Chapter 25

Piper and I were seated at a table in the swankiest—and most romantic—Italian restaurant in Lake Placid. We had an unobstructed view of the lake, which was covered in patches of ice. Snow covered mountains loomed in the distance. Soft candlelight flickered between us, casting an alluring glow across Piper’s face, making her cheeks appear rosy and silky smooth.

“It’s so beautiful here,” she said wistfully, her gaze turned toward the lake. “Don’t get me wrong. New Orleans has its own charms, but there’s nothing quite like the peacefulness of a snow-covered landscape.”

“You should see it at Christmas with all the lights and decorations.”

Sighing, she shifted her attention to me. “I bet it’s magical.”

I laughed. “That’s one way to describe it.” I took a sip of wine. “Did you have fun shopping today?”

She, along with Chloe, Whitney, and Sophie had spent the day together. At first, I’d been bummed I hadn’t gotten the opportunity to spend the day with her, but after I thought about it, I realized this was a good thing. I wanted Piper to make friends here, to build relationships and make connections that would entice her to want to stay. Of course, if she asked me to go back to New Orleans with her, I would. Without hesitation. Before, I’d had reservations about leaving my family, but spending six months without Piper had adjusted my perspective. A lot.

“Yes. Whitney is so funny.” Piper grinned. “She spent quite a bit of time reading others’ thoughts and sharing them with us.”

I groaned but smiled. “Yeah, that’s her favorite trick.”

Piper folded her arms on the table and leaned forward. “Does she read your thoughts?”

“Sometimes, but for the most part she respects my privacy.”

“Hmm.” She took a sip of her wine, licked her lips, and set the glass back on the table. My eyes narrowed in on her mouth. “I wish I had that ability. I’d give anything to know what people are thinking. What you’re thinking.” She pinned me with a daring look, her green eyes dancing with delight.

“If you want to know, all you have to do is ask.” I shifted—more like squirmed—in my seat as I reached for my wineglass. The only way I was going to get her to confide in me was to do the same with her, so if she wanted to sit here and interrogate me, I’d let her.

“All right. What’re you thinking about right this second?”

“You.”

She sighed with faux frustration. “Be more specific.”

“Okay. I’m thinking about how beautiful you are, how your eyes are sparkling so brightly it’s almost blinding.” I leaned forward and trailed my fingers across the back of her hand. “I’m thinking about how soft and warm your skin is. But mostly”—my gaze dropped to her lips—“I’m thinking about how badly I want to kiss you.”

“You can’t.” Her voice was barely above a whisper and shaky.

“I know.” I continued to drag my fingers back and forth across her knuckles, then I inched up her arm. “And I won’t. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to.”

“I want to kiss you, too.”

Despite how low she spoke, her words were screaming through my mind like a bullhorn. I tilted my head, studying her. “Then why don’t you? If you’re worried about me telling you no, I can assure you that won’t happen.”

She playfully rolled her eyes, but she didn’t answer my question.

Okay, time to try a different angle. “Does this have anything to do with whatever business your sisters need to attend to?”

Momentary shock flashed across her face. “Yes.”

I straightened, encouraged by the fact that she’d given me a straight answer. Of course, I would’ve like more of an explanation, but at least she wasn’t dodging my questions. “I overheard Sophie say something about getting your affairs in order. What did she mean by that?”

Piper sighed, lowered her gaze, and absently trailed her finger along the edge of the table. “Like I said before, it’s witch business. Rather boring witch business if you ask me, but…” She shrugged and lifted her head.

I studied her a moment before asking, “For so long, you and your sisters have been hiding. Everyone thought your coven was dead. What sort of witch business do you have?” I folded my arms on the table and leaned forward expectantly.

“Word has gotten out that we’re not so dead after all. Between helping Isach and then defeating Ivy… that sort of stuff doesn’t exactly stay hidden for long.”

I nodded. Isach’s words from earlier raced through my mind, and a few pieces of the puzzle that was Piper fell into place. “And now the magical community expects you to fulfill your duties?”

“Exactly.” She forced a sad smile.

“Why help us then?” I asked.

“Because it was the right thing to do. We knew helping you would put us back in the spotlight, so to speak, but we had no other choice. Ivy needed to be stopped, and we were the only ones strong enough to fight her and win.”

Her unwavering commitment to doing the right thing warmed me, solidifying everything I already knew about her. Piper was a good person, inside and out, and that only made me love her more.

“Was it worth it?” I asked.

“Yes,” she answered without hesitation.

I smiled and returned my hand to rest on hers. She didn’t pull away, but her posture was stiff.

“When Isach was staying with us, he talked about all of you so much. He told us everything, right from the moment he arrived in Keene Valley and met Chloe straight through to faking his own death.” The shimmer of tears glistened in her eyes. “He hated what he had to do, and he struggled so much every single day. His grief and longing affected me in ways I didn’t know were possible.”

“How so?”

“His stories were so vivid, and the emotion he had when he spoke of his family…” She eased her hand out from beneath mine and clasped her hands in her lap. “I felt like I knew all of you, even though I’d never met any of you. When he told his stories, I felt his joy, his grief, his regret, his sadness… During those talks, I couldn’t help but feel like I was part of his family, too.”

“You are,” I said.

Head down, she wouldn’t meet my gaze. Well, this had taken an unexpected turn that I was positive wouldn’t work out for me in the end. I shouldn’t have pushed so hard about the whole kissing thing.

“He told me all about the cursed Halstead vampires, how he was raised to hate you simply because of who and what you were.” Finally, she lifted her head, and her expression was a cross between joy and despair. “How he eventually learned that you and your brother weren’t evil. He was jealous of the bond you and Trent share.”

My eyes widened in surprise. Isach was jealous of me and Trent? I had a hard time wrapping my mind around that. Then again, other than his father, Isach never really spoke about his family. Did he have any siblings? Or had he been destined to endure his father alone?

“Why are you sharing all of this with me?” I asked.

Before she could answer, our waitress arrived with our entrees—rare steak for me, and chicken Florentine for Piper. “Can I get you two anything else?” she asked.

“No, thank you.” I smiled at her. She blushed, then scurried away. “You were saying?” I nodded at Piper.

She cut into her chicken. “I’m telling you all of this because it matters.”

“Why?”

Silently, she took several bites of her food, and I did the same, though my appetite had vanished. I wanted her to tell me everything, and I was worried that now that she had a distraction, she’d avoid answering anymore of my questions.

“I can relate to Isach’s situation. I know what it’s like to be raised to hate someone for reasons beyond their control. To have to hide from the world for your own protection. At least I had my sisters.” She shook her head. “Isach had to give up everyone he loved.”

My muscles tensed, and the hair on the back of my neck stood on edge. “Are you in danger, Piper?”

Whoever or whatever was after her would have to go through me first, and I wouldn’t lose. Not when it could mean the difference between Piper living or dying. I’d only just found her, and I would not lose her. I didn’t care what that would cost me.

“Relax, Jaxon.” Her tone was flirty, and everything in me relaxed. “No one is trying to kill me, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“Good, because I’m really not in the mood to kill anyone tonight.”

She laughed.

“You know, it’s hardly fair that you know so much about me and I know nothing about you.” I took another bite of steak and chewed slowly. “Have you always lived in New Orleans?” Maybe starting with easier questions would help.

She nodded and sipped her wine. “My sisters and I were born there. That atrocity of a hotel, The Pendragon Palace, used to be our home.” She scrunched up her face in disgust. “Well, you’ve seen the décor. So tacky.”

I chuckled. “If it’s yours, then why not reclaim it?”

“Too many bad memories.”

“There must be good memories, too, right?”

“Yeah.” She sighed. “Our parents died inside that castle. We almost did, too. I guess we’re not quite ready to move back in, though we could if we wanted.”

“I’m sorry about your parents. My mother died in childbirth. I never even met her.”

Piper had briefly talked about her parents and what happened to them while we’d been driving home with Isach. Was she about to divulge more information?

“I sometimes wonder if that would have been easier. I mean, you can’t really miss what you never had, right? My sisters and I had four years with our parents before that fateful night. I have memories of them, of their faces and the sound of their laughter.”

“I’m sorry,” I said again. I set my fork on my plate and gave her my undivided attention. “I can’t imagine how difficult that was for you.”

“It wasn’t all terrible, so I try to focus on the good memories.” When she reached for her glass, her hand trembled slightly.

“Piper.” I took her hand in mine. “Whatever’s going on, whatever you’re afraid to tell me, don’t be. There’s nothing you can say that’s going to change how I feel about you.”

She nodded as if trying to give herself the courage she needed to keep going. “The Pendragon Coven was royalty at one time. Our coven ruled the magical community, and my father was the kindest king.”

Her words hit me like a sack of bricks upside the head. “Your father was a king?” I’d known they were royalty, but I’d never really thought much about what that meant.

“Yes.”

“So that means… you and your sisters are…”

“Real life princesses.”

“Wow.”

“Scared yet?” She lifted a brow.

“Are you kidding me? Prince Jaxon. That has a fantastic ring to it, don’t you think?”

She stared at me for a second, blinked, then laughed. “I don’t even know how to respond to that.”

“Keep going,” I said, my tone encouraging.

Once again removing her hand from mine, she took a moment to eat a bit more of her food, washing it down with a rather large gulp of wine. What was she so nervous to tell me? If Isach really had told her everything about me, then she must know I was bound to her until or unless she told me to get lost.

“My father was never supposed to love my mother. She wasn’t one of the six royal covens, and—”

“Wait.” I held up my hand to stop her. “There are six royal covens?”

Other than the vague rumors about the Pendragon Coven that I admittedly never paid attention to, I hadn’t realized there was an entire royal hierarchy.

“Yes.” A faint smile touched her lips. “The Pendragons have always retained control of the crown, and the other five covens were there to offer guidance and support and to step in should a king or queen abuse their power.”

I sat back in my chair, mind reeling. Vampires never involved themselves in witch business, and vice versa, but to know there was an entire world within the supernatural one in which I lived was sobering.

“The belief was if the five leaders stood united with the king or queen, the covens would, too. It was a system that brought great peace to our community, and for decades, it worked. There were no wars, no dissention, no chaos.” She pushed food around on her plate. “And then Rector Zoya cursed your father.”

How many more bombs was she planning to drop in my lap tonight? I cleared my throat and reached for my glass. I drained what was left of the sweet wine and motioned to the waitress for a refill.

“Are you telling me that Rector’s curse was responsible for destroying years of peace and order in the witch community?”

She gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. “And because the Zoya were one of the six royal covens, there was a lot of disagreement about what to do. The leaders agreed to strip the Zoya of the benefits that came with being a royal coven, but beyond that… Some wanted to kill him. Others wanted to bind his magic. A few thought he was justified for what he’d done.”

“Obviously, none of that happened. I guess his supporters won.” Bitterness crept into my voice.

“My father had only just inherited the throne, and he tried to find a compromise that would please everyone, but emotions were high, and tensions were even higher.”

The waitress appeared with the bottle of wine, and I held my glass out to her without looking away from Piper. Her eyes were still downcast, as if the food on her plate was the most interesting thing she’d ever seen.

Did Sean know about any of this? Did Isach? How much differently would our lives have been if Piper’s father and the royal covens had done something to punish Rector? Maybe the curse could’ve been broken decades ago. Chloe wouldn’t have had to suffer through everything she did. Then again, if even one small event had happened differently, Trent might never have met Chloe. They wouldn’t be married and have the twins. We wouldn’t have had to face Rector and the Zoya. Isach wouldn’t have faked his death.

I would never have met Piper.

As much as I hated everything my family had endured to get where we were today, I now realized all of those struggles were for a reason.

“Would you like a refill?” The waitress held the wine bottle poised over Piper’s glass.

Piper glanced up, offered a small smile. “No, thank you.”

Nodding, the waitress looked between the two of us. “Can I get you anything else?”

“We’re fine for now. Thank you,” I said.

Spinning on her heel, she left us alone.

“Rumors began to spread that the royal covens were planning to overthrow my father if he didn’t act against Rector,” she said before I had the chance to ask her another question. “The magic he used… It was dark. Darker than anything my father or any of the other leaders had ever seen before. And they lived in New Orleans, the home of some really twisted voodoo.”

“If your father was such a fair and honest king, why didn’t he do something? Rector upset the entire magical balance. That must have affected all the royal covens, too, right?”

“It did.” She traced the rim of her wineglass with her index finger. “Though not quite as bad as it affected others. The royal covens were chosen for their magical strength, so all of them were already incredibly powerful. With power like that, an upset in the balance didn’t have too much of an effect.”

Even though I knew Rector was never punished by the king, that he was left unchecked for decades to wreak havoc on our lives, I was completely sucked into Piper’s story. I needed to know how all of that led to her being here with me.

“So, what happened?”