by Rain Oxford
“You went to Dothra without saying anything to me.”
“I was being used against you!” She jumped up and started pacing in front of the coffee table. “Besides, I thought you forgave me for hurting your mother. I wasn’t ready to forgive myself.”
I grabbed her arm and pulled her back onto the couch beside me. “You didn’t hurt her or kill Joseph.” She started to argue, so I explained to her everything I learned from my mother’s memory. When I was done, she didn’t say anything for a while.
Finally, she stood. “Want to order a pizza?”
“You’re a vampire,” I pointed out.
“I just got out of Dothra yesterday and want something cheesy, greasy, and bad for me.”
“You just described half of the population of men in this state.” I pulled out my phone and ordered a pizza. Astrid didn’t have a working phone since she had been gone for months.
* * *
We chatted for hours. At one point, we watched some television in comfortable silence, but we ended up talking over the show. We had a lot to catch up on. We told each other about our lives. After I shot her, she tried to stay away from me. Although she didn’t remember John attacking, some part of her knew I was in danger. She was even suspicious of Cody because no matter how much Cody tried to protect me, she felt like there was someone after me.
When she saved Cody from the car accident, he resented her. Astrid really didn’t know what to do; she knew I hated vampires after what she did and that I cared so much about Cody. Unfortunately, she was just a kid.
That was not something I had ever accounted for. Even though we were both children, she always acted so wise that I assumed she always knew what was right and what wasn’t. Instead, she just knew I was the only person she cared about and she had to do what was best for me no matter what it was.
She wanted Cody to explain to me what happened, but he was a newly turned vampire and didn’t want to hurt me. There were a lot of problems and mixed emotions between them until Stephen found them and taught both of them self-control. Astrid decided it was time to give me space and Cody was too worried that I would hate him just for being a vampire.
While I grew up from that point with as little supernatural interference as possible, Astrid dedicated her life to protecting humans against paranormals. She fought feral shifters, conquer-minded fae, and kill-happy vampires. The only paranormal affairs she stayed out of was wizard ones, since she was afraid it would somehow get back to me.
Eventually, we were quiet again.
“So, what’s next for us?” she asked when the silence became awkward.
“I don’t know.”
“Do you want an ‘us’?”
“I want us to be friends. I don’t know about more than that.”
She put her hand on my knee and looked down. “I was hoping you would say that. I love you. You’re my best friend, the only person I’ve ever trusted, and the only one I can be myself with.” She met my eyes again. “And I will always love you. But I’m not the same person I was when we were kids and neither are you. In fact, I’ve recently discovered I’m not even what I thought I was. Does that make sense?”
“Yes. Relationships are really difficult and time consuming. Sometimes people can love each other and not be meant to be. Your life is completely up in the air right now and you need to figure it out before you can even think of adding something else that’s complicated and messy to it. I get it.”
She pursed her lips. “Cody just said I have girl problems and I needed to take it to a girl.”
“We’re not in high school. I have many sage quotes and plenty of divorce experience to share. And, I agree because I’m in the same boat. Not as much as you, of course, but I think we would end up hating each other if we attempted something more than friendship right now. We don’t know each other anymore.”
She gave me a wicked grin. “Well, you’re right; we’re adults. We could have a friendship and still do other stuff without any of the committed-relationship expectations.”
I nodded. “I’m a guy and you’re the first girl I’ve ever loved, so I’m all for it… as long as I can still fool around with Clara when she dyes her hair b---” My sentence was cut short as she punched my arm.
“I will kill that tramp! You can sleep with anyone in the world, except for her!”
I was laughing, despite the fact that she was serious. “I’m not going to sleep with Clara. Why does she bother you so much?”
“Because she slept with Cody and then stole his girlfriend!”
I gaped.
* * *
I was awoken by a knock on the door. When it got louder instead of going away, I groaned and sat up. Astrid moaned and rolled away. Despite her blatant invitation, we didn’t do anything more intimate than kiss and go to sleep in the same bed.
It was okay with me; I wasn’t really into casual sex. I had some in college, and then I got too busy at my job. Unfortunately, there was always someone who depended on me, so personal time was never a priority.
Astrid was safe and sticking around. I could visit with her and get to know her when it was convenient for us both. I knew for sure that we could be friends, and pushing that would come to no good.
When the knocking persisted, I went to the living room and answered the door, dressed only in my boxers and my grouchiest glare. Remington’s eyes widened for a split second before darting down my body. “Are you coming?” I asked.
She swallowed and forced her eyes to meet mine. “What?”
Hiding a grin, I made a gesture for her to enter. “I asked if you were going to come in or just stand out in the hall all day.”
She stepped inside and I shut the door. “I’m sorry I missed the big showdown.”
“You only missed helping to save the world.” She nodded. “What did Flagstone do to piss you off so much?”
She shook her head with frustration and sat on the couch. I knew her well enough to understand that sitting down was her way of trying not to explode with anger. “Nothing. He was doing exactly what he was supposed to do.”
I went to the kitchen and fixed her a cup of Earl Grey tea. When I returned, she took it and held it in her hands without drinking. To give her more time, I made myself a cup of coffee. When I finally sat down beside her with my coffee, she set her tea cup down.
“Rosin is my father’s familiar. I don’t know how you found it out, but you know what it means.”
“Your father can see through his eyes and vice versa.”
“Yes. It also means Rosin must protect my father. There’s a system they have that makes them the perfect team. They’re best friends. I thought my father never remarried because he loved my mother too much. Now I think otherwise.”
“You think Flagstone is the reason?”
“A familiar is only supposed to care about his wizard, because they can only give a hundred percent to one person. When I was born, suddenly Rosin had to divide his protection. Now each of us got fifty percent. My theory is that my father was so overprotective of me so that Rosin didn’t have to be, but then I went to school and Rosin chose to give me his time and attention.”
“Why do I get the feeling you would have been a hell-raiser without him there?”
She blushed. “I only did that once. The point is, Rosin has always been there. He would chase away anyone else in my life. I don’t get on with people because I never had to. If someone was in my way, Rosin would remove them. Instead of learning to share and compromise, I learned to fight.”
“I can see that.”
“And he was the only one I ever thought about. Growing up, I always thought he was mine, and would always be mine. That day you killed John, you saw how I felt about him. It was the day Rosin and I realized we loved each other.”
“I can see that every time you’re in the same room.”
She shook her head. “When Rosin left to protect my father because Vincent had a vision, I realized that I was wrong. Rosin was never min
e, not for a minute. He was born to protect my father; he was designed to be my father’s familiar. Even his personality was created solely to protect my father. Everyone thinks my father is the wisest, most level-headed man in the paranormal world.”
“I thought he was a trouble maker when he was younger.”
“He still is— Rosin keeps it at bay. They’re opposites, and without each other, they’re self-destructive.”
“But that doesn’t mean you can’t be a part of it.”
“I don’t want to be a part of it. I want to get away from them. I can’t have Rosin alone, so I don’t want him at all. I really love him… I just think we’ve been together too long. He helped my father raise me. That was attractive when I was ten, but now it’s really… not.”
I nodded. “Then what is it you want to do with your life?”
“I’m going to run Helena’s Academy of Supernatural Arts.”
“Why is the children’s school called that?”
“I’m pretty sure that was covered in one or more of your classes. Remember the Malleus Maleficarium?”
“Yeah; Kale went over it briefly.”
“In Innsbruck, Helena Scheuberin, an outspoken woman who was married to a wealthy merchant was accused of witchcraft in 1485. She opposed an inquisitor and discouraged others from attending his sermons. She even accused him of being in league with the devil. Anyway, I plan to change the name of the school. It’s supposed to be empowering, but we don’t live in Austria and too many people don’t understand it.”
“You could name it after your mother.”
She hesitated before nodding a little. “Maybe. Okay, so the reason I’m here is because in order to run it without my father’s interference, I need a deputy headmaster. I need a second-in-command who can deal with a ridiculous amount of paranormal children, who can take orders from a woman, and who will put the students first if something happens to me.”
I thought about it. “Watson?” I asked. I had no idea how any of the professors handled children.
Remington just rolled her eyes. “I’m not asking for nominations, idiot. I’m offering you a job! You’re probably the only one who wouldn’t run screaming the first time I lost my temper.”
“Oh. I haven’t finished my training at Quintessence.”
“Trust me; you’ll learn more working at the children’s school. It’s not going to be an easy job. Most of your fifth semester is building magical tools and using the four elements together. You are definitely qualified to help me run the school. I’ll give you books you can use, teach you anything you’re missing, and you can pick up the rest while overseeing classes. In fact, I can probably talk my father into giving you a summer crash course. The thing is, Quintessence has semester-based courses, whereas the children’s school has yearly courses. I need someone as my second right away and I don’t trust any of the professors there as much as I trust you. I’m going to have to kill a couple of professors before they take me seriously.”
I groaned, because I expected her to do just that if they challenged her. That was another reason why she and Flagstone were so perfect together; he wasn’t stupid enough to pull rank on her. “You know I can’t condone that.”
“I guess you’d better be there to stop them from pissing me off, then.”
“I already have a job, though.” Actually, I had two, because I had agreed to work for Drake four days a week in June and July.
“There are always weird things going down at the children’s school. They had an entire class full of students vanish for a week and none of them even realized anything had happened. A month ago, giant bat-like creatures attacked. You will get plenty of investigative work there. Plus, you can still leave the school if there’s another case you need to take. The pay isn’t as good, but the stakes are much higher.”
“Only you would think that’s a good thing. When does the children’s school start back up?”
“August fifteenth, so two weeks before Quintessence. You’ll get your own room and we’re in a completely different building than the students.”
“Does it have a full infirmary and dungeon?”
“It’s got a bigger infirmary, but no dungeon. They also don’t allow fighting at the orphanage or children’s school. My father believes that once they’re eighteen, the students know the risks of fighting. About ten percent of the kids at the younger schools are throwbacks, and there are all levels of skill. Dr. Martin is relocating to the children’s school.”
“Are Jameson and Jason attending?” I did need to keep an eye on them.
“They were signed up yesterday. Henry is supposed to sign Scott up by the end of the week.”
“I don’t know.” I actually would have preferred to be on the staff of the university. I liked Quintessence. Of course, I could still solve cases in the paranormal community. How much does a school really need a vice principal anyway? “I’ll think about it.”
“Great. I’ll tell them to get your room ready.”
We both stood. “That wasn’t an agreement,” I argued.
She just smirked. “Yes it was. I had you when I said I trusted you.”
I rolled my eyes. “I think every woman I ever met is fucking nuts.”
She then stepped closer, leaned up, and kissed me. It was the first time, considering all the other times, it either wasn’t her or she was under John’s control. She was soft and warm, slow and gentle, and just about perfect. If she hadn’t just broken up with Flagstone, I might have encouraged more, but I wasn’t sure how over they really were and Remington was a woman I could grow to love. That didn’t mean I was going to turn her away, merely that I wouldn’t instigate anything.
When she stepped back, there was no regret in her eyes. “Believe it or not, I’ve wanted to do that for two years. Please tell me you were hesitant because of Rosin.”
“You loved him for as long as you can remember.”
“I couldn’t see anything past him until you got into my head. I’m not going to back off unless you tell me you don’t want me.”
I didn’t say anything.
“I’ll see you in August,” she said before leaving my apartment.
I watched the door close behind her and turned back to see Astrid standing in the hallway. “So, I guess I missed something. I haven’t seen that expression on your face since we were little.”
“I think you’re the only one who can read my face.”
“I think she could. She’s a good person from what I’ve seen. Are you going to take her offer?”
“I don’t know. I’m going to go work on some cases and I’ll figure it out along the way.”
* * *
When Elena didn’t answer her phone, I went down to Mr. Emerson’s office. As soon as I stepped into the building, I heard yelling. The secretary stood. “That was quick,” she said. “I called the cops less than a minute ago. How did you get here so fast?”
“I was in the area,” I answered instead of arguing. “I would take the afternoon off if I were you.”
She didn’t need to be told twice. Either because she thought I was an officer or because she was afraid for her safety, she barely grabbed her purse before running for the door. I pulled my phone out of its harness, set it to record, and put it back. That was usually the first thing I did when I found out the cops were called.
I went through to the office, where Mr. Emerson was arguing with a middle-aged woman. She was about the opposite of Julia; she had tangled brown hair and a dark complexion that suggested she was South American.
“Elena Dosil?” I asked.
She sneered. “What’s it to you?”
“We spoke on the phone. I’m Devon Sanders and it’s about time I get a straight answer about what happened to Julia.”
“She was upset because Chester was divorcing her.”
“You said they were already divorced.”
“I wasn’t divorcing her, you crazy bitch, I loved her! It was you I wanted to get rid of!”
<
br /> “You’re a liar!” she screamed.
I closed the door, expecting one of them to make a run for it. When she grabbed a gold letter opener off the desk, I reacted automatically; I reached out with my power and grasped control of her mind. Once I was sure her mind was blank, I took the letter opener.
“What did you do to her?”
“Nothing,” I lied, letting her control return to her slowly. “Now, Mr. Emerson, you said that your wife believed someone was in the house. Were you in the house the night of the wreck?” I asked Elena.
“Yes.”
“What were you doing?”
“She asked me to come over.”
“You’re lying!” Emerson argued. “She said that someone was in the house and she was scared!”
“She shouldn’t have gotten between us!”
“Did you cause her accident?!”
“I had to! She was trying to break us up!”
I reached out with my magic again and took control of both of them. I hated that I was doing this to non-paranormals, but Emerson was about to attack and Elena was obviously not entirely sane. “Calmly tell me what you did,” I said.
“Julia likes to drive to the park at night when Chester is at work to walk off stress, so I hired my brother to wait for her and shoot her. Everyone gets shot at the park at night all the time, you know? Nobody would have cared. But the bitch went and got a flat tire. She wouldn’t go to the park in Chester’s car, so I arranged for my brother to run her down as soon as I got her out of the house. I didn’t mean for her to die, only to hurt her. We didn’t know about her condition until afterwards, so my brother had to get rid of the evidence.”
“And was your brother also the person who paid me a visit in a white van?”
She sneered again. “You shouldn’t have gotten involved. Nobody gets between me and Chester.”
