I scoffed. "He should have had the decency to kill her, at least I wouldn't be dealing with Theodore." I rubbed my forehead. "How much longr can we keep the records hidden?" "Indefinitely," he said. "The sector of the national system that is still managed by the crown is separate from the rest.
Violet Olivia Bronson clearly didn't recognize me, or she didn't care. Knowing her, either were just as likely, but I didn’t interrupt whatever moment she was having, and took the moment to gauge her goal. Whatever it was, it wasn't good, but it did present an interesting opportunity. Olivia did
I'd hoped to never run into her again. “I take it you know each other?” I asked, keeping my voice light. Violet glanced at me, her eyes twinkling with a hint of mischief. “Of course. Olivia was one of my mentees at the Academy, for Governance and Diplomacy.” I blinked at that. "You… were a TA.
Theodore They talked the whole walk to the restaurant, Violet never removed her hand from mind, and she walked in between me and Olivia. I could see that Olivia was irritated by it by the occasional looks she would shoot me, but I ignored them. The restaurant was closer than I expected. I opened t
Violet set her fork down, her smile as polite as ever. “Well, I’m glad to have your support. It’s always encouraging to know others are invested in justice.” I couldn’t tell if she was being genuine or sarcastic. Probably both. “And the Shelter project,” Olivia added, turning her attention to me
Theodore After lunch, we parted ways, Olivia with a charming, underhanded farewell that Violet didn't address or appear to notice. As Violet and I walked back down the street toward the tailor shop. The city’s streets bustling around us, I finally broke the silence. “You didn’t mention the unive
Or… opportunistic. "Hey." I looked up, noting the look on her face. Violet must have read the concern on my face because she added, “It’s not our fight—not yet, and it's still a while out. It's just something to keep in mind going forward.” I nodded. "Right. I just… never imagined I'd be specula
Theodore We took a short detour in what looked like a post office, but it was unlike any post office I'd ever seen. The air felt charged with magic, and I figured that had something to do with it. By the time we stepped back into the tailor shop, the day was starting to head toward the evening. A
I dropped the trowel and frying pan next to the baseball and bat, shaking my head at this makeshift arsenal. “My baby is already too smart for its own good.”Bennett opened his mouth to respond, but he was interrupted when we were distracted by Theo suddenly vanishing into thin air. My cousin and I
Violet’s POV“Just try.”It didn’t matter how many times I explained to Bennett that Auntie had said the baby’s magic would sway my magic toward more innocent manifestations. He wasn’t convinced.Theo was on the other side of Marcy’s backyard, fists clenched, gaze unfocused, as he tried to complete
Theodore’s POVI was searching the archives’ computer for anything related to forehead bands when my phone rang. My phone screen showed, “Aunt Lillith”. Adding her to my contacts with the title of “aunt” was partially an affectionate and respectful decision, but mostly it was to avoid Eva’s wrath in
Violet’s POVPart of me wondered it not worrying Theo was an excuse. If the years with Lucas not being the partner I needed had subconsciously trained me to stay independent. To never lean on anyone, even temporarily, because they couldn’t be trusted to hold me up. Even still, Theo was right. So I
We pulled out of our kiss, my head dizzy with love and hope. We would find the answers we needed. We would find a future together.“You said there were answers to four questions.” I looked between the two of them, tallying the three they’d already shared. “What’s the fourth?”Violet thought for a mo
Theodore’s POV“Alari, please wake up!”I held Violet’s head in my lap, her jaw terrifyingly slack. I dared a glance at the High Priestess who had collapsed in a heap at the same time that Violet’s body had gone completely limp. “High Priestess?!”This wasn’t happening.I reached for my phone, thank
Theodore’s POVIn one breath, the love of my life laying still in the grass let out a gut-wrenching scream and the High Priestess dropped to her knees. I lunged for my wife but was thrown back by an invisible force. When I pulled myself upright, the High Priestess had a hand outstretched, clearly us
Auntie folded her hands in front of her. “Altrosis is an attempt to control magic enough to pin it down and examine it. One could more easily pin down the wind.”As if to illustrate her point, a cool breeze swept through the clearing, though not a hair on Auntie’s head swayed in its drift.“Magic is
Violet’s POVThe jungle outside the village my family lived in was beautiful. It was lush and alive, humming with magic like the air itself was breathing. I had only visited this village and its surrounding area a few times in my life, but I’d always made time to come stand among the ferns and frond