“The garden. If he’s nearby, he’ll be there. Unfortunately, he has to wait. We have to help setup for the Solstice Ball.” I pulled his arm and led him downstairs.
≈
Stepping into the banquet hall, the room was buzzing with people moving tables and hanging strings from the ceiling. Hana saw me walk in with Carson and ran over to us.
“I signed up. I did it, Celeste. So help me, I did it. I am running for Miss Winter Solstice. Thank you! No one ever wanted to nominate me before!” She threw her arms around me and hugged me.
I hugged her back and jumped up and down with her. “Oh, Hana. I’m so happy for you!”
“Tell me you will go dress shopping with me! I don’t have much time!” She squealed excitedly as we continued to bounce around.
“Definitely!” I gave her a quick hug as I saw Tamara glaring at me from the stage.
“Good luck finding something big enough to cover that float you call a body.” Tamara and Crystal pointed and laughed at her.
“Girls with curves are beautiful. I can’t wait to see Hana take the crown from you, Tamara. It’s about time that someone amazing won.” I put my arm around Hana to show my support for her.
Hana’s eyes opened wide and she smiled at me, grateful that I defended her.
“She doesn’t stand a chance.” Tamara’s words didn’t have much bite, which meant she was nervous about competing against Hana.
Smiling internally, I pressed my advantage. “You don’t own this competition anymore, Tamara. The rest of us no longer have to cower in your shadow.” From the corner of my eye, I saw Carson smiling at me as if he were proud of me.
“Whatever. I’m still going to win. Now, you losers can decorate this place yourself. I’m out.” She grabbed Crystal’s arm and walked straight out the door.
A cheer went up in the room.
“She’s gone. Turn up the music and let’s decorate this place the way we want. Thanks, Celeste!” Hana gave me a high five and did a little dance.
I laughed at everyone cheering and shyly waved to them. I turned and grabbed a box of stars from Annamarie and Kayla, who were unpacking the decorations.
Carson winked at me. “You slayed the dragon.”
I shook my head. “No, I merely stunned her. She’ll be back.”
Once the stars were in place and the fake snow piles were laid out, Lady Tallulah Tallersall came by to check on us. Wrapped in a beaded white shawl, she frowned at the phone producing what she would consider a poor choice in music. Hana quickly ran over and turned off the song.
“Remember, you are representing not just yourselves at the dance, but all the covens participating, casters and conjurers alike. There will be no revealing dresses or inappropriate behavior. Everyone will act in a civilized manner.” She pinned a number of people with a look of warning, including Carson.
He leaned over to me and whispered, “Geez, you knock one girl out of the running for the Miss Sunshine Pageant and you are labeled a criminal for life.”
I snorted and rolled my eyes at him.
Lady Tallersall came over to me and shook her head. “Miss Dreger, I hope that your suggestion of opening up the competition to all the girls doesn’t backfire on you. You are already at a disadvantage. You don’t need any more missteps.”
My mouth fell open before I caught myself and pretended as if she hadn’t just slapped me. “Yes ma’am.” I had no other response to give.
Carson crossed his arms and frowned. “Excuse me, Lady Tallersall, but I’m a bit confused. What disadvantage does Celeste have? I hope that you’re not implying that being a late bloomer, which is something completely beyond her control, is somehow tarnishing her reputation and her chances of winning Miss Winter Solstice.”
I nearly fell over when I heard Carson challenge one of the coven leaders. His father would kill him for speaking like that to the Historian of the Coven.
Lady Tallersall seemed taken aback as she looked at him. “You, too, should watch yourself Mr. Rafferty. You’re reputation isn’t much better.” She looked down her nose at him before turning to chastise the location of a snow pile.
I pulled him aside and glared at him. “What was that all about? You shouldn’t talk back to her.”
He shrugged. “If you’re going to Hell, I’m coming with you.”
I burst out laughing and shook my head at him. “Thank you for wanting to be an outcast with me, but your father will be mad.”
“I’ve had it with all this pomp and circumstance. I’m okay with showing elders respect, but they too have to earn it. Lady Tallersall needs to go back and read her history on late bloomers. They tend to come out ahead because they know what it’s like to struggle within our society.” He winked at me and gave me a quick kiss so Lady Tallersall didn’t see us.
Stunned, I stared at him. “Where did that come from?”
He laughed. “I do read, you know.”
I laughed and threw my arms around him. “I’m so happy that I drank that spell.”
He laid his head on top of mine and sighed. “Me too, Celeste.”
We spent the rest of the afternoon turning the banquet hall into a winter wonderland draped in white and blue curtains and streamers. There were reflective surfaces everywhere that caught the light and made it look like it was snowing. We made room for the giant ice sculpture along the wall and set up a princess throne on the stage.
Hana stood in front of the chair and pretended to give her victory wave. “I don’t care if I win. I just want to stand on this stage in a pretty dress.”
I clapped and cheered for her.
“What spell are you going to auction off at the Ice Carnival?”
She smiled and crouched down so that no one else could hear. “I have this amazing spell that turns ingredients into the best pumpkin pie you’ve ever tasted. Do you think anyone will bid on it?”
“Ahh, yeah. I think that people will be outbidding each other to get your spell. I love it.”
“What about you?” She whispered the question so no one else would hear.
I shrugged. “I’m still trying to figure out some kind of gift basket. Lame, I know.”
She shook her head at me. “Celeste, there has to be something you can do. I heard what happened at your house last night. I didn’t want to upset you, so I didn’t mention it. There have been rumors going around that you somehow did magic. Is that true?”
I huffed and blew a piece of hair out of my face. “No. Benjamin and Anika did the magic, but I explained how to do the spells. No one is going to bid on a spell lesson from me of all people.”
Her eyebrows flew up. “I would!” She shouted a little too loudly, drawing everyone’s attention. She shyly waved and turned back to me. “I mean, if you figured out how to teach a counter spell that defeated a curse to both a caster and a conjurer, I would totally take lessons from you. That’s impressive in my book. All you need to do is offer up a cool spell that you could teach to either a caster or conjurer. People will definitely line up to learn a powerful spell. I’ll be the first one bidding. I promise.”
I blushed at her excitement, but it did give me hope that someone would bid on a spell lesson. “I’ll consider it. Thank you for the suggestion, Hana. I appreciate it.”
Dizzy from the prospect of auctioning off a spell lesson, I turned to see a pair of green eyes peering at me from under the white tablecloth on the banquet table. Noah.
I rushed out the door and into the hallway, chasing after the black blur that no one else could see. Following him into an empty office, I turned to shut the door behind me, only to find Carson trying to enter the office.
“What’s going on? Are you okay?” He slid into the room a second before I closed the door.
Pointing over my shoulder, I saw Carson’s shocked face as Noah shifted into human form.
Noah smiled at me and looked over my shoulder at Carson. “Ahh, I get to meet the worst wizard ever.”
Carson took a step forward, but I
stepped in his way. “Stop it, Noah. Leave Carson alone. Tell me why you’re here.”
Noah’s gaze shifted to me and his expression softened. “I’m sorry, love. I didn’t expect to contact you here, but something’s wrong. I can’t tell you what I heard, but know that I’m concerned. My loyalties are being questioned after you miraculously escaped the curse. Have you said anything about me?”
“I mentioned you to Carson only because I had to tell my friend Sadie. Trust me, she didn’t tell anyone. She was the one targeted at school. She wants to take down the Shadow Masters if they are involved in this. They don’t want to mess with her.” I could only imagine what she would do to the person who put the curse in my house.
“If you trust her, then fine. I don’t believe Carson here would intentionally put you in danger, so it must be someone else. Or just bad luck. They are stepping up their plans since they failed to make the impact they wanted. I can’t tell you what they are planning, but be prepared for anything.” He stepped forward and put his hand on my shoulder. “I don’t know what I would do if they harmed you.”
Carson threw his hands up. “Why should we trust you when you’ve been feeding information about the Dregers to your master?”
Noah glanced at him and let out a breath. “When you look at her, do you see everything that is right with the world? Do you imagine living each day, each moment with her by your side? If so, you know that I would never do anything to put her at risk. I am literally risking my life to keep her safe.”
Groaning, Carson shrugged. “Just because you can lie eloquently about your feelings for her doesn’t mean I trust you.”
I reached out and took Carson’s hand. “He’s a shifter, Carson. The love spell revealed his true mate. Yes, he was forced to spy on me, but over the years, I’ve come to see my ghost cat as a friend. There’s a lot that Noah and I need to learn about each other, but I have always felt a bond with him in cat form. We need to figure out how to free him from his master. As a familiar, he’s trapped between his bond with me and his loyalties to the witch or wizard he works for.”
It took a second for Carson to fully comprehend what I was saying. “Oh God, if anything happens to her, you will never take another mate. I didn’t realize what the love spell would mean for you. I’m sorry. I promise that I will do what I can to help.”
Noah held out his hand and shook Carson’s hand. “Thank you, Carson. I’m sorry about the worst wizard comment.”
Carson shrugged. “I’m getting better, thanks to her.”
Noah chuckled. “She is special.” His face fell as he turned to me. “Celeste, please, I implore you. Don’t go out alone. There is safety in numbers. If something happens, I won’t be able to assist. I can’t go against my master.” He reached out and played with the ends of my hair.
Looking into his eyes, I got lost in a possible future where Noah and I could spend time together without having to hide his identity. A wave of emotions hit me and I feared what would happen if the Shadow Masters found out he was protecting me.
“Noah, you need to stay away. They can’t find out about us. I don’t know what I would do if they hurt you.” Touching his hand, I turned it over and kissed his palm.
He slowly hissed and turned my wrist over so that he could hold my hand. Pulling me closer, he slowly closed the gap between us and kissed me. I closed my eyes and fell into his arms. Feeling his warm lips against mine, I couldn’t help but giggle.
Noah smiled. “Doesn’t she have the cutest giggle?”
Carson chuckled. “Yeah, she does. Okay, I get it. She’s your sun and moon, which means we need to watch each other’s back. Personally, I hate cats, but I’ll put up with you because of the way you look at her. I could never take her away from someone who loves her as much as I do.”
Clasping Carson’s hand, Noah nodded. “Then we are in agreement.”
I grabbed Noah’s suit jacket as he tried to step away from me. “Before you go, tell me three things about you.”
He smiled and scratched the back of his head. “I have an affinity for classical music, though I don’t have much freedom to listen to it. I carry a photo of my mum in my back pocket. My favorite part of the day is watching you read in the garden, so it’s been very lonely with you away at school.” He skimmed my hair with his long fingers before reaching into his pocket and pulling out the photo.
Looking down at the crumpled photo, I saw a young woman with long blonde hair and green eyes smiling at the camera as if she didn’t have a care in the world. “She’s beautiful.”
“I miss her a lot.” He took the photo and tucked it away. He gave me one last look before he ran across the room, shifting as he went. Leaping up to an open window on the far end of the room, he squeezed through the small opening and disappeared.
“You know that we can’t completely trust him until he’s free from his master. Familiars have free will, but he sounds like he’s in trouble. We need to be careful.” Carson put his arm around my waist and pulled me against his chest.
“I know.” Mate or no mate, Noah was still working for the enemy and I was back on top of their hit list.
I looked at Carson and wondered how I was going to keep everyone safe if I was still in danger.
Chapter 9
Flattening my knee length skirt against my legs, I adjusted my warm blue sweater. After spending all day running around helping the carnival committee put the finishing touches on the booths, I needed a minute to rest.
Looking down at my desk calendar, I grimaced. Soon, it would be time to return to school. For the first time, I didn’t want to run screaming from my home. I desperately wanted to return to school to see Sadie, but leaving would be harder than anything I’d done before.
A tap on my window sent my heart racing. Hoping that Noah had managed to get away for a while, I looked down to find Benjamin waving at me in the garden.
Grabbing my navy pea coat, I headed around the house to find Benjamin pacing in the garden.
“Hey.” I smiled and waited for him to look up.
“I’m sorry about what happened at the Pike game.” He hung his head and looked away.
“What do you mean? You won the game. That’s what you’re supposed to do.” I wasn’t sure what he was talking about, so I stared at him, confused by his apology.
He glanced up at me, though he refused to lift his head. “That’s not what I meant. I’m the one who threw Carson into the hazard. He got hurt because of me. It probably looked like my Blocker did it, but I did it. I’m sorry. I overheard Tamara teasing Carson about being your boyfriend. Apparently, Melody was pissed since she used to date him, so of course Tamara got involved. When I heard Carson, with this stupid accent and dumb laugh, was the other guy affected by the love spell, I kind of lost it. I tried to apologize at the water table, but then Tamara came at you and things got ugly. I should have just apologized then, but you didn’t seem mad at me. I chickened out and for that, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have messed with Carson.” He put his hands behind his back and hung his head, waiting for me to yell.
I crossed my arms and glared at him. “If you threw him into the hazard to win the game, it’s fine. It’s a rough sport. But if you attacked him because he’s my boyfriend, I will not forgive you. You have no right to interfere. We’re just friends, as you keep reminding me. I value your opinion, but you aren’t allowed to go around throwing the people I care about into hazards.”
He cringed at my harsh tone and sighed. “I…I worry about you. I don’t want to see you get hurt.” He spoke so softly that I had trouble hearing him.
“You’re worried about me. Right. If you’re so worried, why didn’t you write to me when I was at school?” Despite telling myself that I didn’t want to fight with him, I was upset that we had drifted apart as friends.
He swiveled on his heel and shrugged. “When you decided not to go to an academy close to home, I was hurt. I understood that you wanted to get away from your parents, but I still missed my
friend. I wanted to write to you every day, but I decided not to. I figured it was the best way to help you figure out who you wanted to be. I didn’t want you getting homesick by staying in contact with me and feeling guilty for leaving your parents. You needed a place where you could be yourself without your mother constantly looking over your shoulder.”
I wanted to argue with him, but I couldn’t. It was the perfect reason to stay away. As always, Benjamin knew exactly what I wanted even when I didn’t have the words to express it.
“Thank you. It was hard to leave, but you were right. It was what I needed. Unfortunately, I got my fresh start and I squandered it. I immediately became the exact same person, just in a different time zone. I still hide behind my books. I am still the loser without magic. I forgot to become who I wanted to be. Worse still, I had to do it without you.” I looked down at the ground, ashamed that I had been given the perfect opportunity to grow as a person, and instead, I screwed things up worse by leaving Benjamin behind.
His eyes snapped up to mine and he took a bold step forward. “Did they call you names?” The anger and pain in his voice startled me.
I responded without thinking. “Fără putere.”
He ran his hands through his hair. “Powerless. They have some nerve. I’m sure half those kids don’t know what you’re capable of doing. You are the smartest girl I know, Celeste. You know more spells than all of us combined. If they saw how brave you were the other night, none of them would say anything to you. You helped Anika and I do spells we’ve never heard of before. You taught me, a conjurer, how to do a spell. You did that. How many casters even understand how conjuring works? Yet, you helped Anika with her spell, while you were helping me contain the smoke. Someone who is powerless could never do those things.”
Tears came to my eyes when I heard the outrage and saw the strain on his face. He was proud of me while being angry for me.
“Thank you, Benjamin.”
He took another step closer. His knee brushed up against my skirt, making me gasp. “Celeste.”
Pearl (Jewels Cafe Book 8) Page 9
