“It’s your choice,” she spits and holds up the torch. “And it still is your choice. Renounce your ties with the vampire and we’ll welcome you back into the coven. On probation, of course.”
“I’m not divorcing my husband.” Binx growls, tail swishing angrily back and forth.
“Husband,” she huffs under her breath. “Vampire-human marriage isn’t legal, you know.”
“It is in Michigan, and that’s where we got married.” I cross my arms over my chest and tip my head to the side. “You’re questioning this like you want answers. Do you have a secret vampire lover? I’d be happy to sit down and chat with you about it. I’ll tell you Lucas’s favorite veins to drink from and you can tell me where your boyfriend likes to bite you.”
“I’d rather be burned at the stake than betray our kind.”
“That’s a bit dramatic.” I raise my eyebrows. “Hate my lifestyle, curse my name—not literally, though. I’ve dealt with enough of that lately—do whatever, Ruby. You’ll lose sleep over it by hating me.” The wind blows through the forest, making the flame on the torch flicker like mad in the night. “But I’ll sleep like, well, the dead, next to my undead lover. Who likes to sleep naked, by the way.” I smile and step forward, digging my nails into my palms so hard it’s starting to hurt.
I’m used to my powers surging along with my emotions, but I’m feeling something else right now, and it’s similar to the buzz I got using hellfire to push the curse back last night. I can’t explain it, and the more I try to understand it, the more confused I get.
It’s like a caffeine buzz after a good night’s sleep. Yet it’s all around me, as if I’m taking in extra energy from the universe without trying. When I concentrate on it, really concentrate, I swear I can feel my body humming on a molecular level.
The wind dies down, and the fire on the torch turns red.
“They’re ready for you,” Ruby says and waves a hand over the torch, putting out the flames. “Let’s go.” She turns, holding up her hand, and whispers an incantation. “After you.” She steps to the side and motions for me to go through the door.
I suck in a breath, push my shoulders back, and scoop up Binx, needing to feel his soft fur against me. He rubs his head on my chin and starts purring as soon as he’s in my arms.
“I love you, too,” I tell him and kiss the top of his head. I step through the door and emerge into the entrance to the Gathering Hall.
The large doors are open, and I look out at the courtyard. A group of young witches and warlocks run around on the cobblestone path, playing some sort of game while their parents talk. Students sit at a cast-iron table beyond the courtyard, and the setting sun reflects brightly off the Academy’s greenhouse.
It’s business as usual for most of the coven, which leads me to believe this meeting is going to be much more low-key than the last time I stood in front of the Grand Coven. Practically everyone from the coven came to watch, and I’m sure a handful were hoping I’d be found guilty.
Ruby sticks the torch in a metal holder on the wall and flicks her eyes to mine. “Follow me.”
“I know where to go,” I snap.
She stops. “Then lead the way.”
“Fine. Where are we going?”
“The High Priestess’s study.”
“Not the Gathering Hall?”
“It’s in use.” Ruby walks quickly down the hall, heeled boots clicking on the stone floor. The fall semester started after the Equinox, and students mill about, still getting acquainted with their new schedules. I’ve walked these halls many times after graduating, but now I’m aware this could very well be my last time here—ever—all the memories come rushing back, and suddenly I’m a scared ten-year-old girl all over again, clutching a stuffed black cat in one hand and clinging onto Tabatha for dear life with the other.
“You are home, my darling girl.” Tabatha pulls her hand out of mine and crouches down. Her eyes meet mine, and it’s then I see the flecks of gold in them, sparkling from the candles in the lanterns hanging on the wall. “You are safe here, Callie. I promise you, no one will ever lay a finger on you again.” Her lips curve into a smile. “And if they do, this is where you will learn to defend yourself.”
She smooths back my hair and pulls the sweater up around my shoulders. It’s hers, and she took it off and draped it around me as soon as we were out of that awful place. I’m still barefoot, but the cold stone beneath my feet doesn’t bother me. I’ve been cold since the day I was sold like a lamb to slaughter, yet I can sense the warmth of this place.