Page 40 of Reluctant Witch (A Course in Magic #2)

40

Maggie

Maggie remembered everything now. She remembered Sondre helping her escape, as well as telling her he could use their rules to let Craig come to Crenshaw. She also remembered her son sprawled out on the ground motionless—because of Prospero.

She stood in the hallway of the castle next to Dan and Axell. “Thank you for trying to help me when I… forgot some things.”

“Do you hate me?” Dan asked.

“For trying to talk to me?” Maggie scowled. “That was his idea anyhow. I knew that.” She nodded toward Axell, who shrugged.

“For erasing your memory?” Dan corrected.

Maggie looked at him, guilt plain in his eyes and frown. “I suppose they gave you a choice…? It was totally voluntary?”

“No, but… they said I could stay if I did it.” Dan crossed his arms over his chest.

“Right, help this or die? That’s what would happen if you were siphoned. Whatever was killing you would return…?” Maggie wasn’t pleased that he’d helped, but calling it a “choice” was far from accurate. The most important thing she’d figured out about witches was that they were just people—ones who lived long lives, often were misfits in some way, and generally had the false sense that threatening people or manipulating them was fine.

“Would you have done it?” Axell asked. He gave her a curious look, as if he wasn’t sure what she’d say.

“I agreed to it. Sondre said it would mean my son was here. That was enough.” She touched Dan’s wrist. “We all have reasons we make the choices we make. I left because they said he was dead, and it was a lie. I came back because they said I could bring him. Sometimes, under all the bullshit, there’s one true thing. One goal. One reason. For me it was love, but not wanting to die is a pretty valid one, too.”

Dan nodded. “So we’re good?”

Maggie gave him a wide smile. “I’m not sure anyone is good or evil.”

“Not like that!” Dan objected. “I meant—”

“I know what you meant,” Maggie said over him. “But if you’re going to be House Grendel, and I’m going to be around arguing about the antiquated laws around here, you might want to tuck that thought in a pocket. We’re going to disagree on things, Dan. That doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.” She paused and grinned. “You might as well be my stepson or brother-in-law the way you and my husband act. He’s protective of you.”

“True,” Axell murmured. “He’s threatened me.”

“In his defense, there was that whole… health-magic class where you and the doctor and I…” Maggie shrugged.

“Magic. Not by choice,” Axell pointed out. “I am Dan’s.”

“Right… You are sleeping with one witch Sondre’s protective over and shared orgasms with his ex and his wife. You’re never going to be on his good side.” Maggie grinned.

“Am I on yours?” Axell met her gaze.

“Yes.” She looked to the end of the hallway, where Sondre had appeared. “Drinks. Tavern. Soon.”

“Often,” Axell amended with a grin.

The two of them walked away, and Maggie turned to look at her spouse. There were new and old memories of her time here that contained him, as well as memories of her escape. Whatever else she knew, she was certain of him.

She walked toward him, smiling slightly when he paused at a classroom door and gestured. It wasn’t perfectly private; someone could walk in. Their suite wasn’t either, though, not until Craig moved back to the other world.

“Hi.” She smiled up at him, ignoring the ancient desks in the room as she followed him to the teacher’s desk. “Are you okay?”

“I should be asking you that.” Sondre opened his arms as she stepped closer.

“You helped me save my son.” Maggie reached up and stroked his cheek. “You helped me escape to find him, and you proposed a plan to help me have him here where I could keep him safe from Leon.”

“But I let them manipulate things, so I was married to you,” Sondre pointed out.

“Was that your idea?”

“No, but…” Sondre shook his head.

“I’m happy right here with you.” Maggie stretched up and kissed his chin. “I wasn’t looking for this, for us, but I still want to try it. Do you?”

“Yes.” Sondre’s hand curved around her hips, holding her still. “I want to be yours, but I think you need to talk to Craig about the school plan first. I don’t want you to resent me later if he hates it or…” He shrugged. “Being a parent means putting your kid first, and he’s the only kid I’ll ever have so that’s what I want to do here.”

Maggie felt like her heart was melting into goo. “How could any woman resist you?”

“Most don’t,” he teased. “Well, at least they didn’t until I had a terrifying wife.”

She mock-scowled at him. “The only one getting to be with you now is going to be me. Is that okay?”

“Very.”

She pressed a little tighter to him, loving the feel of being enveloped by him. “Find us a classroom like this later, and we can play a bit of naughty schoolgirl.…”

He groaned. “You are incorrigible.”

“You love it.”

“I do. I love you, Maggie.” Sondre lifted her up and kissed her, and she started thinking that maybe this classroom, this moment, could be—

“Gross,” Craig said from the doorway.

Sondre lowered Maggie’s feet to the ground and muttered, “I’m going to put a bell on him.” Louder, he said, “Why are you here?”

“Dan said you were in here talking. I saw him in the hallway.” Craig grinned. “Do we need to talk about hanging a sock or something on doorknobs?”

“Only on holidays,” Maggie said lightly. She glanced at Sondre. “Now?”

He gave a nod.

Craig looked at Sondre. “The solution you mentioned?”

Sondre nodded again.

“You could go to a high school over in the old world, where we used to live—”

“The Barbarian Lands,” Sondre interjected.

“Pennsylvania. Live with Hestia. She’d be your guardian, and you could visit me on holidays. Want to try that?” Maggie offered, trying to sound casual despite the growing fears and panic she felt.

“You’d be good with me going there? Living not with you?” Craig asked, looking only at her. He might be getting on slightly better with Sondre, but she was his mom. She was the parent he’d always looked to for answers.

“You’ll visit.” Maggie swallowed her burst of doubt. “It’s not perfect, but it’s a lot better than never seeing you because you think I died… and it’s better than being here where you aren’t happy. Even with the air cleaned, there’s no one your age. No sports. It’s got to suck a little.”

“A lot,” Craig said. “But it’s better than living with… Leon.”

Maggie paused at Craig calling his dad by his first name.

“He tried to kill me,” Craig said. “I don’t think he deserves to be called Dad.” He shot a glance at Sondre. “I don’t know if I’ll call anyone else that ever, but… Leon lost that right.”

Maggie felt teary.

“So, let’s tell the old lady you want to go to school in Ligonier,” Sondre said, filling in the awkward silence. He held out a hand toward Craig.

“That hand was on my mother’s ass, and who knows where else.” Craig gave Sondre a look. “No thanks.”

“Craig!” Maggie looked upward. “Seriously.”

“We’re going to need house rules when I come home on holidays.” Craig wrapped an arm over her shoulders. “This is how kids end up needing therapy. Parents who act like horny teenagers.”