Chapter 236

Agnes

My stomach dropped.

For a moment, I considered lying—making up some story about historical research or a prop for one of the Isabella Foundation’s campaigns. But as I opened my mouth, I realized I was tired of the deception. Lena had been nothing but honest with me, sharing her difficult past and caring for my daughter. Maybe it was time I returned that honesty.

“We need to talk,” I said quietly. I glanced around the hallway, noting a few of Richard’s staff moving in and out of nearby rooms. “Not here. Follow me.”

Without waiting for her response, I turned and walked toward a small study I’d noticed earlier during our tour of the house. Lena followed, the letter still clutched in her hand.

“Elijah!” I called out as lightly as I could as we passed the dining room. “Can you join us for a moment?”

Elijah appeared in the doorway with a questioning look on his face. When he saw the letter in Lena’s hand, his expression immediately shifted to one of concern.

“What’s going on?” he asked, already moving to join us. I gestured for Lena to step into the study, then turned to Elijah once she was gone.

All he needed was one look to understand what I was implying.

“But Agnes—”

“It’s time,” I said firmly.

Elijah snapped his mouth shut. The idea of telling Lena the truth clearly didn’t fill him with joy, but it was my ability to talk about, and therefore my decision whether to tell her or not. After a moment of hesitation, he nodded and followed me into the room.

I closed the door behind us, turning the lock for good measure. It was a cozy space with bookshelves lining the walls, a desk in one corner, and a small seating area near the fireplace.

“Sit down, please,” I said, gesturing to the armchairs.

Lena took a seat, still holding the letter. “Am I in trouble?”

“No,” I said quickly. “Of course not.”

I took a deep breath and sat down across from her. Elijah positioned himself on the arm of my chair, his hand coming to rest on my shoulder.

“There’s something I’ve been keeping from you, Lena,” I began. “Something about myself, and about Thea.”

I glanced up at Elijah, who nodded encouragingly.

Over the next fifteen minutes, I explained everything—my sudden abilities, the panic room, the fire that consumed our old house. But I went further than that; I told her about Olivia, about Elemental Enterprises, and finally… the stone.

When I was finished, the room was eerily silent. The rest of the house seemed quiet as well, as if the walls were listening. Lena’s face had gone pale, but she hadn’t interrupted my story once.

“Why are you telling me this now?” Lena finally asked, glancing between me and Elijah.

“We’ve been wanting to tell you,” Elijah, who was now standing by the window, chimed in. “You asked before if Thea has any unexpected abilities—this is one of them. She hasn’t begun to show yet, but as her wolf grows closer to emerging at the onset of puberty, it could affect all of us.”

Lena’s gaze dropped to the letter, then back up to us. “And this stone can help, somehow?”

“That’s what we believe,” I said. “If Elijah can use it to unmark Olivia, then he can mark me properly. We’re hoping that will not only help me control my abilities, but also make my wolf emerge—who, as you know, hid my wolf away with a curse when she marked Elijah.”

Lena was silent for some time. Elijah and I said nothing, simply giving her a chance to gather her thoughts. Finally, she sat up a little straighter. “So what’s your plan once you find this stone? Do you think you and Thea will be safe once you learn how to control your abilities?”

“I’m hoping that’s the case,” I said quietly, dropping my gaze to my lap. I had picked at a hangnail on my finger throughout the entire conversation to the point where it was starting to sting, and I quickly covered it with my other hand. “Truthfully, though, I’m not sure what will come next.”

“We’re just trying to take things one step at a time,” Elijah offered. “We believe that once Agnes can properly control her abilities, we’ll all be better equipped to protect Thea. And maybe, eventually, we can figure out what Elemental Enterprises is really up to and put a stop to it.”

Lena was quiet for a long moment, digesting everything we’d told her. Finally, she looked up. “Is that why you’re so cautious? Why you brought your own security team here?”

“Yes,” Elijah confirmed. “Agnes’s stepmother paid us a surprise visit recently, showing a disturbing interest in Thea. We didn’t feel comfortable leaving Thea behind.”

“I understand now,” Lena said softly. “All those times you were so protective, all the secrecy… You’re just trying to keep your family safe.”

“We are,” I agreed. “And that’s why we need to ask you to keep this between us. Lena, no one can know about our abilities, or about the artifact. Not Richard, not your siblings, not anyone. Thea can’t even know the full truth yet.”

I was surprised when Lena met my gaze. “I won’t say a word,” she promised, handing the letter back to Elijah. “But I do have a request.”

“What’s that?” Elijah asked.

“Take me with you tomorrow when you go looking for the cave,” she said, taking both of us by surprise. “I know the area mentioned in the letter. I used to play in those woods as a child. I can help you.”

I exchanged a glance with Elijah. Having someone familiar with the local terrain would certainly be helpful, especially if this cave was as hidden as the letter suggested.

“Are you sure?” I asked. “It could be dangerous.”

Lena nodded firmly. “I want to help. Let me do this.”

After a brief, silent conversation with Elijah conducted entirely through exchanged looks, I turned back to Lena. “Alright. You can come with us. We could use the extra help.”

“Thank you,” Lena said, rising from her chair. “For trusting me with this.”

I nodded and stood as well. “Thank you for understanding. And for keeping our secret.”

“Of course,” Lena replied with a nod. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really should go visit my siblings before it gets too late. I’ll be back before dawn to join you for the search.”

With that, she left the study, closing the door softly behind her.

Elijah and I were silent for several long moments before I broke the quiet. “Do you think we did the right thing?”

Elijah sighed. “I think we did the only thing we could do, given the circumstances. Lena was going to have questions either way.”

“And you trust her? Truly?”

“I think I do,” he said after a moment’s consideration. “She’s been nothing but loyal since she came to work for us. And the way she is with Thea… that can’t be faked.”

I nodded, hoping he was right. “Everything could change tomorrow,” I murmured. “If we find the stone, if it works the way we hope it will…”

“One step at a time,” Elijah said, crossing the room and taking my hand. “But I’ll be with you all the way, my love.”

My cheeks warmed pleasantly at his words, and I let him lead me out of the study. Just the two of us, and Thea, together—living that peaceful, quiet life we’d talked about.

It was beginning to feel closer and closer to reality these days. So long as we took everything one step at a time, together, I was certain everything would turn out okay in the end.