Entangled Secrets by Pat Esden

Author:Pat Esden
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Published: 2020-02-28T03:57:41+00:00

Chapter 19

He gave me a hoodie, soft and gray.

He sat beside me. He stood beside me.

Kindness in action. Not just in words.

—“Johnny” by E. A.

Chandler retrieved her mug from the desk and added a spoonful of sugar to the coffee. Then she retreated to where Lionel had moved to stand behind the stiff-backed chair. She had to admit the idea of him going was feeling wiser with each passing second.

Apparently, Devlin hadn’t approached Zeus yet about falsifying the forgetting spell, but he was certain Zeus could be talked into it. He also reiterated that he wasn’t going to tell Zeus about healing Aidan. It was safer for them and Zeus that way.

“If we’re all in agreement,” Gar said, “I’ll approach the High Chancellor about Lionel attending as Chandler’s date and about the death-by-assassination pledge. I don’t foresee any problems. In the past, the High Chancellor has invited people to events for no other reason than to irritate his opponents. The death-by-assassination agreement will appeal to his warped sense of humor.”

“Do I need to sign something?” Lionel asked.

“No. I can swear that you’ve been officially warned about the penalty. What you also want to remember is that the High Chancellor has a vested interest in Zeus’s experimental PTSD treatments. He’ll jump at the chance to test it on a human.”

Devlin smiled. “Zeus will agree for similar reasons: success with the spell, fraudulent or not, will bring in more investors and lead to a higher chance of the spell’s success in the end.”

Chandler nodded. What Devlin and Gar were saying fit with what she’d heard over the years about the wealth and power of Zeus, the High Chancellor, and a handful of other witches being rooted in the spell-development industry—not to mention their mutual involvement in a fraternal skull cult.

Gar’s gaze went to Devlin. “Speaking of your grandfather Zeus, are your parents going to be at the gala too? Once we get the timing down for the healing, there won’t be any leeway for unexpected interruptions.”

“My mom won’t be there. My father? Open bar. Single women. A chance to draw attention to himself by being associated with the guests of honor—namely us? Yeah, he could be a problem,” Devlin said.

Devlin wasn’t exaggerating when he said his dad could be a problem. His parents had been divorced before Chandler met Athena at school. Still, she’d heard enough about Devlin’s father and his sugar-daddy girlfriends to know to steer clear of him, and that was without counting his affairs with Rhianna. His dumping Rhianna was a large part of why she had set out to destroy the Circle.

Chandler took a sip of her coffee. Despite the added worry of Devlin’s father, she was feeling more comfortable about the changes to their plans. She could see the future: Aidan leaving his hospital bed. Zeus faking the forgetting spell. The sadness she’d feel when Lionel left. And the comfort of knowing he was safe in Boston, building sandcastles and writing about poverty and hunger.

“So, what’s in the pouch?” Em’s voice brought Chandler from her thoughts.

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