"Good." My father said and leaned back in his chair. He took a sip of brandy before continuing. "I trust that you have been well since we last spoke?" He asked. He was never good at small talk.
I nodded. "Yes, and you?"
He sighed and shook his head. "My son, how I wish you could be by my side right now. The magical underworld is facing much unrest. Politics." He added with a shrug.
My father was the leader of the Sons of Hell. Organized crime was my birthright. The organization went deep into mage culture and history. As soon as I was done this stint at Woodlock's, I would take my rightful place within the community.
"I see," I said when he did not continue. "What of the message you sent me? What of her?" I didn't dare speak her name or tell him that I was already well acquainted with the little witch.
"That witch has a history with the Sons of Hell." My father spoke and waited for my reaction.
I didn't let my surprise show, stiffening only a fraction. "Really?"
"Would I mislead you?" He asked and chuckled. "Yes. I was only notified of her presence yesterday, which was why I made the urgent trip. That little witch is more than she seems."
"What does she have to do with us?" I asked.
"It turns out that Evelyn Knight is the daughter of two defectors of the Sons of Hell. Her parents fled twenty years ago to escape the community." My father explained, not stopping as my eyes grew wider. "Her parents have evaded our enforcers for years, dodging both the law and their fate."
I knew as well as anyone that leaving the Sons of Hell meant certain death. The community did not let anyone escape with their secrets.
"Her parents are wanted fugitives. They are running from the Sons as well as the law. They have evaded capture for twenty years, but now I believe we might be able to finally track them down."
"How?" I asked.
"I want you to get close to her and find out what she knows about her parents," My father said. "It is my understanding that she was captured when her parents escaped a MCS raid. She might have an idea of where they are or where they would go."
I nodded. Thank the gods my poker face was strong. How the hell was I going to get close to her now after what I had done to her? Not that I cared, but this was going to make it much harder. "I'll do it," I said.
"Good boy." My father finished the last of the brandy in a single gulp. "I will wait for your message." He stood and snapped his fingers, sending a fire signal to the door and letting the Headmistress know we were finished.
I watched him leave, flanked by Headmistress Gertie and Coach. Once the sound of his footsteps faded away I let out a sigh and slumped back in the chair. "How the hell am I going to get her to trust me?" I muttered, rubbing my temples.
I didn't have a clue right now, but I had no option but to comply to my father's wishes. Just because I was his blood did not mean I was immune to punishment at the hands of the Sons of Hell.
TWELVE
------------------------
EVIE
Living without my wand felt empty and cold.
I kept the broken shards of my wand in my drawer with the necklace from my parents. I had nothing else in this world that the Sons could take from me now. They had stolen the access to my magic and there was no way I would be able to get my hands on a new wand until I was released from Woodlock's Home. I didn't dare tell the Headmistress what happened either, knowing being marked as a snitch would only further my punishment.
I wandered the halls after class, drifting aimlessly until I reached the sitting room and curled up with a book. I couldn't focus on the words I was trying to read, so I gave up on learning about woodcuts of magical creatures and picked another book at random.
"Good evening, Evie," A voice chirped as someone bounded into the otherwise quiet lounge.
I looked up, noticing that a few others glared in her direction before going back to their studying. Lucy.
The lioness shifter settled onto the opposite end of the couch with homework in her hand. Anger Management for Shifters was the title of the book. She didn't ever seem to be anything other than happy, so the class must be working.
"Uh, hey, Lucy," I said.
Lucy eyed the book in my lap and the others scattered around me. "So you're studying about," She paused to cock her head sideways. "Sixteenth Century Mage History?" She read the spine aloud.
I sighed and tossed the book away. "No. I'm just trying to keep busy."
"Don't you have enough homework for that?"
I really wasn't in the mood to play twenty questions with her. She could not take a hint if her life depended on it. At least she was a distraction from mourning the loss of my magic. I nodded to her book. "Is that homework?" I asked.
Lucy nodded with a smile. "Yep, and the therapist says I'm doing really well." She started speaking faster and faster. Sometimes I wondered if she was actually a cheetah shifter. "I've always had trouble with my emotions but these techniques are working wonders." She took a deep breath through her nose and exhaled. "See? You can't help but feel calm!"
"Is that why you ended up here at Woodlock's?" I asked before I realized how blunt I was being.
Lucy's smile faltered and she went quiet. "Yeah, something like that."
I should have apologized, but now I was curious. "What happened?" I asked.
Lucy shrugged and then spoke. "Well, I don't really talk about it much," She said. "I had to come here because my anger was making me shift uncontrollably."
"Like you'd just shift at random?" I asked, leaning in closer.
Lucy nodded. "Yep. I have a hard time controlling it." She laughed. "And randomly turning into a lioness in random places isn't exactly a good thing. So they sent me here."
"I haven't seen you shift. It seems like you're working hard."
Lucy perked up a little. "Yeah I am. But, they've also blocked my shifting powers with a strong hex, so I couldn't shift right now even if I wanted to."
"A blocking hex?" I repeated. Now that was some seriously strong magic.
"Yeah," She said and hugged herself. She was dressed in a fluffy golden-yellow sweater that was giving off serious lion vibes. "It's a little weird, if I'm being honest. I feel like I've lost myself."
I couldn't help but sympathize with her. "I know how you feel," I admitted. Then, realizing I was close to admitting weakness I added, "I mean, we're not supposed to use magic here," I said, not daring to let anyone know my wand was broken and I was pretty much magically defenseless. "So I miss it, y'know?"
Lucy nodded. Her blond hair bounced with the motion. "Yeah, I get it." She smiled. "Thanks for listening." There was a pause before she spoke again. "So how did you end up here?"
I guess I owed her an answer now. "Well," I stopped to chose my words carefully. "My parents are on the run and last time the MCS showed up at our door, they caught me." I shrugged as if it was no big deal. The memories made me dig my fingernails into my legs. Just remembering Agent Sully's smug smile was enough to make me sick.
"Ah, the Magical Control Squad." Lucy nodded. "I've heard about them." She paused. "Have you heard from your parents?" She asked.
"Nope," I said with a shake of my head. "And I doubt I will."
"Have they been captured?"
"As far as I know they're still at large," I replied. "But I don't know how I'd find out anything being stuck in here." I gestured vaguely around the room. "It's not like we have a consistent feed to the outside world."
Lucy raised her eyebrows. "Uh, the Internet?" She laughed.
"Well, yeah, but it's not like the MCS posts their daily activities on a blog or something." I rolled my eyes. Geez, this girl was dumber than I thought.
Lucy stared at me for a moment before speaking. "Well, no not like that." She conceded. "But, there's lots of news and reports that we could look up." She furrowed her brow. "How can you not know about that?"
Now it was my turn to be embarrassed. I had gone to a mundane school that had access to all the new te
chnology it could afford. It wasn't that I was stupid, I just never fell into the trap of social media or mass consumption of news. I definitely knew that the activities of the magical world were not easy to find for the average person.
"Fine," I sighed. "Can you show me?"
Lucy grinned, grabbed my hand, and pulled me to the computer lab. She sat down and began clicking away at a incognito browser tab. "There's tons of back doors into the magical web when you're on mundane computers, but here we can just stroll right in."
I blinked. "I had no idea that Google was in on the magical world." I wouldn't admit it to her, but my parents didn't teach me much about the magical world at all. Everything was on a need to know basis.
Lucy laughed. "How else would they do what they do? There's gotta be at least a few warlocks and witches on staff." She clicked around again and then perched her hands over the keyboard. "Ok, what are your parents' names?"
"Juliet and Emmet Knight." I whispered, glancing around at the other students who looked too engrossed in their homework or Youtube to care.
Lucy typed in my parents names and waited a moment for the search results to come back. She pointed to the screen. "Here, take a peek." She scooted over and I leaned over to read the results.
The first entry of hundreds caught my eye. LOCAL COUPLE STILL AT LARGE: Magical Community on High Alert. It was dated yesterday.
I gasped, nudging Lucy over more and skimmed the article. According to this, they hadn't been seen since they made their escape. Their old mugshots accompanied a thorough description of them, down the the scar on my father's hand.
I had been captured over two weeks ago. MCS agents had questioned me endlessly, but I truly had no idea where they had fled to. They gave me truth serum to prove it, which I did. My parents never told me anything about the criminal shit they were up to, probably for my own protection.
I clicked through the other links, finding the same information from national magical news sources. They hadn't been seen in two weeks and were considered very dangerous. All of the stories were the same. I wasn't sure if I should be relieved or not. I leaned back in my chair and let out a breath.
"So they're safe?" Lucy asked after a moment.
"It seems so," I said. "Unless they've been captured by someone worse than the MCS."
"Wouldn't someone tell you if they were?" Lucy asked.
I shook my head and let out a sarcastic laugh. "Doubt it." I stretched and closed the browser tab. "Thanks for reminding me of this," I said to Lucy. "I haven't had much time to think of them lately, but it's good to know they're still safe from the law."
Lucy grimaced. "But, if they were criminals, shouldn't they pay for what they did?"
That irked me. "My parents are people who made a few bad choices. They're not the kind of people that you're thinking of. They were always decent to me and never hurt anyone."
Lucy looked away. "If you say so."
I touched my sleeve and then remembered my wand was gone. I sighed and shook my head with frustration. "Whatever, I wouldn't expect you to understand." I walked off without looking back.
~
The next day in group therapy I sat with my arms crossed and my eyes to the floor. Knox was uncomfortably close to me and not just because the air around him was always freezing. I could feel his eyes on me and no matter how hard I tried to ignore him, the feeling gave me shivers.
I couldn't help but remember how he did nothing when Blake broke my wand, only to say that they had gone too far. Was he a coward? Was he actually remorseful? I couldn't decide, but the fact that he spoke up to Blake about what he had done meant I didn't hate him as much as the others.
I tapped my pen on the edge of my book as Ms. Lowe assigned journal entries for the next class.
"Oh, and there will be no class on Monday as I have a professional appointment out of town. We will resume our therapy on Tuesday morning."
No class? Long weekend? That made me perk up and I scribbled it down on my notebook so I wouldn't forget and show up to the class like some nerd. I made the mistake of looking up and catching Knox's eye.
Knox smiled at me and his eyes glittered.
I looked away quickly and bolted out of my seat as soon as we were dismissed.
"Hey, Evie!" Knox called to me as students pushed through the halls on their way to lunch.
I sighed and stood against the wall as he walked towards me. "What the hell do you want?" I asked. I wanted him to know that he was far from forgiven.
Knox put his hands in his pockets. "I just wanted to say sorry."
I blinked. Seriously? Knox Avery. The ice mage. He was apologizing to me? Well, there's a first time for everything. "Apology not accepted." I turned away but he grabbed my arm.
"No please, listen," He said and released me when I tugged against his grip. Why were all these mage guys such cavemen? Had no one here heard of personal space?
"I don't care what you have to say." I shot back.
Knox ran his fingers through his white-blond hair. "I know you don't want to listen, but I want you to know I'm sorry for how Blake treated you. You didn't deserve for him to go that far. We were just trying to shake you up a little and he got carried away."
"Shake me up? You mean threatening to burn me alive and breaking my wand isn't the worst you can do?" I noticed his expression and shivered. Of course that wasn't the worst they could do, we were in a home of criminals after all. "Whatever. Just leave me alone."
"I'm not done," Knox said.
"Listen. You've apologized. That's enough. No reason for us to stand here talking," I said. "If I don't get to the dining room soon, all the food will be gone. Not all of us have fancy dorm suites." I added just for spite.
"I deserved that," Knox said. "Ok, how about I make it up to you?"
"You can make it up to me by never talking to me again," I said, adjusting my notebook in my arms.
"How about lunch instead?" Knox asked.
I was hungry and not having to eat in the dining room with the masses sounded like a nice break. "Lunch?"
Knox nodded. "Yeah. Lunch, no strings attached. In mage culture food is often used for peace offerings and negotiations. I'd like to show you that I really am sorry for how you were treated by Blake."
"Fine!" I conceded. "Lunch, and then you'll never talk to me again."
Knox chuckled. "We'll see about that, little witch."
~
"Are you sure Blake and Zane aren't going to show up?" I asked as Knox unlocked his door. I glanced around nervously.
"Nope. Those guys have a different morning schedule than me today. So it'll be just us."
I wasn't sure if I should be relieved or worried about that. I walked into the dorm and couldn't help but be impressed. Their private apartment was huge. Two couches were in front of a massive flat screen TV, complete with gaming platforms and a high-quality sound system. There was a round dining table and a narrow kitchen with gleaming cabinets and marble counters. Four doors led off from the living room, which I assumed were bedrooms and a bathroom. "Wow, so money can get you all this?"
"Money and influential families." Knox shrugged as if it were no big deal. "Apparently this was a private suite for the old headmaster and his family, but seeing how Gertie is as barren as a tundra and couldn't make a man fall for her if her life depended on it, she uses a smaller apartment."
How rich were these guys' families to bully the damn headmistress out of her private apartment? I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.
Knox went to work in the kitchen, leaving me drifting awkwardly in the living room. In no time at all he had sauteed vegetables with glazed salmon ready for us. He set the plates down proudly. "Bon appétit." He drizzled extra teriyaki sauce over the fish with a zigzag pattern.
The food smelled wonderful. "Wow, this is... wow." I was at a loss for words.
"Please consider this part of my formal apology." Knox said, sitting down and waiting for me to take the first bit
e.
The meal was perfect. The stems of asparagus were firm but cooked through, the fish flaked apart in my mouth, and the sauce helped it all come together with a kick of garlic. "This is incredible!" I said and I meant it. "You're an amazing cook!"
Knox blushed. "Thank you."
"You should open a restaurant when you get out of here. Seriously," I said.
Knox shrugged off the compliment. "Nah, probably going to have to stay in the family business." He didn't need to say it; I knew he meant crime.
After lunch we finished with freshly ground espresso shots. I sipped the bitter drink and let out a sigh. "I could get used to this," I said without thinking. I knew full well this would be the last time I set foot in the Sons of Hell's apartment, but it was worth it. "This was so much better than the slop they feed us downstairs." I set down the tiny cup. "Thanks."
"My pleasure," Knox said. He stood up and cleared away the dishes.
These guys even had a dishwasher; I had to hand wash dishes my entire life and these snobs had a nicer kitchen than I would have even dreamed of, not that I was much of a cook.
I watched Knox roll up his uniform sleeves to reveal strong forearms. I couldn't deny how sexy he looked here in his element. I crossed my legs and forced the hot thoughts out of my mind. I didn't even want to go there. This was a bad idea but I wanted it more than anything. I stood up with my espresso cup.
Knox looked up at me and his blue eyes shot another wave of desire through my body. "Oh thanks," He said as he took it from me.
When he stood up straight, we were closer than I had anticipated. I held my breath, feeling the cold air around him, despite my warming cheeks. "Well, thanks," I said. "I should go."
The way Knox looked at me told me he didn't want me to leave. "Right," He said. "Well, that was fun." He was so close to me if he leaned in a fraction I could kiss him.
I bit my bottom lip. "I should go," I said again.
"You don't sound convinced." Knox's cold eyes glittered with lust and he pushed against me, trapping me between the counter and his thin but muscular body. "Do you want me to give you a reason to stay?"
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