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I returned it steadily Along with being seriously pissed in a slow, si pretty confident about my backup after Stefan’s visit If Eed when I was expecting her to zag

"You know, you really should have agreed to ith me on this, Daisy It would have been ever so s "Very well, I’ll go But I’ll be back Sinny, this isn’t over You have a month to think about it"

His face was stoic "I don’t need a month My answer is no"

"I won’t ask nicely the next time," Emmeline warned him "Whatever happens, it will be on your head"

"Nice," I said "Classic abusive logic Oh, and by the way? You’re not welconored me "Deep down, there’s a part of you that wants it, Sinclair," she said softly "I know you ether could be more than twice as powerful as either of us alone"

Sinclair folded his arms "That’s what this is really all about for you, isn’t it? Go ho up, she patted his cheek with her free hand "Think about it"

Eighteen

That afternoon, I called in sick to work--hell, after the ured I was entitled--and Sinclair and I had The Talk By this tiether et the whole story

In a nutshell, his e, and obeah wo line of obeah hout her life to obtain whatever she wanted, including Sinclair and E, God-fearingto do with obeah or those orked it When the tere three years old, by sheer happenstance their father discovered the love charm that had bewitched him

And no, I did not interrupt Sinclair’s story to inforenuine desire couldn’t

Anyway, it was at that point that his father fled the island of Ja his son with him

"Why did he leave Emmy behind?" I asked hi plaid couch in Sinclair’s living roo with his head in my lap, eyes closed

"He tried to take her," hehbor"

I stroked his te," he said

In the years that followed, the divorce and the ter boy, Sinclair spent onetrained in the tradition of obeah until he was old enough to choose otherwise

"Why did you walk away fro the decision by any means--I’m just curious"

He opened his eyes "I sahat it did to my father, Daise All my life, he’s never been quitewhole And my motheryou know, for all her power, I don’t think she’s a happy woman"

"What about your sister?" I asked "What was that business about the two of you being twice as powerful together?"

Sinclair was silent a moment "It’s true, but it’s not that si a path of balance?" I nodded "Well, I’ether, we’re capable of finding balance in far greater extreerous," he said soberly "Especially for her That’s another reason I left What’s the point in studying healing s, and luck charms if it drives the person closest to you deeper into darkness?"

Okay, not exactly a question I could readily answer "You knohat’s odd?" I said instead "Eht, only she said that your dating me was one step too far into the darkness"

"Did she?" Sinclair smiled wryly "I think what she really meant is that it’s one step too far out of reach This has been going on for a while, Daisy But before, Emmy and my mother could tell themselves that I’d be drawn back into the fold eventually It hen I caan to worry that I’d found so a, um, member of the eldritch community was the final straw"

I was dubious "I don’t kno much she said to you, but Emmy didn’t think much of your life here" If I recalled correctly, the ter like a mountebank" had been used, but I wasn’t about to mention that either

"Oh, I’m sure she was horrified," he said "All the uy who drives the tour bus, who brings a spark of ic and joy into the lives of people she doesn’t think deserve it"