Chapter 8
“It’s starting,” Sara murmured, holding my hand tighter. “I’m so fucking nervous.”
I was beyond nervous, but thanks to Logan I’d had enough sleep to keep exhaustion at bay.
We were seated across a row in the small chambers, waiting for the proceedings to get underway.
A warlock with thinning gray hair and a hard face walked to the front of the stand. “There’s been a change in the elder schedule,”
he said to Dad and his lawyer, who were in the front row. “Elder Monroe will not be able to make it. In his place, we’ve brought
in Elder Catherine.”
With those words, six elders entered the room and climbed the steps to take their seats on the raised platform.
Sara and I exchanged a long, worried stare. What the fuck is happening? I silently asked her.
She shrugged and mouthed, Do you think Belle is okay?
I shook my head, having no idea, but not feeling great about it.
The trial got started quickly. The same warlock laid out the charges, giving facts about the night in question.
The night when witch wine had Weatherstone students acting like idiots, resulting in a building being burned down.
There were photos of the fire and witness accounts of Dad knowing about the wine and ignoring it.
“Can we call these witnesses?” a female elder on the end asked. She looked to be in her sixties with a stern face and steel-gray
hair. All the elders were dressed in dark robes, and none of them looked particularly happy to be here. “We need to question
them directly.”
The warlock reading the information checked his notes again. “They were supposed to arrive this morning but have now declined
to attend.”
The elders stared as if he’d slipped into speaking a dialect they weren’t familiar with. “Okay, so you have no actual evidence
to show us, and no witnesses?” a Black man near the middle said. “Why are we even being called for such a minor triviality?
We’re busy. This is a Weatherstone issue to deal with.”
I was glad I wasn’t the only one who thought so.
“Elder Monroe believed it was prudent,” the gray-haired warlock said with a shrug.
“So prudent he didn’t even show up,” the first witch stated, annoyance tingeing her tone. “This case is dismissed. Professor
Hallistar, you’re free to go. And while we’d normally leave this up to Headmaster Gregor to decide your fate at Weatherstone,
he’s already informed us that in the event of a not-guilty verdict, your job is to be reinstated. Thank you.”
Noise erupted in the room, and I jumped to my feet with Mom and Sara, the three of us hugging. “Holy goddess,” I burst out,
tears spilling down my cheeks. “Did that just happen?”
Mom’s eyes were glassy as she sniffled. “I can’t believe it. After all the stress and drama, Tom won’t lose his job.”
She released me to head for Dad, who was already moving our way. He lifted her smaller frame off the ground, whispering into her ear. “Your parents are freaking adorable,” Sara said, sounding sniffly herself. “It’s about time we had some luck.”
It felt like more than just luck. Of all the scenarios I imagined today, a complete dismissal wasn’t even on the list. Yesterday,
Dad said it was all going ahead, but everything had changed with the absence of Elder Monroe and their two witnesses. What
were the odds that none of them would show up today . . . ?
I would bet my measly bank account that Logan fucking Kingston had something to do with this. He’d told me last night he’d
make sure it was fine, but how in the Hel had he pulled it off?
Sara walked over to my parents, giving Dad a hug too, and I took a second to pull out my phone and check for a message.
Stalkcaster: I’ve got your back.
My tears flowed with abandon, and I shot back a quick reply thanking him before I stumbled toward Dad. I found myself wrapped
in his strong arms. “Little Gem,” he crowed, “we need to go out and celebrate.”
“I’m so freaking happy, Dad,” I said, staring up at him. “Best news ever.”
Mom, who was snuggled into his side, said, “The girls might want a night out without us oldies before we leave. We’ll head
home tomorrow now.”
Dad’s eyes softened as he stared down at her. “The elders offered me theater tickets if you want to see a show, my love.”
We were forgotten as they fell into their bubble of love.
If anyone had given me an unrealistic expectation of marriage, it was my parents.
“We definitely need to go out,” Sara said as she linked her arm through mine. “Hales will be here in a couple of hours, and
this city is our fucking oyster. Or whatever that stupid saying is. Oysters are disgusting, so that’s in no way appealing.”
“They’re snot with shells,” I confirmed.
“Grainy snot with shells,” Sara corrected, and I laughed. “Come on, let’s head back to the hotel and leave your adorable parents
to make every other marriage look subpar.”
My eye roll told her everything, even though I also thought they were adorable.
Adorable and nauseating.
Outside the council chambers, we flagged down a cab, and as I slid into the seat and Sara gave the driver our address, my
phone buzzed.
Stalkcaster: Howling Moon Club. Tonight. 10pm. Mention me at the door. You can bring Sara and Haley.
Somehow, he knew that Haley was joining us tonight. The urge to check for a hidden camera was strong, but when one was a spellcaster,
there was no need for cameras.
“Logan invited us to a club tonight,” I told Sara. “Up for it?”
Her eyes bugged. “He’s here? What the Hel? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t know until right this second.”
Sara examined me, eyes narrowed as if ready to catch me in a lie, before she relaxed. “You know I’m in.”
“I don’t understand what’s happening,” I admitted as the cab honked and came to a dead stop in traffic. “Logan barely spoke to me last year, and when he did, he was an asshole.”
Mostly. Last night he’d told me it was about protecting me, but I was scared to let myself believe that. To let myself fall into
this feeling between us.
Sara, of course, called me straight out on it. “Babe, he saved your life multiple times. Whenever you needed him, Logan was
there. The rest, in my expert opinion, was all smoke and mirrors to hide the fact that he claimed your ass.” She side-eyed
me. “Your lucky freaking ass.”
“He said we’re bonded,” I whispered, clearing my throat as emotion got the better of me. “That’s why he called me mate; we
have a proper magical bond. He said pushing me away was about protecting me until he was strong enough to keep me safe.”
Sara nodded as if she’d expected that all along. “It makes sense, you know. All of us could practically feel the energy connecting you two. The air crackled with it whenever you were close. If you want my opinion—” I knew she’d be
giving it to me whether I wanted it or not “—stop trying to figure it all out. Allow yourself to care about Logan and accept
this bond, and trust that he’s got your back. He’s never shown you that he doesn’t. Not where it really counts.”
There was an undeniable truth in what she said. “What about his father?” I pressed. “The feud with my family still exists.”
She shot me a droll stare. “Which is no doubt what Logan’s protecting you from. Your dads’ feud is not yours and Logan’s.
Don’t take it on.”
Again, she was right, and I wished it was as easy as simply ignoring the feud started between our parents when we were children.
But if Logan had been trying to protect me from it all along, that meant it was an issue we still had to overcome.
By the time we arrived at the hotel, I was a confused, messy lump. As we exited the cab, a tall, slim witch stepped away from the side of the hotel and jumped up and down waving at us.
“Witches!” Haley shouted as we rushed over to her. “I’ve missed you so much.” She wrapped us in her arms, the three of us
hugging for what felt like an hour.
When we finally broke apart, Haley turned her sweet smile my way. “Sara told me about your dad’s trial. I’m so happy that
it’s been dismissed. Not gonna lie, I was secretly freaking out.”
“Me fucking too,” Sara added dramatically.
Having friends who cared about your issues as much as you did was a gift I’d never expected from Weatherstone. “Selene was
watching over us for sure,” I told them, shaking my head at how the trial had imploded. “And we’re all heading out tonight
to celebrate.”
For once, Haley didn’t react like I was about to perform open-heart surgery on her without healers. “I figured. I even left
my book at home and packed a dress for the occasion.”
“That’s my little book-witch,” Sara said, wrapping an arm around her and dragging her into the hotel lobby. “I’m going to
glam the shit out of you tonight. We’re getting you laid.”
On our way to the room, Sara launched into a detailed description of her sexcapades from the other night, and the absolute
destruction of her vagina, leaving Haley and me snorting in laughter.
Tonight was going to be fun.
By 9:30 p.m. we were dressed to impress, our hair straight and sleek, eyes done in smoky tones, and outfitted in the skimpiest
dresses Sara could find.
My dress was a deep, shimmery navy that brought out the blue of my eyes. It was corseted with a flared skirt, and for once, I was out of my boots and in shiny black Louboutin knockoffs.
Sara had on a gold bandage dress that hugged every inch of her curvy figure. Haley was the most conservative in a loose green
sheath falling to mid-thigh. She wore heels too, which meant both of us were at real risk of breaking our inexperienced necks
tonight.
Sara, on the other hand, could have run a marathon in her five-inch stilettos.
“Night out in New York City,” she cried, pushing her coat open to show off her dress underneath. It was freezing, but there
was thankfully no sign of snow.
The club Logan had directed us to was in an industrial area, and our cab couldn’t get closer than two blocks from the venue.
“There must be an event here tonight,” I said as we exited to join the streams of people moving along the sidewalk. “Do you
think we’re in the right place?”