8

We went back to school through the student union entrance by using circles since we had Tracey, but then I reminded her we were supposed to be keeping our times sighted together limited. She agreed with a heavy sigh, gave me a quick hug, and left after promising we’d be discussing all of these ideas later.

Fair enough.

It left me with Wyatt who seemed to have a lot on his mind as well. He walked me to my dorm but snapped out of it when he realized he couldn’t simply walk in with me.

I had a different kind of moment when I saw who was clearly waiting for me.

“Hello, baby sister,” Alex purred from where he sat on one of the benches out front.

I sighed. “What are you doing here, Mr. Shaw?”

His lips twitched as he stood. “Good you finally learned respect.”

“She’s making it clear she won’t treat you as a brother as she no longer has to or feels you are one,” Sergey drawled as he moved toward me with Kelton and Winter.

Had they all hung out after I’d left?

Wait, a thought for another time given I had a major problem standing before me.

But not unexpected.

I shook my head. “You think this is shocking to me because you’re so smart , but you’re also so predictable , Alex. Yes, you’re an alum and can get on campus. Oh no, I never considered that. Your parents aren’t allowed here anymore even if they’re alums because they were convicted of being party to an attack on a student, but you and your siblings still can. I would expect them after you get tossed.”

He narrowed his eyes at me. “The university will rethink their position once they remember how much our family donates.”

I snorted. “I’ll donate it just so they don’t.”

“And how would you do that?” He frowned when I didn’t answer. “You know what happens when you don’t answer, Bevin. Since when are you stupid enough to keep quiet?”

“Since I don’t have to take your abuse and I’m not trapped in that fucking prison,” I sneered. I held my arms out and glanced around. “Yeah, do your thing and hit me, Alex. Attack a student on campus because I wouldn’t answer a question I don’t have to. See what happens.” I smirked at him when he ground his jaw. “You’re being smart today. Did you find out money can’t buy everything after all?”

“You’re going to regret speaking to me this way instead of how you normally do.”

“Because you would beat me if I didn’t do what you wanted and beat me just because you were having a bad day. You’re a child abuser as you turned eighteen ten years ago and I only did several months ago.”

“Watch it,” he snapped, glancing around at the attention we were gathering. “There is a cost for running your mouth.”

“Except I have proof as I told your father. I have proof of lots.”

“We don’t believe you in the slightest.”

“You should.” I snorted when he rolled his eyes at me. “You thought you knew so much and you had no clue about a lot.”

He sighed as if I was the biggest idiot ever. “You can pretend that you’ve always had this magic, but we know that’s not true. It blossomed when you came here or when you were a whore and lost your purity.”

“Well, you’re a whore then too as you long lost yours,” I reminded him.

“I’m a man.”

“So?” I burst out laughing when his expression made it clear that I was an idiot for not understanding the difference. “You’re such a fucking sexist that your parents can’t even mate you off as they all flee from you.”

“Watch it,” he seethed as he took a threatening step towards me.

“No, you watch it,” Wyatt warned, drawing attention to himself.

Alex did a double take and curled his lip up. “Why are you here, Derek?”

“I’m a professor here, Alex. Are you really here to harass Ms. Millen who was disowned and got free of you?”

“We just happened to cross paths,” Alex said easily, giving his most innocent face.

Too bad the victory in his eyes that we couldn’t argue gave him away.

“Out in front of the freshman dorm?”

“I’m being nostalgic,” he answered… As I did so it echoed.

I smirked at him. “As I said, predictable. You’re not that smart, and you guys need to stop thinking you are or coming up with your plots about what you think happened as you’re severely behind on a lot.”

“Not what company you own,” he chuckled. “It’s impressive, baby sister, truly.”

The others flinched around me, but I was used to this. “Nice try, Alex. If you knew, there would be steam coming out of your ears and your father would have already made a play. You’re fishing, but unlike others who might fall for it, I’ve watched your plays for eighteen years. I know all of you and your moves very, very well, but none of you know mine.”

“Yes, you’re so perfect and smarter than us. You’re not that deep, Bevin.”

“Says the man who never knew I was acting since I was six,” I threw right back. I held up a hand to ward off what he was going to say next. “Have one of the frogs in the arboretum lick you and then have your father check your power. It will be severely muted and read as next to nothing.”

His eyes went wide and he couldn’t seem to get his mouth to work.

I threw back my head and laughed. “Yeah, that’s how I did it, Alex. So Mother trying to play up my childish attachments to animals and act like I’m soft and weak is hysterical because she didn’t realize that I loved those frogs because they saved my life from you monsters. They did it again and again, and I thanked the gods for them all the time.” I raised an eyebrow at him. “Still think you know anything about me?”

“I know that this rebellion is over, Bevin.” He smirked, glancing around. “You’re a Shaw no matter how you try and hide it.”

Fucker. It worked because people gasped.

“I was a Shaw, but the High Council granted my request to be disowned and get away from you psychos.” I gestured to all the people whispering and chatting. “Bully for you. You made it known I was born of the top-tier family Shaw. But it’s public record I’m not one of you anymore. It’s all filed with the High Council for anyone to see, including my statements that I’d been planning to be disowned for a decade.”

He blinked at me, shocked I would fight back and put it all out there.

He was as narcissistic as Father to always think he was smarter than everyone else. I never thought I was, simply more knowledgeable about situations like this one.

“I heard about how Professor Wyatt threw shit at you. It was fun to get the details of it. That had to be horribly embarrassing, Alex. Your father was super pissed you were such an idiot and weak enough to get taken like that. What makes you a monster and really pathetic is that you beat your younger sister because you couldn’t take either of them. Yeah, you’re awesome and so—”

I waited for the hit when he moved towards me, but Wyatt went to counter him which wasn’t what I wanted. I muttered under my breath and pushed magic into it, pulling out the first thing I could.

And dumped about a dorm room full of roses on Alex.

He cursed from the thorns but then glanced around, smirking at me as he pushed them aside. “Yeah, you’re not weak and chum in the water, Bevin. You make roses appear when someone tries to hit you?”

Wyatt laughed loud enough that it echoed. “She just pulled off high-level magic on the fly in a stressful situation better than most of the master’s students could and got you to admit you were going to hit her in front of witnesses. Why are you so full of yourself, Alex?”

“Ahh, right on time,” Kelton said.

I turned to see campus security pulling up, two of them jumping out and making a beeline right for us.

“That was a mistake,” Alex threatened Kelton.

“Don’t involve others,” I warned Alex. “Be sure you’re going for the right targets. He’s just a running buddy and has no clue about any of this. His brother works as a High Council guard and we met that way.”

It worked and Alex turned his focus on me. “Oh na?ve, baby sister, he’s not around you to go running. You should have let Father mate you off as you’re going to get eaten up and treated like shit by men, you’re so dense.”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “Yes, because he picked such a winner that Gregg had to drug me to even have a shot and tried to rape me. Who wouldn’t want to mate a guy now convicted of high crimes and in prison?”

“Ms. Millen, is this man bothering you?” the first guard to reach us asked.

“Ms. Shaw is fine,” Alex cut in.

“I’m Ms. Millen now,” I purred.

“Only with the High Council. Legally, you’re still Ms. Shaw since you didn’t change it,” Alex threw right back with a smirk. “You still want the power of that name and—”

“Human paperwork takes longer than dealings in our world,” I fibbed, mentally cursing Ramon yet again. “Don’t read into things, Alex, you always come up with the wrong answers.” I glanced at the guard with a smile. “Thank you, but he was just leaving. I’m sure he’d love an escort off campus and to explain why he tried to hit a student as all these witnesses heard.”

The guard’s lips twitched as he thumbed to Wyatt. “All we need is Professor Wyatt’s word and this guy’s banned.”

“He did as Ms. Millen said,” Wyatt confirmed. “I went to block the hit myself, but she used her magic to keep us from fighting.” He gestured to all the roses still at Alex’s feet.

“I did need to handle official business while here,” Alex cut in when the guards moved closer. He pulled out an envelope from his back pocket and held it out to me. “Your check, baby sister.”

I didn’t take it or the bait knowing we had a ton of attention by now. “You mean the damages awarded to me that the High Council decreed were mine when your family once again tried to go around their orders?” I smirked at him. “And I’m sure they didn’t say to drop me off a check and imply I can be bought or your family is being kind and giving me some sort of severance. None of you are ever kind.”

Rage filled his eyes at how easily I was turning all his plays right back around. “I was being kind coming here as we weren’t sure how to get you the money you clearly need as it was a different attorney than last time, one no one’s ever heard of.”

I smirked as I said that last part right with him knowing what the excuse would be. “Ramon was removed as he cost the trust Grandfather set up for me five million dollars, so we both know I’m not hard up for money. He was a sexist asshole who didn’t listen to his client and lost his license because of it and is facing criminal charges as he tried to sell me off into a mating as if the power was all his.

“It wasn’t, and you should learn from the cautionary tale he is, you and your father.” I chuckled with a bright grin. “Oh right, you are, as you tried to take over the mating talks and got caught with your hand in the cookie jar yet again. That’s why you were ordered to pay for guards for me. That and the original mating ‘profile’ was a disgusting display of photos of me while underage and has brought out the creeps.”

“What?” Winter growled. “What kind of photos?”

“Candids of me in a bikini or workout clothes. I’m sure there’s more, but I haven’t seen it all. All of it was meant to sexualize me and while underage which disgusted the High Council.”

“Always so dramatic,” Alex drawled, rolling his eyes at me. “Take the check.”

“No, I’m not as dumb as you are,” I drawled right back. “The check clears and you get to see the account it went into, giving you a chance to track down my accounts and learn what you can’t currently.” I rolled my eyes when his eyes flashed shock. “I’m nowhere near as stupid as you all painted me. My investments Ramon didn’t handle as he should would have grossed me five million dollars.”

“I doubt you could handle a fraction of that and would simply ride the wave until you inherit it all,” Wyatt interjected. “And I was at the hearing as her power assessor, Alex. Her new attorney—who’s sharper than you will ever be—would have been the point of contact on the judgment. So stuff your shit and go with the guards.”

“We tried to pay you, but if you refuse…” Alex tried again.

Several of us snorted at that one, including the guards who took their cue. They made it clear Alex was to leave on his own and be escorted by him or they would drag his ass off campus.

Shockingly, he agreed, knowing at least when he was outmaneuvered for the moment and not wanting to look bad as that would incur Father’s wrath. Shaws were never supposed to look anything other than perfect and better than everyone else.

Yeah, right. That wasn’t reality or life.

I let out a heavy sigh as they pulled out of sight. I hated to air all that dirty laundry—as it would be around campus before dinner—but I couldn’t let Alex think that was a wound or way to get me. Any of that fucking family.

Kelton moved towards me with his phone in hand. He stuck it in his pocket as music started. I recognized the song as “Lie With Me” by Lady A, smiling since I liked them. He slid his arm around my waist and grabbed my hand, pulling me against him as he started moving us.

A giggle slipped out as I swayed with him. I wasn’t a good dancer at all since I’d never had any of the training my sisters had and my parents frowned on it unless a waltz in a forming setting.

Gag me.

“You know this is actually a breakup song, right?” I teased him when it was about half done thinking it was fitting.

He winced. “Yeah, I forgot that when I picked the first slow song I saw.”

I reached into his pocket—which he seemed to enjoy—and turned off the song, sliding his phone back into its spot. Then I took out my phone, scrolled down my songs a bit, and stopped at what I wanted. I turned up the volume all the way and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure” came on. I started goofy dancing around him as I lip-synced the song.

To his surprise, I kept dancing away from him when he reached for me.

When the song was over, I turned off the music so nothing else played and addressed his growing confusion. “I told you to stay out of it and not get involved. Didn’t I? Didn’t I warn you how—”

“Right, my brother, but—”

“No, you ,” I snapped. “I warned you to not get involved and stay away from anything involving my family.” I got really annoyed when he seemed dismissive of my warnings when he tried to tell me everything was okay. “They will kill you just to fuck with me. To break me. You just got on their radar, and now I have to fix that before your mom loses her job or your brother has an accident at work.”

“She’s not kidding,” Wyatt interjected. “It’s how our families work. You tried to make a move as her boyfriend and that would make you an obstacle in mating her off to who they want and getting her under their control which is their goal. It’s why Alex made sure to be here and loudly pronounce she was a Shaw. It would send any sane man running and only leave the ones they want her to be with as options.”

“Yeah, which is why I need to handle this and now,” I rasped.

“I’m sorry,” Kelton whispered. “I hated seeing you battle him alone.”

I nodded. “I’m used to it except not being able to say what I wanted or use my magic. You wanted to help? Fine, help, but don’t announce you’re the one who called the guards as now you just made Alex an enemy and that’s dangerous .” I bit back tears. “Bye, Kelton.”

“Wait, no, come on, Bev,” he argued, his eyes going wide as he realized what I was saying.

I held up my hands to ward him off and backed away. “Would you risk your mom or brother? You need to warn them.” I glanced at Wyatt and Sergey when Kelton wouldn’t believe me. “Talk to him. Please. I’m going to figure out a way to get help.”

“How?” Sergey asked.

“I don’t know, but I can’t have this on my already overburdened shoulders.” I felt better when Wyatt snorted.

Yeah, overburdened and the song was fitting.

Panic started to claw at me as it sank in how stupid I’d been to get involved with any of them. I spun around and raced for the student union, hoping I could figure out how to make this work but an idea was brewing. I was faster than all the guys, or they realized right then wasn’t the time to follow and push me.

Either way, when I reached the window for requesting circles, I was alone. I asked the woman working for what I needed. I could tell she was dying to ask given it was Saturday and there was no way the High Council was meeting.

I wasn’t going to the estate for them.

Instead of being transported inside, I arrived outside at the guard station in front of the building by the parking lot. There were a lot of them, and while I thought there might be a good number of them normally, I realized it was more than that as they were probably changing shifts.

Perfect, more options.

I closed my eyes for a moment and scanned their magic, immediately locking in on one who shined brighter than the others and had the most there. My eyes popped open and I went right for him, studying his appearance and thinking it could be close enough to work.

Especially since Alex was too overconfident to pay attention to details.

“Miss, the council is off for the day and the estate not open,” he said when I stopped in front of him.

“I’m not here for them but one of you. One of you can help me,” I rambled, sounding a bit hysterical to my own ears. “You can. Your magic is stronger than the others here, sturdier and with the most potential. I can help with that, but I need your help first.”

“Okay, okay, slow down, Miss. You need help? Why come here and not the police?”

“They own some of the police,” I groaned, rubbing my hands over my face as I paced in front of them. “His brother is a rookie cop and I’m trying to save him. You don’t get it. He didn’t either. They’re fucking nuts and don’t understand limits except the council. They cannot take on the council, and you guys aren’t corrupt like our cops.”

“Miss—let’s start with your name.”

Right, good, stop rambling and focus. “Millen. Bevin Millen. I’ve been here a few times lately for hearings, one of which was to get disowned by the Shaw family.” I nodded when his eyes went wide. “They aren’t happy with that. Alex showed up at campus to make it known I was a Shaw, and Kelton called the guards, telling my brother he was the one who did.”

“So your brother was thrown off campus?” he guided, his pretty hazel eyes filled with confusion and worry.

“Yes, and Kelton stepped in the line of fire!”

“Fire? There was a shooting on campus?” He glanced at the others. “We’ve not been informed about that or—”

I grabbed his arm so he looked back to me, not caring I seemed like a kid tugging on an adult for attention. “Alex is dangerous . I know, I was his punching bag. I’m free now. He has no outlet. He will come after Kelton for calling campus security and it’s all my fault. I warned him how dangerous my family was, but he’s not part of that world and didn’t get it. His family is in danger because of me. It’s my fault .”

He pulled me into a hug and made me realize I’d broken down crying. “We’ll help your friend, but it’s not your fault, Bevin. It’s not. You’re not responsible for the actions of others.”

Another guy snorted. “Yeah, and the Shaws are fucking nuts. Did you hear about the shit the head of that family started when they got the order to pay damages yesterday? He showed up here and demanded to talk to Councilman Reid to overturn it and give him back his daughter who…”

“Who what?” I rasped, wiping my eyes.

“Was worth a few billion.” He cleared his throat. “Sorry, but is that seriously you?”

I sighed and pulled away from the guy hugging me, nodding to the other guard. “Yeah, not something I wanted people to find out, but given my fucking attorney was handing out my financial profile to potential families he wanted to mate me off to and my former family found out… It’s out there, and they’ll tell people just to spite me and put more targets on me.”

“I’m sorry. None of us here will talk. We got it’s confidential.”

I shrugged. “They’ll talk enough because they lost this round. Assholes.”

“Yes, that is a way to describe your family,” Councilman Oliveria chuckled darkly from behind me.

I winced and turned around but relaxed when he gave me a kind smile. “I didn’t mean for them to call and bother you.”

He cleared his throat and glanced around. “They did their jobs by alerting us someone showed up and who was as upset as you were. I took it when I saw your name. What happened since this afternoon?”

“Alex made a move,” I sighed, exhausted now that the panic had burned through my energy. I quickly filled him in on what happened, not caring about the other ears before pointing to the guy I’d picked. “His magic is the strongest here. His… Capabilities can expand the fastest as he’s got the deepest roots.”

Councilman Oliveria’s eyes flashed shock. “You can tell that? How?”

I shrugged. “It’s like reading familiars and their bonds with their masters. I just know. They have the strongest bond of anyone here, but I can still help it. I need a decoy, and he would be the best option. I’ll help him get stronger, but I read council guards are vastly trained in protection magic, and Alex is lazy and won’t fuck with that. That’s what they learn in your special school, right?”

“Yes, but we’ll get back to that.” He glanced at the others. “And none of you will repeat what she said or discuss her power.” He waited until they nodded before focusing on me again. “What do you mean expand the fastest?” He smiled when I got frustrated. “We will help your friend, I promise. This is important too.”

I sighed, trying to think of how to explain it. I snapped my fingers. “He gets the best mileage.”

“Excuse me?” the guard asked.

“I don’t know how else to explain it as it’s not like any magical theory I’ve read yet,” I continued, focused on Councilman Oliveria and gesturing between the three of us. “We’re all vehicles for magic. Say I’m a car because of my size. You’re an SUV and he’s bigger, so he’s a truck. I’m also younger, so my tank is smaller, but I’m… Different, so I get the best gas mileage.”

“And between us?” he asked.

I closed my eyes and focused again, gasping as they popped open. “You’re related.”

“Holy fuck,” someone whispered behind them. “He didn’t even tell her his name, Councilman.”

“No, I didn’t, Uncle ,” the guy replied with a smirk. “My father is his brother. I’m Link Oliveria and it’s a pleasure, Bevin Millen.”

“Thanks for trying to calm me down and handle my panic attack.” I blew a harsh breath as I rubbed my chest. “Those are new.” I shook off what I was feeling and tried to finish what we were doing so they would focus on Kelton. “He gets better gas mileage currently , but we discussed what you’ve been doing wrong and you’re older, maybe need some cleansing with all the negative you deal with.”

I glanced at Link and let out a whistle, focused on his familiar. I looked right when I felt him coming, my eyes going wide as a gorgeous stallion came racing out of the tree line and across the parking lot. “Fitting. He brings his familiar to work and has that strong bond because of it.”

“All the guards do as it’s extra eyes on the estate and better protection,” Councilman Oliveria stated.

I met his gaze. “Yes, it is, and yours would do the same in hearings, using their senses to help you while you’re distracted by facts and more.”

He nodded. “We’ve all agreed to what you’ve said we need. We’re simply figuring out how now.”

I reached up and pet Link’s familiar as he nuzzled my face. Then I glanced at Link, taking in his six-three firm build, and more importantly, longer red hair pulled back in a ponytail. “How attached are you to your hair?”

His eyes flashed shock. “Very. Why?”

“Would you cut it to help your familiar?”

He snorted. “I’d shave my head and go bald forever if it would help Loki.”

“Loki?” I asked even as the stallion nipped my ear.

“Yeah, he’s mischievous and demands all attention be on him always,” he drawled as his familiar nudged me so hard I almost fell over.

“Yeah, pretty accurate,” I groaned as his familiar tried to eat my braid and tugged on it. “Really, Loki?”