Belle had resisted no such urge, and all of us laughed, even as Haley shot the title our way. I filed it away because I couldalways use a new hobby. Collecting crystals, watching K-dramas, and worrying about my inability to express magic were notquite rounding me out as a witch.
“Okay...” Sara got back to the point. “The party is tonight, and we’re all going. This is to celebrate Selene’s energy,and it’s the first full moon since we started in Weatherstone. This is a rite of passage, and none of you witches can missit.”
Jensen and Trevor had been carrying on about this event for days, and I wanted to go, even though I had a shit ton of schoolworkand assignments waiting for me.
“Fine,” Haley conceded. “I’ll stay for an hour. That’s all I’m promising.”
Belle and Sara’s faces lit up, and then Belle rounded on me. “You’re awfully quiet over there, Paisley Hallistar. But justknow, if you’re not back here at six, dressed in your sexiest best, I’ll drag you out in your pj’s.” She blew me a kiss andthen raced off down the hall. “See you bitches in two hours.”
“Think she meantwitches?” Haley asked as we watched her sprint off.
“Definitely not,” Sara and I replied simultaneously.
After the girls left to get ready, I took a quick shower,and naked, collapsed onto my bed. I decided to grab a ten-minute nap because the sexy dreams were back in force now that the nightmares had faded, leaving me exhausted.
Sleep came quickly, ending when I was woken by a strong rush of magic tingling down my spine. I hadn’t felt anything similarsince the lake incident and it had me bolting upright, throwing on whatever clothes lay on the floor and tearing out of myroom.
The hallway was mostly empty, only a few students visible in the distance—certainly, no big-ass spellcaster. Ihadexpected to see Logan. Since the day at the lake, I’d taken to thinking of that tingle across the back of my neck as a warningof danger. Whether that danger came from Logan or an outside source, I had no idea, but I wasn’t about to ignore it.
As I stood there in the hallway, the energy settled leaving me frustrated as I reentered my room.
A quick glance at my watch told me it was already 5:30p.m., so I forced everything else from my mind and rummaged throughmy clothes to find an outfit. I settled on black jeans, black boots, a tight red sweater, and a black wool coat to throw ontop. It was still freezing outside, but the worst of the snow had passed by now, so we were back to just regular winter. Notarctic.
After straightening my hair until it hung in a shiny golden-brown sheath to midback, I added some makeup, lining my eyes darkerthan usual, topping it off with red lipstick to match my sweater. This was my first chance to get out of uniform with otherstudents, and I wanted to look good.
At six exactly, my door’s sensor pad was pressed, letting me know they were here. I hurried over to find Belle, Haley, andSara outside, looking gorgeous in jeans and jackets like me.
“Fuck yes,” Belle yelled, waving her hands in the air as she danced. “It’s party time, bitches.”
Haley snorted. “Such a human phrase.”
Belle shot her a wink. “I happen to enjoy humans. They fuck different to warlocks. It’s hard to explain, but I’m definitelynot ruling out a human match in the future.”
“Worked out well for my parents,” Haley said with a shrug. “I say go with your heart.”
As Belle’s father was an elder, I doubted he’d be cool with his daughtergoing with her heart, but if I knew my friend at all, she gave zero fucks about it. Outside of that first night when she’d been beaten down inthe shower, I’d only ever seen her brimming with confidence, and taking life by the balls. Literally, sometimes, if a warlockgot too handsy.
“Do you think they’ll have witch wine there tonight?” Sara asked, pulling out a small mirror to check her eye makeup, whichwas dark and shimmery.
Belle let out a groan, her features exaggeratedly sad. “Not a chance. We’ll be stuck with regular alcohol.”
Human alcohol barely affected us; magic kept our metabolism working overtime. But witches and warlocks had figured out a way.Starting with O’Hara, an English witch in the seventeenth century, who invented Trunica, the first witch wine. The brew hadonly been perfected since, coming in a range of flavors and intensities. It was strictly forbidden in Weatherstone, due toits twenty-six-plus age restriction, but in reality, what college experience would be complete without a little underage drinking.
I eyed Belle closely as she danced again. “Are you sure you don’t have a secret stash in your dorm?”
“My father would kill me if I sullied the family name that way,” she groaned, straightening her back and tilting her chinup. “Us Harpers are from the original witch lines, didn’t you know?”
Her dad sounded like a bit of a dick, and I expected nothing less from an elder and councilman. They didn’t reach those lofty positions without being both powerful and arrogant. Belle dealt with his control by acting out, and screwing around with humans apparently, but she still struggled tonotbe excellent at everything she did. My best friend already topped our grade in multiple classes, playing right into the rolehe wanted for her.
“Come on, friend,” I said, linking my arm through hers. Her killer black boots with silver buckles had enough heel to bringus closer in height. “Let’s get to this party.”
Haley and Sara hurried along with us, and we were soon in the middle of students heading for the party. The vibe in the airwas electric, and I felt tingles of energy, but they weren’t like the day at the lake. This wasn’t a warning, it was puremagic filling the air.
Weatherstone was letting loose, and as we descended the back stairs, my own excitement built. Thank the goddess I didn’t stayback and study. I wanted to be here tonight. Under the full moon.
The party was located at the back of the campus grounds, pockets of forest surrounding the large, cleared space. Tables wereset up, covered in food and drinks, as music blasted from speakers hanging in trees around us. Bonfires were in the processof being lit as fire elementals flexed their muscles, while air elementals, not to be outdone, dragged logs across for seating.
“This is amazing,” Sara crowed, voice rising in excitement. “Weatherstone is great and all, but the classes are hardcore comparedto my secondary school. We deserve this night to relax.”
