Night Witch (Weatherstone College, #2)(47)

The moon couldn’t help him here.

“Soon,” he grumbled, sounding pained as he flashed his beautiful eyes my way again. “Now behave.”

“Ugh,” I grumbled. “Fine. Food me, and then fuc—”

“Paisley!” Haley’s shout drew my attention to their table. As I waved back, I noticed a familiar redheaded former best friend. Belle’s eyes met mine briefly, and my desperate need for Logan eased enough that I could focus on getting food and getting to our table.

I raced around the buffet, and on my way to the table with a full plate balanced in one hand, I almost got bowled over by a group of warlocks. A pissed-off sound escaped Logan as he caught my arm with his free hand, and by the blessing of Selene, all of our food remained on our plates.

“Logan, shit. Sorry, man,” a tall guy with dirty-blond hair and freckles said.

“It’s okay,” I burst out before Logan could let loose his annoyance. “I should have been watching where I was going.”

None of them got another word in as Logan waved his hand, his magic physically moving them to the side. I shot them an apologetic stare as he guided me through the crowd. “You don’t have to go all alpha on me, mate. It was an accident, and I wasn’t hurt.”

He was the one to grind to a halt now, and I looked about for the new disaster. “Say it again.”

My gaze shot to him. “Wh-what?” I murmured.

“Say it again, baby,” he whispered, his face filled with a deep, devouring emotion.

Racking my brain for what I’d said, it took me a few long seconds to figure it out. “Mate,” I breathed. “I’ve called you mate before.”

His eyes closed briefly, and if he was praying this time, it was with thanks. “You’ve never said it like that,” he said, capturing me in his piercing gaze as soon as he opened his eyes. “Like we are forever. You’re mine and I’m yours.”

“This possessive side feels weird,” I admitted, my heartbeat slamming against my chest. And fucking amazing. “After last year.”

His expression darkened. “I’ve had to suppress that side of myself for too long, but it’s flowing freely now. You better get used to an obsessive and possessive mate.”

Oh. Oh. I was a big fan of that declaration.

Logan’s eyes turned mossy green as he leaned closer. “You like that, don’t you, baby?”

With that, he guided me through to the table where all of our friends were already, and I was highly distracted by finally having Belle in front of me.

“You’re back!” I said, unsure if I should go in for a hug or not.

She stood and stiffly wrapped her arms around me, almost as if she’d rehearsed how to make this gesture but still didn’t quite have it right. The cool wash of her water magic was familiar, and I mourned what had once been. “Missed you, girl,” she said.

When we parted, I examined her closer, but she looked just the same as always. Tiny, pretty, with vibrant red hair and perfect skin. Belle told me on the first night we met that she never slept much, with all the travel between America and India, but it never reflected on her face.

“How was your break?” I asked, sliding into the chair across from her, between Logan’s and Noah’s hulking forms.

Belle’s smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I stayed with Dad for the first half. We traveled around checking out complaints from covens. Then I was with Mom for the last weeks.”

Sara piped up, “She went to Europe to look into the spellcaster rebellion.”

Logan stiffened. Not that anyone else could have known it from looking at him, but I felt it in the energy caressing my side. “Were you near the rebellions too?” I asked him, taking a bite of pasta. “When you worked for your father?”

“Rafael had us all over Europe,” he said, his tone indicating he wouldn’t be answering further questions about his time away, at least not in front of others.

“I hear you three are rock stars.” Belle changed the subject, looking between the huge warlocks. “Sad that I missed the show.”

“We’ve got another one soon,” Tobias said as he finished his cheeseburger. “We lose our bloody minds when we go too long without rocking out.” He sat across from Sara tonight, and she blanched when he locked his gaze on her. “You need to be there again. That was a fun night.”

Sara swallowed roughly, her cheeks slightly pinker as she no doubt recalled the night she’d gotten wasted on witch wine and had sex with Tobias. He’d been playing a game of seduction ever since, but she’d managed to hold out. “Yeah, I mean . . . if it’s a weekend, we can probably make it.”

“Dad has me locked down at Weatherstone,” Belle said, ripping up the bread on her plate. It looked like she was moving food around rather than eating it. “I can’t get weekend passes away this year.”

“What about your mom?” I asked, moving on to my sushi pile. I’d saved the best for last. “Surely your dad doesn’t get the only say.”

She stared at me for a beat longer than normal. “He’s taking point on safety issues,” she said with an undercurrent that I didn’t need an interpreter to understand. “All the unrest has him worried about his little girl, and I trust his judgment. He’s my dad after all.”