“I’m glad she did it,” I said. “Otherwise, I never would have had this experience.”
“See?” Bryn said. “She’s glad. I did her a favor.”
“And the Hunter might never have been caught,” the chancellor added. “Your professors hope you’ll show the same aptitude at the academy that you’ve demonstrated in the field. Warden Armitage was particularly vocal in his praise.”
I straightened my shoulders. “That means a lot coming from him.”
“Do you think he’ll get back together with Mona?” Mia asked.
Chancellor Tilkin surprised us all by answering. “Oh, I highly doubt that.”
“You do?” I asked. “Why?”
“They do not share the same vision of their future, my child,” she said. “A necessary part of any romantic relationship.”
My thoughts briefly turned to Callan. Did we share a vision? Did we even have a relationship? I had no idea. We didn’t really discuss it before my return to Spellslingers.
The chancellor slotted her elegant fingers together, a familiar gesture I’d come to expect when seated across from her. “And you are still committed to the Eastern Quadrant?”
I raised my chin. “Yes, absolutely.” Nothing had changed for me in that regard. Sharing my history with Callan had been a positive step, but I still felt it was best to live as far away from family as possible. If this investigation had proven anything, it was that the pain was always with me, bubbling just below the surface.
“And I understand that both young men will recover,” the chancellor said. “Ben and Sean?”
“Yes, Sean and his mom were glamoured to forget the whole incident. He didn’t know the other six victims, so it was easier than with Ben.” It was still difficult to accept the number of innocent lives that had been lost, all for the thrill of the hunt.
Hazel squinted as she passed by the large window. “Hmm. I thought that blood bond was broken.”
I swiveled in my chair to look at her. “Mine? It is. Why?”
Hazel inclined her head. “Your blood buddy is loitering outside the building like he’s still stuck on you.”
“Oh, he’s stuck on her all right,” Dani said with a smirk.
The back of my neck grew warm. “He doesn’t have to be within range of me anymore. Maybe he needs to speak with the chancellor.” I turned back to her for confirmation.
“I have no appointment with a member of the League today,” Chancellor Tilkin said. “Though I’ve no doubt I’ll be hearing from them soon about my pupils’ unnecessary involvement in this case.” An easy smile crossed her lips. “Sometimes it can take ages for the paperwork to catch up to the complaints.”
“Will it be a problem for you?” I asked. I didn’t want to be the reason the academy and the League were at odds.
Hazel laughed loudly. “The League is no problem for someone as revered as our good chancellor, miss,” she said.
“No need to worry about me, child,” the chancellor said. “I have faced far worse opponents than League bureaucracy.”
Of that I had no doubt. Lindsey Tilkin may have been the chancellor of Spellslingers now, but she’d left a history of powerful witchcraft in her wake.
“Alana is expecting to see you later today,” the chancellor said. “Be sure to show up on time.”
“I have every intention of being there,” I said. Alana would be thrilled with my progress and I couldn’t wait to share recent events with her. My roommates, however, were another matter entirely.
“He’s still there,” Hazel said. She hadn’t moved from her spot in front of the window.
“You should go see him,” Mia suggested. “Maybe he left something behind at the academy.”
“Like his heart?” Bryn fluttered her eyelashes.
“Stop it,” I said. “If there’s nothing else, Chancellor Tilkin, I’ll see whether Callan needs something.” I rose from the chair.
“He definitely needs something…” Bryn began, and I quickly silenced her with the flick of my wand. The others laughed.
“Can you make that spell last as long as her blood bond?” Dani asked.
“It would only be fair,” Mia added.
Bryn’s mouth was open but no sound came out. Silent laughter.
“I’m not that cruel,” I said. “The spell will last until I’m out of earshot.” With that, I left the office and hurried down the long corridor until I reached the exit. My heart fluttered at the sight of him and I took a brief moment to observe him in stealth mode before I opened the door. Stars and stones, he was one hot werewolf. It was impossible not to notice the muscles lurking beneath the thin fabric of his T-shirt. None of that mattered, though. He lived in Terrene and I lived here. Like Warden Armitage and Mona, we didn’t stand a chance as a couple, not that he’d expressed an interest in a relationship. Just because we shared a few kisses didn’t mean we had an obligation to mold them into something greater.
I opened the door and walked down the steps, shielding my eyes from the bright sunlight. “Are you having withdrawal symptoms?”
He grinned when he spotted me. “I think I’ll stand forty feet away just to prove that I can,” Callan said, pretending to back away from me.
“I can annoy you from any distance,” I teased. I practically skipped down the steps to join him. His mere presence made me feel lighter—happier.
Callan’s dark eyes focused on me. “You were never annoying, Cerys. In fact, I’m going to miss having you around.”
I felt exactly the same. “Then don’t be a stranger,” I said weakly.
“I think we passed out of stranger territory about two weeks ago,” he replied.
“Are you here to see the chancellor or the Board of Regents?” I asked.
His brow creased. “Why would I be here to see them?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. To lodge a formal complaint on behalf of the League?”
He burst into laughter. “Cerys, you have to know me better than that by now.” He edged closer to me. “I’m here to see you.”
“Why?”
“Why do you think?” He ran a hand through his thick hair. “Now that this whole mess is over, I thought we could start fresh.”
“Fresh?” Did he mean as friends?
“I wanted to come sooner,” he said, “but I thought you’d want a break from me.”
“Not particularly,” I said. “I kind of got used to having you around.”
Relief washed over him. “Thank the gods. I’ve been missing you like crazy. Mona threatened to cage me if I didn’t stop pacing the floor of the office.”
I laughed. “I’ve been too busy being interrogated to pace the floor missing you.”
Callan eyed me carefully. “Any regrets?”
“None.” Hope swelled within me. “So when you say you want to start fresh, you don’t mean as though nothing happened between us?”
“Gods, no,” he replied. He cupped my face in his hands. “Start fresh as in a normal relationship—one where we exercise free will and choose to be together.”
My heart felt ready to burst. “Yes, that’s what I want, too.” I didn’t wait for him to act. I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him. He lifted me off the ground and guided me back to the steps so that I could stand at his level.
“There,” he said, placing me three steps up so that we were eye level. “Now we’re even.”
I clasped my hands behind his neck and pressed my lips against his. The welcome taste of cider and fig slid down my tongue. As much as I hated to stop, I pulled back to look at him.
“What about you living in Terrene and me living here?” I asked.
Callan leaned his forehead against mine. “What about it? It’s easy enough to cross the border back and forth. I have League credentials that allow me unlimited visits.”
“You’re not worried about the future?” I had one more year at Spellslingers after this one. Then I’d be off to the Eastern Quadrant. We’d probably never see each other again. I
pushed the thought aside. We had plenty of time to enjoy each other’s company between now and then.
“I was too worried about coming here today to worry about anything beyond that,” Callan admitted. “I thought maybe once you’d gotten rid of me, it’d change how you felt.”
I rested my hand on the back of his head, enjoying the sensation of my fingers buried in his hair. It was every bit as comforting as his wolf fur. We were fortunate to have this time together at all. There were so many young men who would never get to experience a moment like this. I wouldn’t dare waste it.
“How about getting something to eat?” Callan asked. “If I recall correctly, your cafeteria has pretty good food.”
I laughed and kissed him again. “Come on, I’ll show you the way.”
“Don’t need you to show me. I can smell it.” He inhaled and made a satisfied noise. “A nice roast I’d wager. Let’s go, lemon drop. We’ll need to beat your friend Bryn there before she gobbles down all the best options.” He gave me an apologetic look. “Sorry, I meant Cerys.”
“I don’t know,” I said. “Lemon drop kind of has a nice ring to it.”
He broke into a huge grin. “It does, doesn’t it? Sounds as pretty as you look.”
“I’m considering calling you pork chop,” I said. “What are your thoughts on that?”
He chuckled. “Lemon drop, you can call me whatever you like as long as you don’t call me late for dinner.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it, pork chop.” I looped my arm through his and we entered the building together.
Also by Annabel Chase
Thank you for reading Outwit, the first book in the Enforcer of the East duology. If you enjoyed it, please consider signing up for my newsletter here http://eepurl.com/dsug5j and receive 2 FREE short stories-one set in the Spellslingers world and one in the Magic Bullet world. You can also like me on Facebook.
More urban fantasy
A Magic Bullet series:
Burned
Death Match
Demon Hunt
Soulfire
Paranormal cozy mysteries
Starry Hollow Witches series:
Magic & Murder, Book 1
Magic & Mystery, Book 2
Magic & Mischief, Book 3
Magic & Mayhem, Book 4
Magic & Mercy, Book 5
Magic & Madness, Book 6
Spellbound paranormal cozy mystery series:
Curse the Day, Book 1
Doom and Broom, Book 2
Spell’s Bells, Book 3
Lucky Charm, Book 4
Better Than Hex, Book 5
Cast Away, Book 6
A Touch of Magic, Book 7
A Drop in the Potion, Book 8
Hemlocked and Loaded, Book 9
All Spell Breaks Loose, Book 10
Spellbound Ever After
Crazy For Brew, Book 1
Lost That Coven Feeling, Book 2
Spellslingers Academy of Magic
Outcast, Warden of the West, Book 1
Outclassed, Warden of the West, Book 2
Outlast, Warden of the West, Book 3
Outwit: Spellslingers Academy of Magic (Enforcer of the East Book 1) Page 19
