I watched hope flicker across Valen’s features, but my father wasn’t finished.
“Consensual?” He laughed bitterly. “Dean Thornfield, surely you understand the power dynamic at play here. This vampire has been feeding off my son, creating an artificial bond that clouds his judgment. You and I both know how vampires operate. Archer has most likely been manipulated into believing he has feelings for this creature.”
His words made my heart race. Even if I could speak, how could I prove that what Valen and I shared was real? The feeding bond did exist, and I had no way to demonstrate that my feelings went deeper than magical manipulation.
Valen stepped forward, his hands clenched at his sides. “The feeding relationship was consensual and fully disclosed. Archer understood exactly what was happening between us.”
“A twenty-one-year-old student cannot give informed consent to a centuries-old predator,” my father shot back. “The psychological manipulation alone?—”
“Enough.” Thornfield’s voice cut through the argument with quiet authority. “Professor Crowe, I’m going to need you to come with me. Mr. Quinn, you and your children will need to give formal statements.”
My stomach dropped as I realized what was happening. They were taking Valen away, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. The compulsion still held my voice hostage, leaving me unable to defend him or explain that everything my father was saying was wrong.
Valen’s eyes found mine across the room, and I saw my own helplessness reflected there. “It’s going to be alright,” he said quietly, though we both knew it probably wasn’t true. “This isn’t over, Archer.”
“Oh, but it is,” my father said with satisfaction. “We’re returning home immediately. Your mother is quite eager to discussbothof your future arrangements,” he added, glancing at Amelia.
The threat was unmistakable. Future arrangements meant the marriage contracts he’d been considering, the ones that would tie me permanently to some appropriate witch family and ensure I never strayed from the path he’d chosen for me.
As Thornfield escorted Valen from the room, I caught one last glimpse of amber eyes filled with regret and determination. Then he was gone, leaving me alone with my father and his enforcers.
“We’re leaving.Now.” He pointed a threatening finger my way. “And you can either go willingly or be dragged. It’s your choice. Either way, you’re coming home.”
I looked at my sister, still held captive by one of my father’s thugs, her eyes blazing with the same fury I felt burning in mychest. The compulsion spell made it impossible for either of us to speak, but I could see the determination in her expression. She wasn’t going to let this stand any more than I was.
But what choice did I have? If I refused to go, my father would make Valen’s life hell. He’d drag this through the courts, ruin his career, probably have him banned from every magical institution in the country. At least if I cooperated, maybe there would be time to figure out a way to fix this mess.
I nodded once, trying to convey resignation even as my mind raced through possibilities. My father’s satisfied smile made my stomach turn, but I forced myself to remain still as he gestured for his enforcers to release Amelia.
The moment the compulsion lifted, I felt the return of my voice like a physical relief. But before I could say anything, my father held up a warning hand.
“Not a word,” he said coldly. “You’ve done enough damage for one morning. We’re going home, and you’re going to think very carefully about your actions and how you’re going to rectify this entire situation.”
As his enforcers flanked us, I caught Amelia’s eye and saw her give me the smallest nod. She was planning something. I just had to trust her and buy us both time until she could make her move.
But as we walked down the stairs and out of Valen’s cottage, leaving behind the place where I’d finally found happiness, I couldn’t shake the feeling that time was the one thing we didn’t have.
The walk to the teleportation circle felt like a funeral procession. Every student on campus turned and watched as we passed by. But both Amelia and I kept our heads down, our gazes firmly on the ground in front of us. If we were going to get out of this, we had look like we were giving in. Widdershins wasn’t safe for use anymore. Our escape had to be from home withoutany tracking spells still in play. That was the only way to truly disappear from our father.
But as we reached the edge of campus, I dared to glance back. My heart sank as I realized Valen wasn’t there. He was probably being torn a new one by Dean Thornfield.
However, there was one figure standing there in the morning light. I recognized her immediately. It was Lila. There were tears in her eyes. And she wasn’t looking at me.
She was looking at Amelia.
It seemed my sister and I had more in common than I thought.
Chapter 26
Valen
“What thefuckhave you done?” Dean Thornfield shouted at me the moment the door closed behind us.
I just stood there, unsure of what to say. What was there to say? What could I possibly do to defend myself when they’d caught me red-handed, with Archer, my student, half-naked in my bedroom?
“Do you have any idea how bad this looks?” he continued. “How bad it’s going toget? The Quinns are one of the most powerful witch families in the world. They will not stop until both of our heads are on the chopping block.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to find some semblance of composure. When I opened them again, Thornfield was still glaring at me with the kind of fury I’d only seen him direct at truly problematic faculty members. The ones who ended up quietly dismissed and blacklisted from academic positions anywhere respectable.
