22

I ended up texting Nigel asking him to meet me in the parking lot. He said he’d be there in five minutes and worry was in his eyes when he arrived.

“No one is listening to me that this isn’t over and my father isn’t stupid,” I blurted. “Will you help me? I want to go talk to Mrs. Oliveria and I might have an idea. Will you help me? Please? I know I’m useless on my own and always asking for help like a weak—”

He hugged me tightly. “Terror is pouring off of you. Yeah, I’ll help, Bev. Let’s go see whoever you need and I’ll keep you safe, okay?”

I thanked him and called Mrs. Oliveria asking if I could come over with a friend. That I was concerned and wanted to speak to her privately.

She immediately replied to come over or she could come to me and help with whatever I needed. Thank fuck a real adult was willing to listen to me.

Five minutes later, I was pulling into where the guards showed me I could park and getting out of my vehicle. Nigel seemed hesitant, but I promised him that she was a friend of my grandfather and it would be okay.

Nothing shocked me more than to find Link there and he seemed just as surprised to see me.

“Right, your session,” I sighed, scrubbing my hand over my face. But then I frowned. “Wait, that has nothing to do with you being here.”

“We were chatting about—I have a feeling it’s why you’re here,” she said as she motioned for us to sit. “So tell me what’s on your mind and we’ll figure out a solution, I promise.”

For some reason, I believed her and that helped me. Greatly.

“Look, I know some of this might sound paranoid, and I understand that my father’s sexism blinds him. But , I’m still a Shaw and smarter than others to him. He wouldn’t have faith in Director Hensley to pull off that hearing and get me kicked out. He thinks everyone else is a moron. Especially ‘just some administrator’ at the school.”

“We agree,” Link promised, gesturing between himself and his aunt. “I was concerned because everyone seemed to react like it’s over and I think that’s shortsighted. I love my uncle, but he tends to underestimate people too.”

I wasn’t going to say that, but I didn’t know the man as well as Link did. I spent the next five minutes filling them in on what I knew, even what my sister had snuck me and the warning.

“Okay, ignoring if you think it’s paranoid—forget all of that. What do you want to do or what do you think is the problem? The priority?” Link asked after they had several minutes to settle with that.

“You need to explain what you can do for everyone that’s not you’re… What you are,” Nigel said firmly.

I tapped my nose and pointed at him that he was right. “Too many people saw me let it all out and call familiars and do too much and—Father had to have been told about that. Giddy isn’t a word we use for him often, but Clare said something like that. He might know or have figured it out—guessed it could be possible. I don’t think that far or he’d already have stormed the school.

“But we need to nip this in the bud. You already figured out what I am and started shit because of it.” I shrugged when he gave me an unfriendly look. We were past pretending he didn’t know, but Nigel apologized for saying too much. “People fill in blanks all of the time. That was how the Haddocks used the situation to their advantage.

“I didn’t say anything so they said everything. It’s time to say something and come up with a feasible answer. I think one that could even explain me around Tracey even. Plus, show how much control I have. What I did was wild, and that’s dangerous to most and something people will use. I’m too powerful to not be better trained and blah, blah, blah.”

“And how do you want to handle this, dear?” Mrs. Oliveria worried.

“I want to make another scene but a different one,” I said honestly. “I want to start the Wicked Challenge Monday with a bang. People know I called all bird familiars in class. I want to come up with a reason for that and make it like…” I let out a slow breath when I realized I was rambling and focused on Mrs. Oliveria. “Is there some sort of happy-inducing baking?”

Her eyes flashed shock. “You know—did Henry tell you about the treats I used to make? My family’s bakery?”

Now it was my turn to be shocked. “No, I had no idea. I just knew you would listen to me. I want to make a ton of treats for bird familiars and make it like I know some sort of happy magic that was a Millen secret and I learned how to do it for animals as a child. Something like that. I could explain why the animals in my family’s arboretum loved me.

“Others have seen familiars like me. It could easily be explained with treats. Even the natural animals. But it would also explain my independent study and that I thought I could transfer it to animals and familiars because I didn’t have one. And I was hoping to maybe work with Familiar Treasures after graduation so they could branch out or have… Something.”

I shrugged. That was as far as I got.

“This just all popped into your head after the hearing?” Link asked, not hiding his surprise at all.

I frowned. “No, I’ve been thinking of ideas and options since my attorney was trying to mate me off behind my back and told too many people how much money I have. I kinda need to explain that and again, in a way that’s not Familiar Treasures.”

Right, but they didn’t know anything about all of that, so I filled them in.

They were less than thrilled to say the least. But I was glad they agreed with me that this was a priority and some subterfuge was desperately needed.

Desperately.

“What was your plan if you didn’t discover I had knowledge on this?” Mrs. Oliveria asked before we started strategizing.

I shrugged. “I figured you at least knew some magic that could cover up my magic so it didn’t feel like the same magic of Familiar Treasures. Or it could be bogus magic, and I can just tell the familiars to eat it up and act like they want more. That was mostly my plan.” I pulled out my phone and brought up the YouTube videos I’d been watching.

“And this is what you came up with?” she hedged. “Bird treats?” Understanding filled her eyes. “You called all the bird familiars in class. Yes. Okay, this makes sense. Nigel, you come help me search through some of my old family books. I think I know where it is, but help would be lovely. Bevin, you work with Link on your session because the council is watching that.”

I nodded to Nigel it was okay, glad that we at least had a plan. I frowned at my phone as I walked outside with Link to get his familiar. “Think she’ll let me set this all up here?”

“Yes, but you have a huge house and—”

I shrugged. “It’s basically Tracey’s, and now Jasmine is moving in because she doesn’t think her living arrangements are safe. She’s nervous she’s going to get a visit from my parents or someone will come after her once people learn she’s the attorney for Familiar Treasures. They think I’m overreacting.”

He moved in front of me and waited until I looked at him. “Even if you are, it’s more than understandable given what you’ve been through. I know this feels painful and like they’re not being there for you when you need them, but…”

I blinked back tears. “But I always need saving. Yeah, I know.”

He grabbed my arm when I went to step around him and spun me to face him again. “Yeah, you do, but this is real shit , Bevin. Not normal college freshman crap you’re blowing up or being dramatic about. I’ve read the reports from campus police. Your parents sent a tail? Everything that happened with Gregg? This is next-level shit and over like a month?”

“So it’s valid, but they’re probably burnt out?” I hedged, not sure what his point was.

“Not even that they’re burnt out, but there’s only so much they can manage too. Tracey might not disagree with you that there’s a problem to solve, but her answer is the familiar housing, and now that the ball has started rolling, it can’t be stopped. She might completely agree your father’s not done, but he’s not stupid enough to storm the gates of Morrigan. She looked exhausted.”

That was fair. All of that was completely fair.

“It just hurt how they all brushed me off when I said I was scared and I know my dad and the way he thinks.”

He tucked some hair behind my ear. “Yeah, but if you said it like you did just now, all I heard was you as a little girl being afraid of the dad who abused you, Bev. You’re shaking at the idea of him coming after you. It could be they thought you just needed a moment to breathe after the attack. The hearing—any of it. I’m not defending them. I’m not. I agree with you—”

“But you see the other side.”

He nodded. “But I see the other side, and part of my job is to mediate issues as a team lead. I’m good at it. Loki and I are a bit of yin and yang even as we’re always on the same side. It helps me see both sides no matter what side I’m on. I just wanted to say this so you hurt less.”

“I’ll think on that. Really. Thanks, Link.”

“Apparently, that’s what I’m now here for,” he chuckled before laying down a spell circle. “Take a few deep breaths now that we’ve got a plan and let’s just chill doing the session.”

Add in something to drink and it sounded like a plan. As if having ESP, one of the staff showed up asking if I needed anything.

Wow. That was… Probably basic for them to do when there were guests over.

Still, I asked for any kind of sweet tea or something sugary with caffeine.

“Hey, who said you could have some of my limited-edition Mountain Dew?” Link demanded when he arrived back.

“The madam bought several more cases for you to hide away here, Mr. Link,” the woman said with a chuckle. She winked at me when I looked at her. “He might be a big, strong man now, but Mr. Link still eats like a child now and again when he comes to his auntie’s house.”

“She lets me get away with it,” Link defended. “My parents are health nuts.”

“That’s maybe the most adorable thing ever,” I said as I took the drink and thanked her. “And I need the sugar and caffeine, so thank you for sharing. I’ve not tried any of the fun flavors. My parents didn’t allow any of this in their house either. Us girls couldn’t be trusted not to get fat and our value would go down.”

I ignored the horrified looks they both gave me and sipped the drink instead. Nummy.

She’d brought one for Link as well, so he was happy.

Oh, and an apple for Loki which the familiar gobbled up.

We went to sit on the grass, enjoying the stars and quiet night before getting to work. He was doing so much better already. This was only our fourth session and not even a full week yet and he was able to make it almost all the way to the end of the bridge.

And it was getting stronger.

I stood and gave Loki love. “You were awesome yesterday. If we get this to work, I will make sure to get you something special. If not—”

“He is spoiled rotten already with the feeder toy thing you got him from your store,” Link cut in. “He loves the damn thing.” He cleared his throat and looked a bit uncomfortable. “I was going to discuss a toy idea with you if you were open to it. I know a lot about having a horse familiar after all.”

“Yeah, I’d love to hear new ideas,” I promised him. “A lot of it was because I was a prisoner and everything was so limited. I have lists of ideas. Especially blankets. It normally takes me doing some part of the product, but I figured if I could like braid ultra-thick yarn, then it could be the border of a blanket for familiars.”

“That would be amazing,” Link agreed, chuckling when Loki booped me that he wanted one. He glanced at Loki. “I was going to send you right back, but can you harvest for her since we’re going to be working on magic? She could use the…”

I burst out laughing when Loki took off towards the trees before Link had even finished. Loki was such a character like that. Seriously.

Link stayed to help, but I thought really to be a taster since Mrs. Oliveria’s idea was to try out the spell her family used on cookies first. We could at least tell then if my magic could do it or how it would work in a basic sugar cookie.

But he was actually doing more, showing me what he’d found when the cookies were in the oven. I was impressed and thanked him as I took his phone. He’d found a wholesale bird feed brand that had all different types of mixes.

He shrugged. “If you’re going with the ploy that you’ve done some of this before, like I know you said someone in your family has a bird familiar—roll with it. Make it like you were testing recipes along with the prank for points. Lean into this, Bev. Hell, the full moon is tomorrow. Make it clear that it’s something with that even if you want. I agree you need subterfuge.”

That was a really good point.

The cookies were about done, so I pulled them out of the oven and waited for them to cool a bit as we discussed more. When they were ready, we each took one to try… Except Link’s never made it to his mouth.

Mrs. Oliveria’s familiar came out of nowhere and snagged the cookie from his hand. Half leapt up onto the counter to steal the whole thing.

“Mine, mine,” the dog barked as she chomped it down. “Gimmie more, Bevin. So good. So happy! It’s really nummy. I will go harvest, okay? Can I have another cookie after?”

“I think it works on the familiars,” Link drawled.

“Wait, she’s always hyper and a goof,” I argued.

“I’ve never seen her steal food before,” he countered. He would know better than I would.

I knelt down in front of the familiar. “Did it taste better than your normal food or was it because I made it? Is it like the toy you just got or—”

“I smelled your magic,” she answered. “I smelled it while outside playing with Loki. I came racing back and—it’s not like the toy. Best cookie ever! Can I have more? I want more cookies, Bevin.”

“That’s not her normal reaction to treats,” Mrs. Oliveria muttered. “And it’s not like when she plays with the toy you sent.” She moved her hand around her cookie. “It feels different magic from the toy or what I’ve even sensed in Familiar Treasures.”

“It tastes like a normal sugar cookie, and I’m happy we’re just having a nice night,” Nigel said. “I mean… I was kind of already happy. I feel less stressed maybe?”

Link grabbed another cookie and took a bite big enough to take in half of it. He slowly chewed. “Yeah, maybe a mellow kind of happy, but it’s like a normal cookie. I mean, you wouldn’t want anything overpowering anyways.” He sighed and glanced at the familiar still dancing around. “I think you’re going to have to ask a few more familiars who can eat cookies.”

“That’s if I want to try and really make this a product,” I told him. “Right now, it’s magic that doesn’t feel like the toys and simply passes for the ploy. We have a plan.”

Link frowned and pulled out his phone. “Who is seriously—Winter. Winter is blowing up my phone looking for you.”

I sighed when he waved his phone at me. I took it from him and answered the call. “I’m sorry, I’m not used to—”

“Then we need to figure something else out, little sexy, because I don’t like being this worried constantly,” Winter said, his voice having an edge. He sighed when I didn’t reply. “Bevin, there was just an attack on the school and they think it was an inside job. You had a hearing with the administration today on some bullshit and then no one knew where you were.”

“Not no one,” I defended. “Nigel’s with me. Link is.”

“Well, I need Nigel’s number then and—”

“Do you tell me everywhere you go?” I interjected, getting upset he was being like this. “And I told you what I was worried about and going to work on. You dismissed me. You all dismissed me. So I found other help and—”

I hung up the phone and handed it back to Link. I didn’t want to fight, and I didn’t want to feel like more of a useless person than I already did, and him implying I basically needed to be babysat or tracked wasn’t helping my mental state.

I ignored them all looking at me, instead focusing on the cookies. “I can’t feed these to Tracey’s familiar. Ferrets can’t have sweet food.” I shook my head, right, I didn’t care about that. “I guess I just need to ask people to check the magic is different?”

“I think right now you need rest, dear,” Mrs. Oliveria said gently. “You’ve been through too much. You know it’s something, and tomorrow you can start on the bird treats, okay? Go to that place Link said, get big aluminum catering trays and a bunch of flavorless gelatin. That’s easy enough to mix, let set, and one of these strong men can chop them all up.”

That was the perfect idea.

I thanked her for all the help, and I left with Nigel once all the cookies were done baking. I left one for her familiar and took the rest back to school with me thinking of how to check them. Link had to work in the afternoon, so I only had him for the morning to help me.

I was surprised when I had a group waiting for me in my room.

I glanced around wondering if I was in the right place. Huh?

“None of us could find you,” Tracey explained. She stood and came over to me, giving me a fierce hug. “I was terrified your parents nabbed you and I didn’t listen. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t listen, and—there’s too much going on. I’m doing a lot on the back end, and I might need more help.”

That explained a lot. I hugged her back.

She leaned away and studied my face. “Could we come up with some sort of compromise? You’re in too much danger to not be reachable. That’s what we’re all freaking out about. How about an Apple Watch? That won’t ring like your phone in class, but you’ll see the alerts and know someone is looking for you or worried.”

I nodded. Yeah, that was more than fair when I wasn’t used to having a phone or people to check in with.

Winter grabbed me next and sat me on the bed, squatting down in front of me. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—I’ve been spinning out. Teddy could have died. You could have died with all those werewolves. I’m freaking out and I’m not handling it well. I’m sorry I got so snippy with you, but we were scared, and you seemed flippant at my concern for you.”

I stared into his pretty—but concerned—eyes and nodded. “Fine, but I started with an apology, and I wasn’t alone or being unsafe. You guys tend—I listen. You all asked me not to leave campus alone. To be safe. To be smart. I did, and—do you want to be a big brother or my lover—date me—whatever?”

“Fair,” he accepted. He reached up and cupped my cheek. “You’re right and that’s fair. I’m sorry. I was focused on almost losing Teddy and getting this going so people are all talking about it instead of what you did. Those were my two goals when I’m too overwhelmed. I should have just admitted that sooner.”

I shrugged. “I kind of assumed we all are, but Link helped me understand I needed to not take it so personally because of that.”

“He’s a good guy like that,” Winter accepted before moving to the bed next to me and kissing my cheek. “And thank you for listening and taking Nigel with you. I know it’s a pain and—you’re not a baby, Bevin. You’re special, and that means special protections need to be taken like security watching something precious.”

I stared at him another few moments and nodded. That was nicer than feeling like I couldn’t handle anything on my own and always a problem. “There’s a panic button on those Apple watches, right? Or we could install an app? Maybe that way you guys know I can call for help and stop assuming I’ve been abducted?”

“To be fair, you were concerned about your dad making a move, Bev,” Kelton said quietly. “We all realized we were kind of dismissive and focused on—I’m spinning out too. Werewolves were here. I never thought that possible. Spike got scratched by one. He’s fine, but he—this was too fucking close and scary. You saved his life.”

I didn’t even think to check if they were okay, assuming they were fine. “Sorry, yeah, I’ve been all over the place too. I’m glad he’s okay. I thought…” I frowned, no, I had checked when I’d woken up at my place.

“I didn’t want to worry you, and he is fine,” he said, confirming that we had talked about it. “I’m just explaining—we’re all a bit of a mess. But we’re done for the night, so tell us what’s going on.”

“Wait, I need you to approve and finalize the designs for the first area,” Tracey cut in. “And then you can fill us in and we can help.”

I nodded and looked over what she had. It took me a minute to visualize what she’d gathered, and the pictures she had on her phone really helped. She already got the administration to back off on demanding the owner be present for all of the meetings and whatnot. No one was fooled on the goal there.

The headmaster and the council members put their feet down hard on that, stating they knew who the owner was so enough already.

That worried me until Tracey promised Kerwyn had figured it out on his own and she’d handled it.

I made some changes but mostly small and stating it would all depend on how the first went into place. But really only one big one and that was the fencing. Tracey argued that was the sticking point for a lot of people.

“The whole point is for them to see more and be entertained,” I told her firmly. “I get what you’re saying that familiars understand, but some are jerks like their witches and warlocks, but they want this as well. Make it clear that there is a one-strike policy, and if they even think about hopping the fences and starting problems, they go back to their pens.”

“You want to keep the one barn for that and be like a time-out for those misbehaving or to start there as a warning of what their lives could be,” Wyatt surmised.

“Yes,” I confirmed. “They might be familiars and get a lot, but they are animals. And just like people say about their pets, they’re basically toddlers who never grow up or can tell you what they need. They need boundaries and consequences and more.” I gave him a hard look. “Which is why we need a firm talk with Quinn. He has to be the best behaved familiar given your position.”

“Good luck with that,” he drawled.

Yeah, that was fair, but he also hadn’t been doing everything he should by Quinn, so like a child, that made Quinn act out.

Plus, Wyatt didn’t fucking listen half of the time either, so… Why would anyone expect his familiar to?