Page 5 of Immortal Sins
“Kneel,” he repeats, denying me. He motions for the others to gather around me. “Alright, pinkie-swear time, children.” With a wink, he offers Lydia his hand.
The seer holds her arms close to her chest. “We don’t have to hold hands.”
“A group deal is a bit trickier. Humor me.”
Eyes glued to the floor, she reluctantly extends one hand, and Jeremy grabs the other. A sour taste invades my mouth. I press my palms on my thighs, stuck on my knees in the middle of the huddle.
Brie peels herself off the wall to join the circle. “What about Winslow? Does she have to swear, too?”
The tip of Flynn’s black army boot grazes my nylons. “She’sknee-deep in it, so I think it’s fair for her to be excluded from the vow. And she needs to talk to Deveraux.”
3
MERCURIAL
Last quarter, the Spells and Sorcery class was cramped and busy. Now, half the students are gone. The murder and subsequent investigation, along with the Magisterium’s continued presence on campus, have pushed quite a few students to take the quarter off. Since we’re allowed to study at our own pace, the unexpected deferrals have been tolerated by the new administration.
I sit with Lydia at the front of the class. Vicious whispers echo at my back. Ever since the official witness list for the trial was leaked to the press, my name appearing at the top, wild theories and crazy conjectures follow my every step.
“Have you washed your bloody hands today, Winslow? Only a couple of weeks before you have to fess up in front of a judge,” Mel quips happily from the desk behind me. Despite the fact that her father won the Presidential election because of this snafu, she insists on painting me as the villain of the story.
I ignore her completely to spite her.
Sunrise creeps closer and closer, orange and pink hues visible through the large windows. At five o’clock sharp, Deveraux strolls to her desk, ever so intimidating.
A classy black dress hugs her curves, and her ebony skin seems darker still. The usual glow of power around her sparks off every few seconds like she’s carrying around a small—and very mean—personal thundercloud.
Standing with her back to us, a heavy sigh heaves her chest before she spins around. “What happened here last quarter was not only a tragedy, it was a shame. I lost a lifelong friend, and I expect you all to respect her memory with your silence. If I hear so much as one stupid rumor about what happened that night, a whiff of gossip about the upcoming trial, you will be asked to leave. Am I making myself clear?”
Students exchange tense glances, but no one dares to speak.
Deveraux taps the ground with her sleek, black heel. “Am I making myself clear?”
“Yes, Miss Deveraux,” we all say in unison.
“I will assign the teams this quarter.” She observes the class and pairs us up with a decided finger. Lydia and Brie get partnered, which could be interesting.
Deveraux knocks on the empty desk where Cole usually sits, and her eyes close for a fleeting moment.
Does she believe the rumors, or did she like Cole enough to give him the benefit of the doubt? The Fae prince was somewhat of a teacher’s pet.
After a heavy pause, she says, “Julia, you’re with Flynn.”
Flynn serves me a bright smile as I join him across the aisle. “Kneel, witch.”
“I hate you.”
In front of everyone—everyone left, that is—I fall to my knees at the Fae’s feet.
The pixie twins, my Summer Hall dormmates, gape, their mouths open too wide to laugh or judge me—which is a first. Melanie fails to stifle a growl with the back of her hand.
Hands on her hips, Deveraux tilts her head to the sky. “I’m not even going to ask.”
To my surprise, Flynn offers me a hand to get up, but I stare ahead and wait for the magic to wane.
When it does, I climb onto the stool next to him and dump my heavy cauldron on his fingers.
“Ow!” He yelps, but the unaffected grin sticks to his lips. He leans in. “Now, if you’d always been that reasonable, we would have been quick friends.”
