiot to think otherwise, but I want you as far away from all of this as possible. I don't know what else Iona could have in store for us."
I swallowed, weighing the request. "Okay," I said after a moment. "Just don't make me wait forever."