Our Fatal Failings (Twisted book two)

Chapter Four

I wake up long after the sun has gone down. My limbs all feel too heavy like I'm dragging weights behind me everytime I take a step forward. Nia and Iris sit at the table, talking in hushed tones, sending glances my way. "So are you going to add more wards?"

"I think that's what we're going to have to do. We can't risk being found and it looks like they're closing in on us," Iris says. "Don't look so down, Nia and I will go back to the black market and get some new spells."

"About the money, I can just get a job-"

Nia leaps up. "No! I mean, you can't let your name get out there. You're taking a big risk already going to university, you can't let your name spread too far."

"We need money. The rent on this place is like twelve hundred and without my parents I'm afraid-"

"Nia and I will start making potions to sell in the cauldron, like we did when we first moved here. Don't even worry, we'll handle everything."

I hesitate. "I don't want to sit back and let you guys carry us. I don't want to be a dead weight to you."

"Look," Nia says softly. "You're the one who even got us out of Evansville in the first place. We would've been stuck their making potions for the pack for the rest of our lives. You took care of us and now we're taking care of you."

What did I do to deserve such loyalty? "Thank you. There's no one in the world who has better friends than I do."

Iris yawns. "No need to get soft, we get it, we're awesome people. Goddess, I'm so tired." Goddess. Sometimes I forget they worship the moon. "Is the market open in the morning?"

Nia crosses her arms. "We've been over this, it's only open at night. Witches can't fly in the day. Let's go now, the sooner the better." She looks at me. "Are you okay here by yourself?"

"I'm nervous, not nine. You guys go, I'll be here."

They open the closet and pull out two twisted, gnarly looking brooms. They shake them off and dust falls from the bristles. Opening the window, they step out, looking out over the dark. I always love watching them take off--it reminds me of stories like Harry Potter. Clicking their legs, the broom comes to hover in the air. Sitting sidesaddle, they duck and exit the apartment. They're flying, soaring over the buildings and disappearing high into the clouds. I watch until I can't even see their forms over. Then I close the window, shutting the cold air out.

Witches, magic, werewolves. All of this seems like one long nightmare. But it's not, it's all real and it's all a real threat. I look up at the moon, half-obscured by the clouds. Behind that, there's a woman, a goddess they call her. I don't know if she's divine or deadly, godly or ghostly, but she did this. "Give him another mate and tell him to leave me alone. I don't want this, I don't want him!"

The clouds moved out of the way and the moon glowed bright, illuminating the night sky. It chilled her so she closed the blinds and turned on the lights.

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Jonah's POV

Her father practically barks at me, her mother is silent and withdrawn. I sit across from both of them, in a secluded room filled with nothing but this table and our chairs. Listening is my Beta and my gamma, the pack's spiritual leader.

"Let us go," her father says, struggling against the cuffs on his arms. "Let us go!:

I lean forward and put my elbows on the table. "No."

"We don't know where our daughter is. She left us four years ago."

I yawn, pulling out a copy of the receipt of the money order. Dubai to Boston. "So, does she live in Boston or does she drive there to pick up her money?"Their mouths are clamped shut, their faces pale. "No one is going to talk? Should I bring out a truth serum?"