Page 88 of The Spell Caster

I chuckled. “Having a problem? It probably hates you. I know I do. Does Ash know you take orders from Grey, angel-lover?”

“How dare you! Stay away from me! The Councilor will have you punished for hurting me.” The caster huddled miserably in the corner.

I rolled my eyes. I was too tired for this shit. “He doesn’t care about you, little suck-up. He left you in here, with me.”

Footsteps in the hall turned out to be Ewan and some other guardian. How many of us has Grey roped into this?

He frowned at the witch trying to hide from me. “All right, Blackthorn. The Arcaenum is meeting, so come along like a good boy.”

“Or else what? Your buddy here is tapped out.”

“I don’t know, Constantine, but The Councilor’s got your spell caster. It’s not too hard to imagine what kind of security threat she poses, and what he might have to do to stop her from letting you go free.”

My rage was doused with cold terror.

I suddenly found myself feeling very cooperative.

Chapter 18

LAYLA

Afirm knock on the door had me hiding my phone under a pillow. I sat up straight and quickly smoothed out my hair, thinking it would be Daire with my mother.

Without waiting for me to answer, Calamus strode in. His red spell caster robes swished around him as he crossed the room to where I was sitting on the bed.

“What do you want, Calamus?” My voice came out more snappish than I’d expected.

The spell caster blinked in genuine shock as if he hadn’t just turned Costi in to his meddling dad and then gotten me locked up in a room. “I came to see how you’re doing,” he said.

“How I’m doing? How do you think I’m doing?”

“There’s no need to take things out on me, Layla,” Calamus said acerbically.

There was every need to take things out on him, but I decided to be the bigger person. “Yes, well, as you can see, I’m still being detained, and I’m upset. Can I help you with anything else?”

Calamus sighed and sat on the bed next to me. “I’m sorry you’re upset.”

He was sorry because I was upset. That was it?

“Let me make things better for you,” he said.

“How?”

He placed one cold hand over mine on the bedspread. “If we got engaged…”

My body reacted viscerally before my mind could catch up, and I snatched my hand away, feeling acid hit my throat. Emotions warred for dominance—shock, disgust, confusion, anger. “How… how could you think—”

Calamus gave a wry smile. “I realize it’s sudden, but is it so unexpected? You need this—need me. We have a good regard. We can grow to love each other.”

I choked. “I don’t think so.”

He frowned. “I’ve been nothing but nice to you.”

“That’s not…”

He cleared his throat. “I’ll be frank with you. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, but there aren’t a lot of spell casters our age, and you’re not likely to make a match with all of these problems. The Arcaenum is on the verge of declaring you Troubled. I’m willing to help you. To protect you. If you’ll just let me.”

It was so ugly, the shame that rose in me. Was that how he saw me—a consolation prize and a problem to be solved? Was that all I was worth?

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