Both sets of grandparents had either passed away or vanished by the time I was born, which was odd for a magical being. It had been a bit of a freak accident on my father’s side, and my mother’s parents had disappeared into the ocean one day and never returned. She believed they were dead, but I wasn’t certain they hadn’t just abandoned her.
Stepping up to the door, I was single-mindedly focused on getting to Joanne to question her. So focused, in fact, I didn’t feel the crackling of a magical barricade until I ran into it.
“Fuck,” I cursed. My body buzzed with a hit of pain, warning me against trying to break the barrier, and I held my hand behind me when the guys tried to rush forward. “I’m fine. I should have expected wards.”
I had. I just hadn’t expected I would also be kept out by the wards. Stepping back from the door I peered in through the window, not seeing any of the employees out and about at the moment. Business was at a lull, only a few tables occupied. They might not be allowing any non-Nulls in right now with these wards, so them being slower made sense.
“Can I have your phone, Nolan?”
He handed it to me. I keyed in the familiar number, glad I’d memorized all the numbers my family members used.
It rang through to completion, bringing me to Clara’s voicemail. I grumbled and tried Elodie next. Just when I worried I wasn’t going to be able to reach anyone, she picked up. “Hello? Who is this?”
Her voice sent relieved tingles through my body, a smile splitting my face. “Aunt Elodie. It’s Freya.”
I heard her call out for Clara before she spoke again. “Freya? What are you doing calling?”
The sounds of kitchen bustling got louder as she put me on speaker, then quieter as she vanished into a different room, likely Clara’s office. “Well, I’d love if you could let me in through the wards protecting the diner,” I said.
There was silence on the other side of the line, at such a length that I was worried they had disconnected. “You shouldn’t be here, Freya,” Clara said finally.
“I’m aware. There are extenuating circumstances. I need to see Joanne.”
“She can come out to you, but we cannot let you in. Our wards would have to come down if we did, and we can’t allow that to happen.”
“Is someone trying to break through them?” I asked, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end as I glanced around us.
There was no one watching us. I didn’t have a sense of anyone, and as Shan could attest my senses were especially well-honed. My men went on high alert at the possibility of us being attacked, but none of them gave any sign of feeling a threat either.
“Not that we know of, but Joanne believes we’re at risk. I’m so sorry, but you know I can’t push her concerns to the side, especially because…” Clara paused.
Elodie picked up where she’d left off. “Mabel is here. She’s already been kidnapped once. We can’t risk it again.”
Nolan stiffened. “Is Ama here too, then?” he asked.
“Yes,” Elodie confirmed, his question loud enough to be heard down the line. “They’re both with us, helping to strengthen the wards. Between the five of us, it would take an army to take us out, but we couldn’t allow a single supernatural being to get through the wards, not even you, Freya. Only Joanne has the freedom to go back and forth, and it’s only because the wards don’t recognize what she is.”
“So you can’t come out and see me,” I said quietly, deflating.
I hadn’t realized how excited I was to see my aunts until then. Until I’d learned I wouldn’t actually be able to see them at all.
“I’m sorry,” Elodie whispered.
“No, everything is my fault. You don’t have to apologize to me.”
“Your designation is not your fault,” Clara said firmly. “Nor is the fact that you have an evil vampire obsessed with you.”
It felt like it was, especially with the added stress of Shan and Caspian being gone. If they’d never met me, they would be fine. Had I gone to the Sanctuary when I revealed, as I should have, everyone in my family would be better off. I’d be in contact with my parents. Mabel wouldn’t be forced into hiding.
Emmett’s hand on my waist stopped my spiral, and I spotted a smiling Joanne heading for the door. “I love you guys,” I said instead of arguing with her like I wanted to. “I know I don’t say that enough, but I do. Be safe.”
“You try to be safe, too,” Clara demanded. “I get the feeling whatever you’re doing isn’t going to be an easy road.”
“I’ll try my best,” I said.
I neglected the second part of her statement. Nothing about this was easy, but I didn’t want to burden her with more than I already had. She’d kept my secret for years, knowing it would eventually fuck me over and letting me slowly ruin myself because I wouldn’t have accepted any help. I’d put my poor aunt through enough stress to last two lifetimes.
“We love you too, Freya,” Elodie said.
