“I was going to and—”
“Except you didn’t do a damn thing after my final and seeing how much pain I was in,” I cut in, my voice cracking. “Except I realized we were over and things had gone too far. Everything happened with the party, I was in deep shit, and it never crossed my mind to call you. That’s over. That’s—it wasn’t what you promised it was. I wasn’t what you thought I was, and you just bailed.”
“No, no, I didn’t,” he argued, grabbing my arm and trying to pull me closer.
I didn’t want him to touch me like last night when my body had ached for him, so I broke his hold… And clocked him. I stared from Craftsman on the ground, to my fist, and back to Craftsman in shock. I had done it so fast, in a panic he might make me cave that I hadn’t even realized it was happening.
“Don’t be upset, love,” he groaned as he pushed to stand. “I deserved that.” He nodded when I blinked at him. “I can see it in your aura that you’re horrified you just hit me. I shouldn’t have put my hands on you. It’s okay, Tamsin. I’m not a teacher right now.”
Except that had been part of why he hadn’t wanted me. My eyes filled with tears and I backed away from him.
“I’m not walking away,” he promised, holding his injured face.
I shrugged. “I just have to hold out until something more interesting comes along, and then you’ll forget all about me again. You’ll get excited about magic, and I won’t matter. How much you’re hurting me won’t matter.” I froze, giving him a horrified look. “It’s the traps. You want the traps. That’s why you’re back.”
He reacted as if I’d punched him again. “No. No, I don’t want your bloody traps. I want you, Tamsin.”
“I don’t believe you,” I whispered, backing away again. “You had me, totally and completely, and you just disappeared. You didn’t even have the respect for me to dump me, just you needed some time to think.”
“I did need it. I did think,” he argued, moving closer.
“Well, I’m not a fucking doormat for men to walk all over!” I screeched, shocking all three of us I would react like that.
Which was why I turned and fled. I didn’t stop sprinting until I reached the dorm, and then it was just to open the door. I raced upstairs and to our room, plopping on my bed when I was inside, and curling up in a ball. It was the worst thing to do after running six miles, but I really, really didn’t care right then.
I spun out, my mind and thoughts all over the place. I needed good. I needed happy. I needed some fucking progress. I knew there was lots of it, but I was always at the eye of the storm, and the good happened from the ripples of the stones I threw.
That wasn’t what I needed. I used to be involved through the ripples and see it through to the end. I had that closure with issues, that satisfaction of seeing the good of what I’d done.
That was what I craved; my soul needed to heal.
And I knew how to get it.
I went over to my desk and pulled out the map of Australia that I was using to track the movements of Chief and his pack. They had been scouring the continent to find hobgoblins trapped with other species besides dragons. While others had been debating what to do and pushing it back, I was done waiting.
Izzy was still sleeping, so I went in my closet and opened a portal, focusing my magic on Chief and hoping I could get close to him since he was sworn to me. Then, I walked through, knowing I could go right back if it wasn’t a good spot. I mentally pumped my fist when I saw the pack racing towards me.
My magic really was so cool.
Chief stopped before me and plopped on his butt, offering me his paw. I squatted down and took it, smiling at how much he had to tell me.
“You’ve all done very well,” I praised. “And we start getting them out now. No more of this bullshit of letting our people suffer. I want you to head to the ones we will get out today.” I went over my plan with him and smiled when he licked my face before they took off.
Good. We could do this.
Even better? I had planned it out so we had the cover to do this. People would point all the fingers at me and those who stood with me first, so the time difference from Kansas to Australia actually worked in our favor for this. I would be at lunch when it was the middle of the night in Australia.
The perfect time to get the hobgoblins out and to the sanctuary.
I opened a portal to the Recast Wardrobes estate and found Keya working in the office. “I need your help.”
She dipped her head to me. “Always. You always have my help and loyalty, Tamsin. What can I do for you?”
“Not for me,” I clarified. “For our people.” I smiled at her. “No more waiting to save hobgoblins. It’s time to start going on.” I went over what I was plotting and she smiled, knowing exactly what I needed.
Hobgoblin magic. I couldn’t leave a message that others could find, and leaving something in Faerie would scream a fairy was alive or behind it. We needed to
