Page 20 of Spellcaster (Weatherstone College #1)

That evening as I walked with the girls to dinner, I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. It was that eerie energy

times a hundred, as if the very walls themselves were stalking my steps. “What even happened in spellcaster class?” Sara asked,

finally recovered from her shock. “I swear, you used multiple elements. Was that from Logan’s power? Or yours?”

I didn’t want to talk about it, and at the same time it was all I’d thought about since. “I wish I knew. I really wish I knew.

All I felt was an explosion of power, and then the elements were everywhere, and I couldn’t tell if it was Logan or me.”

“Or both, but either way, you were involved, which means you’re powerful enough for an affinity,” Belle said with a casual

shrug. “It’s just about figuring out the key to unlock your magic from wherever it’s bloomed and hidden. It makes sense to

me that not every witch and warlock accesses their energy through the same paths. I have zero doubts that you’ll get there.”

“Love you,” I told her, and I really meant it. Her unwavering support meant everything to me. Even with Trina and Olivia,

friends I’d known for most of my life, there was a distance between us. It was probably more my fault than theirs, since I

was content to hang with my family, but I didn’t feel that distance with Belle. Or Sara and Haley, if I was being honest.

“Love you, babe,” Belle said, her face all soft as her eyes grew shiny. “All of you guys.”

“Same,” I added.

“We love you too!” Haley said, getting in on the love. “If I swung that way, I’d totally wife one of you up.”

I cracked up but couldn’t disagree with her. Warlocks were drama, but unfortunately for me I wasn’t even a one on the bisexual

scale.

“Come on, future wifeys,” Sara said, “I’m starving. Let’s get some dinner.”

Haley groaned, “Holy shit, I hope they have the lasagna.” She clutched her paperback to her chest, and I noticed it had a

different cover to the one I’d seen her with yesterday. Today’s was mostly black, with a foiled skull and hissing snakes nearly

jumping off the page at me.

“You and your pasta obsession,” Belle said with a shake of her head. “Meanwhile, I’m hoping eggplant parmigiana is the special

of the night.”

“Also Italian,” Haley sniped back, before clearing her throat. “And delicious. I’ll have it also.”

My favorite remained the salmon sushi, but I enjoyed those other two dishes as well. Weatherstone was not letting us down

in the food department, that was for sure. Nothing would ever be Mom’s home cooking, but it came close here.

The buffet was crowded, so we waited our turn, and as if the goddess herself heard us, all our favorites were there tonight.

Even Sara’s, which was steak and mashed potato. “They’re too good to us here,” she moaned, shoveling in another forkful of

creamy potato. “What the fuck is even in this food? Crack?”

Laughing around another delicious bite of sushi, I startled when a hand dropped on my shoulder. “Oh shit!” Jenna backed up

a step. “Sorry, Pais. I know you’re still a little jumpy.”

I was, but not for reasons that she expected. Sure, the attack might still occasionally add a new dream into the sex rotation, but it was more the feeling of being watched that had me on edge.

“All good. Did you eat already?” I asked her.

Before she could answer, Alice, Trevor, and Jensen all strolled over, and I was staring up at my four very protective siblings.

“Yep, already done,” Jenna said, ignoring them. “We’re about to head down to the Barracks. Did you want to come?”

I hadn’t had a chance to meet their familiars yet, what with all the almost dying drama, and I knew I should, but I had so much homework waiting for me. “I wish I could,” I groaned. “I’ve got three assignments

that I have to deal with tonight. Rain check?”

Jensen swooped in and kissed my cheek. “Baby Sis, you work too hard. I’m feeling neglected.”

I shoved him away with a scowl, even though his puppy eyes were adorable. “You’ve been swimming every night, J, and not always

alone, I might add. I think you’re doing fine. I was waiting for Dad to organize a family trip home, but until that happens,

we should have lunch on the weekend.”

“It’s a date,” Jenna said sternly, before they all pat me on the head like their puppy and leave the dining hall.

Sara let out a sigh. “As an only child, can I just say that I hate you? I mean, as previously established I love you, but

I also hate you, because that was just too sweet.”

Lifting my last piece of sushi, I raised my eyebrow in her direction. “Look, I love them more than fucking anything, and I’d

kill and die for them without a second thought, but let’s be real here... they’re giant pains in my ass.”

“Would they be related to you if they were anything less?” Belle said, spooning the last bite of eggplant into her mouth. “Siblings are put on this Earth to break us down to our foundation, forcing us to rebuild ourselves into a stronger version. It’s how the species survives.”

Sara shrugged. “Maybe I was already my strongest, most perfect version. Hence no need for siblings.”

All of us laughed and Haley threw a spoon at her, which Sara dodged.

After dinner, with assignments in mind, I decided to check out the library. I hadn’t been to that building yet and needed

to do additional research for Defensive Spells for Beginners. The professor tasked us with finding the best overall defensive

spell that could be used in under ten seconds.

The girls were already up-to-date on their homework, so I walked through the halls alone. Halfway along the Zoo, I rubbed

at my neck to ease the tension building and fought the urge to glance behind me. I’d already done that ten times, and the

hall was completely empty. There was no sign of a stalker, no sign of danger, and no reason I should feel a dozen eyes on

me.

Maybe the attack had had more of an effect on me than I’d thought. The physical injuries were healing but the mental ones

were digging in deep. Creeping from my dreams into reality was playing dirty though, and I wondered if I should talk to someone

about it. I’d give myself more time to work through it, and if it didn’t ease up, I’d see about talking to the healers.

When I reached the library, using my paper map because I didn’t have Belle, I examined the building from the outside. A standalone

structure close to the Barracks, it used to be a religious shrine to Hecate and Selene, before the chapel was relocated into

a larger building in 1927. Since then, this old shrine became the library.

It wasn’t wide but it was clearly long, and as I ascended the dozen steps to reach the front doors, I found myself curious about what it would be like inside. I might not be a reader, but as I opened the double doors and stepped through, a sense of peace eased my tension.

Thousands of books filled hundreds of dark wood shelves, spanning into the distance. I loved the peaked roof and lofty ceilings,

with shelves built into every nook and cranny. Two librarians hurried past me then, and I felt the currents of air as they

used their affinity to move books to their appropriate shelves.

It was still early evening, and all the desks in my immediate vicinity were occupied, so I lifted my bag higher to ease the

heavy load and moved through the rows.

The lighting inside wasn’t too bright, just a calming glow, and with my tension completely gone—along with that sensation

of being watched—I decided I’d be spending a lot of time here.

I reached another section of desks surrounding a huge fireplace designed to exude heat in all directions. It had a glass protector,

and its flume exited the highest point of the ceiling. Peering around, I thought I was out of luck again, only to find one

desk in the corner still unclaimed.

Dropping my bag on it to reserve my spot, I hurried off to find the books I needed. The classification system here was brilliant,

and it took me less than ten minutes to find The Highest Protection Is the One You Create and Defending Your Energy: Magical Spells for Those Who Want an Extra Boost of Defensive Power .

Feeling quite pleased with myself, I was returning to my table when a shadow loomed over me.

Strong hands wrapped around my arms, and I was hauled deep into the stacks before I could utter a sound.

Screams built in my throat, as memories of that bag being jerked over my head pressed in on me.

“Breathe, Precious.” His low voice broke through my ragged breaths, and for some fucked-up reason, I calmed.

As I lifted my head, I found Logan staring at me.

His expression was hard, but his eyes weren’t as icy as usual.

Shaking him off, I backed away as far as I could go until I hit a shelf. Fighting the urge to rub at my arms where he’d touched

me, branding his energy into my skin, I glared at him. “What are you doing, Logan? Do you want your fucking hoodie back?”

Goddesses be damned, Paisley. You’re an idiot.

Logan tilted his head, and whatever softness I’d imagined was gone. “Explain yourself.”

Wondering if he was about to attempt to murder me thrice, I started to sidle down the aisle, only for him to growl and slam

his hands on either side of my head, effectively trapping me. “Explain,” he gritted out a repeat of his last statement.

“Explain what?” I shot back, clutching the heavy textbooks in my hands, debating if I should swing them into his face. He

was too close at the moment, so I pressed them into his chest, which didn’t move him in the slightest. Even worse, as I touched

his shirt, there was a spark of energy that had me yanking them away.

Logan didn’t appear to notice. “You come here pretending to have no affinity, to barely have power, and then you touch all

the elements in one class. Are you a spellcaster?”

It finally clicked on what his irritation was about; this suspicious asshole thought I was a sleeper cell of a witch, pretending

to be a lame little lamb. “Sorry to be an annoyance,” I told him blithely, and it was a straight-up lie, because I loved to

annoy this prick, “but I genuinely have no idea what my affinity is. What happened today was because of your spellcaster energy

and nothing else. It wasn’t me. It was you, bro, so you might want to back off.”

“I am not your bro,” he seethed. “And you better stop lying to me, Precious.” He brushed a strand of my hair back, grazing his fingertips over my ear and sending tingles through my energy. “I abhor liars.”

Swallowing roughly, because my throat decided to dry up, I snapped, “I abhor assholes, so I guess we’re even.” Realizing how

that sounded, I hurried to add, “And I’m not lying. I have no reason to lie. Also... stop calling me Precious . Where the fuck did you even get that from?”

The light green of his eyes briefly flickered darker, that mossy ring expanding. “Precious Gem. You don’t remember?”

Gem.

“My dad is the only one who calls me Gem,” I whispered, trying to figure out why I was panicking so hard. Those memories that

were just out of reach had my pulse racing. My breaths were harsh and rapid.

Logan leaned back suddenly, lifting his hands. “I know. I know everything about you, Paisley Hallistar.”

Forcing a normality in my tone that I didn’t feel, I chuckled darkly. “You thought I was a spellcaster. You don’t know shit

about me, and I really need to study, so... get out of my way.”

Logan eyed me for a long moment, and just as it appeared he was about to back away, tingles raced down my spine. The bad ones.

The I’m being stalked in the hallway tingles. With it came a feel of heat in the necklace hanging under my shirt.

Unable to help myself, I turned left and right, searching the long aisles of shelves.

Logan missed nothing, his sharp gaze turning to look along the shelves as well. “What did you feel?”

Moistening my lips, my breaths were ragged as I shook my head. “Nothing. I’m just reacting to being trapped in these shelves

with a psychopath who’s already attempted to murder me twice.”

Expecting more anger, all I got was a slow smile as he played with the ends of my ponytail, running it through his fingers. “If I wanted to murder you, Precious, you’d be dead.”

Jerking my head away from him, I felt the heat of my power, and there was a cracking sound as Logan’s head jerked to the side.

He blinked, and a rumble filled his chest as he stared with a look of disbelief. “Did you just witch-slap me?”

“N-no,” I stuttered out, because there was no way I’d slap a spellcaster. I might despise him, but I knew Logan could crush

me like a bug. “Unless my magic did that on its own. I don’t have an active affinity, and I certainly don’t have any control

over it.”

Logan showed zero shock, and to my surprise he didn’t look angry.

Nope, it was even worse.

He was intrigued.

“I’ve learned a lot here tonight,” he said, as he examined my face. I was so caught up in him that I didn’t notice the creepy

feeling was gone until I took a step to the side, and he let me.

“Whatever you think you know, you’re wrong,” I said, wanting the last words, even if they were lame.

“I don’t think so,” he murmured, and I doubted I’d ever get the last word with this controlling asshat. “I believe I’m finally

seeing clearly.”

Before I could wrangle up my next witty comeback, he strode away, leaving me to slump against the shelves, almost losing my

grip on the textbooks. Holy goddess.

That was unnerving, and I had no idea what to think about Logan. He wasn’t acting as if he wanted to kill me, but he was certainly

interested in my power, which made no freaking sense. Unless there was a game at play here that I wasn’t clued in on.

Stumbling back to the table, the Logan bubble burst, and I was once again immersed in the busy and noisy room. Students were chatting, spells were being stirred, and the

librarians were racing around shelving and retrieving books. It was as if those minutes in the stacks never happened, and

yet I could feel his energy and heat burning into my skin. My power was volatile too, just like my pulse.

What had happened with Logan? Had my magic slapped him? Had there been a presence stalking us, or was this all tied to his spellcaster energy?

More importantly, what was in our brief past together that had Logan acting the way he did? The nickname was one part to the

equation, but another was the sense of familiarity between us.

It wasn’t just the dreams. It was so much more than that, and I feared that if I didn’t figure out what it all was soon, I

would find my end at the hands of Logan Kingston.