“I-I w-w-won’t sue.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“Devlin,” I whisper.
“I’m done.”
Storm turns around and makes his way toward the door. I suspect that Devlin’s forcing him out, but Storm moves quickly. Even so, a couple of men follow, I assume to make sure that he doesn’t come back.
“Well, that was exciting,” Devlin says to the guests. “Time to forget about that nastiness and celebrate. Let’s all raise a glass to our engagement.”
I’m about to exhale in relief when Cathy steps into the center of the room.
“Stop!” She’s wearing a pink gown with skintight sleeves and a mermaid skirt. She marches over and points to me. “She did this! Blair Thornrose made Storm say all those lies. She influenced him into it. That woman made him do something against his will, and she should be punished!”
34
It’s funny how one moment you can be riding high, and how in another, you can sink so far down you’re not sure if there’s any place left for you to go.
That’s what’s happening now.
Cathy points to me and shouts, “Get her!”
But no one’s moving. People are glancing at one another in confusion.The bad guy just admitted that he’s bad. What’s the problem?
Cathy stalks the room, moving in a circle and staring down the crowd as she walks. “What? Is no one going to get Blair?” She points into the crowd. “Cherie! Sadie! Don’t just stand there. Do something. Grab her!”
She yanks her friends, or whatever you call them (because let’s face it, Cathy doesn’t have real friends) from the crowd and pushes them toward me, but they barely move.
My dad steps forward, standing tall and looking regal in his black tux. “Let’s all take a breath and calm down. We’ve had enough trouble for one night, Cathy.”
Cathy smirks. “I’m only doing what’s right. She’s a menace to all witching society.”
“It wasn’t Blair.”
Devlin takes my hand and squeezes it, giving me a warm smile before he steps forward. The crowds’ eyes are playing ping-pong, volleying from Cathy to him. They’re entranced. This is probably the most drama they’ve seen in weeks, months maybe.
He continues. “It was me. And what crime have I committed, Cathy? Tell me. Is it the crime of having Storm reveal the truth? Where’s the wrongdoing in that? I didn’t ask him to lie.”
“You took control of him,” she snaps. “You used magic on him against his will. That’s a crime, and stop lying for her. Everyone knows that Blair Thornrose has the power to influence. She did the same thing to you. Made you fall in love with her.”
“No, she didn’t,” he bites out, “and I would appreciate it if you didn’t talk badly about my fiancée.”
The crowd breaks apart into little clusters of whispers. Cathy glares at them angrily. “Stop lying for her, Devlin. We all know what happened back in high school, just like we all know what happened here. She made Storm lie. She made you love her. Those are crimes. Using magic on someone against their will is wrong.” She waves her arms at the crowd. “Why is everyone staring with your mouths open? Are y’all trying to catch flies? Do something. What if she used her powers on all of us? Made us do something stupid like jump off a bridge? What if she hurts someone? She’s not fit to walk around freely.”
Cathy points at me. “We’ve tolerated Blair up until now, but how many of you really trust her? She can destroy us with her power! Don’t you see it?” When no one answers, she throws back her head and screams, “Don’t you want her gone?”
The crowd is silent. So silent, and my mind is spinning. I haven’t done anything to deserve this.
This is why I hate my power. Because in my town I’m always one step away from being an outcast, from being punished forusing this curse in a manner that could hurt someone. It’s one thing to influence someone to bring me cake. It’s another to force a person to admit a deep, dark truth. Because the reality is—how much of what they say is the truth, and how much of it is the nudge?
Except in this case. I know that Storm stole the idea for the Spell Book, and that he had someone attempt to break into Devlin’s house. But Devlin would never use the power to do more than simply ferret out right from wrong.
But I’m probably the only person who realizes that.
Cathy’s still waiting for someone to step up. When they don’t, she slaps her thighs in exasperation. “Fine. I’ll demand that it be done. Someone lock Blair Thornrose up and throw away the key.”
Devlin tugs me behind him in a protective stance. “You will do no such thing. Every single one of you has been affected by this family, and not in a bad way.”
