Chapter 22 – REGINA #3
I could listen to this shit forever. The bickering is somehow comforting. It reminds me of my dynamic with Cadence, before everything went upside-down. And it’s proof as much as Sadie clearly doesn’t like Killian, she isn’t guarded with him, either.
Sadie finally waves Killian off with a remark about alphaholes and turns back to me.
“Let’s get back to business. I’ll make a list of what we need for the ritual.
Some items will take a few days to source.
The lunar oil needs to be fresh, and the binding thread has to be prepared under very specific conditions. ”
"Perfect timing for the new moon, then," I muse.
"Exactly," she agrees. "But we might be cutting it a little close. And it's tricky as it is to do a ritual like this on a new moon, when your power as a siphon will be at its lowest point."
I blink, surprised. "You seem to know a lot about siphons."
"I wrote my undergraduate thesis on rare magical classifications," she explains with a shrug. "Siphons, conduits, nullifiers—the energy anomalies of the magical world. Fascinating shit, if you're into magical theory."
"I am, actually," I admit. "I was pursuing a graduate degree in Theoretical Magic before..."
I trail off, the memory of abandoning my academic dreams for Kyle still a tender spot.
"Before asshole ex-boyfriend?" Sadie guesses.
Shit, she’s perceptive. "Something like that."
"Well, you're in luck," she says, her tone gentler now. "Stormvale has one of the best Magical Theory departments on the East Coast. Once you're settled, you should talk to Professor Villeneuve about admission. He's the department chair."
Killian's lip curls back at the mention of Villeneuve, but he doesn't say anything. His reaction is still obvious enough to earn a huge eye-roll from Sadie, though.
"Ignore him. He's a crazy conspiracy theorist who thinks Villeneuve is here to hasten in the destruction of the magical world," she says in a wry tone. "He's only the leading scholar on energy transmutation in the Western Hemisphere."
"He's also a manipulative asshole," Killian mutters.
"He helped me," I remind him. "When I needed it most."
Killian's expression softens when he meets my gaze. "I know. But trusting him long-term isn’t the same thing."
Sadie glances between us, clearly sensing the tension. " Anyway ," she says, abruptly changing the subject, "I should go make that supply list. And figure out what to charge you for my consultancy services."
"Charge?" Killian repeats incredulously. "You just said you were helping out of the goodness of your heart."
"I said no such thing," Sadie corrects him primly. "I said I'd be relieved not to be your witch on call anymore. That's motivation , not payment."
"Opportunist," he accuses.
"Businesswoman," she counters. "Besides, my spell worked even better than anyone expected.
You should be tipping me. FYI, he can afford it," she says pointedly, glancing at me and jabbing a thumb at Killian over her shoulder with a conspiratorial grin.
"His family is loaded . Like, could buy an entire country loaded, and not just one of those little island nation states. That's cheating."
"Yeah, yeah," Killian sighs.
"I'm sure we can work something out," I assure her with a laugh. "Your help is valuable, and I wouldn't expect you to provide it for free."
Sadie beams at me, then shoots Killian a smug look. "See? She understands how the magical economy works."
"Fine," Killian grumbles. "Just get whatever it takes and send me the bill. If it works, I'll triple it."
"Oh, I certainly will," Sadie promises cheerfully.
"Now, I should get going. I have a mushroom harvesting window that closes at sunset.
" She turns to me, her expression suddenly serious.
"I'll be in touch about those supplies. And Regina?
If these mutts give you any trouble, call me. Witch bitches have to stick together."
"Thanks," I say with a chuckle. "I'll keep that in mind."
She scribbles her number on a napkin and slides it across the counter to me. "Text me later. We'll do coffee. I'll tell you all the embarrassing stories about Micah you could ever want. Shit he'd rather die than have you hear."
Killian rolls his eyes, but he doesn't protest or even seem genuinely put off by the idea of us striking up a friendship. Interesting. I’ll file that little tidbit away for later under green flags.
"I look forward to it," I say, tucking the napkin into my pocket.
Killian walks her to the door, their bickering continuing all the way down the hall. When he returns, his expression is a comical mixture of annoyance and resignation.
"Sorry about that," he says. "Sadie is..."
"Intense?" I suggest.
"That's one word for it."
"I like her," I say. "She's refreshingly direct."
"That's a diplomatic way of putting it," he sighs, coming to stand beside me. "So... where were we before we were so rudely interrupted?"
His proximity sends a new wave of heat through me, reminding me exactly what we were discussing before Sadie's arrival. But my mind is definitely elsewhere right now.
“Actually,” I say, setting down my coffee mug. “If you don’t mind, I think I should get back to my research. Now that we have Sadie helping with supplies, I want to make sure I understand every aspect of the ritual. If we're only going to get one shot at this, it needs to be perfect.”
Killian deflates slightly, but he nods. "Of course. Whatever you need."
I surprise myself by rising on tiptoes to press a quick kiss to his cheek. "Rain check?" I offer.
He grins a little. "I'm holding you to that, witch."
He says it with enough fondness to turn it into a term of endearment. This thing I've been my entire life, always prized for but never valued. Never really wanted .
I think I could get used to that.
And that, more than anything, scares the hell out of me.