"About how he finds you hot enough to warm his bed, to slake his lusts and feed his magick. Once he and the guys have you fully within their grasp, they'll be fucking each other and you to get their rocks off so they can become truly great mages. Laurie's mine, I've told you that from day one. You'll have his body but never his heart. My father is even in talks with him to ensure that the firstborn child we will have together will be recognized as his heir, not yours."
Bile rose in my throat. I glanced over, and sure enough, Laurent was wandering off to go talk to Charles and Brent while a man with Lydia's eyes and nose was now talking to his father.
"I'm sorry," I croaked. "I've got to go."
"Poor thing. I know it must be such a shock," Lydia said in mock sympathy.
Spying my grandmother, I made a beeline to her, leaving Lydia standing there on her own.
"Excuse me, Grandmother," I said, trying to gain her attention.
"Yes?" she asked, sounding as aloof as she looked.
"I was wondering if it wouldn't be better for myself and Lisette to return to school tonight with Rina. We could get settled, and I wouldn't miss any of tomorrow's classes."
"If you wish," she agreed.
"Great! I'll let her know it's okay," I said with false cheer, making out as if she'd asked me.
I hurried away to rejoin my friends. "Can I ride back with you?" I asked Joanna. "And can Rina ride along, too?"
"Me?" asked Rina. "Why me? I came with my parents. They'll drive me back."
"I kind of told Grandmother I'd be going back with you tonight, so I could get settled and not miss any classes tomorrow."
Rina blinked. "Oh, okay."
"Sure," Joanna said. "We all actually rode here together in Jacob's car."
“I’ve got a cute Ovlov," he said proudly.
"Ovlov?" I asked.
"Yup. An MS90! Just wait until you see it!"
"Can't wait. Umm, I'll go let Lisette know and get her to meet us by the door."
"You want to leave now?" Jacob asked, sounding surprised.
"Yeah," I said, my eyes beginning to burn with unshed tears.
They all exchanged worried glances.
"Okay," Joanna said. "Jacob, you go have the car brought around. Felicia and I will go snag some snacks for the ride since we didn't get to eat yet.."
"If you pop your head into the kitchen, the cook is pretty nice. She might give you something to carry it in," I said, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall and feeling even worse now that I realized I was pulling my friends away from their planned dinner. "Go through the dining room door there," I said, pointing. "It's the door on the left."
"Okay," Felicia said. "We can do that, sure. You go talk to your maid."
"I'll come with you," Rina said.
We found Lisette already packing my clothes.
"Just grab my uniforms and some of my casual clothes," I said. "They can send the rest on if they want me to have it. We're going now."
"What's wrong?" Lisette asked me, seeing my ill-hidden distress.
"I'll tell you later," I croaked, feeling my throat close up.
"Your uniforms are in this bag. I already packed your jeans and stuff in the other one. Just let me grab your shoes."
We each took a bag and hurried down the back stairs, not wanting to make a spectacle. I did not wish for the Trio noticing me leaving, either. I had to think through what I'd heard. Lydia had to have been lying, right? But why? Surely there had to be an explanation as to why he told his father those things. I just needed time to clear my head and figure it out away from the three of them.
Chapter 24
It wasn’t much fun during the drive back. Everyone wanted to know what was wrong, but with Rina right there, I didn’t want to say anything. She was Laurent’s sister, for goodness’ sake. She would undoubtedly take his side and reassure me that all was well, blinded by her love for him. As we went through the gates to the school, a plan began to form. What I needed was to get away from it all. With distance would come clarity, and I could make a reasonable decision as to what to do.
Step one was to get hold of Aunt Tillie and Uncle Joe, see if they’d come to pick me up for a short visit. I’d have to sneak off campus to avoid anyone snitching to my grandmother, but given how they had tried to keep me safe from her, to begin with, I didn’t think that would be too big an issue.
As to how to get in touch with them, well, for that I first needed Aunt Lisanne, and I was pretty sure I could sweet talk Deputy Head Ollivant into calling her. And if he didn’t, I’d just sneak off on my own and keep walking until I hit town and found a train station. I knew the name of the station by Aunt Lisanne’s, so I could catch a train there.
I remained silent right until we got to the dorm, wishing my friends a good night as I walked away to go into my old room. When Lisette had said they’d be placing a cot in my room for her, she hadn’t been kidding. It was an actual cot, one of those tubular framed things with canvas stretched over it. There wasn’t any bedding even, but that I could take care of, as my spare bedding was still here. Rina gave her a spare pillow, so she was all set. I felt terrible about her having to sleep on that thing, but it was just for one night. Tomorrow, by hook or by crook, I was outta here. Lisette would probably return back to my grandmother’s estate, back to her comfortable bed.
I opened my bags and chose a nightgown while Lisette hung my clothes back up and put my shoes away. I was happy to see that she’d grabbed my faves. I unfastened the back of Rina’s gown, and then she helped me with mine, and we changed into our nightclothes. Lisette finished putting away the few things we’d brought and was climbing under the covers in her underwear.
“Wait! You didn’t bring anything for you to wear?” I asked her, aghast.
“You were in a hurry,” she replied, as if that explained everything.
Rina tossed her a spare nightie. “You can have that one. No need to give it back.”
“Thanks, Miss Rina,” Lisette said, putting it on.
Then it was lights out, and I felt lonely in my bed. George had not made herself known, so I hoped she knew where we were. Surely she could pop through the ether to me, using the familiar bond? Damn it, I was a lousy familiar’s witch! I felt a little cold, too. Not that the room was freezing or anything, nor the blanket cozy, but it lacked the heat and presence I’d gotten used to, wrapped in Laurent’s arms. I closed my eyes, determined to at least rest, even if I couldn’t sleep. Yeah, that didn’t work too well, the way my mind raced all night, refusing to let go of what I’d heard that night.
By the time we should be getting up for breakfast, my brain had even seized on how weird it was that Marla had enlisted like that and only sent me a message. Was I really that much of a throwaway person, to be used and then tossed?
I got up, slipping out after murmuring about taking a shower. In reality, I changed in an empty cubicle, then hot-footed it to the main building. I knocked on the office door, praying the deputy head would be in the office this early. He wasn’t, but the secretary was.
“What can I help you with?” she asked me.
“Well, I was getting ready for class, and I realized that I had very little family, and I’m going to be bonded and have kids someday,” I babbled. She narrowed her eyes, a puzzled look on her face. “And I thought how it was a shame for my aunts to be so at odds with my grandmother and that it would be nice if my aunts knew I was okay and that Grandmother isn’t who they thought she was and ask for them to come to meet us for lunch this weekend when I return home.” I mentally crossed my fingers that she bought my spiel.
She gave me a sympathetic smile. “I understand. I was told she couldn’t speak to you if she called or showed up, and to not let you call, but no one said that I couldn’t.” She pulled my file from her computer and looked the number up and then dialed. “It’s ringing,” she said in a conspiratorial tone, passing me the phone.
“Hello?”
“Aunt Lisanne?”
>
“Tuesday! How are you? Are you okay? I heard about the ball.”
I gave the secretary a beseeching look, hoping she understood I was begging for some privacy.
She said nothing, but went out the door, locking it behind her. Once she was gone, I replied to my aunt. “I’m back at the academy. I need you to come to pick me up and get Uncle Joe to bring me back to Boring. I need to think, somewhere where no one here will find me and bother me. I’ll explain on the way to your house.” I was pretty sure that Marla’s mm would let me stay for a couple of days.
“Are you in danger?” she asked.
“I might be,” I said. “Honestly, I’m not sure.” I wasn’t sure about anything anymore, so that was not a lie, not exactly.
“I’ll have Joe pick you up. You’ll need to get out the gate. Turn left and walk towards town, he’ll wait for you along the road where he won’t be seen,” she ordered. “Your classes are about an hour long?”
“About that, yes.”
“Go to class as usual, but eave after your first class. I’ll ring him. He and your aunt have been waiting on standby, in case you needed them.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. Then, hearing the door, I said, “Okay, that will be great. I’m sure Grandmother will be so pleased! Bye!” I placed the handset back onto the cradle.
“That went well, I take it?” she asked, smiling back at me.
“It did! I just hope they all get along when we finally meet for lunch this weekend!” I mentally crossed my fingers again. I hated being untruthful, even a little bit.
“Give them time,” she advised. “Baby steps.”
I nodded. “Thanks. And I promise I won’t tell that you made the call for me.”
She patted me on my shoulder. “You best go get your breakfast. You look worn out.”
I yawned, my relief at knowing I was escaping this nightmare, at least for a while, allowing my exhaustion to catch up to me. “Yeah, it was some party. Danced the night away,” I said. I gave her a wave. “Thanks again.”
I hurried to the cafeteria, where I found my friends waiting, wondering where I was. To my immense relief, George was even there, tail in the air.
“And where were you all last night?” I asked my cat. She ignored me, to no one’s surprise.
“Where’d you go?” Joanna asked.
“Oh, I realized I’d forgotten something back at the house, so I called to make sure it was packed to go with the other stuff they’re sending.” I swore I could feel my nose start to grow.
“Oh,” Joanna replied.
“Where are your books?” Felicia asked.
I looked at her sadly. “That’s what I forgot.” Thank goodness I had, too, because now they made an excellent excuse.
They laughed.
“I’m sure you’ll be able to share with someone,” Jacob said.
“Well, you guys share most of my classes with me,” I pointed out.
“As do the Royal Trio,” Felicia added. “I’m sure they’ll be here soon, too.”
“Mmm,” I agreed, not wanting to talk about them. I yawned again. “And in the meantime, there’s coffee in there calling my name.”
Chapter 25
Sneaking away after first period proved to be easier than I thought. After having downed what seemed to be a gallon of coffee at breakfast in a bid to stay awake, I had to pee. Like, reallllllyyyy had to pee. I simply remained in the girl’s bathroom after class until the next one started, then crept out. I avoided the main building, opting to climb over the bit of wall in the royal garden by the infirmary.
I scraped my arms up, but I managed to scale it after taking off my shoes and socks to get a good toe hold. I tied my shoes together, stuffed my socks inside, and hung them around my neck for safekeeping first, though. Then I hurried down the road, running as fast as I could when I came to the school gates as I didn’t want to risk being seen from someone looking out that way by some chance. Once I was sure I was in the clear, I stopped and put my socks and shoes back on. It didn’t take me long to find Uncle Joe. Aunt Tille was with him, as well.
“Our baby girl!” she cried. “Joe, just look at her! The poor thing looks like death warmed over.”
“I couldn’t sleep last night and drank way too much coffee to stay awake this morning,” I mumbled as Uncle Joe jumped out of the car to help me into the back seat.
“Buckle up, I’m doing a U-turn” he warmed me as he got back in. “There’s a public portal not far from here, and I aim to have us through it before they even realize you’re gone.”
“You just go ahead and. sleep, honey. We’ll be there before you know it.,” Aunt Tillie said.
Sounded good to me. I let my eyes closed, knowing I was once more in safe hands. Sleep came quickly.
I woke up to warm sunshine on my face. Blinking my eyes, I drank in the scenery. Was I dreaming? That was an ocean!
“Look who’s awake, Tillie,” Uncle Joe said, catching sight of me in the mirror.
“Are you hungry, sweetheart? We can stop to get something to eat if you like,” Aunt Tillie said.
I hadn’t eaten much breakfast, too busy guzzling down coffee and then being too full of the liquid to add anything more to my stomach. “Food would be great,” I replied.
“There was a sign just back there or a diner up ahead a bit,” Uncle Joe said. “I’ll pull in there.”
“Where are we?” I asked.
“Oh,” aunt Tillie said. “Hilton Head, South Carolina. We have a house here.”
“We do?” I was fairly sure they’d been moving back to the realm.
“Yes,” Uncle Joe answered me. “Other place didn’t quite pan out as hoped.”
Because of me, I realized. But when had they had the time to set this up?
“Friends of ours said we could use the house,” he added. “Nice of them, on such short notice.”
I got it then. They’d contacted their friend after Aunt Lisanne called them. I felt terrible, knowing that both the other place and the job he’d planned on starting were no doubt history because of me.
“It really was,” I agreed. “How long do we get to stay?”
“Until we need to move or want to,” he said. He flicked on the turn signal. We had arrived at the diner.
I have to admit, I loved the look of the place. Hilton Head Diner had a pretty cool vibe to it, even from the outside. Going in, there were not only delicious smells, but the decor was indeed something. I forgot all about being upset when I saw they served breakfast all day, and it wasn’t just bacon and eggs, either. After gorging myself with stuffed French toast and two mochaccinos, I moaned, “Ooof. I am stuffed.”
Aunt Tillie smiled at me. “My shrimp was good, too.”
I decided to take her word for it. Aunt Tillie had ordered grits and shrimp. I’d never had grits, but they kind of reminded me of Cream of Wheat on color and texture from where I was sitting, so I wasn't too sure about the combo. She’s offered me a taste, saying grits were nothing like Cream of Wheat, but I’d declined.
“My burger was excellent,” Uncle Joe put in.
“That did look scrumptious,” I said, giving him puppy dog eyes. “Can we come back again sometime? I want to try one.”
“Our house isn’t too far from here,” he informed me. “I’ll have to drive right past here to get to work.”
“You have a new job already?” That surprised me. How had he arranged that so fast?
My aunt and uncle exchanged looks I didn’t know how to interpret. Finally, my aunt spoke. “His new boss owns the house we’re staying in while we look for a place to buy.”
“Oh! That’s really cool of him!”
My aunt visibly relaxed. “Yes, it is.”
“What will you be doing, Uncle Joe?” I asked him.
“Still renewable energy.” He didn’t elaborate.
“Oh, all hush-hush and theoretical, like the last one?” I asked, keeping my voice low.
He nodded before turning away to signal the
waitress for the check.
“Any idea what you intend to do?” My aunt smiled at me sympathetically.
I shook my head. “No. I’m sorta thinking that since I’m eighteen, I’ll just find a job and help out with the bills while I figure out where to go from here.”
“So, you don’t see yourself returning to the academy?” she pressed.
“What?” I recoiled. “No. Not that one, anyway.” Laurent was there, and no way did I want to have to see him anymore. His betrayal cut deep. I still wasn’t sure about how guilty the rest of the Royal Trio were, either.
Conversation stopped when the waitress arrived back at our table with one of those handheld things they use to ring you up. Uncle Joe handed her his bank card, and she passed it back to him along with his receipt.
Once back at the car, aunt Tillie brought the topic back up, unwilling to just let things go. “You know, since you’re not trained, if you stay here, you’ll have to have your powers rebound.”
I paused, already halfway into the back seat. “Like, right away?”
She shook her head. “You can probably get away with it until the Council figures out where you are,” she admitted.
I climbed in and fastened my seat belt. “Good. Because I might go back, just not to that school.” I chewed my lower lip. “Though it’d have to be someplace that could offer me protection from anyone else seeking to exploit my abilities and wanting a locii.”
“A private tutor, perhaps,” Uncle Joe suggested.
“Maybe,” I replied. “But where would I stay?’
“Just offering options to explore,” he countered.
He started the car up, and I jumped when I heard more than the engine purr. I quickly glanced to my left.
“George! You found me!” I scooped her up and buried my face into her fur.
“Mrewwwwwowwww,” she complained.
“I know, I’m sorry. I had to go, and you weren’t there. I was pretty sure you’d be able to find me,” I reassured her.
She deigned to rub against my hand, evidently forgiving me now that I had acknowledged her awesomeness.
Discovery of Magick (Dark Light Academy Book 1) Page 17
