“Well that’s a first,” Angus says.
Van’s phone chimes again. “They want the stewards there early to help prepare.”
“Do you think it could be Damon?” I ask.
Marco rubs his face. “Do you think it’s a trap? What if they know it’s me? Maybe we shouldn’t go.”
Van gets to his feet. “None of that matters. If it’s Damon and a trap, we go in ready to fight. We were able to kill his sons because we fought together and together we can bring him down too. We’ve been preparing for this for ages. If it’s Allbright, we go in with an alibi for whenever he was attacked and stick to it; make it out like he’s crazy. We’ll have our chains on, so they won’t be able to force us to shift. And if it’s something else, we just show up because no matter what, it will look suspicious if we don’t.”
With that, we’re back on even ground, sort of. Even footing. Van has said he’s not the leader, but he continues to fall into the role naturally, and they seek it. It helps. I can see it in Angus and Marco’s reactions. They see Van as their leader.
And oddly, I find that I do, too.
Having Van in charge gives me hope that everything is going to work out.
Chapter Seven
JOELY
The following day, it’s clear that whatever is going on, it isn’t a trap. I breathe a sigh of relief as we approach the Cottage because it’s like a mage convention outside the Society of Ancient Magic. Crowds of people gather on the lawn and spill out toward the gates and into the street. Hundreds of people flood the property, I recognize many of the students’ faces, but there are lots of alumni as well, all answering the call of the mandatory meeting of the Society.
The three of them left the house before dawn to scope everything out. If something went wrong, they wanted to make sure they faced it together. Angus and Marco came back about an hour ago to join me for the meeting, leaving Van to his job as steward.
“There’s Roz,” I say, pointing to where my friend waves at us from near the stairs.
We head in her direction and find Winter and Georgia, my suite mates, waiting with her.
“Hey stranger,” Roz says as she wraps me in a hug. “How was your holiday?”
“It was good. Really good,” I say, unable to stop smiling. It was really good, better than good—it was great.
When I told the guys about me and my family, about everything I knew about my origins, they didn’t push me away. In fact, we spent hours talking while we prepared the Solstice feast. They shared stories about Salma and what they remembered from their own families and they didn’t press me to talk about mine.
I think they could tell a part of me was sad to be letting go of my past. Because when it comes down to it, I was happy back then. How am I supposed to discard my past life when before all of this happened, just about every memory is a happy one? I even told them about my annual tradition of making a cardamom cake. Angus secretly found a recipe online and they surprised me with one after dinner. I thought I might burst with happiness.
Whatever happens with my family, it’s this family, these men, these friends right here, right now—this is where I’m supposed to be. I can’t stop smiling, and decide that I don’t want to.
“Happy Solstice, boys,” Roz gives Angus and Marco a quick one-armed hug while keeping one arm around me. “Where’s Van?”
Marco tips his chin toward the mansion. “Inside already. They asked him to come early.”
“Oh, right. I forget that he works here,” Roz says.
Winter leans in. “Did he say what this was about?”
“No idea.” Marco shakes his head. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
I scan the crowd, looking for Porter Allbright. I don’t know what to think about him after the attack. I thought he was dead, but now that I know he’s alive and he didn’t tell anyone what happened… what does that mean for me? I stop scanning when I catch sight of the familiar jawline of a petite brunette.
As if sensing my gaze, Kate glances over her shoulder right at me. She does a double take when she spots me and makes a beeline right for me. I stiffen out of reflex, but then I remember where I am. I’m surrounded by Roz and my guys, and I know they have my back. It’s a good feeling, and one I could get used to.
I watch my sister approach. I don’t look away and when she stops in front of me and I can tell she’s getting ready for a fight. I’m not the Joely she used to know. I’ve seen this look a thousand times, and in the past I would immediately assume I’d done something wrong. I would run through the days’ events, cataloging any potential transgressions, bracing myself for the onslaught.
But that was before. When I wasn’t one of them. Only I didn’t know how much that mattered at the time. I just kept trying, convinced that if I could only do better, they’d love me as much as I love them. If I didn’t step out of line, they would love me for who I am.
But Kate herself let me know that wasn’t the case. I had it all wrong. I would never have been accepted among their ranks. In her eyes a non-mage didn’t count at all. Kate thinks she’s dealing with the old Joely. I think I’m finally done trying to prove myself to her.
“Thanks for hanging up on me, Joely. That wasn’t nice.” My sister’s voice is calm.
“What are you doing here?” I ask. One of the first clues to there being something fishy going on with my family was the fact that I have Ancient Magic and my
