Page 12 of Frostbite, Lovebite

Match laughed sourly as he pulled his shirt and jacket back on. "You know his family is descended from witch hunters, right?"

"Yeah," Penelope said. "Like, twenty different families at least have witch hunters in the family tree. Just like every white person has racists in the family tree. You can't really help it. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Racists aren't a thing of the past, and neither are bigoted witch hunters," Match said. "He puts on a public face, and knows how to mind his p's and q's, but I'm guessing that at least one of his motives was that he still secretly hates my fucking guts. My mom didn't get along with him either, but what can you do when the town elects him time and again?" He shrugged. "It was whatever, mostly."

His friends all looked depressed and ashamed, which he hadn't wanted. "Just let it go, guys. Thanks to that severance money, Rick is hard at work securing my cottage for me. He said he'd see to it we closed in twenty days."

"Oh, my god!" Ronan said, rushing and sweeping him, holding him up like he weighed nothing, dropping him only just enough to kiss him. "Congrats!"

"Working our asses off and you were house shopping," Benny said. "Jackass."

"I was fired. Technically I'm still unemployed. What did you want me to do?" Match asked with a grin.

"Ride is here," Traci said. "Continue your banter once we're done with all this nonsense."

"Yes, my love," Benny replied.

They piled into the police van that had come to collect them, and once he was holding still the exhaustion hit Match like a truck. He let his head fall on Ronan's shoulder and dozed all the way back to townhall, even with the unholy jostling of the van and frequent swearing of the driver. "I feel like we barely recovered from the other night, and now this. I'm gonna sleep the rest of the week."

"You and me both," Ronan said, kissing the top of his head right as the van pulled to a stop.

Groaning, Match climbed out of the van and headed back into the building where his life had just very nearly been ruined. Up the stairs, back to the room they'd been in before—but this time there was a whole ass feast waiting.

From like, at least three different restaurants. One of them the diner that had thrown him out. Match's stomach churned at the idea of eating anything from that place ever again, but also he was starving and it wasn't like he'd paid for the food.

Whatever, he could spite them starting tomorrow. For now, he just wanted food.

Stripping down to his tank top again, just so Wright would be forced to look at all his witchy tattoos, he went around the long table piling up plates one at a time, taking the full one to his seat before starting on the next. When he finally sat, he had five plates of food, one of which was just rolls and butter.

Benny and Ronan had seven plates apiece, and Traci was drawing even with him. Penelope looked at them with fond amusement before setting to work on her measly two plates.

At the opposite end of the table, as far from them as he could get, was Wright, drinking a glass of whiskey with a bitter, resentful expression. Around the room, hugging the wall like they were afraid they'd fall if they didn't, were member of the city council, Luna, and… and all the people who'd thrown him out.Maddy. Eric. Heather. Ronnie. He'd been so zeroed in on the food he hadn't noticed. There were more people, too, from other shops and restaurants in the area. They'd probably been told not to do business with him, too.

Feeling nauseous, he dropped his gaze to his food and kept it there while he ate. Ronan's hand rested heavy on his thigh for a moment, warm and reassuring.

When Benny had cleared half his plates and drunk an entire pitcher of water by himself, he pushed the empties away and focused a hard gaze on each and every person in the room, until they were practically cowering. Except Wright, who just looked more pissed off than ever. "So you've been apprised of everything, council?"

"Yes," one of the women said. There were seven council members total, three women and four men. "We understand. We contest nothing. The papers have been signed and will be notarized after Mr. Willow signs."

Match eyed them warily, then looked at Benny. Probably just the papers to hire him back, but something was fishy. "What's going on?"

Benny smiled like the first rays of spring sunshine after a long winter. "After brief but important discussion, the city council has decided to hire you back as the witch of the local Guard. Per the new terms, you'll be paid $125,000 a year with a reimbursement budget of five thousand."

Match choked on his food. "Come again?"

"And they'll be paying for your house, to make up for the fact they never subsidized your housing like they always have ours."

"That isn't—"

Benny held up a hand. "It's done, save for your signature. This is more than fair and they all fucking know it. You're not a C-class anything. Without you tonight, the wards and the fire,people would have died. We spend every single day risking our lives or training to risk our lives. Paladins have been burned alive, gutted, eaten, torn in half, turned into zombies, and a thousand other terrible fates. Werewolves get slaughtered like dogs every year, and every person on this trash council has an ancestor who tortured a witch and burned them alive. We risk a lot, and give a lot, to this town and the surrounding counties. A reasonable salary and help with housing is the least they can offer and they damn well fucking know it." He jerked his head and Jeannette came over with the papers and a pen.

Numb with shock, Match signed all the papers, and went back to his food as everything was notarized and all the necessary copies made and whatever else. A hundred and twenty-five dollars. His house would be paid off in full. He still had so much money from the termination. "Wait, what about the termination money? It seems—"

"Nope, you were wrongfully terminated, the money is yours, that was also agreed upon," Benny said, his smile all teeth as he looked over the council. "You're free to go now."

They filed out like reprimanded school children, even though as the council they were technicallyhisboss. But that was Benny, moon bless him.

Still smiling with all the menace of a pissed off honey badger, Benny looked at Wright. "Elections are in ten months. Enjoy your last year in office. Get out of my face."

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