Page 19 of Spellcaster (Weatherstone College #1)

Dad didn’t know more than what the headmaster had told me, stating that he’d heard Walter had confessed and would be going

to jail for a very long time. The council had facilities across the country that held witches and warlocks, no matter their

affinity or how powerful they were.

“As long as he’s gone,” Dad said, “the rest are details. I just want you safe here, Little Gem.”

I agreed that was the most important part and let my worry go.

Later that week in apothecary with Belle, Sara, and Haley, the four of us were at our table near the back of the room, our

kits set out before us.

Professor Kary wandered between the rows. “Great work last week,” she said. “But we have new spells to work on today.”

The professor was a voluptuous brunette witch, with a penchant for bright red lipstick and outfits that hugged her ample curves.

Most of the warlocks in the class lusted over her, and I couldn’t blame them. Her sex appeal was innate, but my favorite part

of the class was her spell crafting abilities. I’d never met a more capable witch in that regard, and I’d already learned

a lot.

Apothecary for Beginners was turning out to be one of my favorite classes, and I found a weird sense of comfort as I crafted

spells in the steamy classroom.

“I love that necklace,” Belle said as I leaned forward and the crystal encased in a silver frame fell from my shirt.

Releasing my bundle of sage, I pressed my hand to the thick silver chain.

“It was my Gran’s. I never met her, but Mom made sure to pass on some of her pieces to me. It’s an amethyst.”

“Amethysts are supposed to have psychic and spiritual properties,” Haley piped up. “Or so I read. I’ve never had much to do

with crystals.”

Most witches didn’t because there was no need. If you disregard the few spells which required a crystal bowl, usually quartz,

we never used them in our magic. “Hopefully I don’t commune with any of the spirits,” I joked, because we all knew that not

even a house built of amethyst would give me necro abilities. It was the one discipline where there was no cheating, unless

you wanted to go all the way dark with some blood sacrifice. Which was a hard no from me because I enjoyed my soul mostly

uncorrupted.

Our conversation died off as we focused on the spell, and I barely noticed the time passing. My worries faded until I was

holding four parcels of protection herbs. “Keep small sections of it in your pocket,” Professor Kary called as we packed up.

“It could save your life. See you all next week.”

Packing away the unused ingredients into my kit, I slung the bag over my shoulder. “Is anyone else nervous about this spellcaster

class?” Haley asked. “I mean, why do we only have a few random classes with Logan throughout the year? What could that possibly

teach us?”

“I heard that Logan flat-out refused to take more than that,” Belle whispered. “Boy may be hot, but he’s scary, and no one

even attempted to force his hand.”

I tried not to think about Logan, or that fucking hoodie that I’d found myself sleeping in most nights this week. It was soft

and comfortable, and there was no other reason I kept putting it on.

I’d always liked comfort, and for some reason, his was softer than any of my hoodies.

“I’m mostly looking forward to staring at him for an hour,” Sara said casually, slinging her bag over her shoulder too. “He’s

been starring front and center in my dreams lately, and I would bite off a piece of that warlock with nothing more than a

crook of his finger at me.”

My magic flared, heat overflowing inside me, which I ignored as I forced myself to act normal while we headed for his class.

These special spellcaster lectures were held in the same room as necromancy history. They needed the stadium seating because

there was no way everyone wouldn’t turn out for this.

The four of us took a seat, with the rest filling up quickly. I saw Marcus off in the distance, but he was chatting to his

friends, and I tried to ignore the twinge in my chest. He’d seen me briefly after my attack to check I was okay, but he’d

made no mention of us hooking up again. I had no idea if it was guilt or if he’d lost interest, but either way... our budding

friendship had fizzled out already.

That might be a record.

Once the room was full, Logan entered without fanfare, striding in, the door slamming closed behind him. If you weren’t already

in the room, you clearly weren’t getting in.

“Silence,” he rumbled, and to my great surprise everyone shut the fuck up. He wasn’t a professor, but our magical essence

recognized the apex predator in the room.

“I don’t want to take this class,” Logan continued, his disdain seeping out. “It was part of my deal to transfer to Weatherstone,

and with that being said, I’m here to give you all a brief understanding of the affinity that is spellcasting.”

“Fuck me dead,” Sara groaned softly. “This dude could recite the alphabet and I’d be there.” She was dating blondie surf warlock, but apparently there was no substitute for a spellcaster.

Forcing myself to focus on Logan, I noticed the slightest twitch to his lips. “Lesson one,” he said, and without moving from

the center of the room or lifting his hands, he sent all of our seats shaking.

There were screams and gasps as the entire stadium seating lifted about five feet off the ground, before dropping again a

moment later. The silence that followed was heavy as we acknowledged the predator.

“We control the matter of the world,” Logan continued, showing no strain despite the fact he’d just lifted thousands of pounds

of witch and warlock. “And if you understand science at all, you know that everything is made of matter. Of elements and cells.

Of energy I can manipulate. Don’t get me wrong, I have the limitations of my body, and if I attempted to, say... throw

the Earth’s axis off, my magic would be exhausted and I would die. But on a smaller scale, we don’t have many limits.”

That heavy silence lingered, and I wondered if I was the only one whose heart pounded like I’d just run a marathon. It was

a fear response, plain and simple. Sara fanned her face, giving zero cares that he could kill her with a thought.

“I could destroy you all with ease,” Logan continued, and he smiled. Creepy asshole. Though most of the witches in the front

row were leaning forward with keen interest. “Some of you could hold out for a few minutes, if you had a strong grasp of your

own affinities. In larger numbers, you could fight back, but remember I control the same affinities that you do. Using water

against me won’t do much when I am stronger and can counter it. The only way to beat a spellcaster is to have enough witches

and warlocks, and enough power, to overwhelm them. Not that I’d suggest trying it.”

I studied him as one would do when faced with a creature of unknown origin.

Logan might be a warlock, but he was unlike any I’d ever known.

My gaze was drawn to that golden skin, and the flash in eyes so icy green that they were as unnatural as his power.

Why had he sought me out in the hallway after my attack? Why had he refused to defend Walter?

It made no sense.

More importantly, why couldn’t I stop thinking about him?

What the Hel was wrong with me? He hates me. His family had a fucking blood oath against mine, and yet... I found myself innately curious about him. The second he

pulled that hoodie over my head, I should have taken it to Trevor to burn to cinders, and yet... I couldn’t let it go.

“Lesson two...” Logan continued, and I wiped those other thoughts because I had no idea what he would do next.

Thankfully, there was no more attempting to move the building, but he did demonstrate his control of air, fire, water, wind,

animals, elements, weather, tides... it was a ridiculous list.

“Can you use necro energy?” a student called from the back of the stands. “Since you dominate all the other affinities.”

Logan lifted his head in the witch’s direction, expression almost bored. “No one can touch the planes of existence and nonexistence

unless they are necromancers. It is their one true calling, and while I have some control over the dead they summon here,

I will never be able to call spirits to our plane of existence.” The slightest chink in the spellcaster arsenal.

“Can you feel a student’s affinity if they don’t know what it is yet?”

I jerked to the side to see Belle with her hand in the air; not that she’d waited for him to call on her. What the fuck are you doing? I mouthed at her with a glare, but of course she ignored me.

Logically speaking, considering she was well aware of her affinity, that question was for me. Logan knew it too, as he fixed

his penetrating gaze on my face. “I’ve never done so, but I don’t see why I couldn’t.”

Belle lifted my hand. “Paisley volunteers.”

Oh my goddesses. “I’m going to kill you,” I muttered from the corner of my mouth. “And then find a necro to resurrect you

so I can kill you again.”

She snorted, before coughing to cover her laughter. “Come on, we might as well make him useful. And we both know you’re desperate

to find your affinity.”

“ Desperate is a little harsh,” I breathed, but she wasn’t entirely wrong.

“You’re powerful, Pais,” she whispered as she nudged me. “I know it, you know it. We just need a little boost to unlock your

potential.”

All possibly true, but not from Logan Kingston. He’d been associated with my two near-death experiences, and I trusted him

as far as I could throw the stadium seating.

“Sure,” he said, shocking the shit out of me. “Come down here, Ms. Hallistar .”

I felt the flush of heat in my cheeks as every single person in this room stared at me. He’d thrown out a challenge, and since

I refused to witch out, I got to my feet. Sidling out of the row, I descended the four stairs to the main floor. Logan didn’t

move, his gaze still firmly on me, the echoes of a smirk on his lips as he made me go to him.

This power play had me clenching my teeth hard enough to crack them, but I’d come too far to back out now.

“No affinity,” he said softly when I stopped before him. “Poor Precious, always rushing to catch up.”

His face in that park flashed through my mind again, and I wondered if I’d fallen because I’d been chasing him. With no further memories forthcoming, I’d probably never know. Especially as my current dreams about him were very much in the present and very much not when we were children .

Standing close to him had my energy swirling hard and tingles racing down my spine. Not those disturbing ones, but the sort

I was coming to recognize as strong magic. “Are you going to do anything or just stare at me?” I snapped, annoyed with the

entire situation.

Witches gasped around the stadium, and I barely stopped myself from sneering and asking why their brains were in their vaginas

today, before I realized how hypocritical that would be. I was hardly immune to Logan’s many charms.

“Brace yourself,” Logan rumbled, and then he lowered his voice until I was fairly certain these next words were just for me.

“Try not to gasp too loudly, Precious.”

I wanted to snap at him again, this feeling of being out of control grating against my composure, but his power locked around

me before I could utter a word. The strength encased me whole, as if I were bound in metal. I couldn’t move, or scream, or

even pee myself through sheer terror. Logan wasn’t hurting me, but that didn’t make it any less terrifying, especially as

the sensation of him digging into my essence increased.

He held me in stasis for what felt like an hour but couldn’t have been more than a minute. His expression morphed from indifference

to annoyance to frustration. His brows drew together, and he was standing close now. “Your energy is unlike any affinity I’ve

felt,” he said, and I was thankful that this time he kept his voice low. “I need to go deeper.”

“No,” I groaned, pushing through his hold. Or maybe he released me.

His hands grasped my biceps, and I was surrounded by minty evergreen as his touch burned through the material of my uniform. There was a brief pause, as if the universe held its breath along with everyone else in the room, and then I was struck with an inferno of his energy.

Wind howled through the room and water drenched us both, followed by multiple flickering flames above our heads, as if we’d

set off fireworks.

Half of the students rose out of their seats, but I was too busy staring at Logan to notice what they did next. His eyes narrowed

on me, and standing this close I could see a darker mossy ring around his pupils. Releasing me slowly, he waved a hand and

dried us both, all the while that penetrating stare never wavered.

“You’ve been holding out on us, Precious,” he drawled, his bored expression returning.

I shook my head. “I—I don’t understand.”

Did my power bring those elements out to play? If so, why in Selene was I so useless in class? Logan dismissed everyone soon

after, and I remained in a shocked stasis, trying to figure out what had happened. I felt him turn toward me, but unable to

deal with the intensity, I shook my head and raced from the room.

A few seconds later the girls found me, and thank the goddess they had my bag. I’d completely forgotten it was even in the

room. Sara’s eyes were wide as she opened and closed her mouth, attempting to speak but failing.

“What she’s trying to say is that was really intense,” Belle explained dryly.

At least I hadn’t been the only one feeling overwhelmed by the sheer energy we’d created together.

“I don’t know what happened,” I whispered, and none of them appeared to know either, as we all just stood in silence. Belle

had been trying to help me with her question, but I was more confused than ever about my affinity, and more importantly about

my connection to Logan.

The spellcaster affected me, and despite his snarky “best friend” moniker, we hadn’t seen each other in almost twenty years. We’d been children the last time we were together.

There had to be more here, an explanation for our connection.

I just couldn’t remember what it was.