With that, he yanked up my suitcase as well as the duffel bag, and marched out the front doors.
Chapter 3
My shock lasted a few long seconds.Refusing my acceptance to Weatherstone?Okay, someone better tell me who Rafael Kingston was, because that name had triggered Dad out of his sanity.
When my brain kicked back into gear, I raced out of the building and down the steps, following his path. “Dad!” I shouted—he’dalmost power walked all the way to the front gate. I cursed as my sneakers slipped on the paved path, which needed a blastfrom an elemental to clear the icy muck slicking the well-worn stones.
“Dad!” I called again. “Come on. I’m not chasing you all the way home.”
His long legs ground to a halt, allowing me to close the distance between us. When I was almost at his side, I noted the wayhis shoulders heaved up and down as he fought for control. He continued to stare at the gates, no doubt wishing we were onthe other side and ready to depart.But why?
“Dad, who is Rafael Kingston?” I asked tentatively when I reached him. My breath was visible as I watched students streamthrough the gates, bags and suitcases in hand. “Dad, you’ve got two minutes before we no longer have privacy.” My voice wavereda beat because I’d never seen him like this, and the longer he was silent, the more I freaked out.
“Rafael Kingston and I grew up together,” he finally murmured. He shook his head as color returned to his unnaturallypale features. “Come on, let’s get off the main path.” I followed him over to a large tree, one of the multitudes of ancient oaks that dotted the college. Despite the weather, it was still a wash of gorgeous red and orange leaves.
“You grew up together...” I pushed.
He nodded, his eyes still screaming panic, even if his tone was even. “Our families were friends, and we ended up being thebest of friends. Went to Wintergreen together when we started primary at ten, and then secondary, before we ended up at Weatherstone.”
A twinge of familiarity filled my thoughts, as if I’d heard this story before, even though I was pretty sure I hadn’t.
“His son, Logan, is a few years older than you. Trev’s age. You all grew up together, but when you were four, tragedy struckand Rafael’s wife, Isabel, was killed in the forest.”
A flicker of a memory joined that familiarity. A child’s face, arrogant and perfect, staring down at me. I’d... trippedin the park.Logan.His name raced through my mind, and that one image, but there was nothing more.
“Rafael blamed you?” It was the only explanation I could muster for my dad’s reaction right now, since he wasn’t known forlosing his cool like this.
“He blamed your mother.” His voice was cold and bitter. “Isabel and your mom were best friends too, with all of us spendingour years together. They were in the forest on the day of the accident. The pair of them were avid hikers, always out in theelements to test their power. Your mom said that she felt a spell and then was knocked to the ground, and by the time shecame to, Isabel was gone. They found her body a few days later. Rafael’s grief broke him. He accused your mother of delvinginto energies she couldn’t control and drawing darkness to her. But that was his pain speaking.”
“Mom never uses her magic anymore,” I mused softly. Dadstared at me for a beat, and I finally put the pieces together. “That’swhy she doesn’t use her magic?”
She’d never told me explicitly why, just stating that she preferred to use her physical skills versus her magical ones.
“DidMom cast a spell or call on energy she shouldn’t have?” I asked, and then immediately regretted the question as a storm offury descended over Dad’s face.Shit.
“Of course she didn’t!” he seethed. “She was hurt that day as well and lost her friend. Since then, she’s rejected all butthe most basics of magic, and for a witch as powerful as your mother, that’s painful.”
I didn’t fully understand that concept yet, with my magic sporadic and uncontrolled, but I believed him. The essence of magicalenergy inside was innately part of us. The part that separated us from humans, and to cut yourself off from that would belike removing an organ—painful and debilitating.
“Okay, so Rafael hates us, and by extension his son Logan feels the same, no doubt.” I shrugged. “What’s the big deal? I canignore him for the year. We’re not even in the same grade. I mean, this warning is probably more appropriate for Trevor.”
Dad pursed his lips. “You heard Ms. White. He’s a spellcaster, powerful enough that they’ll have him teaching classes. Youhave no skills to fight him, Paisley. You’re the baby of our family, and I won’t risk you.”
There was nothing quite like being called a baby when you were twenty-two, but I understood his worry. “Dad, I need to learnand improve my magic. I need to discover my affinity and have a chance to apply for a coven. I won’t let this family stealmy future like they stole Mom’s magic.”
He growled, like, a legit growl, and since he wasn’t a nature sprite with an animal familiar, it took me by surprise. “There’s a blood oath,” he bit out, sounding hesitant, as if he knew he shouldn’t be telling me this. “Between Rafael and me. Thisis more than just a mere rivalry that you can ignore. Logan is going to hate you, and through his father’s anger, possibly try to hurt or kill you.”
I just stared at him. “Surely Weatherstone doesn’t just allow students to wander around murdering each other...”
That was when Dad grew very still. “Rafael and Logan are spellcasters. I don’t know why they haven’t come after us beforenow, but maybe this is a long-term revenge plan. Maybe he was waiting for all my children to be in our old college. I don’tknow the reason, but... I’m worried.”
“Maybe Logan doesn’t care,” I suggested, finding it hard to believe that this was all an elaborate plan. “What if I take extraprecautions. Like, I promise not to wander around late at night by myself, and you can magically seal up my room with protectionspells.”
Everyone got their own dorm rooms, and while the doorways were magically keyed to the energy of the student who occupied them,all spells were breakable if you were strong enough and had the right tools. Dad was powerful though, so adding his energywould give me another layer of security.
He sucked in a deep breath, staring up at the underside of the branches, like the answer lay there. “I’m going to discussthis with your mother,” he said softly, “and whatever we decide together will be final. Until then, you can stay here andstart settling in. But if you catch a hint of Logan, you get away from him immediately. You hear me?”
The way he saidfinalchafed at me, but it wasn’t worth arguing with him until I had his decision.
