Chapter 13
“We’re back, witches,” Sara shouted, dancing around the front gate while I hugged Haley. The Weatherstone College gates looked
as impressive and imposing as the first time I stood before them, and I couldn’t wait to step into the Victorian-Gothic buildings
of the prestigious magic college.
“I’ll catch you ladies later,” Dad said as he gave us all a gentle bop on the head, like we were cute puppies. “Stay out of
trouble.”
“Always, Professor Hallistar,” Sara said, looking far more angelic than she actually was.
Dad just shook his head. After her extended stay over the winter break, he knew she was a brazen ballbuster masquerading as
a meek witch. “It’s nice to be back,” he said, glancing around, his aura infused with a calm that had been missing during
his suspension.
It was hard to keep my emotions at bay—I hadn’t been sure I’d see Dad walk through these gates again.
“Yep, sis, we’ll catch you at dinner tonight,” Jensen said, dropping an arm around me for a hug before he took off.
“Later, sis,” Trevor called as well.
They’d both been standing at the gates when we arrived, and combined with my sisters’ send-off this morning—which included hugs and tears—it settled a part of me that had been in turmoil since last October.
“Stay out of trouble,” I shouted after them, receiving a wave over their shoulders in response.
Assholes. I loved them, but they were both assholes.
“So, how have the last few days been?” Haley asked as we started up the path, dragging our bags behind us. “We haven’t really
had a chance to chat since Paisley’s birthday.”
She’d stopped in for my tiny party to celebrate turning twenty-three, after spending Christmas morning with her family. The
night was fun, outside of Logan not making it, but he’d called and sent twenty-three gifts, which had included books, jewelry,
crystals, and a small greenhouse with dozens of herbs. Not the same as the warlock himself, but he was showing that this bond
between us was real, which helped to push my doubts aside.
“It’s been . . . good.”
Haley shot me a rueful glance. “Still no face-to-face meeting with a certain spellcaster, I see.”
My sigh was extended . . . revealing too much.
“I mean, he gave her a shit ton of presents on her birthday,” Sara cut in. “He can’t help it if he’s in Europe doing dumb
shit for his evil daddy.”
Rafael was the reason he hadn’t come back to see me, and it worried me that Logan was balancing on a precarious tightrope
between his father and me. The thought of him so far away and possibly in danger had my magic swirling against Gran’s spell.
“I spoke with Noah a few times,” Haley said, her voice lowering to a dreamy note. “He was with Logan in Italy and Germany,
keeping him safe. Or so he said. They appeared to mostly be attending events. Did you know Rafael’s company is the largest
distributor of integrated circuits? Going hand in hand with their innovative work in robotics.”
I knew because I’d googled them and found out they were the go-to for microchips, making them integral to the creation of computers, cars, home appliances, cell phones, and much more.
“All a front for their underhanded and shady practices, right?”
No one made it to billionaire status without some corruption.
“Goes without saying,” Haley said, sobering. “I asked Noah if Logan and he were the muscle for Rafael, and he didn’t deny
it. I really, really don’t like Rafael.”
“Bastard must have loved the day his son’s magic bloomed and he was a powerful spellcaster,” Sara drawled as we joined the
masses entering the school. “Imagine having that extra power at your fingertips to control.”
It was hard for me to believe that Rafael had always been an evil megalomaniac—Dad wouldn’t have been best friends with someone
like that, but there was no denying who he was now.
“Has anyone heard from Belle?” Haley asked when we reached the front steps, pausing behind the dozens of other students already
dragging their bags inside. “I’ve been texting her for days.”
“She called me on my birthday.” I hefted my bag up the steps to reach the front hall. “She said she’d been in India with her
mom for most of the break and then got really sick and couldn’t stare at her phone without vomiting. I don’t know.” I shrugged.
“She’s been acting weird since the end of freshman year.”
“Super weird,” Sara said, her tiny nose wrinkling in annoyance. “I don’t like it. Especially after the way her father spoke
to you. He’s been in her ear for months now, and I’m worried about the Belle we’ll get back.”
“There’s no way Belle would turn against Paisley just because her affinity isn’t following normal protocols,” Haley said, shaking her head as if it was beyond reality. “No way.”
Haley’s optimism was lovely, but I didn’t feel the same way. Just thinking about Belle had an unsettled sadness whirling inside
me, so I changed the subject to our classes for this year.
“I think the only class we’ll share now is History of Necromancy,” Sara said, air swirling around her as she called her element.
“You might share more with me,” I said. “I’ll be taking a wider range as a ‘spellcaster.’”
“Right right,” Sara said, bopping her head. “Yep, you’ll be in everything except specific necro subjects.”
“I’m looking forward to finding a familiar,” Haley, our nature sprite, said with a happy sigh. “I’ve been dreaming about it.
Imagining what incredible little soul I’ll get to share my life with.”
“Still jealous,” I grumbled, dragging the wheels of my suitcase toward the next set of steps.
Haley managed to smile even as she struggled to get her bag to the top. “Didn’t get your kitty over the break?” she huffed.
Not unless a brief encounter with a mountain lion counted. “Nope. I was too busy having a midlife crisis twenty years before
my time.”
The girls shot me looks of sympathy. “There’s plenty of time for pets,” Sara said, patting my shoulder. “We have more important
animals to worry about.” Somehow, I knew she was referring to the warlock variety.
By the time we made it through the Zoo and to the halls with the dorms, exhaustion pressed down on me. I hadn’t been sleeping well again, but this felt deeper than that. My excitement over being here was fading into a weariness that I hoped would vanish with one decent night of sleep.
“I’ll see you guys at the welcome ceremony,” Haley said when we parted ways. “I need a nap. Dad didn’t have a great night
last night.”
Dropping my bag, I reached out and pulled her into a one-armed hug. “I have some cash saved from my job that I can put toward
a healer,” I said to her. “Now that Dad’s back here again, and the twins are out making their own money for the coven, money
isn’t that tight at home. I’m happy to share everything I have.”
Sara nodded. “I’ve got a small savings that is all yours, babe.”
Haley’s eyes filled with tears as she sagged against me. She’d been working to hide her own exhaustion with her dad’s accident
hurting her family in many ways. He’d been the main breadwinner, and Haley and her mom had to pick up the slack.
“I love you both so much,” she sniffled. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your offer, but it’s okay . . . Dad’s mostly
on the mend, and Mom just got a raise at her job, so we’re doing better. But thank you.”
“Let us know anytime.” I gave her one final squeeze, and she kissed my cheek and then Sara’s before she strolled down the
hall to her room. Sara waved as she headed off to her dorm as well.
We were all in Florence Wing, one of the five halls in the pentacle that made up Ancot Residences. Belle was the closest to
me—I could see her room from mine—but her door was firmly closed. When I knocked, there was no answer, so I carried on to
my room.
I pressed my palm against the reader, and it clicked open. After dragging my heavy bag inside, I left it standing near my
desk and crashed onto my neatly made bed.
The scent of lavender filled my senses from the thorough magical cleaning everything would have had just before our arrival. I gave myself ten minutes to exist in the joy of being back here, before getting to work unpacking and organizing for the new school year.
The crystals I smuggled in my bag went on the windowsill first, settling between my potted herbs. I’d cast a self-watering
spell over them before I left last year, and I was relieved to see they’d made it through the long winter break. “Hello,”
I cooed, running my hands over their soft foliage. “I missed you guys.”
I wasn’t a nature sprite, but all of us with magic in our essence were connected to nature and the energy of the Earth.
When I was done unpacking, I took a long nap. Thankfully, Sara managed to remain awake and got Haley and me up in time for
the welcome ceremony.
“I knocked on Belle’s door, but there was no answer,” she said when we started down the hallway.
My gaze shot along the crowded hall to find Belle’s door just as closed as it had been before. Fuck. I didn’t like this. A tingle traced down my spine, and it wasn’t the monster tingle, but . . . it wasn’t a good one either.
If Belle didn’t show up to classes tomorrow, I’d go to Headmaster Gregor to see if he would tell me anything. Our regular
phones didn’t work at Weatherstone due to all the magic and wards around the college, but I’d try her from the landline.
One way or another, I was determined to find out what was going on with Belle.
Even if it meant that the truth about how she felt toward me, and my affinity, tore us apart.
If she was safe, I’d accept the rest.