November Reign (Northarbor Coven #3)

14. Changes

Changes

Thyme

Watching Oak walk down the long driveway of the mansion towards his Uber was the worst. He looked so defeated.

I turned away from the door once he was out of sight with a sigh. Unfortunately, I wasn’t alone. Damon was standing, watching me.

“I’m sorry I had to do that.”

“Are you?” There was a bite to my tone not normally present when I spoke to my baby brother.

Perhaps it was unfair to question him, but I felt so raw. The moment I’d just shared with Oak was such a breakthrough in our relationship, and now I didn’t know when I’d see him again. All I wanted to do was go back to my room, throw a pity party, maybe take a nap. I didn’t want to be dealing with Damon.

“Yes. I have to think of the coven. Of what they want.”

He was trying his hardest to sound reasonable. Clearly speaking with me was making him uncomfortable. Was it because I was making him justify his actions? Actually holding him accountable like I doubt Mori did.

“Right. Convenient, you actually want to lead us now after you’ve hidden away, sulking like a child for the last week.” There was so much bitterness, Damon took a step back from me. My magic sparked a little, wound up from the high emotions of the last few hours.

“Hey! That’s not fair!” Damon’s cheeks flushed with anger. Maybe some shame too.

“No, what’s not fair is Oak,” I flung my hand in the direction of the door, “the man who’s been running the coven with me for the last few days, is the one sent away when you couldn’t be bothered to check in or even tell us when you were coming back!”

“I needed some time away. This place is suffocating!” Damon’s fists were clenched, his magic rising in reaction to mine.

“And that’s what makes you a shitty High Witch!”

This time, he flinched before steeling himself.

“I didn’t ask to lead the coven. I don’t want it!”

“Welcome to being an adult. There are things in life we have to do that we really don’t want to do all the time. Like me, right now, speaking to you. Get out of my face, Damon!”

“Hey, what’s with the raised voices?” Cody asked tentatively .

“Stay out of it!” I barked at him at the same time Damon waved him back.

“Nothing. Thyme’s just being a dick because his boyfriend is gone.”

“Fuck all the way off, Damon! You’re nothing but a spoiled brat. Your mate won’t stand up to you, your friends certainly won’t. Did you even think of anyone else while you scared the shit out of us?”

“I just wanted—“

“It’s always about you. All you’ve done since the book picked you is complain! You’ve got this incredible power, all these people who love you, would do anything for you, and all you do is whine. I’m sick of it!”

I knew I was saying too much, being too harsh. The words wouldn’t stop. All my frustrations wanted to pour from me.

“If you’re so sick of things here, then why didn’t you go with him?”

“Because someone has to be here to say no to you for a change. I have to make sure you don’t destroy this coven because you hate your magic so damn much that everyone else has to suffer for it!”

Damon reeled back like I’d slapped him. With how my magic was sparking around my fingers, it was a wonder I hadn’t attacked him. Cody gasped, but stood frozen .

“Fuck this!” I needed to get away.

Using the magic sparking at my fingertips, I boosted my speed with a word and ran to my room.

Maybe I was the one acting like a child. Not that I gave a damn with Oak gone.

Oak texted me an hour later, letting me know he was safe in a hotel for the time being. The relief I felt at hearing from him really compounded my guilt for how I’d spoken to Damon.

I felt even worse when just minutes after I got to my room, Hela arrived. She, of course, let herself in using whatever demon magic she had. The Hellcat was doing her best to cheer me up. We were lying together on the bed; her purring up a storm while I stroked her velvety fur. Hela was honestly the best part of having to live with everyone else.

A knock came at the door.

“Thyme?” Mori’s familiar cultured voice was a surprise.

“Come in.”

Hela moved, allowing me to sit up as Mori opened the door. He took a seat at the end of the bed. His face was unusually serious, a weird look on the handsome demon’s face.

“I’m not here to yell at you about what you said to Damon. Actually, I’m here to apologize for making your life that much harder.” The surprised sound I made him had him chuckling. “Truly. Damon wouldn’t repeat all you said, but my son did hear most of it.”

Ah, Cody tattled to his father. Probably expecting a different outcome to an apology.

“Cody is also sorry.”

“What?”

“He admits he can see it from both sides. Cody asked himself what would have happened to the coven if Poppy had vanished for a week. They would have fallen apart, or rather, torn themselves apart, with the power vacuum left behind.”

“Huh.”

“Cody also agrees that no one tells Damon no, especially me. We have been too easy on him since he came into his powers. My Damon has been on his own for most of his life. He killed people for money. He is not fragile. Yet we’ve been treating him that way.”

Mori was so earnest it made my guilt spike. While I might have had a point, I went about it all wrong, lashing out at Damon instead of trying to get him to understand my feelings.

“I— “

“We’ve agreed there needs to be some changes in how the coven operates. Damon is too new to being a witch, so while he will be the power source, we believe you should become the leader.”

“Me?” They were choosing me to lead out of everyone? I couldn’t quite believe it.

“Yes. You and Damon will have to learn to communicate. No simple task, as my mate is rather stubborn.”

I gave a weak laugh.

“Damon is my chosen mate. I love him so deeply, but I see his flaws. Perhaps I’ve been overcompensating for our lack of a fated bond by giving him his way. What he did at Halloween is as much my fault as it is his.”

“How so?” That had me confused.

“He knows I would have thrown him a lavish Halloween gala if he had asked. I’d give him the world if I could. It wasn’t what he wanted. Damon is bored, and a bored Damon is dangerous. He wanted the thrill of breaking the rules, of nearly being caught.”

Mori understood Damon well and loved him for all of it.

“I shouldn’t have called him a child. He just gets under my skin.”

“Siblings do that, so I hear. Please talk to him and put this matter to bed. We need the coven to move forward if we have any chance of ending this war with Basil. If you work together, maybe you can find a way for Oak to come home.”

Mori left me soon after, Hela following behind him. I paced my room, uncertain how to go about putting things right with Damon. I knew I had to say sorry. While most of what I said was the truth, I could have put it better, too focused on hurting someone to ease my own pain.

My stomach gave a pitiful growl. Lunch had long since passed. An idea hit. I would make a treat for Damon to go along with dinner for everyone. Cookies were a perfect peace offering.

When I got to the kitchen, I was startled to find Damon there, pots bubbling away and something delicious in the oven.

“Hey,” he said calmly when he heard my approach. “Thought I’d make dinner since you’re the one who cooks most. Give you a night off.”

“Um, thanks. Look, about earlier—“

“I’m sorry,” he interrupted. “About vanishing. About Oak. I know it’s shitty to say I don’t want this and just drop it all on you all the time. The book chose me. ”

I took a seat at the counter and watched him stir things with confidence. Damon looked at home in the kitchen. A skill he’d been hiding from us.

“It did. You can be a great High Witch.”

“No, I can’t, because you’re right. I hate my magic. Or at least I used to.” He gave a wry smile. “I’m learning to love it slowly, but the coven… things that night could have ended horribly. People could have died because I was frustrated.”

“Doesn’t mean I should have said what I did. You were right. Oak had to go until we can prove he’s not on Basil’s side. We can’t have him here near the grimoire when it’s the one thing Basil wants. I just… I was angry at you for hurting Barr, for going off where I couldn’t protect you, for not even calling.”

Maybe that was what hurt the most. His text apologies were fine, but that’s all we were given. I felt like an afterthought instead of anyone important to Damon.

“Yeah, I’m sorry for that.”

“We’ve… we never bonded as brothers. I always get the feeling you see Parker as a brother, but not me. And I guess that hurts me. I want to be your family, Damon.”

He looked horrified for a moment. Was it that bad being my family? True, my track record was poor with my relatives, but I thought Damon could be a fresh start.

“This is going to sound shitty, but bear with me.” I was relieved to see some of Damon’s spark back. “I don’t see you as a brother.” He put the spoon he was holding down to concentrate on me. “When I think back to the stories you’ve told me about my mom, how you were by her side… I don’t see you as a brother because when I look at you, I see my dad.”

Talk about a shot to the heart! My eyes filled with tears. I finally saw myself the way he did. All the stories I’d told him of us playing at the park, reading at bedtime, me learning how to change diapers. Yeah, I could see how I was more like a parent.

“Damon… I’m… fuck!” I swiped away my tears. “Being your dad would be an honor.”

He picked up the spoon and waved me away, his eyes glistening. “Help me set the table? We can start fresh tomorrow, okay?”

Unable to help myself, I jumped from my seat, and rounded the counter to pull him into a bone-crushing hug. I felt wetness from his tears on my shirt as he buried his face against my shoulder.

“I’ve loved you since before you were born, so no matter what you want to call me, I’ll answer. Being your dad would be a dream come true. ”

Damon could only nod. Maybe he wasn’t ready to spill his feelings. That was okay. The gift he had given me was worth more than anything.