The Witch and the Wolf: Part Three by Lola Kidd

at.”
    She could only no d her approval. Magda didn’t say anything but nodded and gave Rory a small smile.
    Rory gave the coven a wave before getting onto Cross’ bike. “I’ll see you guys at Jamie’s house later.”
    She was excited and anxious the entire ride to the hotel. He was staying in the middle of nowhere at a one-storey hotel between Cleary and the next town.
    Cross checked his phone when they got there. “It’s this way.”
    The door to Room 23 opened when they got close. There was a man standing in the doorway smiling at Rory. He looked a lot like her , only with brown hair like Sophia. His features were delicate and very youthful. Rory would have guessed his age was 28 if she didn’t know he was a hundred-year-old fae. He looked more like her brother than father, younger even than Sophia.
    “Hi,” he said. “Please come in.”
    There was only a bed, dresser, and table with two chairs in the small room. Cross sat down on one of the chairs while Rory stood by the dresser. Prescott took the other chair at the table.
    “Wow. You’re beautiful , just like your mother when I met her,” Prescott said staring at her. “How is your mother?”
    “Alright. She doesn’t talk about you. Ever.”
    Prescott chuckled. “I didn’t think she would. It was only one night after all. It wasn’t like we were in love or anything.”
    Clear ly, Sophia had gotten her agreeable personality from her own mother.
    “I imagine you have some questions for me,” Prescott said. “I’ve heard the story about what happened to you and Cross. The way the guards hightailed it out of here, your meeting must have gone well.”
    “It did.” Rory regretted coming to the stupid hotel in the middle of nowhere. She gave Cross a look and he shrugged. She would give Prescott a few more minutes before she left.
    “Are you going to stand?” Prescott asked. He motioned to the bed. “You can have a seat if you want. Or I could give you my chair?”
    Rory crossed her arms and leaned back against the dresser. “No , that’s fine. I don’t plan on staying long.”
    Prescott nodded. “That’s fine. I just wanted to see you one time. It’s pretty wild being summoned to testify for the Council about a daughter you never knew about. You know?”
    He rubbed the back of his neck. “I think you might want to know that Sophia is about as evil as they come. I’m sure she fed you the line about being innocent and all , but how do you think she became queen?”
    Rory’s heart beat faster. She didn’t change her posture. “I never asked for details , but she said you were king and then you deserted your people.”
    Prescott laughed. “I was a small time farmer. Her mother was a barmaid. Sophia killed the sitting queen when the queen didn’t want to go along with the ‘destroy all supernaturals campaign’.”
    Rory blinked back tears. She believed him or at least she wanted to. It was ok that she left the Northlands Fae to die.
    “What about the fae who set fire to the village?” Cross asked.
    “Probably a ploy. She wanted Rory to feel bad for her and help them. I’m surprised she didn’t kill you the first chance she got. Lucky for you both, you had vampire blood before crossing over. It protected you from the seduction of the tribe,” Prescott looked at his hands. “I didn’t know about Sophia either until she rose to power. That’s when I left the tribe. I’m a lover not a fighter, you know?”
    “I guess,” Rory said , wiping at her eyes.
    “They killed your head witch too , you know,” Prescott continued. “She would have gotten in the way. Elena was a very powerful witch and she was crafty. Bumping her off gave them much easier access to you. It was enough to distract your coven while they were getting everything in place to take you. Do you know how fae magic works?”
    “No,” Rory said. “It’s different than a witch's though.”
    “Yup. That’s why she wanted you,” he told her. “If you share blood,