“You should get dressed first.” Amanda purses her lips.
“And afterwards you’ll bring me to Delaney?”
“I don’t?—”
“No need to bring the child.” The silky voice sounds from directly behind Amanda. “I’m here.”
Delaney looks immaculate, like always, in her form-fitting blazer and navy skirt. Her golden hair is twisted away from her heart-shaped face in an elaborate updo.
“Mother.” Celeste and Amanda both bow their heads reverently, but I remain where I am, glaring daggers at the woman who upended my life.
Delaney arches an eyebrow at my lack of respect but chooses not to comment. Instead, she glides into the room, her slippered feet practically silent on the carpet.
“You’re angry.” She doesn’t word it as a question.
I jump to my feet, my hands balled into fists.
“You’re damn right I’m angry.” I raise an accusatory finger in her direction. “You kidnapped me. Brought me here. And now you’re insisting I go to witchy school.”
“And you think it’s a problem to learn how to use your gifts, if you even have any to begin with?” She gives me a look that practically exudes arrogance.
Anger rises inside of me, swift and demanding, but I push it back down. “I’m not saying that.”
If I do have “magic”—which I obviously don’t—then I would want to learn how to use my abilities. The last thing I want is to accidentally hurt someone.
“So it’s not the training you have a problem with.” Delaney speaks slowly, as if she believes I’m an idiot. Her condescending tone makes me want to deck her across the face. “You just don’t want to be away from your mates for an entire month.”
Celeste gasps, whipping her head around to stare at me with bug-like eyes, and Delaney’s smile curves upwards.
“You think I wouldn’t know?” She taps a manicured finger against the crook of her arm. “I’ve been keeping tabs on you longer than you know.”
Okay, so that secret’s out of the bag. Whatever. As long as it works in my favor.
“You’ll let me see them?”
Delaney doesn’t answer for a long moment, her eyes assessing. Despite her silence, I have a feeling she already knows what she’s going to say—that she knew for a while now. I feel like a tiny, insignificant mouse being batted around by a cat.
“How about this? Every week, you’ll stay here. Train. Learn. Be with your own kind. Then, on the weekend, you’ll be allowed to go home. How does that sound?”
A rushing sound erupts between my ears. Obviously, I would vote to never be here, but it’s apparent I won’t get that as an option. But being able to see my friends, family, and mates at least two days a week? I’ll take it.
“You can leave Friday after your last class and return Sunday night,” Delaney continues, a regal smile on her face. “You’ll be the only one allowed to go. I’ve never offered this to anyone before.”
“It’s true,” Celeste breathes, staring at me in wide-eyed wonder. And maybe even a little jealousy. “When you first start your training, you’re forced to spend a month without any contact with the outside world.”
“Where even are we?” I ask, moderately surprised I didn’t think to ask that sooner.
Delaney’s smile sharpens. “Unfortunately, you’ll only be privy to that information when you join the coven.”
When, not if.
I make a mental note of that distinction.
“Then how will I get out of here on the weekend?”
This sounds like a trap. In my life, I’ve discovered that if something sounds too good to be true…it usually is.
“Magic, of course.” Delaney waves away my question like it’s a buzzing gnat. “We have wards around the perimeter that make it so anyone not in the coven will forget the location of the building immediately. One of our coven members will drive you home on Friday and pick you up on Sunday.” She extends a hand to me, her golden brow cocked. “So? Is it a deal?”
