Page 91 of Novice Girlfriend

“You’ve reconnected my magic and my bond with Cheese is better, but I’m a grown warlock and I struggle to have the magic to lay more than a few circles a day. It’s embarrassing.” He stopped and grabbed my arm, so I did too, but then he let me go. “How many times have you heard familiars gossip about that?” He nodded when I swallowed instead of responding. “We all have that shit we carry. Take your time and I’ll handle them, okay?”

“Thanks, Taylor.”

He searched my face for a minute. “No problem. Tell me and I’ll handle the stupid. Don’t shut everyone out. We worry, and I’m not trying to be mean, but there’s too much going on for all of us to worry about each other on stuff like this. We have to talk. I know, funny coming from a guy who doesn’t talk a lot, but I communicate well.”

He did. That was incredibly true and vital in a role like his. I nodded that I heard him.

“Don’t make anyone feel bad. I know it’s their grief,” I whispered. “People just need to know familiars really gossip. A lot.”

“Seriously, what else has Cheese told you?” he sighed.

“I didn’t mean that pointed,” I drawled, but clearly he wasn’t buying it. I chuckled and took off on him, laughing when he had no chance of keeping up with me even when I wasn’t using my magic to run faster. I was fast and he was heavy. Tall and built, and that was good for a sprint, but we’d already been running and I was a distance runner.

I left him in my dust which improved my mood.

So of course it was destroyed when I arrived home.

“How bad?” I sighed when Emma was sitting outside, obviously waiting for me.

“Jason Berns just threw down his ace and blew up Link’s life,” she told me and handed over her phone with something loaded.

That he did.

Jason had basically shot back that of course his magic had gotten damaged when the nephew of a councilman was the guard who “misunderstood” the whole situation and had come after him. And what was wrong with the council that their families had to protect them that way? Was it required of the branch families?

Forcing the non-children to guard the power-hungry council members to assume other names like Link had pretended to be Link Olive to go undercover at Morrigan. Was that why Taylor Reid had left our society and built a security company?

Maybe it was time that everyone stopped judging everything the top-tier families did and started asking who was the oversight of the council?

He wasn’t wrong on that but he was saying it for all the wrong reasons and anyone with a brain knew it. Either way, he’d gotten what he’d wanted and Link’s career with the council was over. There was no way he could blend in there now, and he’d be just as big of a target now as his uncle after Jason pointed the finger at him.

The whole Berns family would have a grudge against Link even if most would be happy to get Jason out. That was how it worked with the top-tier families.

“This is going to get bad,” I sighed.

“It always was, and it should never have gotten this bad to begin with,” she grumbled.

I couldn’t agree more.

Part of me wanted to check in with Link, but he had also lost his best friend and was an adult. He had people to worry about him and probably wanted space.

I realized I was wrong when Mrs. Oliveria was waiting for me Friday after classes. I wasn’t back to sessions yet, so I knew it wasn’t about that and the worry surrounding her was a lot.

She nodded when I looked at her, guessing I’d figured it out. “We haven’t heard from him all week. We can’t get to him because he’s more powerful now and blocks us from circling to him. Fine, he needs space after his suspension, but—”

“Suspension?” I gasped, my guards with me going tense as well.

“The council decided, and even Mark said it had to happen,” she whispered. “We love him and understand, but—he had to be punished. You know he did.”

I wouldn’t say any such thing and I ground my jaw, shocking her. She simply blinked at me, so I gave a half shrug and crossed my arms over my chest. “Hypocrites. When are they ever fucking punished? I’ve been fined. He’s been suspended. When do they get punished for anything? Jason’s vile, but I actually agree with him that maybe the council needs oversight.”

She went pale and swallowed loudly before looking down at her hands. “Be that as it may, he at least read my texts. Now that’s stopped and I can’t—I was going to give him until Monday after Berns outed him but my brother-in-law…”

“What did Link’s father do?” I worried.

“He sent a message saying he was going to disown him,” she rasped. “He left a message for Mark saying that and he never wanted Link to work for the council and now it’s disgraceful that they’re being dragged into this mess. He blames Mark but also wants to ‘cut Link loose’ so they can live peacefully. Selfish man.”

I sat with that a few moments. “What do you want me to do about it?”