“Uh, what are you all doing here?” I asked, stepping aside so that they could get by me.
“Cristescu told us to come for a meeting. He said he has something important to discuss with us,” Finn explained.
“Well, well, well, isn’t this all very intriguing,” I replied, folding my arms across my chest. I noticed Alora standing next to Finn, his arm tight around her waist, and I gave her a warm smile. I sensed that whatever there was between those two, it was serious. Definitely not a casual fling.
The living room was a riot of curious chatter, and I went to grab some drinks for everyone while we waited. Lucas followed me to the kitchen to help.
“So,” I said, eyeing him shrewdly. “You and Amanda, huh?”
“Is that a statement or a question?” he asked, his lips curving in a smile.
“It’s a question and you know it.”
He sighed and shook his head. “Yes, Tegan. We are an item, but I’m taking it slow. I plan on making this work.”
I pointed an unopened beer bottle at him. “You’d better.”
His grin widened as I continued taking drinks out of the fridge. I grinned right back at him. I had no way of predicting whether he and my friend would live happily ever after, but at least I had the reassurance of knowing Amanda drank my potion, so if Lucas did end up biting her, he’d be in for a big surprise.
I patted him on the shoulder. “Come on, then. Help me bring these drinks inside.”
“Happy to oblige.”
About twenty minutes later, Ethan and Rita emerged from the study. Rita bounced on the balls of her feet like she couldn’t contain her excitement while Ethan was his usual, unreadable self. He stood by the fireplace, and Rita took the spot beside him.
“We have an announcement to make,” Ethan said. “I have come to realise that this city cannot go on any longer with a divided population. Having two opposing sides living in such close proximity to each other is a disaster just waiting to happen.”
“A ticking time bomb about to explode,” Rita elaborated. When she was met with silence, she added, “What? Is it too early for bomb jokes?”
“Hey, you killed Theodore for us. You can make all the inappropriate jokes you want,” Finn said with a soft chuckle.
“So,” Ethan continued, “I have come to the realisation that we need to be united, vampires, dhampirs, witches, warlocks, and all other supernatural species who dwell here. That is why I have sought out Rita. For now, I want to share my position as ruler with her. Over time, we will create a council with a representative from each supernatural grouping, with the aim of making decisions and living in harmony together.”
Oh. I stared at Ethan, open-mouthed, and to be honest, pleasantly surprised. I knew he was never a huge fan of ruling, but I didn’t expect him to want to divide the role like this. I never even considered the idea of combining forces, of creating a council. A sort of supernatural government, if you will, but it made perfect sense.
“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Finn said enthusiastically.
“And me,” Lucas added, while everyone else made noises of approval.
“The city is in a state of disarray right now,” Ethan went on. “We need to rebuild, and once stability has been secured, we endeavour to create the council. Since vampires and the magical families have the largest numbers, we will start with a leader for each. Once we have brought about some semblance of unity, we can branch out to include the other minorities.”
“I don’t mean to throw a spanner in the works, but will the magical families even want to follow Rita?” Alvie asked tentatively. “Not too long ago they all shunned her as a wannabe witch.”
“But that is not what she is,” Ethan countered. “She’s a Girard, and now that Marcel has been exiled, she’s one of the few remaining members of that bloodline. They know that she killed Theodore to restore peace, and they are also aware of the power she wields. They will have no choice but to accept her.”
“Well, if you ask me this is the best plan for everyone,” Delilah spoke up. “I don’t think it’s going to be easy trying to make the city whole, but I do think we have to try. Otherwise, there will be another war before the year is through.”
“Thank you, sister,” Ethan said before addressing all of us. “The new Tribane starts here in this room. We, as a group, represent the vast majority of supernatural species living in the city, so if we can agree to this plan then it is a good omen for what is to come.”
A very short silence elapsed before I stepped up and hugged Rita and then Ethan. “You have my vote.”
“And mine,” Alvie said.
“Mine, too,” Gabriel added.
Soon everybody was agreeing to Ethan’s plan and more drinks were brought out to celebrate. Obviously, I stuck to orange juice, but it filled me with a deep sense of joy to see everyone getting along. Whenever I used to think of this city, I saw it as place that would always be immersed in turmoil. But now I saw light at the end of the tunnel. I saw how this might work.
A band of worry that had been tight around my heart released and a feeling of hope replaced it.
Pulling myself from my thoughts, I left the room where my friends were celebrating to go and make an important phone call. I locked myself in Ethan’s study and took a seat at his desk. Earlier today, I looked up the phone number to the care facility where I suspected Rebecca’s mother was living. It was a group home for people with mental illness called Maplewood House.
The phone rang several times before a prim female voice answered, “Maplewood House?”
“Hi, um, I’m looking for a resident living with you there. A Felicity Pamphrock?”
There was a long silence before the woman replied, “She stopped going by Pamphrock many years ago.”
“Oh, right. Well, can I speak to her?”
“Are you a family member?”
“No, I’m an old friend,” I lied.
The woman sucked in a breath and let it out. Her voice was soft and consoling when she said, “I’m afraid Felicity died just over a week ago. She … she took her own life.”
I gasped, a heavy brick sinking to the bottom of my stomach.
“I’m so sorry. We had a small funeral for her, and she was buried in the local graveyard. We couldn’t trace any of her family. The only person who would visit her was her ex-husband, but we couldn’t seem to get into contact with him at all.”
That was because he was dead, too, I thought sadly. Now poor little Rebecca had no one. I thanked the woman and hung up, nervously fidgeting with a pen on Ethan’s desk. What was I going to do?
I agonised over the choices. Either I sent her away as Ethan planned to, have her raised in safety by people who were strangers to her, or … I could raise her myself. Was I ready for that? Was I mature enough to take on the role of parenting a young girl?
As if sending me a sign that I was already destined for motherhood, I felt my baby kick for the very first time, and I sucked in a surprised breath. My bump was still tiny, only slightly protruding, but I guessed this wasn’t a normal pregnancy. Babies weren’t supposed to kick until much longer down the line, so maybe I imagined it?
A moment later, it happened again, and I knew I didn’t imagine it this time. Instinctively, I closed my eyes and called on my magic. A soft white glow emanated from my hand, and I ran it over my stomach, soothing her. Since Alora told me of her vision, I more or less knew I was having a girl. The kicking sensation became more distinct now, and I laughed in surprise.