But I’m too damn shocked to move.
Tabatha’s brown eyes meet with mine, and she comes around the table, smile on her pretty face and arms outstretched toward me.
“What is going on?” I ask, feeling the eyes of every single coven member on me. Tabatha wraps me in a hug, squeezing me tight, and then takes my hand, leading me in. The clapping gets louder, and I see the twins sitting at a table with their parents and grandmother. Nicole gives me a wink as I walk by. She knew about this when I called. I bet Kristy was in on it too, though I’m still not sure what it is just yet.
The great hall falls silent when Tabatha and I get to the head table.
“We want to welcome you back, my darling girl,” she tells me, sweeping her hand out at the coven. “Without you, and the vampire, this coven would have seen great devastation. We are all aware this is not the first time you’ve risked yourself to save others, and as a collective, we have decided we do not agree with the Grand Coven’s ruling to excommunicate you from this coven.”
My lips part and tears spring to my eyes. “Are you serious?”
Tabatha laughs. “We are.” She picks up two glasses of red wine and hands one to me, then raises hers in a toast. The rest of the coven follows suit, and I pretend to take a drink, still stunned at everything. “Let’s eat!” Tabatha says and sits down. Happy chatter slowly fills the hall as people start loading up their plates. I sink down in my chair, eyes wide.
Kristy loops her arm through mine and beams. “You have no idea how hard it was not to tell you!” she squeals. “I knew you were taking a day or two off and we thought waiting was better, but I was dying.”
“You’ve known for days?” I ruefully trade the wine for water. It’s usually the other way around. “I’m still confused.” I look at Tabatha. “Not to sound ungrateful or anything, but how is any of this possible? A lot has been left unresolved.”
“That depends on who you talk to,” Tabatha says gracefully. “We have the upper hand, my darling.”
“The Grand Coven has fucked up enough,” Evander fills in.
“Thank you for so gracefully simplifying it,” Tabatha tells him and Evander laughs. “Though it is true. They’ve failed to protect our coven twice now, and there are others still upset about their slow response to the demon attacks back in the spring. We know it was you who stopped the demon—”
“With Lucas’s help,” I add, and Tabatha nods.
“Precisely. And we are more than well aware of the blood bath that would have ensued if the two of you hadn’t gotten here when you did.” Tabatha pauses for a second, locking eyes with me. “The coven came to me because we know how much the coven means to you, and how much you mean to the coven.”
“And we like not dying,” Evander adds with a wink. “You have a particular knack for coming in at the last possible moment and kicking ass and saving our necks.”
“It’s kind of my specialty,” I reply, smirking. “Though I feel like I should tweak the timing just a tad.” I tear off a few more pieces of bread and drop them in my soup. “So, now what? The Grand Coven isn’t going to let me back in. I’m married to a vampire.”
“Leave that to me,” Tabatha says. “And know you are welcome here.”
“Is everyone okay with that?” I ask slowly, stirring my breadcrumbs into the soup. “Because the last time I checked, at least half the members of the coven don’t approve of any sort of relationship with vampires.”
“They still don’t,” Tabatha starts. “But the general consensus is to make an exception for Lucas. He’s proven time and time again how deep his loyalty goes for you. As much as I never thought I’d say this: I trust him. Now more than ever.” She looks at my stomach. “Speaking of, I have the potion for you.”
“Good,” I say, relieved. “Abby wrote me a prescription for something, but it wears off fast and I miss eating.”
Tabatha laughs, eyes sparkling. She knew from the start there was something nonhuman about me. She saw my files when she rescued me from that research laboratory and thought I was perhaps half human and half shifter.
Which obviously wasn’t the case.
She told me it didn’t matter what I was. She loved me like a daughter and raised me as her own. I don’t want to be angry with Tabatha, and I don’t know what would have changed if I’d known the truth from the start, though knowing I wasn’t really a Martin might have helped with the emotional trauma I still haven’t dealt with. Thinking my mother and father could so easily throw me away fucked with my head, and I still can’t see how Nancy cared for me, loved me, thought I was the baby she’d carried and then given birth to, and then raised for years as her own, and just stepped aside and let me be taken away.