A belated sense of betrayal hits me as I stand there, my head bowed. The pain I’d felt from losing her had erased many details that would have bothered me otherwise. I’d always thought she trusted me implicitly. I mean, she told me things that would have caused an uproar in the family if I’d told them, and I never did. I kept her secrets close to my heart, all of them, good or bad.
Her experiences with boys and sex.
Her strange habit of stealing small items from other people.
Her obsession with things like the zodiac and star signs, with family heirlooms and Father’s—her uncle’s—library, though I never actually saw her reading a book in all the years.
Her interest in theCoalescence, the magical event that brought the magical races out of hiding, the sudden increase in their magical powers, the clashes and bloodshed that followed until we reached this precarious truce, this fragile peace. The emergence of demonblood, I realize, thinking back on that now. It brought theCoalescenceto pass…
“Please, sign here,” Miss Worthy says, pushing a form toward me.
“What’s that?”
“An NDA. You can’t speak about anything you saw or heard at the Academy to the press or anyone else. Andthis…” She produces another form, places it beside the first one. “This one is to sign that you won’t perform any spells on anyone in revenge for being cast out of the Academy. Since you are a witch. One has to be cautious, more cautious than with the average student, you see.”
“You’re kidding me,” I breathe.
“Certainly not. These are rich, important families, Miss Apollinari. We can’t afford leaks to the press, and we also can’t afford to have you turn them into toads or anything like that.” She shrugs. “Though, admittedly, for many students here it would be an improvement.”
“Look…” I struggle to collect my thoughts. “Miss Worthy, I wasadoptedby the Apollinari. I’m not tied to them through blood.”
“And I’m a one-legged virgin on a trip around the world. Nice try, Mia.” She shoves the papers under my nose. “Now sign.”
She’ll never believe me. And it’s moot since the main problem is that I’m not enrolled, nor do I have the money to enroll, even if she let me.
My eyes burn. I bite the inside of my cheek, letting the pain center me. My hand shakes as I pick up the pen she offers.
Okay. People fail at their goals all the time. No big deal. And the boys will be just fine without me.
Of course they will be. It’s me I’m not so sure about. I press the tip of the pen to the paper—
“Miss Worthy,” a bass male voice says from behind me.
It has the instant and curious effect of hauling Miss Worthy to her feet and turning her face white.
“Mr. Evenstar.” She all but curtsies to him and as I turn around, I’m pretty sure who I’m going to find. A tall, middle-aged man with shoulders like a football player, gray hair swept back, dark eyes that seem somehow familiar. “Mia, this is the Headmaster, Mr. Evenstar.”
Just as I figured.
“Miss Apollinari will not be leaving,” he says, and a chill goes through me.
“What do you mean?” What is he planning for me? Worst-case scenarios flash through my mind¸ including dungeons on the school property complete with chains and snarling dogs.
“She was about to sign the papers, Mr. Evenstar.” Miss Worthy nervously rearranges her pens in a row on her desk, and she’s still standing, trembling with nervous energy. “She won’t be any trouble.”
“Miss Apollinari will continue to attend the Academy,” he says as if she hadn’t spoken, his dark gaze trained on me.
“But—” Miss Worthy’s gaze darts from him to me and back. “But her enrollment—”
“It’s all been settled.” He moves subtly, quickly to loom over me, forcing me to take a step back. That scent—like brimstone, like fire, it reminds me of someone, though there is another scent about him, like electricity, like lightning.
The Headmaster isn’t human, either, I realize. He’s a demon or some creature in that family.
“What do you mean?” I whisper. “Settled,how?”
“Someone vouched for you and paid your fees. All you have to do is fill out a form regarding your bloodline and magical abilities, and you can return to your classes.”
“But Mr. Evenstar,” the secretary splutters.