Luminary {Book 2 ✔️}

Chapter 24

Tucker glanced at Jacob for confirmation of the faerie's words. Jacob nodded slowly. I looked up at him desperately, waiting for him to do something. I could see the wheels turning in his head as he looked for some sort of solution. The two werewolves began moving toward the doorway, toward Ben. I watched, helplessly as they dragged one of my best friends toward the other, threatening him to move.

"There must be some agreement we can come to that does not involve any harm coming to the witch," Tucker began in a voice that I had never heard. He sounded firm and threatening. He sounded like a leader.

Brighid twirled a piece of her red hair as she fixed a sultry gaze on Tucker. My fists clenched as I remembered my conversation with Mara about her sister. I knew that Mara didn't want this, I'd talked to her only briefly and I could tell that this wasn't the sort of thing she would ask for. This was all for her sister's sick amusement.

"I'm afraid not, these are the laws, my love."

He regarded the faerie with barely concealed disgust and I shuddered as I watched her expression turn vicious. Before either of them could speak, a poorly thought out plan formed in my head.

Finally, I decided that I couldn't wait for Tucker to come up with a way out of this. Without thinking, I stepped forward, yanking my arm from Tucker's grasp.

"I'll take her punishment," I demanded firmly, "I knew that Tilly cast the spell. I'm the reason why she did it. I'm just as much at fault as she is."

I noticed three things happen in succession very quickly. First, Tucker drew in a sharp breath. Second, a small smile was beginning to spread across Brighid's face. Third, she spoke up before anyone else could say anything.

"We accept."

***

It was when I'd finally arrived at the Denvers' campsite that I realized I had done exactly what Brighid had wanted me to. She hadn't cared for any retribution for her half-sister. She had some sick fascination with the tethered relationship that Tucker and I shared. Gray and Tucker had said that the fair folk amused themselves with the torment of mortals. It seemed that I was going to get my fair share of torment. They didn't plan on killing me, I'd learned on the ride over with some relief, they had decided that a beating was enough.

I wished I could've been surprised at the brutal nature of the punishment, but the longer I was in this new world, the less I was convinced that it contained good people.

I sat with bound wrists in one of the tents as we waited for night to fall and the moon to rise to its peak. Werewolves were nothing if not suckers for tradition. Alone with my thoughts, I could think of nothing but the look on Tucker's face when they dragged me out of the warehouse. I knew that I'd signed on for something bad, but the coldness that began to creep up my spine was telling enough.

I shut my eyes, ready for the onslaught of visions that poured into me.

When I reopened my eyes, I saw my father in front of me standing in a kitchen. His back was turned toward me, but I knew it was him. I couldn't feel his energy with me, and I realized that it was simply a vision of him. He wasn't here with me this time in my subconscious.

"Johnathan," an unfamiliar voice called adoringly, "it smells like something is burning."

A tall, willowy woman appeared from around the corner and my dad turned to the her and grinned a wide smile. I had never seen such an expression of happiness on my father's face before. He opened his arms and embraced the woman with more affection than I'd thought he was capable of.

"Damn it, Sam, I told you if I tried to cook, I would burn the whole place down," Johnathan murmured into the neck of the unfamiliar stranger who I assumed was named Sam.