I knew my mother trusted you. I had no idea that I could transport myself like that—I’ve never been able to do it again without help from Hecate.”
“Your sense of self-preservation kicked in. You had just witnessed one of the most horrific things I can think of and you knew you were next. My theory is that you used every ounce of magical energy you had to propel yourself out of the situation. And since your subconscious knew that your mother trusted me, that’s probably why you ended up on my doorstep.”
I stared out into the approaching dusk. “Do you ever regret taking me in?” It was a question I had never asked, but sometimes wondered.
“Honestly? I do it again in a heartbeat. Kae, never feel that you have ever been—or ever are—a burden. I wish the circumstances had been different, but I’m glad you’re in my life. Really, when I think about it, you’re one of my best friends.” He was silent for a moment. “I can’t believe she’s gone, Kae.”
“I know. I want to promise that it’s going to be okay, but I don’t make promises lightly.”
Jason let out a sigh. “I know. I’ll be all right, but this wasn’t in the plan. This wasn’t supposed to happen.” After a moment he added, “I did love her, you know that, right?
Wondering why he felt he had to ask me, I gave him a confused nod.
“Even though our marriage was arranged when we were children, I really liked Eileen. And I would have done the best I could as her husband. Even though I wasn’t ready to get married, I would have tried to make her happy.”
And right then, I realized that what I had thought was a great love hadn’t been quite the match I had believed.
Chapter 8
If I had ever been to Bend, it was when I was little, when my father was still alive and we could afford an occasional vacation to the Wild Wood. All I knew was that it was one of those towns that, if you blinked twice on your way through, you’d miss it. I leaned forward, staring at the lights ahead as we approached the outskirts.
“What’s Bend like?”
Jason eased off the freeway, onto the short exit ramp leading into town. “It’s a pit stop, really, on the way to Spokane.”
Spokane was the other large city on the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountain Range. The range divided the region into two distinct climates. The western side, where Seattle sat on the ocean’s edge, was temperate with lush forest growth, though winters were snow-shrouded. The eastern side, where Spokane watched over the land, was sun scorched in summer and a blowing frozen wasteland in winter. Spokane was a lot more dilapidated than Seattle. It had been hit harder during the World Shift and never fully recovered. It had mostly turned into an agricultural hub, far more agrarian in nature.
The Cascades were volcanic, providing rich growing soil on both sides. Mount St. Helens had erupted a number of times since the beginning of the Weather Wars, as had Mount Rainier. Where thriving communities had once nestled at the base of the latter, the Wilds spread, thriving woodlands growing over the pyroclastic flows that had covered the towns once living there.
Several passes offered travel through the range, winding through the towering mountains, though during the winter months they were usually closed because of the rolling avalanches that thundered down to cover the roads and anything that happened to be on them.
“I’ve never been to Spokane. I’ve never been any place other than Seattle, really.” The world was huge, but my personal world suddenly felt provincial.
Jason hushed me. “You have lived through things that would have turned some people into hermits. You belong to Hecate. I wouldn’t call that sheltered.”
With a shrug, I continued to stare out into the night. “I suppose...but I think sometimes that I’m at a disadvantage. I envy you shifters and Weres and the Fae. You can go where you want. Even humans can. You have the chance to see the world
“Your sense of self-preservation kicked in. You had just witnessed one of the most horrific things I can think of and you knew you were next. My theory is that you used every ounce of magical energy you had to propel yourself out of the situation. And since your subconscious knew that your mother trusted me, that’s probably why you ended up on my doorstep.”
I stared out into the approaching dusk. “Do you ever regret taking me in?” It was a question I had never asked, but sometimes wondered.
“Honestly? I do it again in a heartbeat. Kae, never feel that you have ever been—or ever are—a burden. I wish the circumstances had been different, but I’m glad you’re in my life. Really, when I think about it, you’re one of my best friends.” He was silent for a moment. “I can’t believe she’s gone, Kae.”
“I know. I want to promise that it’s going to be okay, but I don’t make promises lightly.”
Jason let out a sigh. “I know. I’ll be all right, but this wasn’t in the plan. This wasn’t supposed to happen.” After a moment he added, “I did love her, you know that, right?
Wondering why he felt he had to ask me, I gave him a confused nod.
“Even though our marriage was arranged when we were children, I really liked Eileen. And I would have done the best I could as her husband. Even though I wasn’t ready to get married, I would have tried to make her happy.”
And right then, I realized that what I had thought was a great love hadn’t been quite the match I had believed.
Chapter 8
If I had ever been to Bend, it was when I was little, when my father was still alive and we could afford an occasional vacation to the Wild Wood. All I knew was that it was one of those towns that, if you blinked twice on your way through, you’d miss it. I leaned forward, staring at the lights ahead as we approached the outskirts.
“What’s Bend like?”
Jason eased off the freeway, onto the short exit ramp leading into town. “It’s a pit stop, really, on the way to Spokane.”
Spokane was the other large city on the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountain Range. The range divided the region into two distinct climates. The western side, where Seattle sat on the ocean’s edge, was temperate with lush forest growth, though winters were snow-shrouded. The eastern side, where Spokane watched over the land, was sun scorched in summer and a blowing frozen wasteland in winter. Spokane was a lot more dilapidated than Seattle. It had been hit harder during the World Shift and never fully recovered. It had mostly turned into an agricultural hub, far more agrarian in nature.
The Cascades were volcanic, providing rich growing soil on both sides. Mount St. Helens had erupted a number of times since the beginning of the Weather Wars, as had Mount Rainier. Where thriving communities had once nestled at the base of the latter, the Wilds spread, thriving woodlands growing over the pyroclastic flows that had covered the towns once living there.
Several passes offered travel through the range, winding through the towering mountains, though during the winter months they were usually closed because of the rolling avalanches that thundered down to cover the roads and anything that happened to be on them.
“I’ve never been to Spokane. I’ve never been any place other than Seattle, really.” The world was huge, but my personal world suddenly felt provincial.
Jason hushed me. “You have lived through things that would have turned some people into hermits. You belong to Hecate. I wouldn’t call that sheltered.”
With a shrug, I continued to stare out into the night. “I suppose...but I think sometimes that I’m at a disadvantage. I envy you shifters and Weres and the Fae. You can go where you want. Even humans can. You have the chance to see the world
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