Awakened (Unbound, Book 3)

Chapter Twenty-Six

Walking to Luna's for lunch, I felt good. The twins' concern for me had fled, replaced with eagerness as soon as I found the words needed to convey what I wanted. Spy on Duvessa. Eagerness turned to... conspiracy? Was that possible? Could someone look conspiracy? Or just sneaky? Who knew. But, after their initial confusion as to why I wanted to know if Duvessa used magic—or if they knew when she planned to so I could be there—they agreed to what I asked right away.

Never mind the why," I'd told them after finally learning their names. "Let's just do this so we can put her in her place."

It took longer to convince them to relay back to me if they saw Devland doing anything fishy, but they finally agreed when Erin told Alex they didn't have to say anything if they didn't see anything—it's not like they'd be searching for bad. If my suspicions were right, though, they'd find something to report. Devland didn't seem like the type that could help himself from being less than upstanding. It made me wonder how he truly got the job as the leader of the High Council.

Now, I had one more resolution to voice and the little worries which I could do nothing but drive myself crazy thinking about would be aired out of my conscious. It wasn't like Luna had a say or really, anything to do with it, but still. It didn't feel right unless I said it aloud. Talking to myself wasn't fun. Plus, I was sure Onyx had put me on mute.

Thankfully, when I arrived, the dinner crowd hadn't yet made an appearance and Luna was just finishing with the only two customers that were present. I waved and sat at the table in front of the counter, which was the furthest from the customers and far enough away that they wouldn't overhear what we said.

I wasn't staying long enough to use the back room.

"Hey, Nora!" Luna came over, carrying a fresh cup of coffee in a to-go container. She set it down in front of me and sat opposite me with a smile.

"Huh. Did you sense I was caffeine-deprived?"

"Nah, I heard about the accident at the school. Figured you'd want some." Still smiling, Luna flipped her white-blonde hair, which she'd left hanging down, over her shoulder. She'd gone for a subdued look today, with faded jeans and a multi-colored crocheted shawl.

"Coffee is good, yeah." I nodded. Unlike this morning, the idea didn't make my stomach turn.

"What else is on your mind?"

"Aside from the fact that the school is classifying this as an accident when I could literally feel the magic?" I shrugged. "I tried to contact Zach and failed, so I'm... not going to try for the foreseeable future."

"But—"

"I failed spectacularly, Luna," I emphasized. "Literally, there was waterworks. I think trying to do everything at once has overwhelmed me. Maybe I should figure out the pranks, then Zach and my mom."

"And Devland?"

"I think... Well, I'm probably gonna need everything I learn from dealing with the other stuff first in order to deal with him. So, for now, I'm going to try to pretend he doesn't exist."

Luna watched me, appearing wary, but nodded along as I spoke.

"I mean, people are getting hurt because of these pranks, Luna," I said. "I have to prioritize, even if that means putting the good of others ahead of what I need. At least for right now."

"That's..." Luna paused, looking away for a moment before turning back to meet my gaze. "I only knew your mother for a short while, but I think she'd be very proud of you right now. It's a very mature decision."

"But?"

"But don't cut yourself off from Zach, Nora. He can help you once he's strong enough."

"Well, I won't seek him out again," I said, leaving no room for her to argue. There was no way I could go through another bathroom scene. If he was able to initiate contact, I'd welcome it.