Free Ollie, Ollie Hex 'n Free by Liz Schulte Page A

now. You can’t leave. It isn’t safe.” She hugged both Leslie and me, then nudged Sy over on the porch swing. “Come back with me.”
    “Frost is a good bounty hunter. If she has anything to go on, she’ll find her,” Sy said.
    Selene glared at him.
    He held up his hands. “If the girls want to be back here, which by the way I think is a great idea, you can’t make them come back with you.”
    “And what happens if Jess shows up? I can’t stay here too. No offense.” She shot a glance at me and Leslie. “I know you’re witches, but right now Jess’s dark magic is way stronger than yours.”
    “And yours,” I pointed out.
    “Even if that were true, I have other options. I can transport, I can fight, and….” She shook her head. “You can’t move here until we find her.”
    “I’m not coming back. Sebastian promised them we would leave. If we stay it will look bad for you and Cheney. I’m not going to be the reason you lose.”
    “Who cares about the stupid election?” Selene threw up her arms. “I’m so sick of hearing about it and all the things I can or cannot do because of it.”
    “Look, I don’t care where we stay,” Leslie said. “But I’m with Kat on the fact that I don’t want to be the reason you guys lose. You may be sick of all the politics, Selene, but from what I’ve seen, they need you. We’ll find a way to be okay here.”
    “If you want, I can hang out here until she’s caught.” Sy raised an eyebrow at Selene, then at me and Leslie. “I don’t mind. We could have fun. It’ll be like a vacation for me. And if things get dicey, I’ll transport us out.”
    “What about the Office?” I asked. “Have you hired someone recently?”
    “Looking for a reason for me to leave already?” He pressed his hand against his chest. “Why am I always rejected?”
    “Never,” I said, laughing. “I just don’t want to disrupt your life.”
    Selene leaned forward as best she could and looked at each of us. “I’m not going to forbid you to date my friends, but just know if you hurt her, I know where you sleep.”
    “I never sleep, cuz.” He put his arm around her. “You’re as big as a house.”
    She elbowed him in the ribs. “Remind me. Why do I like you again?”
    “A question we all ask ourselves at one point or another,” Cheney said, coming up the stairs with Sebastian following behind.
    “I’ll get everyone a drink,” I said, going in the house, not even able to look at him.
    Stewie meowed and purred, rubbing against my legs in the kitchen. I reached down and scratched his furry orange cheeks. “Too many elves out there, huh?”
    He nuzzled my hand.
    I straightened and there was Sebastian. “You’re like a cold I can’t get rid of.” I turned to wash my hands.
    “Kat—” he started.
    “Don’t. I don’t want to talk about it.”
    “It wasn’t personal. I love having the coven…and you there. You’re a breath of fresh air in the castle, but right now that isn’t what’s important. We need Selene and Cheney to be focused on the election. That can’t happen if they’re fighting a war on every front. We need the elves to return to a state of calm. That won’t happen so long as their lives keep getting threatened. Don’t be selfish. This is a temporary inconvenience.”
    If my jaw clenched any harder my teeth would crumble. “Selfish? It’s selfish to want to be accepted for who I am? And I suppose it’s selfish to want the guy I’m really into—no, make that the guy I was really into — to acknowledge that he feels something, anything, in return, even just once. . . . It’s selfish to want to protect my friends.”
    Sebastian’s eyebrows rose. “That is not what I meant.”
    I shook my head. “No. Don’t retract. I think this was the first time you were actually honest with me. Thank you.” I took a deep breath. “You made your choice, Sebastian. You chose them. Stand by that. Only cowards backpedal.”
    “Selene and Cheney? Of