Chapter 1 #2
"He won't," I promised. "We’ll be in a crowd of five hundred students. It’s perfect safety."
"Crowds are not safe," Rhett countered. "Crowds are chaotic variables. Anyone could—"
Bang. Bang. Bang.
The front door shook in its frame, rattling the hinges.
We all froze. The domestic Spell shattered instantly. Rhett’s arms tightened, his muscles coiling. Lucien’s shadows flared, darkening the kitchen corners as if the sun had been blotted out. Kai’s eyes shifted, his pupils dilating into vertical slits.
"Police!" a female voice shouted, muffled by the heavy wood. "Open up! I know you’re in there, you cowardly leech-lovers!"
I blinked, the adrenaline spike stalling in my chest. "Ivy?"
I slid off the stool and ran to the door, unlocking the three heavy bolts Rhett had installed last week.
Ivy burst in like a hurricane of neon and fury.
She was wearing neon pink combat boots, a skirt made entirely of safety pins, and a t-shirt that said WITCH BETTER HAVE MY MONEY. Her hair was a vibrant, alarming shade of electric blue today, and she was vibrating with a rage so potent I could practically taste the ozone.
"I need a lawyer," she announced, storming past me into the kitchen. "I need a hitman. And I need a drink. In that order."
"Good morning, Ivy," Lucien said calmly, not looking up from his oatmeal. "Nice hair."
"Don't lie to me, Shadow Boy," she snapped, grabbing Kai’s glass of orange juice and downing it in one gulp. "I look like a disgruntled smurf. But that’s unrelated."
"What happened?" I asked, closing the door. "Why do you need a lawyer? Did you blow up the chemistry lab again?"
"That was one time!" she cried, slamming the glass down. "And it was strictly theoretical! No, this is worse. I got a ticket."
"A speeding ticket?" Kai asked, looking amused. "On your broom?"
"No! A 'Reckless Endangerment of Airspace' ticket!" She reached into her boot and pulled out a crumpled, neon-yellow slip of paper, waving it like a declaration of war. "Apparently, flying inverted under the Bridge of Tears is 'illegal' now. Since when? Since the Fun Police arrived in town."
"Who gave you the ticket?" Rhett asked, taking the slip from her. "Campus security? Those guys usually just ask for an autograph."
"Not security," Ivy hissed. "Actual police. Or... Wolf Police. Enforcers. Whatever you call them. Specifically, Officer Stone."
She said the name like a curse word, spitting the consonants. But I noticed the way her cheeks flushed a distinct, tell-tale pink.
“Jason Stone?" Lucien frowned, his brow furrowing. "I know that name. He’s... intense. He transferred from the City Guard last month. Rumor has it he requested the demotion."
"He’s a nightmare!" Ivy threw her hands up, pacing the kitchen island. "He’s six-foot-four of grumpy, stick-in-the-mud, rule-book-thumping buzzkill! He pulled me over mid-loop-de-loop! He used a magical net! A net, Lina! Like I’m a butterfly!"
"A butterfly breaking the law," Rhett pointed out, reading the ticket. "Ivy, this says you were flying 60 in a 25 zone. And you... 'threw a glitter bomb at the officer'?"
"It wasn't a glitter bomb!" Ivy defended, climbing onto a stool and spinning around. "It was a Dazzle Hex. To facilitate my tactical retreat! Standard evasive maneuvers!"
"And?" Kai prompted, grinning. "How did the tactical retreat go?"
"He caught it," Ivy whispered, looking horrified. "He just... lifted his hand and caught the hex. Didn't even flinch. And then he looked at me with these cold, dead, judgmental amber eyes and said, 'Ma'am, step away from the broom.'"
"Ma'am?" Kai choked on a laugh.
"Exactly!" Ivy pointed a finger at him. "He ‘Ma’amed’ me! I’m twenty! I’m vibrant! I’m the pulse of this campus! I’m not a ‘Ma’am’!"
"He seized my broom," she practically wailed, slumping onto the counter. "He impounded Nimbus 3000. My baby. He put a magical boot on it. He said I can get it back when I pay the fine and attend a 'Flight Safety Seminar' on Saturday morning."
"We’ll pay the fine," I said soothingly, rubbing her back. "It’s okay."
"It’s not the money!" Ivy groaned, burying her face in her hands. "It’s the principle! He enjoyed it. I saw it. He had this little twitch in his jaw. He liked seeing me grounded. He looked at my boots and sneered. He hates joy."
"Sounds like you met your match," Lucien observed, a hint of amusement in his voice. “Jason is known for being incorruptible. And very... stiff."
"Stiff is an understatement," Ivy muttered into her hands. "The man has the personality of a concrete block. A sexy, broad-shouldered, surprisingly muscular concrete block with a jawline that could cut glass."
The kitchen went silent. We all stared at her.
Ivy lifted her head, blinking. "What?"
"You think he's sexy," I said, a smile tugging at my lips.
"I do not!" She flushed a deeper shade of red. "I observe objective reality! Just because he’s a fascist oppressor doesn’t mean he doesn’t fill out a uniform. It’s annoying. It makes me want to set things on fire."
"Please don't," Rhett said dryly. "We just got our security deposit back."
Ivy sighed, stealing a piece of bacon from Rhett’s plate. "Whatever. The point is, the new regime isn't joking. This Stone guy said he’s part of Dean Marrow’s new 'Safety Task Force'. They’re cracking down on everything. Flying. Potions. Late-night library access. Public displays of magic."
The mood in the kitchen shifted instantly. The coziness evaporated, replaced by a cold tension. The sunlight suddenly felt a little less warm.
"Public displays of magic," Lucien repeated quietly. "Did he say anything about bonds?"
Ivy hesitated. She stopped chewing, the bacon forgotten. She looked at me, then at the guys, her chaotic energy dimming.
"He asked about you," she admitted softly. "He asked if I knew 'The Triad'. He said the Dean is very interested in... 'irregular magical anomalies'."
My stomach dropped. The pancakes suddenly felt like lead.
"Irregular magical anomalies," I repeated. "That’s us."
"That’s us," Rhett agreed, his voice hard. The lightning in the air crackled, making the hair on my arms stand up.
"It’s starting," Lucien said, looking at the Queen of Hearts card on the fridge. "The Assembly today. It’s not just an introduction. It’s a roll call."
Kai reached out, taking my hand. His grip was warm, solid. Anchor-strong. "Let them look," he said fiercely, his golden eyes burning. "Let them take attendance. They’ll see exactly what we want them to see."
"Which is?" I asked.
"That we’re solid," Rhett said, stepping up beside me. He placed a heavy hand on my shoudler. "That we’re not an anomaly. We’re a fortress."
Lucien joined us, completing the circle. "And fortresses," he added softly, "are built to withstand a siege."
I looked at them. My boys. My pack.
Then I looked at Ivy, who was aggressively buttering toast to hide her worry.
"Okay," I said, taking a deep breath and letting the fear settle into resolve. "We go to the Assembly. We listen to the Dean. We pay Ivy’s ticket. And if Officer Stone or anyone else tries to come for us?"
I walked over to the fridge, grabbed the Queen of Hearts, and ripped it in half.
"We show them exactly why the House always wins."
Ivy cheered, raining crumbs everywhere. "Yes! Anarchy! Rebellion! While we're at it, can we steal my broom back?"
I laughed, the tension breaking. "Let's start with coffee, Ivy. Then we’ll see about the felony theft."
"Deal."