Spurned Queen

Chapter 55: It's High Time

Lexi

It was twenty hours later when I decided that this was it. We had to do something about Rowan immediately. When I had unknowingly given him the Pearl's Touch, I had opened so many doors for him; the possibilities were endless. Meanwhile, my own options were dwindling. If Rowan's ability grew to the point where he could read into all minds at any time, the whole world would be fairly screwed.

I eyed the sluggish demeanor of the army in our base. They were alert; yes. But they weren't eager to get this over with. Truthfully, everyone was reluctant at best. This is what came of a war that had no point. No cause. Ugh. This would never do.

I found Tyler. He had just finished discussing something with Jayden. I sat on his desk.

He sighed. I didn't smile, for a change.

He stared at me while I twiddled my thumbs nervously. Then he stared out the window absently.

"Lattis is back," I said.

His gaze swivelled back to me. "Oh. Good. I assume I'm speaking to the Wolf side of you then?"

"Nope. Still the Witch."

"Doesn't sound like it."

I rolled my eyes briefly. "I'm going to tell them about my witch side," I whispered.

He gave me a sharp look. "Tell who exactly?"

"Everyone. The shifters. I think it's high time."

"High time what?"

"High time I stopped hiding. Stopped lying. Stopped letting them have wrong assumptions about me. Besides, they've been going without my power for a while now, but it can't go on that way."

Tyler studied me for a long moment and sighed. "Does this have anything to do with that vampire? If you're doing it for him, please stop where you are. You know you don't have to prove anything to him. And if he's pressuring you to use your powers in this war, you know you don't owe it to him."

"I'm not doing anything because of the Vampire," I snapped sharply. "I'm a witch; King Aevran is only relevant to me because my Wolf side cares about him. And right now, King Aevran has nothing to do with this decision. I want to offer to use my powers to end this war because it's my fault we're fighting it in the first place."

"Now where did you get that idea?!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

"Well all the facts say so. Look, I just found out that I'm the one who unwittingly gave Rowan so much power. And it will continue to grow until who knows when."

"Rowan? The warlock you told me about?"

"Precisely. Unfortunately, he is madly in love with me. Obsessed, actually. And I stupidly never noticed until it was too late. I accidentally gave him a well of power of unknown depth and now he wants to gain more and more and more. He wants to control me, which would be a disaster for everyone else. He has already usurped control over the Witches through Mum. If his power grows enough, he might usurp control of the world through me."

He sat back and rubbed his forehead. "Shit."

"Shit indeed. He must be stopped. With the army he has behind him, the only way we can hope to do that is if the shifters team up with me... as the hybrid that I am, not as just a Wolf or just a Witch."

He still looked skeptical. "So you plan to save the world by exposing yourself to all the hundred forces that would want an entity as powerful as you, dead."

I swallowed and looked away from his piercing eyes. "You know, I've been thinking about that. Would it really be such a bad thing? I'm not young anymore. Not as vulnerable as I was when we decided to hide my abilities. Maybe I finally need to show my entire face. Someone told me sometime that I couldn't hide forever, that I had to emerge as a hybrid in order to take my true place in the world."