Eventually we said goodbye to Simon and ventured next door to find Morris. His territory was more foresty, with visible cavesset back in the corner. Elementals helped them build these animal territories, and they did a damn good job.
Morris appeared when Jenna called him, a huge black bear poking his head out of a cave. He ran for us, and it was only a touch more terrifying than Simon. When Jenna greeted him, he wrapped his arms around her, careful of the lethal-looking claws, and lifted her into a—
“It’s a bear hug,” I cooed, barely suppressing myawwwwafterward.
Morris was terrifying, standing at least eight feet tall, but as soon as Jenna introduced us, his intelligence and understandingwere clear in his huge black eyes. He patted me on the head, like I was the cute puppy, and while there were no ear scratches,I figured we were buddies by the time we were done.
“You need to visit more,” Jenna said when we left, heading for our dorms.
“I do,” I agreed. “The study load has been intense, and there’s always some danger lingering around the edges, but I promiseto make more time for you. I love you guys so much.”
All the shit in my life was making me sentimental, but since the attack, and the Logan stuff, I felt as if my emotions hadgrown into this volatile mess of destruction. Zipping around me in intense arcs, which took me by surprise more often thannot.
Alice patted my shoulder. “Don’t be hard on yourself. You’re doing amazing. How is your search for an affinity coming along?”
I hesitated briefly. “They’re talking spellcaster, but also not, because I have this small penchant for necro, which as youknow, no spellcaster can do. The biggest issue really is that I don’t express enough power to be a spellcaster.”
“The fact that they’re even discussing spellcaster for you—” Jenna shook her head, the blue of her eyes boring into me “—means that you’re showing plenty of power. Everyonedevelops in their own time, and your energy released so close to your birthday . . . you could be a full year behind other freshmen.”
At some point I’d stopped beating myself up over myslower to develop than normalaffinity. “I’m just going to let it all work out in time,” I told them. “I have faith that sooner or later I’ll know my place.”
Mom would be proud of my newfound maturity, achieved mostly through the exhaustion of constantly questioning myself ratherthan personal growth. Or maybe it was a bit of both.
The twins left me in my dorm, and I felt their peace for a long time, even as I stared at Logan’s hoodie and debated wearingit to bed. That stupid length of material had become a comfort for me, but I decided tonight I would put it back in the wardrobeand return to my tank top and shorts.
Feeling more relaxed than I should when there was still a dark warlock or witch on the loose creating murderous monsters,I settled into bed and let my mind slow. Tomorrow I’d worry about it again, but tonight, I’d sleep.
Chapter 24
“Ahhhhhhhh!! It’s so fucking good to be home.”
“Trevor!” Mom admonished, as he threw himself onto the couch. “You’re not at college now, son.”
It was the Festival of the Moon Goddess holiday weekend, and Weatherstone gave all of us Friday off so we could visit family.Dad had opened our transport not twenty minutes ago, and after dumping our bags in our rooms, we were making the most of ourtime together.
Jenna and Alice had already headed out the back to greet the various squirrels, rabbits, birds, and other creatures livingin the forests behind the fence. The rest of us were sprawled around the living room, settling in like thoseold timesI’d been mourning.
“Mom,” Jensen whined. “I’m starving. Please tell me you’re making tacos. And paella. And lasagna.”
Goddesses, I’d missed Mom’s cooking too. Even though Weatherstone was amazing, nothing compared to Mom’s food. Her salmonsushi, made completely from scratch, was the meal I’d request for my last dinner on Earth.
Mom stood in the doorway with Dad by her side, his arms wrapped around her waist. If they were in a room together, they were touching. She smiled as Jenna and Alice stomped inside once more, ditching their muddy boots at the door. “I’llmake all your favorites.” Her voice rasped. “I’m just so happy you’re all home.”
Blinking away the heat in my own eyes, I tried to remember what Jenna had said. These moments might be coming to an end forus as a family of six, but eventually we’d find new traditions and moments. It wasn’t a loss, it was change and growth, andI’d embrace it just as fiercely.
Our first night at home was one of the most relaxing I’d experienced in a long time. No monsters, no eerie feeling of beingwatched, no dreams of Logan fucking Kingston. We watched movies until midnight, we ate everything Mom put in front of us,and we chatted about our lives. Jensen told us in detail about his time at the ocean, and the animals he saw beneath the surface.We also learned about Trevor’s new girlfriend. “She’s an elemental too,” he said, and fuck if his cheeks weren’t a touch pink.“We’ve been dating for a few weeks.”
The fact that he was even mentioning her to us meant that he liked her. His expression closed off after that though, so noone got anything further from him.
“Any news on the monsters or attack?” I asked Dad, scooping up queso with a corn chip and shoving it into my mouth. I’d beeneating all afternoon, and my stomach reminded me that we were at our limit and should stop. An excellent idea that I wouldnot be taking into consideration.
“They’re investigating.” Dad leaned back in his chair, eyes darkening with a brief whoosh of heat from his energy. “They wantto blanket the energy of the school, lock down any magic that’s stronger than level two. But that would also inhibit theirability to track whoever created that monster in the first place. So, for now, we’re in a holding pattern.”
Level two was basic spells. Enough for most college-levelmagics, but nothing strong enough to call a murderous insect on steroids.
“They’re not using their affinity to create monsters,” Jenna said with a shrug. “There’s no affinity associated with monsters.If it were me, personally, I’d be checking the library to see who touched books about dark magic.”
I almost choked on my next chip but managed to keep myself together. My energy would be found all over those books if theyfollowed that route, because I’d been trying to research these monsters for months.
