“I won’t say no to that, provided that Crowley here leaves his ego at the door,” Garrett said.
Wade exhaled. “If you’re willing, then I’m willing.”
That sounded like incredible progress. Before patting myself on the back, though, I had to make sure I had a commitment from them both.
“Okay. Good. We’re on to something here. Carluccio’s, eight p.m. on Wednesday?” I asked, figuring that was enough time for me to do a little bit of digging into both Garrett’s and Wade’s pasts. I had a feeling Alton could help me fill in some of those blanks.
They both nodded.
“Fantastic!” I exclaimed, before giving Garrett a friendly nod. “I’ll see you tomorrow, and thanks for the assistance tonight.”
Garrett smiled, and I instantly felt my blood simmer. That wasn’t me. That was Wade. “No problem. Don’t forget to talk to Krieger,” Garrett said.
“Will do,” I replied, then headed back to the living quarters.
I would’ve expected Garrett to come with Wade and me, but he stayed behind and went back inside the Forbidden Section instead. The first minute that followed was awkwardly quiet as Wade and I made our way down the hallway.
“Since when are you friendly with Garrett?” he asked.
“Since we’re part of the same coven, and we should play nice?” I replied. “Besides, if I decide to stay here, I figure it’s in my best interests for us all to get along.”
My heart skipped a beat.
“You want to join the coven, then?” he murmured.
“I haven’t decided yet. But that doesn’t mean I can’t help fix a couple of things while I’m here. This damaged relationship that you and Garrett have is a fine example of what I could help make right, if you’re both interested.”
“Clearly, we are, since we agreed to dinner. I didn’t think he’d say yes, though,” Wade muttered.
“Well, people can still surprise you, then.” I chuckled.
“What were you doing in the Forbidden Section, though?”
I thought about whether I should give Wade all the details, but I decided I’d rather address my Grimoire experience with Krieger or Alton first. “I was looking for some information about my parents’ Grimoire,” I explained. “But Garrett said I wouldn’t find anything here.”
“Yeah, it’ll be in the New York Coven,” Wade replied.
I nodded and turned the corner, the living quarters area opening out before us with its large dome and pink magnolias in the middle.
“Listen, I don’t trust Garrett,” he added.
That statement brought me to a halt. I turned to face him. “Why do you say that?”
Concern gnawed at my stomach, and I wasn’t sure whether that was me or Wade. I still had a long way to go with honing my Empathy readings.
“I’m not sure,” he replied. “I’m thinking that if Katherine Shipton really is involved with the Ryder twins, then we can’t trust anyone outside our little circle. Besides, you can’t read Garrett’s emotions, and you couldn’t read Finch’s, either. Garrett was best friends with Finch, who turned out to be Katherine Shipton’s son. I may have been friends with Garrett in the past, but he’s not the guy I used to know. I just don’t trust him.” He let out a tired sigh. “Is any of this making sense to you? Because, in my head, it does.”
I thought about it for a moment. He made a couple of fair points, but the situation wasn’t all that simple. “I specifically remember the stunned look on Garrett’s face when Finch was revealed as the Bestiary’s saboteur. It looked genuine. Also, let’s not classify everyone whose emotions I can’t feel as evil. I doubt my Empathy works like that. If we’re to follow that reasoning, then Tobe is partially evil, because I can’t feel most of him. Preceptor Sloane Bellmore would be evil, too. Imogene Whitehall…”
The mere mention of her name made Wade straighten his back and lit green fires in his eyes. I couldn’t help but giggle, though there was an underlying nagging feeling that I couldn’t quite shake on this topic.
“Good Lord, you have such a crush on her,” I added, laughing lightly. Deep down, I wasn’t really laughing.
“Yeah, you might be right about the Empathy part,” he replied, ignoring the crush remark. “You said you don’t feel a bunch of other magicals in the coven, either.”
“Exactly. As far as Garrett is concerned, I’m not saying he’s 100 percent innocent, nor that he has anything to do with this. Nothing is certain at this point. But nothing stops you from talking to him and at least airing out the closets, getting rid of the skeletons… You know, what reasonable adults do when there’s conflict.”
He seemed to relax as I said that. It was as if he’d been hoping I’d debunk this whole Garrett suspicion. Wade had once cared about Garrett, deeply, but their friendship had fallen apart. I didn’t expect to fix it and make it right, but they could at least talk about it.
Speaking of getting unpleasant stuff out of the way, I’d been thinking about something lately, involving Katherine Shipton and Finch, and decided to share it with Wade as we reached the magnolia trees in the middle of the dome.
“Listen, I want to go down into the dungeons and talk to Adley,” I said.
Wade didn’t seem surprised. He smirked, instead. “We don’t have dungeons, Harley. We have a basement. This isn’t a medieval castle, with dark towers, dungeons, and alligator-ridden moats.”
“You and your technicalities,” I grumbled. “But yeah. Adley. I want to talk to her about everything that happened. It’s been long enough. She’s had time to stew, and I’ve had time to clear my cluttered head. If Katherine Shipton is planning a comeback with the Ryder twins or something, I think it’s now more important than ever that I gather as much intel on that witch as possible. That includes talking to Adley de la Barthe. Maybe even Finch.”
“I doubt Alton would let you go to Purgatory to talk to Finch, but I don’t see a problem with speaking to Adley,” Wade replied. “But you’ll have to be careful, Harley. She’s a seasoned witch. She could’ve been faking some of her emotions, knowing you’re an Empath. She could’ve known all about Finch’s plans from the very beginning, then lied about it to avoid Purgatory. The only reason she’s here is because we couldn’t get her to confess to that. We managed to sentence her to a year in the basement for failing to meet regulations, since she didn’t register Finch as a Shapeshifter after his Reading. Had we been able to take her down for conspiracy to commit murder through the gargoyles, she would’ve been tossed into Purgatory without so much as an appeal.”
He made a fair point. I, too, had been aware of the possibility. But I also had confidence in my ability to read people with my Empathy. It was a link to one’s soul, in a way.
“I get that. Still, I think I got a clear picture of her. I do think I need to talk to her,” I replied.
Wade sighed and shook his head. There was something about him that I couldn’t quite understand. Even with my Empathy, some of his feelings escaped me, particularly at that moment, as we stood under the magnolia tree and looked at each other. I sensed concern and curiosity, but there was something else—a thread I couldn’t quite follow.
Remembering that physical contact amplified my power, I took hold of his wrist, feeling his skin against my fingertips. Wade stilled, his expression firm as he stared at me.
I, on the other hand, felt my knees weaken. My limbs were jelly. A wave of sweet and spicy warmth washed over me, filling me up. The sensation was incredible, like nothing I’d ever experienced before. It was as if Wade’s subconscious was trying to reach out to me, to tell me a secret.
It felt like a high of sorts, impossible to forget, as time stood still around us. I glanced at my Esprit and noticed the white pearl glowing—it was definitely amplifying this physical touch for me.
I was glazed in liquid sunshine, until he politely pulled his hand back and looked away.
“Sorry,” I murmured. “Sometimes I get a better feel for people when I touch them.”
His eyes found me again. He was nervous. “And? What did you… feel?”
Heat burst through my cheeks. I didn’t know what to say. Not only because I wasn’t sure what I’d felt, but also because he didn’t seem like he really wanted to know. Whether it was my Esprit amplifying my Empathy or not, I’d gotten a glimpse of a secret Wade, a side of him he’d been working hard to keep hidden. I kind of felt bad at the thought of him knowing I’d seen it. Sometimes, concessions were okay.
“Concern,” I replied. “I know. You’re worried. I appreciate it.”
“I just don’t want you to get hurt or fooled by anyone even remotely connected to Katherine Shipton,” Wade said, his gaze softening on my face.
Just then, my phone beeped. I’d gotten a text. “At this hour?” I croaked, then pulled my phone out to check it. “Oh… It’s from Krieger.”
My heart was thudding. That was all me.
“What does it say?” Wade asked.
“He… He wants me to do the Reading tomorrow. Well, it’s after midnight already, so today. At six a.m. What kind of monster is he?” I groaned. But, at the same time, I was excited.
“The early-bird type, clearly,” Wade replied with a smirk. “Go hit the sack, Merlin. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He didn’t wait for me to respond. He glided up one of the staircases and vanished into his room. I exhaled deeply, reading Krieger’s message again. With everything that was already going on, I had to admit, this was something I was really looking forward to.
The moment of truth.
Fifteen
Harley
I was barely able to sleep. Despite the fact that I was tired, I was wound up by what had happened the previous day. The anticipation of my second Reading played a substantial part, too.