Tabatha is doing her best to try and dismiss this, but it’s obvious something is going on. The book absorbs witch blood. As far as anyone knows, I’m a witch. It should absorb my blood without any issue.
“Miss Martin,” Albert begins, extending the quill. He’s going to ask me to try again, and the same thing will happen, making it all the more apparent something is wrong.
With me.
My fingers tremble as I reach for the quill, but suddenly heavy footfalls echo down the hallway. We all look at the door, and a second later, Evander bursts in.
“Thank goodness you’re all here,” he pants.
“What is it?” Tabatha turns, face tight with worry. “Did something happen at the Academy?”
“Yes, but the students are all right.” Evander lets out a breath and comes into the study, closing the door behind him.
“We’re in a meeting,” Ruby rushes out, but Albert holds out his hand.
“Tell me, Brother Greystone,” he begins. “What happened?”
“I was preparing a lesson for my next class,” Evander says, going to the desk. “Just an introduction to how to stay vigilant against dark magic. I set up a map with a crystal and, well…I found something. Something dark.” Evander’s brows furrow, and it’s really too bad he went into teaching and not acting. “And from what I’ve gathered, it seems someone has been practicing necromancy on our lands.”
“Are you sure?” Tabatha asks.
“I fear I am, Mother. I sent Nerissa to investigate,” he goes on, speaking about his familiar. “And she brought back this.” He pulls a bundle of burned herbs from his robe pocket.
Tabatha gasps, and Albert leans away in shock. Damn, Evander is good.
“We need to look into this straight away,” Tabatha rushes out. “Professor Darrows, please see Miss Martin out.”
So much for saying goodbye to this place.
“But she didn’t sign,” Ruby argues. “She has to sign.”
“She will,” Albert presses. “As it’s Witch Law. There are more pressing matters at hand here. Something is going on with the book, and if necromancers are afoot…they need to be dealt with at once.”
“Of course.” Tabatha flicks her eyes to Artemis, and Binx goes over, rubbing his head against the fox’s, purring. Tabatha is telepathically telling something to her familiar, and he’s telling it to Binx, who’ll be able to relay the message to me.
Fucking genius.
“Miss Martin,” Tabatha starts, and we’re all able to hear the emotion in her voice. “You are no longer part of this coven. You are no longer welcome in our Covenstead. Please leave at once.”
It’s just formalities. She has to say it. But it hurts. I nod, and tears roll down my cheeks.
“Come on,” Ruby says, a little softer this time.
Afraid my voice will come out too thin, too shaky, I just nod again and follow Ruby out of the study. I wipe my eyes and pull my hood back up.
It’s just formalities.
Why did I think I’d come back sometime? It’s not like the laws are going to change within my lifetime. This place was my home…though I suppose I never really belonged here.
I’m only half witch.
Half angel.
If I don’t belong at Grim Gate, then where do I belong?The glow of my back porch lights comes into view, and I pick up the pace. I’ve had a chill since walking through the door, and I know it’s not just from the chilly night air. I did what I had to do, and I know I’ll still see my friends.
Besides Kristy, I didn’t see the others on a daily basis before, yet the option was always there. If I wanted to go the Academy library, I could. If I wanted to go hang out in the Gathering Hall and chat with the other witches, all I had to do was walk through the door. And now that’s been taken away from me, and it’s more painful than I anticipated.
The back door opens and shuts, and Lucas appears before me in the blink of an eye.
“How did everything go?” he asks, taking my hands in his. I swallow the lump in my throat and look up, wanting to tell him it’s fine, but I don’t have the strength to put up a front. The tears I’ve been holding back fall like rain, and Lucas cradles me to his chest. “I’m sorry, Callie. It’s not right that you had to choose.”
“I’d choose you a hundred times over,” I whisper, resting my head against his chest. “I’ll always choose you.”
Lucas takes my face in his large hands and gently tips my chin up to his. “And I would choose you over anything and everything. You are everything to me, my love.”
I close my eyes, jaw quivering, and let more tears fall. Lucas was the one who told me not to be ashamed of my emotions. Don’t bottle them up. Don’t let them embarrass me. Feeling pain keeps us annoyingly human.