Page 32 of Spellcaster (Weatherstone College #1)

“You’re in so much trouble,” Belle growled.

It was lunchtime before I dragged myself out of bed. Belle found me in the dining hall, and I spilled everything that happened.

“You promised you wouldn’t go anywhere on your own,” she whisper-yelled at me, “so why the fuck would you think it was okay

to get out of bed at midnight to stalk Logan?”

I felt like shit. “I know. I’m so sorry I didn’t let you all know. I was trying to take control of the situation because it’s

exhausting constantly living in fear. Jumping at shadows. I need answers.”

Her fierce expression remained for a few seconds, before it softened minutely. She took a sip of her tea, and I found the

scent of the herbs soothing in their familiarity. “I understand what you’re going through, but I also love you and wouldn’t

function without our friendship. You can’t be so casual with your life. I mean, what if Logan had chosen not to save you last

night? What if he was the one hunting you in the first place?”

“It’s not him.” I was sure of it now. “We need new suspects, and they have to be powerful enough to drag monsters out of the

planes of existence and into ours.”

“What about Logan’s dad?” Belle stared at the wide beams lining the ceiling. “Maybe he’s controlling a student who is weaker

than Logan. Noah?”

I’d considered this theory, but it didn’t feel right. “It’s possible, but I don’t think it’s Noah.”

“Did he really say that he doesn’t believe the monsters are being created? They’re being called? What the fuck is happening,

some weird evil Pokémon battle?”

A snort escaped me as I played with the rim of my coffee cup. “Makes as much sense as the rest of our theories.”

The briefest of smiles lifted her lips, before she grew somber again. “Are you sure you’re completely healed? No lingering

pain? Maybe we should visit the healers.”

My stomach wasn’t exactly happy with me today, but I didn’t have any pain. Picking up the chicken salad sandwich I hadn’t

even touched, I took a bite and chewed while I mulled over my thoughts. “I checked my body this morning, and there’s not a

damn mark on me. The healers didn’t even come close to this thorough a healing when I was hurt in the graveyard. Spellcasters

do it differently.”

If only I could stop thinking about just how differently.

Her lips twitched. “Maybe we should let them in on the secret, right? A few mind-blowing orgasms by the hottest, most powerful

warlock in the school will bring a witch back from the brink of death.” The twitch turned into a smile, and I waited for what

smart-ass quip was coming next. “You guys went all enemies-to-lovers. Haley will be fucking thrilled.”

I pressed my lips together and resorted to throwing a napkin at her. She cracked up, and I couldn’t help my own laughter.

It was cathartic. Not that we had any reason to release our worries and tension, but at times your body made the decision

for you.

“What’s the plan now?” Belle sipped her tea again. “The defensive spell didn’t work, which means we need a new spell or a

stronger one.”

“I have no idea,” I mumbled around my sandwich. “We need to get more proactive about figuring out how they’re bringing in these monsters. Once we have that knowledge, we might discover who’s involved.”

“I was talking to my dad about it,” Belle said, finishing up her tea and pushing the cup away. “He rang last night to talk

about the monster issue, and I explained what’s been going on.”

“Did he have any thoughts?” I asked, sandwich forgotten.

“He said the council and elders are doing a lot of work behind the scenes to figure out what’s been happening. It’s quite

the uproar out in the magical world. He did say he’d do extra research for us, and would pass along anything he learned during

parents’ weekend.”

I’d completely forgotten about the event, which was a huge deal for obvious reasons. “That’s next weekend, right?”

The magical barriers around the school would ease up to allow parents a chance to enter the school and observe their kids

at Weatherstone. Mom had mentioned it multiple times in our last call.

“Yep, next weekend,” Belle confirmed. “Barriers will allow parents in from nine Saturday morning until five Sunday afternoon.

Most parents don’t stay overnight, but will come back the second day for another visit. Dad said he’d actually make it, which

is wild.”

I was happy for her, because no matter how blasé she acted over her father’s lack of presence in her life, I could tell it

hurt her. This show of effort was a big deal, and maybe as a bonus, he’d discover information that would help with our research

and investigations.

When Belle left to grab another cup of tea, I started on my sandwich once more, only to have Logan drop into Belle’s vacated

chair. Well, not so much drop ; he casually sprawled into it, his huge body filling the space around him. “What do you want?” I asked as I swallowed roughly, almost choking on some chicken. After last night, I’d have bet my left arm he wouldn’t seek me out for the rest of eternity.

The air hummed between us, and even though his stare was almost lazy, those icy eyes missed nothing. “Is that any way to greet

the warlock who saved your life?” He was the king of faked affability. This side of Logan was the hardest for me to handle.

I never know what to do because his words never sounded threatening, but they were filled with undercurrents. Treacherous

ones. I only ever got half the story, half the picture, and I had to guess the rest.

“Apologies, oh powerful savior,” I managed to say with the same level of faked friendliness. “Pray do tell, why have you sought

my company in this hour?”

He flashed a hint of genuine smile before it was locked down again. “Firstly, the headmaster is aware of what happened last

night.”

I almost fell off my chair as I gaped at him, wondering which part he was talking about. “Last night?”

There was a feral snarl in his expression. “Right, the part where I found another monster and dispelled it.”

Holy goddess. He’d done that on purpose, and I debated if I could stab him with the butter knife beside me. “If my dad hears

I was attacked again, he’ll pull me out of Weatherstone. Did you mention my name?”

Logan watched me closely, taking in every minute change in my expression. When he locked me in his gaze like this, I couldn’t

breathe or think or process as I wanted, so I forced my face blank. “Of course not, Precious. What sort of best friend would

I be if I ratted you out?”

“The kind who’s mentally deranged because you’re not my best friend.” The bite I wanted to infuse into my words just wasn’t

there. I was frankly too tired for our usual snark.

He waved me off. “I’ll ignore those hurtful words for now, but I expect an apology when your memories return.” What the fuck was he talking about?

“Was this the sole reason you sought me out?”

“I wanted to let you know that you should be safe from now on. They’re casting a blanket across the school’s energy today.

Which will cut off strong magic. It’ll remain until they make headway on tracing the magical essence.”

My chest felt tight as Logan stepped in and solved another problem for me, almost as if he’d done it on purpose—when I was

sure he didn’t give enough fucks to make my life any easier. “That’s good news,” I managed to say.

“It is, isn’t it.” His tone and expression remained light, but the moss around his irises was back. “I don’t want you to grow

complacent, though, so in light of your continued involvement in almost dying, it might be time for you to stop following

me around and start working on your affinity. You almost got yourself killed last night.” The moss grew and grew until I was

staring into darkness.

“Following you around?” I wondered how hard I should be denying it, and also if I could manage to throw myself out of the

window by the buffet before anyone stopped me. That was how badly I needed this conversation to end. “A little cocky, don’t

you think? I have better shit to do than stalk the amazing Logan Kingston.”

A genuine laugh rumbled from him, and I liked the sound far too much. “Playing dumb doesn’t suit you. I’m a spellcaster. I

felt your energy from the first day you trailed my steps, and you’re one of the worst stalkers I’ve ever come across. I’d

suggest you don’t bother with that as a future career if your affinity never kicks in.”

He was just jabbing at wounds today, wasn’t he?

“Appreciate the career advice,” I sniped back.

“So, oh powerful savior, how do you suggest I go about honing my magic and figuring out my affinity? I’ve been trying, you know, but my energy won’t cooperate.

Surely, you’ve heard, since you’re aware of . . . everything .”

Logan leaned in closer, and I tried desperately not to breathe in his scent. Why did he always smell so good? I should have

searched his room for an aftershave brand and ignored the guitars. “You will train with Noah and me.” Any mirth he’d displayed

was long gone now.

“Wait, what? Train with you and Noah?” No fucking way. I couldn’t even be in his presence for two minutes without turning

into a hormonal mess; the last thing I needed was daily contact. I had to remain immune to Logan if I wanted a hope of staying

away from him.

“Cute that you think it was a request—you will train with us. I’ll be in touch soon, so until then, no wandering the halls

at midnight.”

The stubborn glint in his eyes told me I wasn’t getting anywhere today by arguing, but there was no way he could force me

to do this, so I just said, “We’ll see. Also, will your father be at parents’ weekend?” Now that the event had been brought

to my attention once more, I was concerned with Mom, Dad, and Rafael all in the same location.

His expression closed off, and I wasn’t looking at my “best friend” any longer. This was a scary spellcaster, a virtual stranger.

“My father is none of your business,” he said, and he was on his feet and gone before I could kick him in the shin.

Noise returned, and I wondered if everyone had fallen silent when Logan appeared, or if I’d been trapped in his powerful bubble.

He had a way of silencing the rest of the world when he was around.

“What. The. Hel. Was. That?” Belle dropped into the chair Logan had vacated, staring at me. “Did he seek you out? Did he mention last night? Are you two going to be hooking up now?” She was two seconds away from hyperventilating, and I had to laugh at her eager expression.

“Calm down. Logan stopped by to tell me that they’re casting a blanket over the school today, so we should be safe for a while,

and he also...”

“Also what, witch?” she shrieked.

“Told me that he will be training me until I figure out my affinity.”

She just stared at me, and stared, and stared until I felt uncomfortable enough to add, “It’s not that big of a deal.”

This time she snorted, looking more like herself. “You must be kidding yourself. This is a huge deal, Paisley. He’s a spellcaster.

They never train anyone. It’s almost as if he’s worried about you. When is your first training session?”

For my own sanity, I ignored the he’s worried about you comment. “Apparently he’ll be in touch , but I would guess soon.”

She sighed like I’d just eloquently spilled a beautiful love story. “Come on, weirdo.” I shook my head and got to my feet.

Belle joined me as we dropped our trays into the mess, and as we left the room, students stared our way. Stared and whispered.

I was pretty sure I knew why, but I still checked. “Do I have food on my face?” I looked down at my shirt and skirt, making

sure I hadn’t gotten my period and bled everywhere.

Belle barely even gave me a once-over. “It’s Logan. None of us have ever seen him sit with a witch in the dining hall. The

rumors were wild while you two chatted.” She side-eyed me. “Even with the blanket, you might need the same level of protection.

Logan just won the Hottest Warlock this year.”

My groan was audible. Of course he fucking did. Now I’d have to deal with Trevor complaining about his dethroning on top of

being stuck with Logan for this training.

Ignoring the multitude of morons in the room with too much time for gossip, we headed for Ancot. I caught sight of Trevor and Dad in the distance, but they were deep in conversation, so I left them to it.

“Are you going to tell your parents or siblings what happened last night?” Belle asked, following my line of sight. “Should

I not mention it to Trevor if we cross paths?”

They were friends, so it wasn’t a weird question. But her face was twisted in a way that I didn’t understand. “With the blanket

going up, I think it’s best not to stress them out with what might have happened. I didn’t die, and we all should be safer

now. I don’t want to leave yet, not when I’m closer to figuring out my power.”

Her expression was softer than it had been all morning; she’d finally forgiven me for not telling her about my midnight plan.

“I’d be heartbroken if you weren’t here, but I also don’t want you getting hurt. Having Logan train you might be a good thing,

Pais. Worst case, you can ride his face—”

I shoved her before she could finish that sentence. We weren’t exactly in a private space.

She snorted laughter, and I had all the regrets over spilling my guts about last night.

Even if it was all I could think about.