Chapter Fifteen
Thomas sat in the backseat of Ekalis' car and looked out the window. For the past eight hours, he’d thought only of Hacen and Jules.
Since the moment Thomas drove away from his old coven with Penny strapped into her car seat and all their shit stuffed into the trunk, he’d never thought he'd be back.
He immediately regretted agreeing to come when they passed by the house where he spent his childhood. The vinyl siding had changed to a yellow color at some point in his absence, and children's toys changed from the faded plastic playhouse to dump trucks half stuck in the sand. A green plastic turtle trapped the sand, holding it in one spot. There was also a small plastic pool, turned up on its side and leaning against the house.
Thomas' parents would have liked that the place had kids in it, even if those kids weren't Thomas and Penny.
He remembered his father filling a plastic pool up just to the left of the flower bed. The hose had dangled from his hand, and he had shorts on without a shirt. His mother held Penny, crouching on the grass behind her. Penny had jumped up and down with a big grin on her face, jostling Mom around. Thomas had sat on the front steps sulking because he was grounded and couldn't leave the yard. After they had filled the pool, Mom let Penny go. Thomas remembered her splashing around and laughing. He hadn't been able to sulk when Penny's little giggle reached his ears.
He had played with her in that pool for an hour. Their parents had watched and occasionally splashed along with them. They had eaten lunch out there and watched a movie that evening. The very next day his parents were gone, and before he knew it, he and Penny were alone.
They had lived in a hotel room for six months after Ballard kicked him out. That hotel room certainly hadn't been their little yellow house with sunflower curtains in the kitchen and his family eating dinner at the table. He had rented a two-bedroom, rundown house after that. He could barely make the rent every month.
Thomas felt their absence in every second of every day for so long it became a part of him like an extra appendage. Penny's child-like joy had disappeared after their death as well, and Thomas hadn't known what to do to get it back.
It seemed to return with the Somersets, and Thomas couldn't be more grateful. When he got back home, he'd pressure Hacen to put his prejudice aside and do the right thing. He'd also beg Jules to stay with them. Maybe if he bought a house in town, closer to the Somersets, Jules would agree to move in with them permanently.
Life was fragile. Thomas knew that better than anyone. He just needed the reminder.
Thomas drew the burner phone out of his pocket and texted his mates. I love you guys.
It didn't even take a full minute to get a response back. Omg, do you mean me too?
Thomas smiled. Jules. He was so insecure in the relationship and Thomas couldn't blame him. The way they started things hadn’t been easy on any of them, least of all Jules.
I mean you. I love you, Jules.
I love you too. Are you okay?
Just driving into the coven's territory.
Oh. You didn't fight yet?
No. I'll win, so don't worry.
Don’t forget to put that protective spell on yourself.
Thomas already had the spell in place, so sent a face emoji to Jules. The little yellow man had kissing lips and a heart next to them.
The warlock sitting in the backseat with him pretended not to be interested in Thomas' texting conversation but failed miserably. Thomas angled the phone, so Jory wouldn't see the screen.
Thomas gave the guy a disapproving look, and he averted his gaze.
Satisfied, Thomas texted again.
How are Hacen and Penny getting along?
She left with Bennett and Lucas today, but he was great with her. He's her favorite braider now.
Thomas scowled. Penny was supposed to stay at the cabin. Is she safe?
Mama put the spell back up, and everyone knows not to let warlocks on the property. At least until you get back.
A picture popped up on the screen after that message. Thomas melted into a puddle on the car floorboards when he saw Penny sitting in one of the kitchen chairs with Hacen behind her. His hands were in her long red strands and a concentrated wrinkle between his eyebrows. His scowl is different. LOL
I know right. He fought with Bennett.
Thomas sucked in a breath. What!
Yeah, fists and everything.
They aren't fighting still?
No. Like I said, Bennett and Lucas left, took Penny with him.
Did Lucas fix your leg?
Yeah. I'm fine now, and I'm going back home, so can you call me there later?
Shit. Sure, baby.
Hacen's hovering so I'm gonna hand him the phone. A full minute went by in which time Thomas pictured Jules and Hacen arguing. Then Hacen texted. I love you very much. And don't worry, Jules isn't going anywhere. I'll fix it.
With kissing? That seems to work.
Ha. If he'll let me touch him. He's stubborn.
Like you.
Hacen sent him a winking emoji.
Before Thomas could respond, the car stopped, and the engine shut off. Thomas looked around and noticed Ekalis parking in front of his house. I'll call you tonight.
Just come home right after the challenge. And be careful. Don't trust those fuckers.
His door opened, and Ekalis stood there.
Every good warlock had a protective spell in their home, and Ekalis wasn’t an exception. Thomas felt the power of the spell when he came to a particular spot in the yard. The spell felt like electricity sizzling around him as he moved through it.
Thomas took a deep breath in and released it. He cast a spell that would search for other curses on the property and didn't find anything.
"I promise you. My motives are genuine, Thomas." Ekalis almost looked hurt as he held the front door open. When Thomas entered the house, it seemed almost exactly as it did when he had last been there. Ekalis had lived with his father, who had been a coven elder, and he hadn't been more than seventeen years old.
The front door opened directly into the living room. Ekalis had updated the furniture but everything was in the same spot as it had been. The lack of change seemed odd, given the fact that Thomas immediately felt the lack of Ekalis' father and suspected that meant the warlock had passed to the Otherworld. "Your father's gone."
"Yes. He defended Penny's right to be in the coven and lost his life in the challenge against Ballard."
Thomas hadn’t known that. “I’m sorry.”
Ekalis nodded. "He always liked your family. And you."
Thomas remembered Ekalis' father as a kind man with a gentleness that had put Thomas at ease. "I was very fond of him as well."
Ekalis gesture to the couch, offering Thomas a seat. "We should talk strategy."
"Agreed." Thomas sat and waited. He was ready to get the challenge done and go home. He still saw the need for communication, though. All four of them should be on the same page if they wanted to succeed.
Ekalis sat in the plush chair opposite him. The two other warlocks in the room stood off to the side, Patrick typing on his phone as if the conversation didn't pertain to him at all.
Jory shuffled from foot to foot, giving off nervous energy that actually put Thomas at ease. He was the only one who did actually. They all had a right to be scared. After all, if Thomas lost, the three of them would most likely be imprisoned for treason. Given the fact that Ballard was an asshole, he'd probably have them killed.
Patrick stuffed the phone back into his pocket and regarded the room with a bored expression on his face.
Thomas' stomach churned with dread. Ekalis spoke but Thomas' ears filled with his own heartbeat. He took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself.
Ekalis' brow drew together, and he stood. He didn't even take a full step before he crumbled to the ground in a heap.
How did he miss the curse?
Thomas pulled out his phone and pressed the button. The screen swam in his vision, elongating and distorting. The screen lit-up and despite having blurred vision, he managed to text Hacen and Jules one single word. Help.
He tried to put the phone back in his pocket, but by then he couldn't feel his fingers. He pressed the button that would shut the phone off, not wanting anyone to get to his mates through the device. The phone required a code to get into it, and he was the only one who knew it. Someone took it from his hand. The curse was designed to make him lose consciousness, but he never did thanks to Jules’ warning.