Page 89 of The Spell Caster

Calamus leaned in, taking my numb hand in his with a small smile. “We’ll be good together, Layla.”

It didn’t matter. I was so tired of trying to earn approval from people who didn’t care about me. Let them revile me.

I drew in a shaking breath, pulling my hand away. “We won’t be anything together. Ever.”

I expected cold rage, but Calamus hesitated. “This is because of Blackthorn. I have eyes, Layla.”

“It’s because you aren’t listening to a single thing I tell you,” I said tersely.

“I know you’re… attached to him, but surely you can see now that he tricked you. We can find a way to unbind you. You can summon a new familiar, a normal one.”

Unbind? A knife slicing through my chest wouldn’t have been as painful. I hadn’t had time to consider the bond between Costi and me, but my heart told me it was precious. “N-No. No, I can’t do that. Where would he end up? In Hell? Or worse—”

“Him parasitizing you like this isn’t right. When you unbind, he’ll go back where he came from. Where he should be. You have to admit, he doesn’t belong here.”

“He does belong here. He belongs with me,” I said, wrapping my arms around myself.

Dark emotion bled into Calamus’s usually even voice. “Fate, Layla, it’s unnatural. Even if he wasn’t a demon, he’s a guardian. He can’t have you.”

I tilted my head up at him and looked him in the eye. “And you think you can?”

He sighed softly, standing. “You’re upset right now, and you’re not thinking straight. Consider what I’m offering.” He left in a wash of red, closing the door with infuriating restraint. The lock clicked into place.

I wished I was the kind of woman who would yell after him or break something, but a lifetime of being a good little witch and pushing down negative feelings left me with only numb confusion. I pulled out my phone, but the battery was drained. My hand clutched uselessly at the coverlet.

Another knock came at the door, and Daire strode through. “Layla? The Arcaenum is meeting after all,” she said. “I don’t know how they found out about—” She stopped, glancing down at my hand. I shoved my dead phone behind my back guiltily. Daire grunted. “You’ve got ten minutes.”

I took the world’s fastest shower and swished with mouthwash, nervous energy pinging through my body. Diana Blackthorn had come through and alerted the councilors. A tiny bud of hope blossomed.

I looked as good as I could manage and was calm when Daire returned. Cedar Grey wouldn’t be able to keep secrets this time. I was about to tell the Arcaenum everything.

***

“You mean to tell me—”

“I don’t mean to tell you anything. I am telling you—”

“I should have expected someone like you to be aggressive—”

The sounds of muffled shouting became louder when Daire opened the door to the meeting hall. Heads turned. We’d walked into the middle of an argument.

My eyes sought Costi immediately, and my heart resumed beating when I found him. He looked worn, and his uniform was damaged. He straightened when he saw me. The two other guardians had a firm grip on his arms, but he wasn’t the one fighting.

“As if we needed more problems,” one of the councilors spat. I had seen her at the previous meeting—Linnea. She was toe to toe with an angry-looking Artemesia Rhodes. The elderly ex-guardian was small but determined next to her.

Costi’s friend and fellow guardian Ash was leaning against the wall nearby with Diana Blackthorn.

Calamus was watching me with an unreadable expression from where he stood next to his father. He was impeccably dressed and looking fresh despite the late hour. I guessed the failed marriage proposal wasn’t weighing on him.

Councilor Grey didn’t look nearly as worried as I thought he should be, and that was… concerning.

The rest of the Arcaenum was gathered, their faces in various states of alarm and careful neutrality. My mother perched elegantly on a metal folding chair at the center of it all. She didn’t bother to greet me.

Great, the gang’s all here.

Councilor Quince, the assembly leader, dragged a hand down his face as Daire escorted me to a chair. “If everyone could take a seat, we’ll try to figure out exactly what is going on here,” he said.

“This is a waste of time. I suggest we adjourn,” Grey said smoothly. “This is an argument between individuals. We needn’t involve a formal meeting. It’s late, and I remind everyone that we’re all very busy and under threat of imminent attack.”

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