“You guys want to play a game?” Clay asked after the deafening silence grew too thick.
Although Bryan nodded, the rest of us declined. Vehemently. When those two played board games, it could get pretty cutthroat. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with that level of childish brutality.
“What about a movie? They’re having a Harry Potter marathon on cable.” Bryan loved all things HP and owned several copies of each book.
Rob shook his head. “Dude, you watch it every time it’s on.”
“And it’s good every time it’s on.”
“What do you suppose is going to happen once they drop the wards?” Leo asked.
“What do you think is going to happen?” Rob fired back, his toned bity, edgy, like how the rest of us felt.
“I think we’re going to be very busy in our new role as school security.”
“Exactly. We’re going to need way more people to help patrol. Once dark elementals infiltrate the academy, it’s going to be a mess.”
“With Montana’s fandler there, it already is a mess.” Clay stood and stretched, quite proud of himself for finding a way to insert the blend of fake handler—his nickname for Spencer—into the conversation. “Man, I hate that guy.”
“We all hate that guy,” Leo pointed out.
“Katy? You okay?” Bryan nodded at the way I’d been massaging my palm without realizing it. It’d been irritating me with the constant burning sensation the past half an hour.
I placed my hand behind me. “I’m fine.”
“Reed? Let me see your palm.”
“I’m fine,” I insisted, holding it up to prove my innocence.
“Uh, Montana?” Clay pointed at my hand.
“What?” I inspected it for myself, my heart smacking the roof of my mouth before plummeting to the bottom of my feet when I saw what had my guys all staring at me with wide eyes. It wasn’t pulsing with a glow just under the skin. Oh, no. That would be too easy to explain.
What I couldn’t explain—what none of us could explain—was the ward that had suddenly appeared, taking up my entire palm. It followed the lines, creating something resembling a cursive M with a little flip on the end.
Don’t freak out. Don’t freak out. Don’t freak out.
I rubbed my palm against my jeans. Nope, still there. I licked my finger and scrubbed. Nope, no dice. I then jumped up and washed my hands for a very long time, holding them under water so hot, it hurt. The damn ward didn’t even fade.
“How the hell did I get a ward on my hand?” I yelled. “And why the hell won’t it come off?”
“Maybe we should go see Syd.”
Why was that always Bryan’s answer? Sure, Syd Franklin was a healer, but I was pretty sure this would be outside his area of expertise.
“I think we should talk to Stace,” Clay suggested. “She’s wicked smart when it comes to, well, most stuff.”
“Good idea. Can you ask her to come to the cabin?” I didn’t want to go anywhere until I knew I wouldn’t sprout another ward.
Within minutes, she popped into the center of the cabin, and she brought a friend I recognized from when I worked at the gym, a tall strawberry blonde with a scatter of freckles dancing across her pierced nose. I usually saw her in workout gear, so seeing her in a dark green dress and long robe fastened at the neck, her hair down around her shoulders, took a minute to adjust to.
Stace also had her hair down, a rarity for her. She too had on a full-length dress and robe, hers brown. She wasted no time with pleasantries and grabbed my hand, showing it to her friend.
“Did it work?” Stace asked her.
She nodded as she examined my hand. “I believe it did.”
I took my hand back, cradling it to my chest. “What’s going on? Did what work?”
“I cast a protection spell,” the friend explained.
“What?” I checked out my hand. Yep, the ward hadn’t gone anywhere. “You did this? Why would you put a ward on my hand?”
“Stace asked me to.” She reached for my hand. I backed away. I wanted to trust her, I really did, but considering the people who’d come into my life since I came into my powers, and the staggering number of them who wanted me dead, I wasn’t ready to pick out curtains with her just yet.
She smiled warmly, reminding me of the way Stace smiled. In fact, they had amazingly similar smiles. And the same brown eyes that shone with compassion. Same high cheekbones and delicate chin. Although she was a good six inches or more taller than the petite brunette, they could be sisters.
Wait. Could they be?
“I see Stace’s manners haven’t improved any since the last time I saw you.” She extended her hand. “Renee Edwards.”
“Are you two related?” I asked as I took her hand, shaking it.
“We get that all the time. People would mistake us for sisters growing up. We met in grade school and were instant best friends. We both came into our powers around the same time.”
How did I not know Stacey Layden had the same BFF since childhood? The jury was still out on trusting her. I had the ability to sense a person’s elements, and I didn’t sense any in her. Even when I touched her. “What sort of powers would that be?”
“Katy,” Stace warned. “No need to put her through tribunal.”
Until I knew the powers she harnessed, nothing was off the table. “Why can’t I sense any elements in you? You’re not a leecher, are you?”
Renee laughed warmly and shook her head. “God, no. You can’t sense any elements in me because I’m not an elemental. I’m a witch.”
“And she’s being modest,” Stace cut in. “Renee is a powerful elder witch, the high priestess of her coven. After news of the Council outlawing witchcraft got back to me—thank you for that, Clay—I immediately went to Renee and asked for her help protecting you.”
“You mean you immediately broke the law,” Clay pointed out with a
