“Of course there is,” I muttered.
“Well, spit it out, Cousin.” Twobble’s hands flew to his hips.
He held it out to me, and I noticed the paper was warm.
My name appeared across it in dark, curling script, but underneath it, another name slowly burned into view.
Celeste.
And another sizzled onto the paper.
My mother’s.
The room blurred at the edges as I realized the Priestess wasn’t threatening possibilities anymore.
She was choosing targets, and just like that, whatever hesitation I had left turned to ash.
And Keegan left the Academy.
Chapter Fifteen
We were all in my chambers, away from prying ears. Twobble and Skonk sat next to the window, with their little fingers in bags of homemade croutons for whatever reason, while Nova paced back and forth next to them. Stella glanced at Bella, and something unsaid was traded between them.
I opened a jewelry box on my dresser and pulled out the butterfly pendant Grandma Elira had given me so long ago. I turned it over and looked at the moonstone from Twobble in it.
And I realized something. The constant buzz and burning along my shadow mark had calmed. I put the pendant back down on the dresser, and the familiar searing ran through my scar.
“What are you doing?” Twobble asked.
“Ever since my injury, the scar has either itched, felt chilled, or seared with pain, and I've just learned to live with it. But the moment I pick this up, it disappears.” I fastened it around my neck and glanced at Nova.
“That is an important piece,” she said.
“I wore it at the beginning of all this. My grandma said it would guide me. But when everything was happening with Malore, I took it off. I didn't want to lose it.”
Nova smiled and nodded. “Oh, dear Hedge Witch. You wouldn't be able to lose that even if you tried. Wear it for protection now. It is no coincidence that it is blocking the shadows’ reach.”
“If all else fails, maybe it will help with some cooking spells,” Twobble said with a chuckle.
“Thanks for that, Twobs.” I eyed him as a text came over my phone.
I’d left Celeste a voicemail explaining everything as best I could without sounding like an overprotective mom, but in the magical world, did such a thing exist? I finally got a text back.
Mom, I’ll totally be fine. Keegan should be there with you.
I wrote back immediately.
It's not up for debate. Keegan can fill you in more when he arrives.
Caleb walked into my room and shut the door behind him. “Sorry for being late.”
“You're not late, I am,” my dad echoed behind him.
Caleb stepped aside, and my father came into view with his coat half-buttoned and his hair windswept, like he’d argued with the weather and lost.
For a second, the room shifted around him. Whether his father ever wanted to admit it or not, my dad had presence… alpha presence.
But here he was, a man again, not tucked near the hearth with wrinkly bulldog jowls and a bow tie, not snoring through important conversations like a furry little foghorn, but my dad.
