It also wasn’t a lie.
Not at all.
23
The next morning was my Intro to Familiars I midterm, and I was shocked but not surprised when it was a much bigger production than was agreed upon. Honestly, I was annoyed that I hadn’t seen it coming with the way sexist men could be so petty and lived to put women in their “place.”
Wyatt was furious at how many turned out with their familiars and were trying to stack the deck so high against me it was beyond ridiculous. And the fact they were trying to interject themselves into the midterm of one student when they had no authority to do so… Ridiculous didn’t even cover it.
So while he argued, I pulled out my phone and sent a text to the headmaster. Then I started recording so he could really get a lock on the situation.
It wasn’t needed because he circled in behind it all and had a prime seat to witness the madness firsthand.
“Enough!” he bellowed after about five minutes. “This isn’t what was agreed upon.”
“Not even remotely, but I thought you would want to see how the children behaved behind your back,” I drawled, snorting when people gave me pissed looks. Or several were like I was nuts to be so bold right then. I simply rolled my eyes. “I’m not demeaning the headmaster to say he’s a cat and the rodents are playing while he’s away.”
“That’s not the idiom,” someone muttered to me.
“No, but it’s accurate at the moment,” I purred before focusing on Wyatt. “I’ll do it. I’ll handle all of them. Because I can and I’m that damn impressive. We both know it. Just make sure no one interferes, if you please.”
“It will be their job if they do,” Headmaster Kerwynn warned and luckily, the people around us weren’t stupid enough to think he was bluffing.
We also had a huge audience instead of in the lecture hall. For some reason, this was now being done on the quad and that pissed me off. I turned to my security who had already asked for more guards. I felt better when I saw Link there.
“Kill the phones. I’m not a damn circus animal for people,” I told him.
“Agreed,” he bit out, waiting until Kerwynn nodded. He adjusted his neck when people started bitching. “Shut it!” He glanced back at Kerwynn. “With permission, I suggest a barrier around Ms. Millen to make sure no one tries an ill-timed pranknowthat could be laid at her feet if familiars were injured.”
“Is that why it was done outside in the open instead of the safety of the lecture hall?” someone asked, their voice cold.
I didn’t know who asked, but I wouldn’t put it past someone. Probably someone who didn’t offer their own familiar. I snorted when I saw several of the administration suddenly not liking the plan.
Idiots.
I shared a look with Wyatt and knew he’d be investigating who pulled the location switch at least. Good.
Thanking Link when he put up the barrier and got involved, I moved into the area with the two original familiars. The next arguments were the “extras” weren’t going to stand outside of the barrier while their familiar was inside.
“That’s your choice and not my problem if you won’t agree to the terms of the assignment when trying to stack the deck against me with an additionaltenfamiliars because of your inept ‘mistake,’” I mocked.
“That’s enough of your sass, Ms. Millen,” one of them snapped.
“‘Sass?’” I chucked. “Am I five? A child you’re scolding like you have some right to?” I glanced at Kerwynn. “Is there someruleagainst calling out—”
“No, but let the people with the power to do something handle it instead of wasting more of your time,” he cut in, looking annoyed.
And I thought with me this time which made me flinch. It also annoyed me because none of this was my fault.
It also affected my feelings and how the familiars reacted.
The two I was supposed to work with were nervous and upset. I slapped on the best smile I could and moved over to what I had brought, setting it all up and showing them that there was nothing to be scared of and we were just going to have fun. When it was clearly going to be a test I aced, the others sent their familiars in.
All. At. Once.
Cute.
I turned and didn’t even acknowledge the warlocks, only the familiars. “You will be kind and respectful if you wish to join this party where we will be having fun. I am the hostess, and I know you are not animals who don’t know what that means. Behave in a way befitting your warlocks and do not embarrass them.”
