Page 15 (1/2)

I was sitting on my couch, freshly showered and in blissfully clean clothes, when there was banging on the front door, and I heard an aged voice hollering, "Livvy?"

Betty

"In here!" I called out, too tired to even think of getting up to answer the door

"Liv?" Betty ca roood, if I survive this, I’ to kill you I am too old for this, Livvy"

She made her way over to the couch and sat next to , then pinched my cheek, kinda hard

"Ow!"

"That’s what you get for scaring the hell out of me" She leaned back on the couch, hand over her heart "I need a drink"

"What happened?"

She turned her eyes to ot attacked, and then I called and called and called and all I got was voice mail"

"Oh, yeah, sorry," I said "I turned ht to check on you, and you weren’t here" She picked upon the coffee table where I’d left it two nights ago "I left you a thousand es Where were you?" Before I could answer, she said, "Oh, god, Stacy!" She flipped open her phone, hit a nuot her Yes, she’sfine" She eyed uessed I didn’t look quite fine "Okay, co, and you can yell at her then" She tucked her phone in her pocket and sat next tomy hands in hers "Honey, you look awful Do I smell bacon?"

"Oh Yeah U how to explain why Cain was infor me, but I was too tired to explain, so I just said, "Cain’s s"

Betty froze and her voice went low "Cain?"

"He’s okay," I said "Davina tried to steal ht He saved my life"

Betty opened her mouth, then closed it, then looked at ive her credit - she didn’t argue, and she didn’t say I told you so "And now he’s ’s in the wash," Tobias said, stepping into the living room "I set it to cold, like you said Hey, Betty"

He sat down in the floral love seat across from the couch, and Betty raised a brow atyour laundry" Betty sed a half-smile, and Tobias cleared his throat stiffly Betty looked from me to him, then back to me Her expression softened as she picked up on the not-too-subtle tension between ently

"Now eat this slowly," Cain said, co room, a plate in his hand "Little bites If you hurl, I’ it up"

Cain paused for a moment when he saw Betty, then walked over to stand across the coffee table fro it clear she was not happy about Cain’s presence in , handed h I was a third-grader "Little bites"

"Bettythis is Cain" I said,toward Cain withmy words carefully, " friend of Holly’s Cain, this is Betty She’s ical pastries"

Cain gave a brief nod, and Betty shifted closer to me on the couch I poked at the food on my plate and my stomach protested, so I turned to Betty

"How’s Peach doing?"

"They let her go fro," she said "She had a minor concussion, but other than a few bruises, she’s okay Nick’s with her next door Neither one of them can remember what happened" Betty looked at hed and put the fork down "Millie Walnuts Only it wasn’t just Millie She was surfing Davina’s power"

"She’ll tell you about it later," Cain said, picking up the fork and putting it back in ht now, she needs to eat, and then she needs to rest"

Betty shot an annoyed look at Cain, and turned her attention back to ?"

I nodded "He’s Magical security Holly sent hio"

Betty straightened in surprise and looked at Tobias "ASF or RIAS?"

"ASF," he said

"What’s that?" I said

"Allied Strategical Forces," Tobias said "Name of the firm"

"Better than RIAS," Betty said "You can’t trust those bastards They get ahold of you, no one will ever hear froain"

"RIAS?" I asked "What’s RIAS?"

Tobias looked at ional Initiative Action Services"

"Oh" I thought for a beat "So, Magicals are as fond of bullshit acronyms as everyone else, then?"

Betty looked at ical, but we’re still huroup, thewhatsit?"

"ASF," Tobias said

Betty let out a huff of disgust "To say they’re good is a bit of an overstatement They’re better than RIAS, but that’s a pretty low bar" She looked at Tobias "No offense"

"Trust me, none taken" Tobias stood up and looked at Cain "I’onna take watch out front"

Cain nodded, and Tobias left without looking at o until the front door shut behind hi my name

"Olivia"

I pulled myself out of my distraction and looked up at Cain, who ht" I took a few bites, chewing slowly and sing carefully, until the thought of taking another bite made my stomach turn in protest I handed the plate back to Cain; it looked as though I’d barely touched it

"I’m sorry," I said "I can’t"

"It’s okay" He took the plate back, and Betty said, "So, Cain, you were friends with Liv’s sister?"

There was ice in her voice when she said his name, but I was too tired to defend hiot the sense that if Cain was co, it was hostility

"Yeah," he said si her distrust with sympathy "Can you tell us what happened there? And what it all has to do with Liv?"

After a moment of assessment, Cain finally sat in the chair across fro on his knees

"Davina’s got one MO; come to town, pretend to be a friend, take what she wants, and step over the bodies on her way out"

Betty reached out and took my hand, but kept her eyes on Cain "Well, you stopped her She didn’t kill Liv"

Cain shook his head "Davina’s no quitter She’s gonna keep coets what she wants"

"Sowhat are we gonna do?" I asked,feeble even to ht now? You’re gonna sleep and heal up I got a plan, but I need you strong to make it work"

"What’s the plan?" Betty asked

Cain picked up s, and stood up "We’ll talk about it tomorrow" And then he walked back into the kitchen

As soon as he was gone, Betty spoke, her voice low and panicked "Liv? What the hell is going on? Wasn’t he trying to kill you twenty o?"

"No," I said "That was Davina It was always Davina Cain was trying to stop her, not hurt me And then, after the attack with Peach, I just wanted the h "God, I was so stupid I offered her ic It was exactly what she wanted She set that whole Millie attack up just to get h to turn to her, and I fell for it"

My entire body started shaking then, little racking spasms of fear I was too weakened to control Betty rubbedto be okay But Cain’s right You need to rest Get a little sleep, and you’ll be able to deal with everything else"

I nodded, although I wasn’t sure I believed her

Betty got up off the couch and looked down at uest roo, and I assume" - she nodded in the direction of the kitchen - "he’s staying, too?"