It was hard to argue against knowledge like that, but I loathed being the one who would have to choose whether someone lived or died. Instead, I asked, “I understand I made a mistake when I killed Ardat Lili and now I have to right my wrongs, but why does the rest of it—like if I die, the supernatural race is in peril—seem to sit on my shoulders alone? Since the first day I shifted, I’ve felt the pressure of the supernatural race on top of me, slowly choking me with its need—quite possibly I’ve felt it since the day I was born. But I’m not the only person who is going to sit on the Coalition. It’s supposed to be made up of five powerful supernaturals. Shouldn’t we all share the burden of the end of the supernatural race?”
He gave me a once-over, his expression shifting slightly as he glanced over the top of his book. “You are different than all the rest, of course. I thought you were aware of that. You’re not only the Enforcer, but you are also the catalyst. The change maker, if you will. Your birth was a significant event in our world. It set into motion much that had been patiently waiting, and that’s just the way it is.” He shrugged. “It can’t be changed. You are who you are and you have a specific role to play. There is only one catalyst born every thousand years or so. But everything about you has been late in coming—you are actually four hundred and forty years late to this gathering.”
Huh? “Late?” I had no idea how to respond to that. “How can my birth be late when I wasn’t supposed to kill Lili for another hundred years?” I turned in a slow circle, searching for something tangible, something to let me know I wasn’t really having this conversation. I was sick of things not making sense. My fingers wandered back to my temples. I was starting to hope this was a dream and I’d wake up any minute in Rourke’s warm lap. I stopped and faced Jeb again. “If my birth was late, wouldn’t that be what threw off Fate and angered Enid, and not the other stuff? I would think all this is interrelated—kind of like the snowball effect of bad karma.”
“I can’t answer that. I guess it could be.” He shrugged, appearing to be unsure of himself for the first time tonight. “I’m not a seer—I’m an intuit. Things come to me, and I write them down. I don’t ever see the entire picture. That would be too telling. Instead I receive knowledge about the supernatural world through my magic, like reading a report, and from there I figure out what things need to be dealt with, in what order. The Hags are seers, and they like to think they know everything, but I know for a fact they do not. Fate has always been tricky that way. It is ever changing. Which is why it is imperative that you figure out a way to bring your path back around, from whatever got it off track—your late birth or your actions, it makes no difference. If you do not, all is lost.” He snapped his book shut to accentuate his point. He didn’t need to, because I understood now how dire this was.
“Any more advice for me? How am I supposed to bring it back around?”
“That I do not know. But if you can remain alive tonight, there is hope. I see that in the writings, but nothing specific has been stated… yet. I believe it is up to you to figure it out, and once you do, it will show up in the book.” He smiled, happy with his sleuthful deductions.
“That’s reassuring.”
He shrugged. “As I said, it’s not written yet. If something changes, I will let you know immediately, as keeping you alive, and back on your Fated path, means life and happiness for us all.”
“No pressure there. And next time you want to get in touch, can you use a phone? No more hijackings.”
“Yes, that can be arranged.”
I glanced around, surprised for the first time my family hadn’t found me yet. “Jeb, you didn’t take me that far into the woods,” I said. “Why can’t my team find me?”
“I have the entire area cloaked, of course,” he said.
“Then I need you to drop it,” I said. I hadn’t considered he would keep everyone out. “If my life is in danger, I need them here, plus they need to know what’s going on. They will help protect me.”
“No,” he said firmly. “I will keep us concealed until I take my leave. It is for your own protection. Enid cannot see you through my barrier, but once it’s gone, she will know where you are.”
“I don’t care about Enid. She’s going to do what she’s going to do regardless of being cloaked for five more minutes. I have to leave this place sooner or later, so what’s the difference? Drop it now so they can find us.”
“I will not.”
I bared my teeth and stalked forward. I wasn’t going to be flexible on this. “You’re not starting us out on the right foot, Jeb. You just told me you work for me, correct? You’re my secretary. If that’s the truth, then I want you to drop whatever wards you have up so my team can find me. Now.”
He shuffled backward a few paces, clutching his precious book to his chest, robes tangling at his feet. “Technically, you haven’t spoken the sacred vows yet, so I’m not bound to you yet.” I continued forward. “I came here of my own free will to help you!” he spouted as I growled some more. “Lest you not forget, I came here to save your life. If I drop my cloaking wards, we will become instant targets. I will not have it!”
I crossed my arms, stopping right inside his personal space.