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She pushed her arms above her head. The trees in the immediate area shivered, dropping their snow to the ground. I smiled and tried to do the same, but only one tree responded.
She opened her eyes, and I caught a hint of sorrow.
“I wasn't welcome with my own people. I met Gloria during my travels. She told me they needed a witch here and offered me safety in exchange for my services.”
“Why does Jeff think he has rank over you?”
“Some shifters believed they're superior. That their animal gives them more power than a witch or vampire.”
That didn't make any sense to me. From what I learned at the Academy, all three species were incredibly gifted and powerful. Each needed something from the others. It was how things stayed balanced. None of the species were greater than the others; they were all just different.
“Let’s go further into the forest today.”
During our first week, I showed her what I did back in my little grove at the Academy. I felt bad having to leave the trees behind after making progress. Hopefully, I’d done enough for them to survive on their own.
We worked together in an area where disease had spread from tree to tree, helping them heal. As we worked, she showed me local foliage, which we could use in potions and spells, and gathered what we needed.
Working with her felt like working with Mrs. Hedgings. I got a lot of out of each lesson and normally walked away with a potion bottle full of something handy. She spent little time in the more populated areas of the compound, mostly sticking to her own cottage and the nearby woods.
“Have you ever thought about dating a shifter?”
She glanced at me and shook her head. “No, I don't think any of them would be interested.”
“Why’s that?” I was pushing things. She had no reason to answer me. She was my teacher, after all. But she also felt like a friend.
“Most of the men and women here are very traditional. They wouldn't want to date a witch.”
I pointed to myself. “That's not all true.”
She smiled. “Yes, but it still concerns some.”
She raised her brows, and I dropped my hand. “Fair enough. I’m in hiding here for that very reason.”
“Maybe one day, we’ll be free to love whoever we want to love, but I don't think our world is there yet.”
“No, we're not.” I sighed and looked at the sky through the tree branches.
One question had hovered mind for a while, but I didn’t want her to get in trouble with the Alpha.
“Have you ever done a locator spell?”
She stared at the ground. “I have, and I'm guessing you have too, if you know what it is.”
“Yeah, but I've only done it once. It was my friend who basically did everything for me. I’m not sure how to do it on my own.”
“Are you looking for your other friends?”
“Yeah, and my mates' families. Basically, the people we care about.”
She tilted her head to the side. “You won’t use that information to go find them?”
“I don't know if we would get very far.”
The corner of her lip twitched. “It won’t work.”
“Why not?” I blurted, then took a breath. “Sorry. I just mean, how do you know without trying?”
“Because if you’re looking for them, then so is the Council. They will be hidden by protections that block locator spells.”
