I would not want to be Master Loiner when that woman catches up with me, he thought.
“I understand.”
“Good. Now, I will handle that issue. You two will handle your own issues?” Circe asked, her hood turning back and forth between them.
Altair stiffened at the reminder of what had happened between him and Christine.
“There are no issues,” he said, and stalked out of the office without a backward look.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Christine
SHE WATCHED THE DOOR close behind the dragon shifter.
“What happened?” Circe asked quietly, now that the two of them were alone.
“Pardon?” Christine shook her head, refocusing her attention on the woman in front of her. The head of Winterspell deserved her attention more than the ghost of a man who had just walked out of her life.
“The two of you. You were together. Now you aren’t? What happened there?”
Christine frowned. “How did you know about that?” she asked, voicing the question she’d been holding in since Circe had first stated she knew the two of them had slept together. They hadn’t told anyone that. After all, it had just happened for the first time earlier that night.
“I am the headmistress of Winterspell, my dear,” Circe said gently, almost condescendingly. “I know what happens in my castle, in one form or another.” The other woman shrugged. “Perhaps one day, if you choose to sit in my place, you will understand as well.”
Christine’s eyes flew open. Her, sit as Circe? It seemed...unlikely, even if it had been a dream of hers. Yet the other woman thought she was capable of it? But that made no sense.
“If you think I am capable of succeeding you one day,” she said quietly. “Then how come the leadership of the team went to Madison? I don’t understand. I thought I had done a good job.”
“For the same reason, I don’t think you are capable of succeeding me today,” Circe said, walking over to her desk and sitting on the edge of it in the most casual, relaxed manner that Christine could ever remember seeing the other woman evince.
“I don’t understand,” she repeated, feeling like a broken record.
“You have potential, Christine. Great potential to be a witch of incredible power, and also a great leader.”
“I...”
“Yet just because you have that potential does not mean that it is being recognized,” Circe said, her voice a little stronger. “I have talked quite a lot with Master Pinton over the past week and a half, while you have been training together. Not all of them speak glowing of you.”
“I screwed up several times,” Christine admitted. “It was a steep learning curve. Steeper than I imagined. I am learning, though,” she said forcefully. “I have gotten better.”
“And you will no doubt continue to get even better,” Circe said. “But there are lots of things that go into being a leader. Sometimes even it’s the little ones, like being one of the first to arrive to an important meeting. Not one of the last.”
The rebuke was soft, but it hit home, reinforcing not only that she’d screwed up by being late, but also why she was late. A double hit to her gut.
“That was—”
“I don’t care what’s going on between the two of you,” Circe said, her voice hard. “That’s between the two of you. You are both adults, you can make your own choices. However, I will not allow it to carry over, and today it did. Altair was here early, one of the first. You were last, Christine. Because you put your own feelings before the team. That is why Apprentice Gardener is in charge.”
“I understand,” Christine said heavily.
“Like I told you from the start,” Circe said, lightening up for a moment. “If you want the team, if you want it to be yours, then go out and take it. Nothing is set in stone.”
Christine nodded, pulling herself up, straightening her spine. The other woman was right. This was only the first mission that their team would run. If she could demonstrate going forward that she was the best option to be put in charge, then Circe would have no choice but to do that.
But I need to prove it to everyone first.
“I will,” she said strongly. “I won’t disappoint you again, nor will I disappoint myself. I will prove I am ready to lead this team. Whatever it takes.”
There could be no more obstacles in her way. Not if she was to become Circe one day. Her goals had just gotten bigger. A lot bigger.
“Good. Now go do your mission, and come back here and get to work,” Circe said, both approving of her statement, and also dismissing her from the office, all in one go.
Christine marched from the room, back straight, head held high with pride.
It was time for her to focus on what truly mattered. She could not have any more obstacles. No more distractions.
And Altair was certainly her biggest distraction at the moment.
With the newfound knowledge that Circe one day expected her to ascend and become the next Circe, Christine needed to push herself even harder. More studying, more practicing. She had to learn everything there was to learn about magic. About being a witch. About being a leader.
There was one thing she already knew, however. Being a leader meant making the hard decisions. The ones that were for the greater good, even if she had to suffer.
I can’t keep doing this with him, if I’m going to become the best witch I can. There are bigger issues, bigger duties that I must attend to. I cannot spend my time keeping him in line.
Altair would have to wait though.
First, she had a demon lord to defeat.
Chapter Thirty
Altair
HE DROPPED FROM THE skies with practiced ease, shunting aside the sadness that he would have to soon return to his human form.
It had been far too long since he had been able to take flight, to let
