by Lexie Scott
It couldn't be possible. No one would do that to their own child. Well, no sane, loving, normal person. I didn’t know my grandparents well enough to know whether they checked those boxes.
And if it wasn’t them, then who? It had to have been someone close to my parents and their friends. Someone who knew they were all in Seattle. Someone who didn’t support the idea of different species being together.
I looked around at my group of new friends. Had my parents met them here? Did someone from Drexel betray them?
Chapter 23
The dining hall was mostly empty, and there were nearly two full cakes left, which Malik and Daniel quickly grabbed while Carter and Sai collected plates and forks for the table. Hannah didn’t go to where we normally ate, instead claiming the middle table at the end furthest from the doors.
“We’re celebrating, and I don’t want anyone complaining about us being too noisy,” she explained as I took the spot to her right.
Theo sat across from me, and the guys filled in around us. Sai sat on my free side, sliding the enormous cake in front of me. Only one slice was missing, and he made another cut and carefully laid it on its side on a plate before handing it to me.
“Congratulations, Saige. You proved how incredible you are and how much you belong here.” His words made my chest tighten.
Did I belong here? Every day felt like a struggle, but maybe now that I passed the assessment, things would settle down. I wouldn’t feel like all eyes were on me, watching and waiting for me to fail.
“Thanks.” I smiled at him, then looked around the table. Theo caught my gaze and winked. I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth. Had Sai seen that? Did it matter? He was too busy serving everyone. I doubted he noticed, but it still made me nervous. What would he think if he saw Theo flirting with me or vice versa? Would either of them get mad? Would they even care?
We were all just friends. I’d only been here for a week. I didn’t need to overthink it.
“You guys are amazing. I wouldn’t have stood a chance without each of you. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”
Hannah held up a forkful of cake. “To Saige and the excitement she brought to our dreary lives.”
The guys all laughed and held up their forks.
I held up mine. “To the best friends I could ever ask for.”
We all said cheers and took the first bite. I moaned as the decadent, moist cake hit my tongue.
“Told you it was good,” Sai whispered.
I grinned and took another bite.
“I think we should have a party to celebrate Saige,” Theo proclaimed as we ate.
Hannah swallowed. “Yes! That’s a great idea. We can invite the other fourth years so they can get to know her too.”
Theo and Sai both spoke at the same time. “No.”
I looked back and forth at each of them while Hannah leaned around me to do the same. “What’s wrong with you two?”
Yeah? Why didn’t they want me to meet more of our classmates?
Theo rubbed the back of his neck. “I just don’t want you to get overwhelmed.”
“Yeah, not everyone is as cool as us,” Sai added.
I narrowed my eyes. “You don’t think they would like me?”
“I think they would like you too much,” he muttered under his breath.
“Somehow word hasn’t spread yet about you’re different. I think it’s best we keep it that way for as long as possible.” Theo kept his eyes on his plate.
I turned to Hannah and Daniel. “What does he mean?”
Daniel shrugged. Hannah was still glaring at Sai and Theo, so Malik answered, “Most people don't know about you having two affinities. Either the witches haven’t noticed you going to two classes or they don’t care.”
“Oh, they will.” Hannah’s voice was low. “They just haven’t realized it yet. It’s only been a week, and she’s kept a pretty low profile.”
“It’s a matter of time,” Sai agreed.
“So what? You said people would want to be friends with me when they found out. That doesn’t mean anything to me. I don’t want to be friends with people who are only interesting in what I can offer them. I’m not ditching you guys.” None of them seemed to believe me. I wasn’t sure how to make them trust me. It would take more than words. I’d prove it to them.
“Once you realize what some of the others can offer you, it could change your mind.” Hannah’s shoulders slumped.
“What could anyone offer me that’s better than what you guys have already done? You all stuck it out with me this weekend. You sacrificed so much time and energy to make sure I passed that exam, and thanks to you guys, I can stay in this year and on track. There’s nothing that can beat that. I promise.”
They went silent at my declaration until Malik slammed his fist on the table. “That’s it. I don’t care what the rest of you say, we’re keeping her.”
Sai balled up a napkin and threw it across the table at him. “Shut up.”
Theo shook his head. “Don’t listen to him. If anything, we’d vote to kick him out to make room for you.”
“Oh, in a heartbeat,” Sai said.
I smiled at their teasing, but their easy banter put me on edge. I got the initial impression Theo and Sai were friendly, but not actually close friends. After this weekend and seeing how they interacted, I realized how wrong I was. They had different class schedules, which was why they were rarely with each other throughout the day, but now I knew they were really close, which was bad news for me.
How was I supposed to hide my crushes, as teeny tiny as they might be, on both of them? What would happen when they talked about me and realized I flirted with both of them? That I was drawn to both of them?
I’d never been in a love triangle before, not that I was in one now, but as romantic as they seemed in books, I doubted having guys fight over me was something I’d enjoy. I needed to let one, or both, of them down. But how could I choose?
“Saige?” Hannah’s voice cut through my panic.
“Yeah?”
“We’re talking about the party. Do you want to do it in the woods?” I glanced around and realized everyone was watching me. How long had she been trying to get my attention?
“Sure.” Since I had zero experience with parties here, I wasn't sure why they were asking for my opinion. I didn't know any of the other options.
“We should have as many as we can while the weather is still nice and we can be outside,” Theo said.
“What do you mean?” He made it sound like there will come a time when we can’t be outside.
“Come November or December, we’ll be stuck inside until spring,” he answered. “Except for the shifters.”
“Yeah, most of us can brave the cold, and none of us want to go without shifting for months at a time,” Sai explained.
“How do we get to our classes if we don’t go outside?” I was obviously missing something if no one else seemed to think it was a big deal.
“The tunnels the vampires without amulets use,” Theo replied.
Oh. Right. Daniel mentioned those, but I hadn’t given them much thought.
“All the buildings, even the barn, are connected through the tunnels. It takes longer to get from place to place, especially with everyone having to use them at the same time, but it works.” Hannah took another bite of cake.
The entire campus crammed into tunnels? That wasn’t something I wanted to spend too much time thinking about.
“There isn’t a spell or something that can keep you warm enough outside?” It seemed like a realistic solution, but I didn’t know very much about the limits of magic despite my weekend of studying. My suggestion was really based on movies and books.
“Fire witches can,” Theo answered. “Some of the Earth witches with the season’s specialty can manipulate the weather around them, but it takes way too much energy to spread that over the entire campus.”
“Yeah, it would take a seriously powerful, bonded witch to do that f
or even a few minutes.” Hannah seemed entertained by the thought.
“A bonded witch? Why would that matter?” I asked.
“Because bonded supes are far more powerful.” Sai sliced another serving of cake. I wasn’t sure how he could eat another bite, but I was too concerned with the bonded business to ask. Natasha explained about bonded pairs, but I was still curious.
“So, being bonded really can make that much of a difference? Going from keeping yourself warm to warming the entire campus?”
“It’s more than that, but yeah, I guess that’s a decent visual for you.” Theo said.
“Dormant powers you didn’t even know about can develop after you bonded.” Malik leaned forward with a wicked grin. “My aunt can change specific parts of herself rather than a full shift. Like make her nose more sensitive or draw out her claws. That takes a ton of control and power. Most shifters can’t ever learn to do that, but it’s a hell of a lot easier as a bonded pair.”
“Whoa,” I gasped. “Does everyone have a pair?”
They all went quiet, sharing looks I couldn’t decipher.
“That’s not an easy one to answer. There’s no proof either way. Since you might never meet your pair, does that mean that they don’t exist or that you just never found them?” Daniel shrugged.
“My roommate, Natasha, told me she was working on a spell to help locate her friend’s pair. Why don’t more people do that?”
Hannah choked, coughing uncontrollably, and Daniel jumped up to run toward the food line for a drink. He brought her back a bottle of water, and she carefully sipped until she could breathe.
I was frozen, watching her with dread filling me. What had I said wrong?
“She told you that?” She finally got the words out.
“Yeah, a vampire dropped off his nail clippings at our door, and when I gave them to her, I asked what they were for.”
She sucked in a deep breath with her jaw clenched. “She shouldn’t be doing that.”
“Why?” I glanced around the table, but the guys were looking anywhere but at us.
“Because it’s forbidden. That’s manipulating fate.”
“But she said it was one of the few ways to use magic to find your pair. She made it seem like it was what everyone did.”
Theo groaned. “Natasha’s always pushing the boundaries. She thinks because of her family she’s above the rules.”
“Her family?” She hadn’t said anything about them.
“Her grandfather is on the council,” Hannah explained.
“The council? Like the main one?”
She nodded, and I looked to Theo, who unfortunately confirmed. Huh. Well, that would make anyone think they were above the rules. It wasn’t like she would get into too much trouble if her grandfather was in charge of the entire supernatural world.
“I didn’t know.” That seemed like something she would brag about. But maybe she didn’t like what everyone assumed about her. I’d have to ask her one day, maybe once she did more than tolerate my existence.
“She’s taking a huge risk doing that.” Theo blew out a breath. “Try not to get mixed up in her drama, okay?”
I agreed since that wasn’t really an option. We barely spoke to each other. I hadn’t even told her about my assessment.
“Can we talk about something fun again? This was supposed to be a celebration,” Sai complained. “Back to party plans!”
“Sure, are you thinking Friday night or Saturday?” Hannah asked, and I, too, was grateful for the subject change. I’d had too much new information thrown at me this weekend. I wanted a break from the supe drama for a little while.
“I have tutoring on Saturday morning, so can we do it that night?” I asked. Having to get up early to meet with Mrs. Hedgings after spending the night in the forest didn’t sound at all fun.
“Perfect.” Hannah beamed and delegated who was in charge of what.
Sai put his arm over my shoulders. “I’m really glad you’re sticking with us.”
I turned enough to meet his eyes and smiled. “Me too.”
The soft look in his eyes made my stomach flip. It was so sweet and tender, and if we were alone, I’d think he wanted to kiss me.
A fork dropped onto a plate, pulling my attention to where Theo was glaring at Sai. He didn’t say a word, but I could feel the tension building. I didn’t want to be around when it snapped.
Chapter 24
Walking into my room had never felt so awkward. Normally, Natasha had her headphones on and ignored me. Tonight, the emerald barricade was missing, and she glanced up at me as I crossed to my bed.
“You’re out late.”
It wasn’t a question, just an observation, so I wasn’t sure how to respond or if one was even necessary. Yes, it was much later than I usually got in.
“I was having dessert with some friends.”
She made a humming sound and returned her focus to the textbook in her lap. I really, really wanted to bring up the pair-finding spell but decided my curiosity wasn’t worth the potential fallout. She would probably get mad at me for telling people. She didn’t tell me I couldn’t, and she knew how completely ignorant I was to the rules of this world. It was more her fault than mine.
There was something I wanted to ask her about since she was the only person I knew outside of my little group. Something I didn’t want getting back to any of them, even Hannah. For now, at least.
“Can I ask you a question?” I was taking the absence of her headphones as a sign she wasn’t too busy or focused.
Her eyes flicked to mine, and her perfectly arched brow raised a fraction of an inch. That was all the initiation I would receive.
I opened my mouth but stopped. Robert mentioned shifters could be small enough to sneak around and listen in on conversations. “How do you make sure no shifters are hiding in the room?”
Her brow rose higher. “The school wards against that. Shifters can change in their own rooms, but they can’t leave in that form.”
“But I saw some running around campus.” I didn’t tell her who they were.
She shrugged. “Outside is a different story. There’s a spell to reveal people that are trying to hide, but we don’t need to use it.”
That was comforting. “That wasn’t my real question.”
She rolled her eyes. “Please, take your time. I have nothing else to do.”
I really wanted to snap back at her but moved on.
“It has to do with the bond. You said people might not feel an instant connection or anything at all, so how do you know when you’ve found your pair?” I leaned against my bed and crossed my arms.
She tilted her head and ran her eyes up and down my body like she was searching for something. “Do you think you found yours?”
“I’m not sure. Probably not, but I’m curious how you would even tell.”
She kicked her legs over the side of her bed and lifted her chin until I felt like she was somehow looking down at me even though I was standing up. “Do you find yourself thinking about that person? Do you feel nervous or excited when you see them? A fluttering in your stomach?”
I nodded.
Her expression fell flat. “You have a crush, not a magical connection.”
Her tone was so condescending. I nearly had whiplash from her personality change. What the hell? Why was she being so mean?
I wasn’t going to give up that easily, not yet. “What about a sort of electricity when we touch?”
She side-eyed me, almost like she was considering whether replying was worth her time.
“Static buildup.” She deadpanned.
“Fine.” Ugh. She wasn’t taking this seriously.
I rolled my eyes and grabbed pajamas from a drawer under my bed and picked up my bathroom kit to brush my teeth and get ready for bed.
It was a one in a billion or more––I didn’t actually know the world population of supernaturals––chance that I would meet my pair, so it was pretty damn unlikely an
y of the guys at the school were mine. Let alone two.
Whatever I was feeling was just a simple crush. I just hadn’t had one in so long I forgot what it felt like.
The bathroom was almost empty. Just one other girl was brushing her teeth, so I claimed the sink at the end and put my kit on the counter and went in a stall to change. By the time I finished and walked out, she was gone. I took my time washing my face and applying a moisturizer. Unlike my friends back home, I didn’t have an elaborate skin routine. It was probably because my mom didn’t. She barely wore makeup, so I did the same. She taught me the importance of never going to bed with makeup on, staying moisturized, and using sunscreen. Other than that, we kept things simple. I used concealer when I had a blemish and blush or bronzer, depending on the time of year. My most high-maintenance product was the mascara I bought online. It was made by a company founded by fellow redheads and was tinted to match my lashes rather than the more common brown or black. I preferred how natural it looked, so it was my one splurge.
Maybe that was another thing I could ask Mrs. Hedgings to teach me to make. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about getting mail while I was here.
My phone vibrated on the counter, and I leaned over while I was rubbing the lotion into my cheeks to check who it was. Masie was calling.
I wiped my hands on my shorts and picked it up. “Hi.”
“You didn’t call me.”
It took me a second to realize what she was talking about. The assessment. I completely forgot the moment I walked out to see all my friends waiting.
“Sorry. My friends dragged me to the dining hall for dessert.”
There were a few beats of silence. “Oh, sweetie. What happened?”
“No, it was a celebration, not commiseration.” I giggled at my own joke.
“Really?” She squealed. “I’m so relieved. Tell me how it went!”
“I passed all my subjects. I can stay with the fourth years.”
“Saige! That’s amazing. I’m so proud of you.”
I leaned against the cold counter. “It was all thanks to my friends. They spent the whole weekend in the library with me. They even waited almost two hours for me to finish tonight. That’s why I forgot to call.”
