Chapter 11 #2
“Quentin, how are you?” Hafrey’s slightly slurred speech hinted that the elderly wizard had already been into his stash. It was hard to match up this narcotic-smoking free spirit with the idea of a ruthless demon-stealer, but stranger things had happened.
“I’m coming to pick up my herb order. I was wondering if you could also put together a collection of the most commonly used ritual herbs.
I’m going to give a practical demonstration today.
The other instructors gloss over the ritual components and rush straight to the runes.
I want to show them that it is a multistep process. ”
Quentin chose his words with care. He didn’t like being suspicious of the old wizard, but this entire situation had his instincts shrieking warning alarms. Better to be careful than captured and tortured.
“Great idea. I’m in the middle of an experiment, so I’ll leave a box outside the front door and bill you.”
Once again, he wished he had enough time to stop and investigate Hafrey, but he couldn’t be late for his class.
“Thank you. I’ll be over in about thirty minutes if traffic isn’t a bitch.”
Hafrey laughed, a familiar booming sound that never failed to make Quentin smile. “I’ll have it ready.”
“Sounds good.” His stomach sank. Even while experimenting, Hafrey had never refused to let him into his home. He wished Grevin were there to bounce ideas off. He hadn’t realized how much he depended on his friend to be the practical one before.
Glenn sat in the driver’s seat of a beautiful sedan that probably cost more than Quentin’s house, even factoring in the ley lines.
Sometimes he forgot, or willfully ignored, his lover’s wealth.
At least Jaks would never think Quentin was with him for his money.
They never would have bonded so deeply if emotions weren’t engaged.
He tried to hide his queasiness as he slid across the buttery leather seats, resenting the way the cushions cradled him in perfect comfort.
This was his life now. He absently slid his fingers across his necklace and almost missed the glare sent his way. “Is there a problem?”
“No.” Braed didn’t say anything else, but his lips were pressed in a tight line.
Quentin had to resist the urge to poke at the vampire. He didn’t want a lecture from his mother for upsetting whatever their relationship was, or one from Jaks for unwisely taunting the vampire who was supposed to be protecting him.
Halfway to Hafrey’s house, his phone chimed. Quentin tapped the message screen to find Hafrey’s invoice. He approved of all the herbs picked. Every single one was useful for multiple purposes, and none of them would cause the campus police to come knocking.
Pulling up the payment app, he transferred the funds to Hafrey’s account. The old wizard lived on a limited income and trusted Quentin to pay promptly.
Quentin always made certain that he did. Even if Hafrey turned out to be evil, he still deserved to be paid.
“Jaks would cover that for you,” Braed commented as he rudely peeked at Quentin’s phone.
He probably hoped to catch Quentin texting a lover.
“It’s for my class. I can get reimbursed.” For only half of the amount, but this was important information his students needed to know.
“He’s very wealthy.”
“Is he?” Until now, Quentin had been careful not to think too hard about his lover’s deep pockets. Sure, Jaks lived in a mansion, but so did all the other vampires. He thought of it more as a communal property than belonging to one person.
Their conversation quickly died out, with neither of them interested in continuing with idle chatter.
Glenn’s humming in the front seat was the only noise.
Unfortunately, Braed sat beside him in the back, not leaving his protection to chance.
Probably so Quentin couldn’t complain to Jaks about slack guard duty.
Not that he would.
When Quentin was ready to scream just to make some noise, Glenn pulled up in front of Hafrey’s house. A small brown box sat on the porch at the top of the steps.
“I’ll go grab it.” Glenn opened the driver’s door and bounded out of the car. Within seconds, he’d returned to Quentin’s side of the vehicle. He opened the door and handed it over. “Here you go, Q.”
“That should be Consort Heart,” Braed corrected.
“Yeah, I’m not doing that.” Glenn nodded to Quentin before slamming the car door shut. Glenn got back into the driver’s seat and headed to the campus. “Which side of campus is your classroom on?”
Quentin grabbed his phone and checked out his new room assignment. “If you park in the south lot, I should be able to reach it easily.”
“Will do,” Glenn replied cheerily, starting the car in motion again.
The smell of fresh herbs, combined with a faint brimstone scent, only heightened his concerns. “Do you know what Hafrey is experimenting with?” he asked Glenn.
“Nope. We don’t talk a lot. I think you chat with him more than I do. You know how he’s always Dr. Frankensteining plants. It could be anything.”
“True.” Still, the fragrance was troubling. He would need to meet with Hafrey in person soon.
No one spoke during the twenty minutes it took to get to campus.
“We might get a ticket without a parking pass,” Quentin suddenly remembered, the minor detail of permit parking.
“Don’t worry. If we get a ticket, we’ll pay it,” Braed said with the casual indifference of someone who never worried about money and possibly thought it grew on trees.
Braed had the casual elegance of born wealth.
The kind that rich people stamped on their babies’ souls and never let them forget they were better than everyone else.
How he bonded with Trina Heart’s working-class ethics boggled Quentin’s mind. Maybe opposites really did attract?
“Where did you grow up?” Quentin asked. He might pretend it was to get to know his mother’s new boyfriend. When, really, it was to prove his theory right.
Braed smirked. “All over. My parents were extremely wealthy and liked to travel.”
Quentin nodded as if impressed while giving his inner self a high-five. “Sounds exciting.”
“It was.”
Conversation ended. Yep, that was fun. If his mother was keeping him, it wasn’t for his conversation skills. The sex must be spectacular. He quickly shoved that thought into a dark, dank corner of his mind with bright yellow caution tape.
Denial was his new best friend.
Glenn pulled into a parking space as if he were channeling the spirit of a long-dead chauffeur named Albert or George. After throwing the parking brake, he came around and opened Quentin’s door with a low bow and a wink. He elbowed Glenn in the stomach as he passed, getting him a laugh.
“I’ll meet you over there when your class is over.” He pointed to a bench by a tree. Waving a paperback book in his hand, he sauntered over to the shady spot.
“Don’t eat anyone,” Quentin called out.
Glenn turned and pressed a hand to his chest. “I would never! Besides, I’ve got a drink. He waved a thermos Quentin hadn’t noticed him holding. “I’ve brought refreshments and everything.”
“Good.”
The new classroom was in the more modern section of the building, but the walk was farther from Quentin’s teleport location.
He didn’t know if this was an upgrade or if Rendell chose the farthest spot from where Quentin usually flashed in.
A glance at the classroom number in his email led him to the end of the hall.
Braed opened the door, did a cursory check, then stepped back out.
“I’ll wait here,” Braed pointed to a spot to the right of the door.
“All right.” If there were any dangers inside, Braed wouldn’t have found them with that token examination.
Deciding he didn’t have the energy to make an issue of it, Quentin entered the classroom.
Heads snapped in his direction, and a cheer rang out!
Quentin waved, feeling like a celebrity on a parade float.
“Thank you, everyone. I appreciate all your support.” Rumors were flying through the department that his students had stormed the administration building.
Between them and Jaks’s intervention, the school caved to the pressure and brought him back.
He wasn’t sure whether to thank them or give them all failing grades.
He was both happy for the support and sad about having to take time away from his research to teach.
A box of chalk sat on the desk with a big bow. Their first order of business was to test it. When it came back with the appropriate ash content, the entire class let out sighs of relief.
“Looks like we’re off to a good start,” he said to cheers and laughter.
Two hours later, he left the room smelling slightly of ash and herbs.
The students had wanted an example of how burning different herbs affected a ritual.
He might have created a group of scientific ritual masters.
This could be either a fantastic evolution of magic or the most frightening generation imaginable.