But kiddie porn? Even they couldn’t make that go away and would be stupid to try and get involved with.
And honestly, it wasn’t all that far off. There might be states where an adult was allowed to touch a sixteen-year-old girl, but when that “adult” was eighty-five and just looked like a thirty-year-old human… Gross. For real. When I’d learned his age, I’d almost puked. So, it was sick he went after girls that young.
Another FBI agent read McGrath his rights, and Edelman looked over the warrant, nodding along as he was filled in. He seemed to be biting back a smile or laugh, but handed it back over and thanked the agents for handling such a dangerous criminal that fell through the cracks.
“I’m shocked, as he came highly recommended to us from a very trusted source that thoroughly vetted him,” Edelman added loudly. “An elder group of this school were the ones who pushed for his placement. To find out he was so sick and here around young minds is profoundly disturbing.”
Nice. That was a nice, nice way to say boldly that the council pushed to have him there and didn’t care he was a sicko.
McGrath got over his shock at realizing I was behind this and started struggling again, no match for the humans since he couldn’t do magic. If he did, it would be big, huge shit that could end up with him losing his head.
Well, I didn’t know if the councils actually carried out executions that way, but using magic on humans in public like that normally led to that outcome. There were exceptions. I was one of them. I hadn’t known, been an unknown, so I got a pass. Emergency situations or accidents did happen, but as old as McGrath was, there wouldn’t be a pass.
And he couldn’t use it to evade the humans. That would draw too many eyes and come back on us. He was fucked.
Just liked he fucked over others. Good.
Everyone was abuzz after he was dragged off, the chatter in the cafeteria unreal. I smiled that we didn’t have to deal with him anymore and was about to focus back on my food. Instead, I locked gazes with Craftsman and couldn’t seem to look away from his intense, gorgeous emerald green eyes.
Things had been… Well they’d been awkward and difficult for a while, but a different type since Berman had made his move. He’d been frantic, panicked, that day, and couldn’t settle down, even after it had been over. When I’d calmed down, he’d kept feeding me everything, having asked the hobgoblins to bring food to me.
I had thought he was trying to make me chill with food, but then I’d realized he’d figured out what I had. He’d figured out hobgoblins had to be rescued that day or people would know for sure it was me. Even more than that, he had demanded coming with me again and helping me.
And I had needed the help that day, shaken and shaky the entire time.
I had needed him that day. I didn’t want to admit it, but I had needed Craftsman that day and he’d known that. He hadn’t pushed it, but he’d known it and since then, I felt like he was circling me, waiting for me to acknowledge… Something.
He was staring at me so intently, I flipped on my telepathy against my better judgment, before I even realized it.
“That was you, wasn’t it, love?”
“He’s been hassling Izzy about helping her contact her parents and doing as they want. That lesbians aren’t real and she’s mental. Everything her demented family tried to brainwash her of. He was doing damage and she was taking it. So yeah, I’d been working on it for a while, but when I saw him going after her, his reaction to her shutting him down again, I pushed the button. No more playing defense.”
His eyes flashed shock. “You’re going after the council.”
“No, but we’re going to have a little chat once they hear about this. This should truly keep them busy for a while. McGrath was working with them, and a snake like that will be a snake always. Even for them.”
“Be careful, love. We can’t—”
“Stop calling me that. Please.”
“No, because you are my love, even if you stop loving me one day, I won’t. I won’t ever stop loving you.”
I shut off my telepathy and looked away. Even if I believed him, even if that was true… Then love wasn’t enough. He would leave me again, or it would sink in that I’d killed those men or… Something. Anything, and he would leave me again.
And I wouldn’t survive that.
Izzy cleared her throat, clearly knowing I was distracted or listening in on someone as she always seemed to. “Thanks, Tams,” Izzy whispered, giving me a look of love.
“Always. You hide shit from me again and I’m going to spank you, and not in the way you’d enjoy.”
She sighed. “You’ve got enough on your plate for forty people. I could handle it.”
“We can all handle a lot but when it hurts us, we get help. I’ve turned to you and Mel. That’s the line. You could have gone to Mel too.”
She opened her mouth but then closed it. “You’re right, and I should have. I felt like I was being a baby and sensitive.”
“We get stronger by getting the help sooner and standing up faster after each hit, not enduring more beatings. That just does
