Library

Chapter 21

Chapter

Twenty-One

I ’ve watched ten or so years of the Housewives of various cities. So I know what betrayal is, what it means. Although, I never thought I would suffer such a thing from the people who are supposed to love me most in the world. I can’t even imagine how Aimee is feeling right now, although she seems to be taking it fine.

I close myself in my room, though I hate leaving Zane downstairs with them, but I couldn’t stay and watch Mom making googly eyes at Dad. It also wasn’t like I could carry Zane up the stairs.

My room is clean and all the clothes that are usually slung across the back of my desk chair and on the armchair by the window have been picked up, which means Mom’s been snooping. She’s called it “cleaning” since we were kids, but we all know she’s a snoop and a diary reader. She’s the reason I stopped writing in mine.

It would annoy me, but I’m long past annoyed. I’m too angry to be annoyed. And I don’t see a resolution.

A syphoner craves power. The greed overcomes them. It’s the gist of what he said about Auntie Elizabeth. I’m a syphoner who was also never taught to control her cravings, although, technically, I’ve never suffered any—that I know of.

“RJ?” Mom knocks, then opens the door and pokes her head in. “Can we talk?”

She’s already in the room so saying I would rather not won’t do any good. Her house. Her rules.

I shrug and wait for her to sit across from me on my bed. “How are you not angry? He left you, too?”

Her lips twist to one side. “I don’t really know how to explain it. Your dad did what he thought he should do to protect you both.”

“She got to us anyway.” Aimee is magically bereft.

Mom nods. “Yes. But he had to leave because of what he is as much as what she is. It’s very dangerous for him to be here. A syphoner is always in danger.”

“He has magic.”

“Yes, but it’s complicated. To protect Elizabeth, he had to expose himself as the syphoner and he was cast out. They turned him away though they continued to use his teachings and his spells and his grimoires to teach.” She shakes her head. “Like everything else, there are political issues involved. Or there were then. Powerplays. Shifts in leadership. Jealousy.”

I don’t care about any of that. I care about the lies. The things they never told me. “I’m a syphoner, Mom.” I don’t care about the politics at the Institute. I care that I’ve been lied to all my life, that they’ve let me feel as though I was less.

She nods. “Yes.”

“Who’s to say the darkness that is eating his sister alive won’t come for me?” I’m afraid. As afraid as I’ve ever been of anything. Including clowns .

“You’re not like her, RJ. You control your power cravings every day. I’ve seen it.” She sounds so certain.

But I too have seen things. I saw Elizabeth’s eyes. They were black and cloudy. Devoid of life. I feel a sliver of that every time I leech off Aimee, although until now I didn’t know what I was feeling. I also didn’t know I was taking magic from Aimee, and the things I’ve learned since this whole mess started make me wonder what’s going to become of me.

I’ve also seen how devastating it is to be without magic. I know first-hand how shitty it is to never have it in the first place. I’m knee-deep in my own pity party and it isn’t helping anything at all.

“Maybe you should’ve told me.” I know they did it to protect me, but if they’d told me, raised me as what I am, I could’ve learned to protect myself.

Mom said something about me having to know how to take the magic before I can do it. I wish they’d been honest before now so I at least have an idea what I’m dealing with.

She looks at me and nods. “Yes, I can see that now.”

I want to be pissed off at her. But I can see why she did what she did. I even understand it. The lying wasn’t just to keep what I am from me. It was to protect me from it, too, and protect me from how others will treat me when they find out.

Zane is going to know. I sigh. It’s going to change everything. I’m not as worried about everyone else, but I don’t want him to think of me with all the dark evil inside of me.

“You have a lot on your shoulders.” Mom’s voice is gentle as she takes my hand and holds it between both of hers. “And we made mistakes, but I’m here and your dad is here and we’re going to help you get through this. You don’t have to do any of it alone, RJ. ”

I nod. Although, I don’t believe her. No one but me or my dad can finish this with the syphoner, and obviously he won’t do it. It’s his sister. I couldn’t kill Aimee no matter what she did. And I hope she feels the same about me. I don’t expect Dad to feel any differently about his sister.

“Where’s the scepter?”

She flips her gaze to mine as if she doesn’t think I should know about it. Then she sighs. “I don’t know.”

“I’m going to need it to…handle the syphoner.” I don’t want to use the word kill just yet. I know what doing this to her will make me, and I have to get my head wrapped around it.

“I know. I’ll speak to him.”

“In the grimoire, in any grimoire anywhere , is there information on how to defeat a syphoner without killing them?” For my dad’s sake, I want to do a little bit of research and make sure I don’t have any other choice before I do it.

I didn’t hear my door open, but now Dad is standing in the frame. “Yes. You can syphon her power without killing her. It would make her a mortal which would be as bad for her as if you killed her.”

“But she would still be alive.”

He sighs. “She would always be looking, always trying for a way to come and get her magic back, hurt the person who took it from her.” He shakes his head. “She isn’t the person she was. The darkness inside of her is too big now.”

“Is it going to get that big inside of me?” Maybe there’s a way I can prepare, or block it out.

He shakes his head. “No. I’ve watched you, RJ. Your mother raised you with light and love. You’ve grown into a kind young woman. Lizzie had the darkness in her from the start.” His voice is thick. This must be hard for him to talk about. “You can take away the magic that’s inside of her, but the darkness will still be there.”

For centuries, humans have been way more dangerous than witches, although every movie about witches since The Blair Witch Project has made it seem the other way.

“It’s a lot to think about.” Dad nods and Mom stands. “But you can handle it, RJ. You’ve always been able to handle it.”

Mom slides her arm around his waist and looks up at him, then back at me. “You’re not alone here, RJ. We’re on your side and we’re going to do whatever it takes to help you.”

They turn and walk out of my room, and for a while I’m alone with my thoughts. I check the magic database that we all use for school, but there’s nothing written about syphoners except that we should all be vigilant right now, walk in groups, be prepared with shield spells and counter spells—which allow a witch to take their magic back as it’s being stolen.

If the Institute had prepared us from the beginning, instead of only doing it now, Rowen and Ariya, Zane and Aimee might’ve been able to save themselves before Auntie Elizabeth was able to drain them dry.

It’s late when I walk downstairs for a glass of water. As I come into the living room, Zane sits up. “Hey.” He might be without the power to cast a spell, but his smile is magical.

“Hey. How are you feeling?” I walk into the room and look at him. He certainly looks the same for not having magic. His smile is as dreamy as ever, anyway.

“I feel…empty.” He shrugs one shoulder. “Could be worse.” When he smiles, I smile back. Suddenly, my worries don’t seem so worrisome. “You saved me? ”

I shrug. Obviously not. He doesn’t have magic. Or if so, only in the most limited sense of the word.

For a moment as I sit beside him, I wish this was all a dream and I was just a normal girl falling—and I really am—for a regular guy. A small, immature part of me thinks that if we don’t get their magic back, we can pretend this part is all a dream, something that we made up in our minds. But I’ll always be what I am, and they will always know what they had and lost.

Damn.

“I guess I owe you one.” There are worse things than to be owed a favor by Zane Bradbury.

“No, you don’t.” On the other hand, I don’t want it to even be thought that he’s only with me when this is all over—and I really hope he is—because he owes me.

He turns so he’s facing me and leans in, or maybe we both do, I can’t tell. But we meet in the middle, his mouth on mine. And there are sparks zinging between us. Relief and longing surge through me in equal portions. It wasn’t just the magic. Not that made the sparks between us anyway.

When he pulls back, he smiles, ducks his head, and pulls his lips between his teeth. I’ve never seen anything more adorable; nothing has made me want him more.

“Was that okay?”

God yes is too strong an answer and a simple yes probably isn’t strong enough. I settle on a nod because even if I wanted to say God yes right now, I don’t know that I could.

My skin is burning and my lips are still tingling. I want to act normal, but I’m not sure what’s normal for this situation.

“I went to the Institute tonight.” My voice still sounds shaky and breathy .

He looks up. “What happened?”

“When I got there, the scepter wasn’t there, but the syphoner was. And the janitor.” I look down because he’s picked up my hand and is holding it in his. I like seeing us connected like this. “The janitor was wearing a glamour. He’s actually my dad.”

“Wow.” His eyes widen. “No shit.”

I nod. “My dad is Viktor Hadley.” There. I said it.

To his credit he doesn’t jerk his hand away because my father is a reputed syphoner. He doesn’t even pull away. His thumb strokes the soft space between my thumb and forefinger. The touch is intoxicating and I breathe in slow and deep.

“Are you sure that guy is your dad?” His voice is soft, and I understand the question. If I’m not sure, maybe it isn’t true. Maybe I’m not the syphoner’s daughter. This is the moment I should tell him the truth, but as soon as I do, everything will change. He’s going to turn away from me. I’m not really ready for this all to end. Even if my being a liar is going to make it worse for both of us when he finally calls it quits.

And then like it’s been sitting at the edge of my subconscious waiting to make its way to the front of my mind, I wonder if the glamour was my dad being the janitor or the janitor as my dad. I don’t know that I can trust anything from these people. What if the janitor knows things from being around a magical school for so long? There are witches who learn magic. Maybe he’s one. Maybe the man in our house isn’t Viktor Hadley but is just a janitor who wants to be a part of this.

How would I know?

I’m probably just making myself crazy. But until I know for certain, I’m not trusting anything anymore.

Comments

0 Comments
Best Newest

Contents
Settings
  • T
  • T
  • T
  • T
Font

Welcome to FullEpub

Create or log into your account to access terrific novels and protect your data

Don’t Have an account?
Click above to create an account.

lf you continue, you are agreeing to the
Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy.