Page 16 of Black Willow Witch
Worst fucking decision ever.
Because CeCe wasn’t content for them all to go back to being platonic friends. On the contrary, she had proposed that they enter an official triad.
Triads weren’t uncommon among werewolves. But although Logan was willing, Ripper was not. CeCe was adamant that she couldn’t choose between them – it was both or neither. And since Ripper wouldn’t change his mind, Logan was pissed at him.
‘You’re not the one who jacked everything up,’ Kerr upheld. ‘You recently gave them the greenlight to pursue a relationship, saying you’d support it. It’s CeCe who’s the problem, claiming it ain’t fair of her to be with Logan when she also loves you. How is it unfair when he’d be well aware of the situation?’
Shrugging, Ripper scraped a hand over his jaw. ‘She went on and on about how she knew it’d hurt me to see them together and that she wouldn’t be able to handle it. I assured her that she was wrong. I mean, would I like it? No. But I wouldn’t stand in the way of my brother’s happiness, either. Telling her that I’d be good with it just pissed her off, though.’
‘Because she doesn’t want you to be okay with it.’
‘Yeah, I get that. But I’m fucking sick of Logan making me out to be the bad guy here. The person standing between him and what he most wants is CeCe herself.’
‘Which is what I pointed out to him yesterday. He mumbled something under his breath and walked away. My opinion? I don’t think he’s mad at you because you won’t agree to a triad. I think he’s mad at you because she’s insisting on having you both. It isn’t your fault, no, but he can’t help resenting you for it. What guy would want to feel that he’s not enough for the woman he loves?’
Ripper let out a long breath. ‘I don’t see what else I can do at this point. I’ve talked to both of them, I made my stance on the triad thing clear, and I promised I’ll support them if they go ahead with a relationship. But somehow, I still come off as the bastard in this scenario.’
Hearing a car engine come to life, Ripper looked to where the witches once stood. ‘Looks like they’re leaving.’
‘This won’t be the end of it, though,’ said Kerr. ‘They’d all reached agreements between themselves before Millicent passed, thinking they had a decent idea of what the will would state. They’re gonna give Emberlyn trouble.’
Probably. ‘I doubt it will get them anywhere.’ The woman didn’t appear to give one single measly fuck – which he begrudgingly respected. More, she didn’t strike him as someone who’d break. Even at her most vulnerable, when Michael had done a disappearing act, she’d radiated strength and self-assurance. ‘Millicent left her to me in her will.’
Kerr’s head whipped to face him. ‘What?’ he asked, the word coming out on a chuckle. ‘You’re serious?’
Ripper frowned at him. ‘Has there ever been a single time in my life that I’ve told a joke?’
‘Well, no, but it just doesn’t make sense. Unless she was hinting at you making Emberlyn an ally. It actually might bea good idea,’ Kerr mused. ‘It’s like with Millicent – you didn’t approve of her, but you knew it was smart to stay on her good side. I think the same applies to Emberlyn. Especially when you’re going to need her to make those elixirs for you.’
True. And if Ripper held out an olive branch and suggested an alliance, she might be less likely to try to contest the will and reclaim the land.
‘Also, as of today, you’ll both be dealing with the same problems from the same people,’ Kerr added. ‘Makes sense to team up. You two don’t need to be on opposite sides of the fence just because of your personal feelings about witches in general.’
‘It’s not about witches in general. I don’t like the coven because they rally around their own instead of making them face consequences, and I don’t like witches who use magick to avenge slights.’
He’d heard of Emberlyn’s many ‘exploits’. She’d infested homes with toads, turned pool water to blood, covered cars in slugs, given people the hiccups for twenty-four hours straight, and even once somehow blocked every toilet in Bellcrest.
Okay, yeah, some of it had been amusing. And yeah, he could understand why she’d been driven to make her point. It was no different from him showing his claws to those who thought to challenge him. She’d done darker deeds, such as lumbering people with chronic hip pain and making their teeth rot and fall out one by one. But, to be fair, she could probably have done a lot worse – if the demonstration she’d just made was anything to go by, at least.
Only witches had been victims – she seemed to have no issue with werewolves. And, aside from when she’d been a child herself, no kids were ever harmed. But it still made her a wild card, and Ripper wasn’t comfortable having those in his life.
‘Still, an alliance would be good,’ Kerr persisted. ‘I don’t know for sure that she’ll be up for it, but you can at least run the idea by her, can’t you?’
Undecided, Ripper twisted his mouth.
‘Talk to her. Feel her out. See what vibe you get from her.’
Ripper exhaled heavily. ‘You know, I originally thought that Millicent left Emberlyn to me in the will because she wanted others to assume that her granddaughter would be under my protection so they’d leave her be.’
‘But . . .?’
‘But after seeing Emberlyn’s little show of power just now, I don’t think Millicent was too concerned about her safety. I think she was hoping that Emberlyn wouldn’t get pushed into a corner.’
Again, Millicent’s words echoed in Ripper’s mind . . . ‘That girl has the ability to commit every magickal heinous act you can imagine.’
Kerr turned to him, his brow creased. ‘You’re saying Millicent created a monster, regretted it at the end, and took measures to help prevent that monster from losing it?’
Ripper shook his head. ‘No. I’m saying Millicent created a monster, relished that fact and wanted Emberlyn to have allies just in case she destroyed half the fucking coven.’
