Night Witch (Weatherstone College, #2)(30)

Logan: I’m safe, Precious. And you need to sleep—I can feel your exhaustion from here. It’s not long until the start of school. I’ll be with you very soon. Just have to make sure everything is dealt with on this side.





I didn’t know what he was doing, but I found myself trusting him all the same.

Stupid or not, I was all in with Logan Kingston.

And I couldn’t wait for the new year and Weatherstone.



* * *




The night before we were set to return to Weatherstone, Sara and I spent a few hours packing our bags.

“So, are you ready for school tomorrow?”

She sprawled back on my bed, cradling her head in her hands as she stared at the ceiling.

“Yeah, I am actually,” I replied as I sat on my suitcase to zip it closed. I’d snuck a few crystals in even though I wasn’t supposed to spend too much time around them. Mom had locked most of them away, but I’d managed to smuggle out a couple.

Being cut off from them was almost painful, and while I wouldn’t take them with me in my pockets or wear them around my neck again, I needed to know they were close.

“I’m ready for some normalcy in my life,” I told her, when my bag finally closed.

“And I bet you miss that hunk of a spellcaster . . .” She almost sounded wistful, and I was fairly sure I’d seen a message from Tobias on her phone earlier.

Maybe I wasn’t the only one ready to get back to Weatherstone and see a powerful warlock.

When we headed down for dinner, Dad was in a celebratory mood, bouncing around the kitchen. “It’ll be great to get back to teaching and guiding my students, Little Gem,” he said as he ruffled my hair and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Your sisters said they’ll be back to see you before we leave.”

“What about J and Trevor?” I asked.

He shook his head. “They’re already at school. They’ll see you there.”

I shouldn’t be disappointed—they’d all been here again for my birthday and Christmas Day, but this distance between us all grated on me.

No matter what happened over the next year, I was going to work on getting my family and me back to the place where we were so close that they knew what I felt before I did.

I couldn’t let this affinity steal that from me.





Chapter 13




“We’re back, witches,” Sara shouted, dancing around the front gate while I hugged Haley. The Weatherstone College gates looked as impressive and imposing as the first time I stood before them, and I couldn’t wait to step into the Victorian-Gothic buildings of the prestigious magic college.

“I’ll catch you ladies later,” Dad said as he gave us all a gentle bop on the head, like we were cute puppies. “Stay out of trouble.”

“Always, Professor Hallistar,” Sara said, looking far more angelic than she actually was.

Dad just shook his head. After her extended stay over the winter break, he knew she was a brazen ballbuster masquerading as a meek witch. “It’s nice to be back,” he said, glancing around, his aura infused with a calm that had been missing during his suspension.

It was hard to keep my emotions at bay—I hadn’t been sure I’d see Dad walk through these gates again.

“Yep, sis, we’ll catch you at dinner tonight,” Jensen said, dropping an arm around me for a hug before he took off.

“Later, sis,” Trevor called as well.

They’d both been standing at the gates when we arrived, and combined with my sisters’ send-off this morning—which included hugs and tears—it settled a part of me that had been in turmoil since last October. “Stay out of trouble,” I shouted after them, receiving a wave over their shoulders in response.

Assholes. I loved them, but they were both assholes.

“So, how have the last few days been?” Haley asked as we started up the path, dragging our bags behind us. “We haven’t really had a chance to chat since Paisley’s birthday.”

She’d stopped in for my tiny party to celebrate turning twenty-three, after spending Christmas morning with her family. The night was fun, outside of Logan not making it, but he’d called and sent twenty-three gifts, which had included books, jewelry, crystals, and a small greenhouse with dozens of herbs. Not the same as the warlock himself, but he was showing that this bond between us was real, which helped to push my doubts aside.

“It’s been . . . good.”

Haley shot me a rueful glance. “Still no face-to-face meeting with a certain spellcaster, I see.”

My sigh was extended . . . revealing too much.

“I mean, he gave her a shit ton of presents on her birthday,” Sara cut in. “He can’t help it if he’s in Europe doing dumb shit for his evil daddy.”

Rafael was the reason he hadn’t come back to see me, and it worried me that Logan was balancing on a precarious tightrope between his father and me. The thought of him so far away and possibly in danger had my magic swirling against Gran’s spell.

“I spoke with Noah a few times,” Haley said, her voice lowering to a dreamy note. “He was with Logan in Italy and Germany, keeping him safe. Or so he said. They appeared to mostly be attending events. Did you know Rafael’s company is the largest distributor of integrated circuits? Going hand in hand with their innovative work in robotics.”