Page 34 of Spellcaster (Weatherstone College #1)

After they left, all of us crashed in the twins’ room, not quite ready to let the family togetherness end. We played cards

and binged on junk food that Trevor procured —aka stole—from the kitchens. By the time I was in bed, I marveled at the perfection of the day we’d had.

Only to wake up the next day to an absolute shitshow.

I’d just left the dorms heading down to meet my family when I ran into Belle and her father.

“Pais!” she called, waving me over.

Elder Monroe was dressed in a different gray suit, his hair as prim and slicked back as it had looked last night, and his

gaze just as cold. “Hey, friend,” I said, forcing a smile. No way would I let this arrogant elder see me sweat, even if he

was acting rude as Hel. “It’s nice to meet you, Elder Monroe.”

There was a slight twitch along his jawline, as if the sound of his name coming from me bothered him. “Nice to finally put

a face to the name, Ms. Hallistar. Belle has told me a lot about you, and the—” he cleared his throat “—happenings around

the college.”

I nodded, pushing down my unease as I decided to ask him if he had any information; he couldn’t hate me more than he clearly

already did. “She said you might have some insights for us, a way to figure out who is creating these monsters or how they’re

getting into the school.”

He smiled and I got strong shark vibes, as if he’d scented blood in the water. “This isn’t the first time there have been

monsters such as these in our community, Ms. Hallistar. You should read The Reapers of Purgatory , and then investigate the witch massacres of 1859. I think you’ll find it quite interesting.” The air virtually crackled

with tension as he stared me down, and I refused to look away. This asshole was almost at Logan’s level of threatening me

without uttering one threatening word. It also hadn’t slipped my attention that he’d said nice to put a face to the name and not nice to meet you .

“Dad’s a history buff,” Belle said cheerily, missing all the undertones in her dad’s reply. “If he says to check those books

out, we definitely should.”

I nodded, wary.

Belle continued in her typical A-type personality way. “Are there any spells we should be practicing to protect ourselves?”

“The only way to protect yourself is through the death of the witch involved,” he drawled. “You need to cut her head off to ensure she’s not able to practice her dark magic.”

“You keep saying witch,” I said, still meeting his dark stare unflinchingly. “Do the elders have a suspect?”

Whatever fake animation had been in his face vanished, leaving just those dead eyes. “It’s always a witch. Learn your history,

young lady, or I might think you’re at Weatherstone due to a certain professor and not your own abilities.”

“Dad!” Belle snapped, taking a small step back as though he’d slapped her. “Don’t talk to her like that. Not only is Paisley

powerful enough to be at whatever college she wants, she was almost killed three times by these creatures. She’s the victim

here, and we don’t victim shame.”

Like a pixie of happiness bopped him on the head, his smile brightened, and that threatening vibe he’d been shooting my way

vanished. “Absolutely, sweetheart. I just want to make sure you’re safe.”

Belle relaxed, buying what he was selling, but I wouldn’t be letting my guard down around him any time soon. “The blanket

is up, Dad, so we shouldn’t have any incidents for the rest of the year. We’ll do more research in the meantime.”

Elder Monroe brushed his hand lightly over her red hair. “I know, and with that, we should leave your friend to find her family.

We have a breakfast date before I must leave for the council meeting.”

Belle’s lips pulled into an apologetic frown as she faced me, but I just smiled. No way was I letting this asshole come between

us. “I’ll see you later.”

She leaned over and smacked a kiss on my cheek. “Find me tonight.”

Elder Monroe showed no sign he was disturbed by her warmth toward me. He took her hand and off they went for breakfast. But

I found myself uneasy all the way to the front gate.

Where another disaster was in the process of exploding over the grounds.

Mom and Dad had arrived, and they weren’t alone. Logan and a tall warlock that I could only assume was his father were facing

off against my parents.

For fuck’s sake. Apparently, this was the day for assholes to rain from the skies. No wonder today was gray and stormy, after

yesterday’s perfect blue skies.

Picking up the pace, I had the feeling that this confrontation was going to make meeting with Elder Asshole feel like a delightful

catch-up. Sprinting through the students, I came to a skidding halt beside Dad, hoping I could cut this off before it started.

Logan’s expression was the affable amusement he perfected so well, hiding the dangerous beast inside. Case in point, his eyes

were flecks of glass, light and iced over. “Nice of you to join us, Precious,” he drawled. “We were just discussing you.”

Logan’s dad turned his gaze on me, and I felt every hair on my body stand on end. He had the same piercing eyes as his son,

though his were dark. Almost black. He was fairer than his bronzed son, but there was no denying the resemblance between them.

I stared at the older version of Logan, still handsome, tall and broad.

But, despite Logan’s icy exterior, I’d seen warmth in him on those rare occasions when we were alone. In those moments, he’d

saved my life and used his power to heal my body.

Logan had fire in his power, but his father was all icy darkness. A void of warmth, obliterating everything in its path. He

reminded me of the monsters we’d seen in that text, with the shadowy aura over them.

This spellcaster was dark, and utterly, utterly terrifying.