hands.
“Mercy, the line didn’t make a mistake. The line made me for you . You are my only purpose and my only passion.”
I might have felt threatened or uneasy, but I knew that Emmet spoke nothing but the truth. “For now, maybe, but you’ll find others.” His face grayed; he was stricken. I didn’t know why he had chosen this particular moment to make his declaration, but he had offered all he had and all he was to me. Completely. This had been his big gamble, the moment when he put all his chips on the table. It broke my heart to reject him, but we both knew I was saying no. “I’m pregnant. I’m marrying Peter.”
“If you wanted to marry Peter, you already would have.” Anger crept into his voice. My choice had stung him. “He had to rely on the old woman’s magic to reach you.”
“No. I was confused,” I said, speaking calmly, ignoring the heated resentment I heard in his voice. I didn’t want to hurt Emmet. I had never even considered that he might have feelings for me. “I was deceived by Jackson. I would have turned to Peter anyway. I have turned to Peter. He’s my oldest friend. I love him. I am carrying his child.”
“I would gladly raise your child as my own,” Emmet vowed to me.
“Enough,” I said, shaking my hands from his. “Get out of my room.” I should have ordered him out of my house, out of Savannah, but in spite of what my good sense told me, I didn’t have the heart. He had nowhere else to go.
“As you wish.” He stood, reaching his impressive full height. “At least you’ve learned how easily passion can lend itself to use in magic, and why your mother would have used it to reach her goals.”
At first I couldn’t find the words. Ellen’s crystal had been out there with us, but that only prevented remote spying. I stood there with my mouth open. “You were listening to us . . . You could somehow hear us.”
“Not exactly. One of the witches who created me is deaf. From him, I received the ability to read lips. For the record, the families have forbidden me to help you in any way with Maisie, but they said nothing about your mother.” He started to leave but turned back to face me again. “You think you know Peter, but perhaps there are things he doesn’t even know about himself.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Don’t you find it strange that he has been the sole suitor to knock on your door, the sole human suitor?”
“Regular guys tend to get freaked out by my family. By the magic.”
“That’s why witches tend to marry other witches, but our Peter was never put off by the magic. Has this never struck you as strange?”
“I will not discuss Peter with you,” I said, my loyalty and love for Peter raising my ire against the golem. Emmet nodded and left my room quietly, leaving the door open behind him. I crossed to close it, but Ellen appeared before I could.
“Did you get what you needed from the golem?” she asked, crossing the threshold to my room without waiting for permission. “If not, you know I’d be glad to teach you.”
“No,” I said. “I think I understand how to charge the room now. Thanks.” It wasn’t exactly the truth, but I was not in the mood to provide her with any details about my lesson. Ellen turned the chair by my makeup mirror around and sat down facing me. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I was planning on heading out.”
“You can spare me a few minutes, can’t you?” She straightened her skirt and smoothed down her chic haircut. “Please.”
“All right,” I said and sat on the foot of my bed.
“I know you are not happy that I intend to continue spending time with Tucker . . .”
“No, indeed I am not,” I said, my words coming out more sharply than I had intended. “You are doing so well. I don’t want to see him drag you down again.”
“Oh, Mercy, from your perspective, I can see why you think he drags me down. That’s because you are only judging on what is visible from the
“Mercy, the line didn’t make a mistake. The line made me for you . You are my only purpose and my only passion.”
I might have felt threatened or uneasy, but I knew that Emmet spoke nothing but the truth. “For now, maybe, but you’ll find others.” His face grayed; he was stricken. I didn’t know why he had chosen this particular moment to make his declaration, but he had offered all he had and all he was to me. Completely. This had been his big gamble, the moment when he put all his chips on the table. It broke my heart to reject him, but we both knew I was saying no. “I’m pregnant. I’m marrying Peter.”
“If you wanted to marry Peter, you already would have.” Anger crept into his voice. My choice had stung him. “He had to rely on the old woman’s magic to reach you.”
“No. I was confused,” I said, speaking calmly, ignoring the heated resentment I heard in his voice. I didn’t want to hurt Emmet. I had never even considered that he might have feelings for me. “I was deceived by Jackson. I would have turned to Peter anyway. I have turned to Peter. He’s my oldest friend. I love him. I am carrying his child.”
“I would gladly raise your child as my own,” Emmet vowed to me.
“Enough,” I said, shaking my hands from his. “Get out of my room.” I should have ordered him out of my house, out of Savannah, but in spite of what my good sense told me, I didn’t have the heart. He had nowhere else to go.
“As you wish.” He stood, reaching his impressive full height. “At least you’ve learned how easily passion can lend itself to use in magic, and why your mother would have used it to reach her goals.”
At first I couldn’t find the words. Ellen’s crystal had been out there with us, but that only prevented remote spying. I stood there with my mouth open. “You were listening to us . . . You could somehow hear us.”
“Not exactly. One of the witches who created me is deaf. From him, I received the ability to read lips. For the record, the families have forbidden me to help you in any way with Maisie, but they said nothing about your mother.” He started to leave but turned back to face me again. “You think you know Peter, but perhaps there are things he doesn’t even know about himself.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Don’t you find it strange that he has been the sole suitor to knock on your door, the sole human suitor?”
“Regular guys tend to get freaked out by my family. By the magic.”
“That’s why witches tend to marry other witches, but our Peter was never put off by the magic. Has this never struck you as strange?”
“I will not discuss Peter with you,” I said, my loyalty and love for Peter raising my ire against the golem. Emmet nodded and left my room quietly, leaving the door open behind him. I crossed to close it, but Ellen appeared before I could.
“Did you get what you needed from the golem?” she asked, crossing the threshold to my room without waiting for permission. “If not, you know I’d be glad to teach you.”
“No,” I said. “I think I understand how to charge the room now. Thanks.” It wasn’t exactly the truth, but I was not in the mood to provide her with any details about my lesson. Ellen turned the chair by my makeup mirror around and sat down facing me. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I was planning on heading out.”
“You can spare me a few minutes, can’t you?” She straightened her skirt and smoothed down her chic haircut. “Please.”
“All right,” I said and sat on the foot of my bed.
“I know you are not happy that I intend to continue spending time with Tucker . . .”
“No, indeed I am not,” I said, my words coming out more sharply than I had intended. “You are doing so well. I don’t want to see him drag you down again.”
“Oh, Mercy, from your perspective, I can see why you think he drags me down. That’s because you are only judging on what is visible from the
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