Chapter 9 #5
“So sorry we’re late,” Enchanter Reed said, telekinetically waving over coffee and donuts to everyone. “But I got snacks and caffeine.”
Name: Ellie Reed
Branch: Ward (Skeleton Key)
“It’s my fault,” Tara said, levitating behind her while holding her small glass container that housed her familiar. “My father’s back in the country…”
Kenzo’s anger spiked momentarily, and I was reminded how he often swallowed the lump of disgust he held for the Whitlocks most days.
Despite his fury and hatred for Tobias and Theodore Whitlock, he didn’t let that anger extend to Tara.
Instead, he snatched a bear claw out of Caleb’s hand and chomped down on the sweet treat as a way of biting his tongue.
“I tried slipping out, but his PR team had me cornered and stripped and dressed for an impromptu interview this morning.” Tara huffed. “Showing off how the family is a united front.”
“I tried to drag her out of there, but somehow I ended up in the interview,” Ellie said with a low chuckle. “I’m gonna be in Enchanter Weekly.”
“Oh, that’s awesome,” Hayden and Caleb practically said in unison.
“You’ve barely been an enchanter for a week.” Kenzo scoffed.
Lena smacked him on the back of the head, and the pair snarled at each other.
“Before I forget, I need to text Gael.” Tara pulled out her phone while Caleb approached, studying her familiar and searching for a way to spark conversation.
He’d always found himself drawn to Tara, intrigued by her many branches, yet somehow that admiration he held also made it difficult to befriend her.
Personally, I thought he had a bit of envy he hadn’t quite sorted out.
Understandable, considering every year Tara seemed to gain more and more branches while Caleb remained branchless.
“How’s Gael?”
“Fine,” Tara replied, still texting. “Less so when he finds out I’m dragging him to a stuffy gala.”
“Oh?” Caleb asked, his green eyes wide with curiosity.
“My father likes Gael, so…”
“I knew he had terrible taste,” Kenzo said, “but I didn’t realize it was absolute shit.”
Tara rolled her eyes, ignoring Kenzo’s remark.
“Why does he like Gael?” Caleb asked, a bit confused. “I mean, Gael’s nice enough, I suppose, but he’s kind of…”
“An obnoxious asshat who never shuts the fuck up,” Kenzo said.
Caleb shrugged, reluctantly agreeing.
“Gael’s sweet,” Tara replied. “Plus, my father has a soft spot for witches with familiars.”
Really? That was odd. Tobias was an elitist snob and a walking douchebag.
Most folks didn’t think highly of the bestial branch in general, but witches with familiars often received criticism for being weaker and relying on a beast. That was why Enchanter Diaz was the only witch in the Global Guild with a familiar—because he was a tenacious Texan who didn’t stop at the dozen or so rejections they issued his applications.
Ugh. Milo’s fascination with the man had worn off on me, leaving me filled with random trivia on the giant fool.
“Also, let’s be real,” Tara said, sipping her hot chocolate. “He thinks Gael’s fuck boy ways will fix me.”
“Fix you?” Caleb quirked a brow.
“He thinks Gael’s trying to sleep with me and that it’ll help me find a suitable relationship and have lots of Whitlock babies.”
“Oh.” Caleb tensed at the awkwardness of Tara’s cavalier attitude toward her father’s ignorance of her sexuality.
But to no surprise, Tobias Whitlock was an idiot.
Gael had many perverse thoughts—I often found myself trying to block out his crude imagination on a daily basis.
That said, he never once saw Tara as anything other than a friend.
Gael was an annoying pervert, but he respected people’s boundaries and didn’t try to flirt away someone’s preferences.
He didn’t even make advances when someone said no.
The ocean was big, and he didn’t care what the fish caught looked like; so long as they said yes, he seemed content.
Plus, teenagers were fucking stupid, and too many of them found Gael’s annoying antics charming.
Winston’s body shuddered, convulsing instinctively. Even with so many of his active thoughts suppressed to his subconscious, the witch still felt me rummaging through his mind, and now that I’d stumbled onto something that could threaten his precious coven, he resisted my hold.
As much as I wanted to stick with them, to follow their morning, and use their minds to keep me grounded, I had no choice but to delve deeper into Winston’s memories.
I’d finally unraveled the traps in this sector, pieced together the shattered thoughts, and had a memory of The True Witch right before my eyes.
Severing my connection with my students, I coiled as much of my telepathy back into myself as I could.
Mountains of psychic energy still floated across the city, but the bulk radiated within me.
I needed it as a buffer, a shield, a weapon to fend off the ferocity of any potential threats the Celestial Coven had in store.
I’d learned all too well that letting my guard down for even an instant could be the death of me and everyone else.