It was only then that I realized she’d deepened our connection so that she could see through my eyes.
Yeah, sorry, she said, but I needed to understand exactly what’s going down. I think the rage stopped you sensing it.
Probably.
“A divorce would be more convenient,” my father said.
“Oddly enough, I’m not in the mood to make things convenient for either of you.”
Anger flared deep in his eyes, and just for an instant, his power surged over me, momentarily scalding my senses and sending the café’s remaining spells into a frenzy of activity. Lightning flickered out from the layers of wild magic, jagged little warnings of what waited if they didn’t watch what they were doing.
Unfortunately, it also served as a pointer that all was not as it seemed—not with me, not with the magic that still protected this place.
“Interesting” was all my father said. But his gaze, when it returned to mine, was speculative.
“Not so much,” Monty replied. “Not if you know the recent history of this place.”
“The magic of a wellspring can affect spells, but what just happened here is extremely unusual, and we all know it.”
“Except,” Ashworth drawled, “for the fact that the wild magic within this reservation does many things it should not—and I suspect you’ve both read my reports and Monty’s and are well aware of that.”
“Meaning you’re Ira Ashworth,” Lawrence said. “That would certainly explain recent events in Canberra. But back to the matter at hand—if we agree to an annulment, there must be suitable terms on both sides.”
“And what would you consider suitable terms?” Monty asked. “Given you forced a sixteen-year-old into a marriage she didn’t want, I’m thinking it might be better for you both to simply get the annulment ASAP and walk away. We all know you have enough tame judges in your pockets to get it done quickly and quietly.”
“That might well be possible,” my father said. “But we want the spell on Clayton removed, and I want you, Elizabeth, to return to Canberra and undergo a full magical audit.”
I forced a smile, even as my gut clenched. A full audit would reveal the ongoing changes within me. “So that you can drug me into another marriage? I think not.”
“Fine. We’ll do it here—I don’t particularly care.”
Of course he didn’t. Not when it might reveal that the daughter he’d tossed away like so much rubbish might actually hold some worth. The anger of the child who’d never been good enough rose, but underneath the hurt remained. Despite everything, there was some small spark of that child still aching for the love of her father.
“And why would I put myself through that again, Father dearest? I had sixteen years of being told I was a worthless disappointment. I don’t need to add an exclamation point to what is already common knowledge.”
“Oh, I think we do.” He studied me for a long minute, and I rather suspected he was seeing the things I was trying to keep hidden. “These are my terms. Do you agree to them or not?”
“If I say not?”
He smiled. It was cold and hard, and sent trepidation crawling across my skin.
“Then I shall release the leash.”
“That,” Monty said, “sounded a whole lot like a threat. And in front of witnesses.”
“No, it was just a statement of fact. I’m here to broker a deal between two legally bound parties, one of whom is not in the best state of mind currently. If terms cannot be agreed on, we will return to Canberra. I cannot be held accountable for what may happen after that.”
“If he comes into this reservation,” Aiden said, voice deceptively mild, “and makes any sort of threat or move against Liz, I’ll rip his goddamn throat out.”
Clayton’s laugh was a short, sharp sound of contempt. “You won’t get within ten meters of me, wolf, and that little trinket around your neck won’t in any way protect you.”
“Perhaps not, but you might be wise to remember that wolves always hunt in packs.”
Clayton bared his teeth, but at my father’s curt “Enough, both of you,” refrained from replying.
Monty thinks we’ve really got no choice but to agree to the terms, Belle said. If the audit is done here, then you’re at least fully protected against anything they might attempt afterward—especially if you’re right in believing the wild magic won’t release you.
I resisted the urge to scrub a hand across my eyes. I hate the thought of doing another audit.
With a whole lot of justification. But if it gets Clayton out of your life without any collateral damage, it might be a small price to pay.
The key word there is ‘might.’ And even if we do agree and my father does drag Clayton back to Canberra, would he stay there now that he knows where we are?
I seriously doubted it.
As do I, but to echo your earlier statement, let’s deal with one thing at a time.
“Daughter? Do we have an agreement?”
“I want the marriage annulled—and I want the paperwork in my hands—before we either remove the spell or I’m audited again.” I paused. “And I want assurances that once the spell is removed, Clayton won’t seek any sort of retribution for our past actions.”
“I so swear,” Lawrence said. “Clayton?”
“You have my word I will not seek retribution. I will, however, need to return so that the spell may be removed.”
“Indeed—but not alone. I don’t trust you, Clayton. I don’t trust you’ll hold to your word.”
“He will.”
I glanced at my father and wondered if he was being willfully obtuse or whether the years of friendship between them were blinding him to Clayton’s ultimate intent.
“He’d better, because I’m not that frightened sixteen-year-old anymore, and I will do whatever it takes to protect both Belle and myself.”
My father studied me for a moment, then nodded once. He understood and accepted what had been left unspoken. I doubted Clayton did.
“Then we have an agreement.” He removed a small metal object from his pocket and placed it
