Wicked Magic: Harper Shadow Academy (Book Three)

by Luna Pierce

  “You zoning out over there?” Lillian pokes my arm.

  “Yeah, sorry.” I blink a few times, the school parking lot coming into my vision.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” She rests her fingers on the door handle.

  “About what?”

  “Whatever is bothering you. You don’t have to shut me out.” Lillian’s gaze seems to plead with me.

  “I don’t want to, either. There are some things I can’t exactly say. It’s a lot all at once.” I reach out and put my injured hand on top of hers. “I’m not going to disappear, though. Okay?”

  “I’m here if you ever want to get it off your chest. If you’re ever allowed to.” She exhales. “I don’t understand why you can’t tell me. But I want you to recognize that I’m here. You don’t have to go through whatever you’re going through alone.”

  Her words bring me immense joy. Not too long ago, I was worried I had lost her forever. But here we are, sitting in the back of Sydney’s car, having just gone dress shopping together, and her being a kind and caring friend.

  “Thanks, Lills. You really are the best.”

  “I know.” She beams and shifts to serious. “But I refuse to wear this thing without you there, so you better figure out what the hell you’re wearing.” She hauls the clothing bag out of the back of the car.

  Out of nowhere, arms consume me.

  “I missed you, you were gone forever.” Deghan picks me up and spins me around. “Why do all the girls have stuff, but you don’t?” He sets me down on the gravel lot.

  “I couldn’t find anything.”

  “Dude, what the hell. The formal is in a few days. What are you going to do?” Deghan’s eyes are wide.

  I didn’t realize the dance was so important to him.

  I shrug.

  “She’s going to have Syd take her to her house tomorrow and try to find something of her mom’s.”

  “Really?” He stares at me like he’s trying to examine to see whether or not this is a true story. “Okay… that works.”

  I lean into him, and we walk toward the big stone academy.

  “You hungry?” he asks. “I could eat.”

  I laugh. “Why am I not surprised?”

  Deghan weaves his fingers between mine. “Let’s find Cam.”

  “Hey,” I blurt out. “Speaking of Cameron.”

  Deghan’s brows crinkle. “Oh no, what did he do?”

  Smiling, I quickly say, “No, nothing. Not bad. I had an idea I wanted to run by you.”

  “Ooh, ideas.” He reverts back into light-hearted mode.

  “I thought that maybe we could help him plan a bake sale.” I’m not sure how much Cameron has told Deghan, but regardless, we’re all aware Cameron pays his own tuition, so it’s not far-fetched for him to need some extra cash.

  “That’s genius, actually.” He lowers his voice. “Has he told you what’s going on?”

  It’s a relief that Cameron has Deghan to talk to.

  I nod. “Yeah, a bit. I was hoping that maybe this would help.”

  “Absolutely. Everyone who’s had anything he’s made has loved it. No doubt it would go over well. I wonder if we could have a booth set up at the formal.”

  “That might work.”

  Deghan squeezes my hand. “This could be a game-changer. Give him that validation he needs to finally realize how freaking amazing he is.”

  “It makes me unbelievably happy that you’re so supportive of him.”

  “Cam’s my best friend. I’m a little biased but I have no doubt he’s going to be a world-famous chef one day.”

  “And what about you? What do you want to be when you grow up?” I glance up at him and smile.

  He meets my gaze. “Happy. I think I’d settle with just being happy.”

  “Me, too.”

  Cameron’s face remains expressionless.

  “Sooo… you on board?” Deghan hops onto the metal counter to sit next to me.

  Cam takes the nearby white hand towel and folds it, something he’s done twice now. “But what if…?”

  “There are no ‘what-ifs’,” Deghan cuts him off. “It’s going to be a hit, and you know it. And we’re going to help you. All of us. I’ll even drag Silas in here to ice cookies or wash dishes. Whatever you need. We’re your family. You need help, and we have your back.” He takes a breath. “And, people are going to go apeshit once they find out.”

  “You seriously think people are going to pay for this stuff?” Cameron folds his arms over his chest, crinkling his navy-blue tee. He leans against the cabinet.

  “I have no doubt.” I jump down, making my way over to him. “Have I ever lied to you?”

  He glances down at me, his gaze searching my face. He lets out a sigh. “No.”

  I stand on my tiptoes, pressing my lips to his cheek. “It’s going to be a success.”

  His mouth turns up at the sides. “Okay. Fine. But if no one shows up, it’s all on you.” Cameron moves quick, stealing a kiss before grabbing a notebook. “What should I make?”

  “Brownies,” I reply immediately.

  “No-brainer.” He looks up from the paper. “What else?”

  “Cookies, muffins, cupcakes, those tiny round things that are a little crunchy but have the cream in the middle,” Deghan rambles off.

  “Macarons?” Cameron asks.

  “Yeah, sure, that.”

  “Okay, I can work with this. I’ll see what else I can come up with. I’ll have to talk to Walker to make sure I can use the kitchen and figure out supplies.”

  “I can talk to him.” I may have broken the shadow realm and all, but fixing it was no easy feat, and it’s safe to say it’s pretty obvious that Walker feels like he owes me one. “Consider it taken care of. I second what Deg said, whatever you need. We’ll figure this out together. We aren’t going to allow you to struggle on your own.”

  “I love you, guys.” Cameron’s eyes glisten.

  “Awwww,” Deghan draws out. “Come here, big guy.” He pulls Cam in for a hug.

  I walk over, wrapping my arms around them.

  They both wiggle a bit, shuffling me amongst them for a smothering embrace.

  I allow it to consume me and disregard my lack of oxygen between the two gorgeous guys. I could think of worse ways to die.

  I jog up the west wing stairs, a sort of cheerfulness flowing through me with this newfound project of helping Cameron with his situation.

  With my stomach and heart full, I grip the handle to my dorm and pop myself inside. The shower calls to me, whispering sweet nothings of comfort and relaxation. I could definitely use it, considering this hectic day.

  It totally sucks I wasn’t able to find a dress, but at least I have Cameron and Deghan on board with the bake sale to raise Cam some bill money.

  I grip the hem of my shirt, bringing it over my head and tossing it on the bed nearest to the bathroom. It’s pretty much become a catch-all for my laundry, regardless of whether it’s clean or dirty. I’m usually more of a clean freak, but life has been a bit hectic, and I haven’t stuck to my normal standards.

  Something shiny catches my eye in my peripheral. Instinctually, I raise my arms to my chest to cover myself. I slowly make my way toward the new-to-my-room thing, gasping when my eyes completely focus.

  There, lying on my bed, the thing that nearly ruined my day with disappointment.

  Light-pink and flawlessly glittering, absolutely elegant in all ways, my fucking dream dress.

  But how?

  I hadn’t tried it on. How would the person know it fits?

  The only people who knew I had looked at it were with me, and it had sold while we were at another shop.

  Shortly after we left, though.

  Which tells me that someone else was there. Watching, and waiting.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Friday morning rolls around, and no one will admit to delivering the dress to my room.

  The girls don’t seem to care who only rather tha
t I actually have a dress and won’t be using the excuse that I don’t have anything to wear to get out of going.

  Lillian is especially pleased. “You can’t back out now.” She takes a bite of a muffin she grabbed off the sample tray.

  Deghan and I thought it would be a good idea to tease people’s taste buds with what Cameron has in store for everyone at the bake sale. So far, it’s going over wonderfully. His treats are the talk of the school, and not a single person has said one negative thing about them.

  The plan is to start selling on Saturday morning until about midafternoon. Then we will collectively break to recharge, get some more things cooked up if the supply is diminished, get ready for the dance, then take turns manning the booth at the formal.

  Walker had no issue with allowing us to use the kitchen. He had joked about something regarding the health department, but then laughed it off and mentioned how we have a hidden shadow realm for supernatural students.

  I guess that is a much more pressing issue than some college kids trying to raise a few bucks.

  The headmaster said he would front the bill for the supplies and Cameron could pay him back from the proceeds.

  All in all, the entire thing is going smoothly, too smoothly if you ask me.

  With my shit luck, I’m a little skeptical something catastrophic will go wrong. Like an oven catching fire or me burning my other hand, or someone getting food poisoning.

  I pray to the angels that it all goes well, for Cam’s sake.

  He’s been anxious about pulling this whole thing off, but he’s had this truly contagious optimism.

  I haven’t seen much of Silas, which tells me the stone is doing its job of putting a wedge between us.

  Deghan managed to fulfill his promise of getting him involved, though, sending Silas off on errands to get Cam the materials he needs to make his goodies. And because Silas is so damn quick, he gets it done in no time.

  “Are you ready for class?” Sydney asks from across the table.

  I glance at the big round clock at the front of the room. “Yeah.” I shove the last bit of my muffin in my mouth and swallow it down with a gulp of my cinnamon latte.

  Another one of Sydney’s wonderful creations.

  “You should totally sell coffee at the bake sale.” I point my finger at him. “Guarantee people would pay money for that, too.”

  “Look at you just pimping us all out.” Deghan winks at me. “What could I possibly offer?”

  “Hugs, definitely hugs,” I respond without hesitation. “I’d give the big bucks for that.”

  A wide grin befalls his face. “But they’re reserved for you.” Deghan scoops me up, smothering me the way he always does.

  I relax into him. “Yeah, this is heaven.” I breathe him in and let his warmth consume me. “Pretty sure these could cure cancer.”

  He laughs and ruffles my hair. “You’re losing your mind.”

  “Been there, done that.”

  Sydney walks me to class quietly.

  It’s hard to not realize something is on his mind. “Penny for your thoughts?”

  He stops his pace, facing me and dragging me out of the line of traffic. “Listen, I know Silas is important to you, and despite me really disliking him, this stone is doing him no favors. I’m not sure how much longer he can hold on in there.”

  I don’t understand. Silas has been distant, but he’s still been pushing through. And I’d be lying if I thought it wasn’t him who followed me and the girls into town and saw that I fell in love with that dress. Only Silas would have been able to feel the way that I did when I simply saw the dress. And only he would have been able to be stealthy enough to make it happen and keep his mouth shut about it.

  How could it be possible that he’s slipping away?

  Maybe Sydney is wrong. Maybe he’s exaggerating and getting worked up over nothing.

  “What makes you think that?” I study his face.

  “He’s different, Willow. Bad. Worse. I don’t want to stress you out any more than you already are, but I wanted to be transparent with you.” The dark circles have reappeared under his eyes, letting me in on the secret that he hasn’t been sleeping well again.

  “We only have to get through what, two more days? The full moon is Sunday? The stone will be charged by then, and we can use it, find my parents, and destroy it. What’s two more days?” I swallow the lump forming in my throat.

  Sydney averts his gaze. “Yeah.”

  “Hey,” Ruby interrupts our now silence. “You heading to class?”

  I nod. “Be right there.”

  “You go ahead. We can talk later,” Sydney says.

  He walks away without another word. The weight of his absence fills me. How unlikely for Sydney to be worried about Silas. I have to hope it’s only an overreaction. Sydney is on edge with everything going on, maybe he’s taking Silas’s natural disposition too seriously.

  “Everything okay?” Ruby asks on our journey to the end of the north wing.

  “Yep.”

  She points to my still wrapped up hand. “How’s that doing?”

  “Better,” I continue to lie. “Tremont works on it twice a day. He’s making great progress.”

  Okay, so it’s a tiny bit better, but only in a ‘healing naturally’, not a magical kind of way. I’m continually baffled at how everyone praises his healing abilities despite not noticing them whatsoever. Perhaps it’s me and how weird my magic is. It could be preventing him from healing me like it had hidden my magic from Abigail the time she scanned me all those months ago.

  “Morning, girls,” Abigail greets us. “Let’s get right to it.”

  All three of us walk to the entrance, whispering the same words. “Infito grantum modem.”

  The haze appears, we step through, and in a millisecond, we’re in another realm.

  It never gets any less strange that these types of things exist.

  Shadow realms and witches and vampires and werewolves and demons.

  I focus on the upper right-hand corner, checking those all-too-familiar seams that remain intact. I have no clue what the hell I would do if they weren’t, but it somehow puts me at ease to be able to see their seal.

  “I’ve been thinking, and today, I want to try a new approach. Ruby had mentioned she wanted to work on tapping into her personal power, and I thought that we could help her with that.” She looks at me. “Willow, you have quite a few natural talents, and that’s a great asset to be able to tap into those. I’m hopeful that we can work together to assist Ruby in finding hers.”

  “You have multiple abilities?” Ruby’s eyes go wide.

  My shoulders rise in a total I don’t know manner.

  “Willow is quite gifted, yes. It’s truly astonishing, and it’s safe to say she hasn’t even tapped into her full potential yet. Only time and practice will continue to show what kind of power Willow holds. But, considering you, Ruby, you struggle with tapping into those types of things, I believe this will be a great learning experience.”

  Yeah, sure, I have this big wonderful strong power, but I have no clue how I access it. The magic just comes to me. I desperately need it, and it’s there. And sometimes, it’s not. So how is that something I can teach someone else?

  If I’m being honest, I could use a teacher of my own for this kind of thing.

  “Willow, I don’t expect you to have black-and-white instructions on this, and you’re still learning, obviously, which is why this will be a great experiment for both of you to figure out these things together. Build off one another. Do the whole trial-and-error thing.” Abigail sits against the desk at the front of the room. “And I’ll be here every step of the way.”

  “I… I’m not sure where to begin,” I say quietly. It’s a little embarrassing that everyone sees me as this powerful witch, and I don’t have a clue what the fuck I’m doing half the time.

  “Let’s go back to the basics,” Abigail speaks gently. “The times you’ve found these powers. How di
d they come about?”

  “Well.” I recall the time in the woods. I had run out of the school, utterly overwhelmed and needing some fresh air, only to get lost in the woods like an idiot. I had closed my eyes, cleared my head, and whispered to myself how I was going to find my way out. Then, the flowers lit up, leading me toward the school. “I asked for them.”

  “Can you be more specific?” Abigail encourages.

  Ruby stares at me as though I have fourteen eyes.

  “I’m telling you, I focused on nothing but the problem. Allowed my mind to be totally free, and it came to me.” I’m not sure how else to explain it. “I was lost, quite literally, and I couldn’t find my way. I summoned some inner part of myself, and it showed me a path. Honestly, I thought I might be losing my mind.” Something we accused my mother of doing. “But my gut told me to trust it, to follow it. And when I did, I was back.”

  “Intuition is an incredibly powerful tool for supernaturals, witches especially.” Abigail hops off the desk she’s leaning on. “I have an idea.” She pokes at her chin. “What if we do some yoga meditation? Free our minds, loosen our bodies, and give room to whatever may flow in. Plus, it’s known to reduce stress and anxiety, so it’s a win-win either way.”

  “Uh, I guess,” Ruby says hesitantly. She accepts the rolled-up mat from Abigail, the ones we used the other day, and places it on the floor.

  I get mine and do the same.

  “Go ahead and have a seat.” Abigail collects one for herself and settles down, too. “Let’s start by closing our eyes.” She lowers her voice. “Relax your bodies… unclench your jaw, release the tension in your shoulders… take a breath in, and then out… with each one, continue to put your body at ease. Keep your mind from wandering by focusing on only your breathing and that alone. If your thoughts happen to stray, gently pull yourself back to the here and now.”

  I have five billion things going on in my life, how am I going to get all that out of my head?

  “Take a deep breath in through your nose. One… two… three… and then hold it two seconds. One… two… and exhale through your mouth for one… two… three… four. Good job. And again. Inhale… hold… exhale.” Abigail does the exercise as best she can while instructing us.