Chapter 272

Jackson and I look up at Tony at the same instant, realizing that we’ve made a mistake. Cora and Jesse grin, picking up on things instantly as they sit down next to each other on the armchairs.

“I thought Ariel Sinclair was mated to Luca Grant,” Tony says, grinning at me and nodding to the door where he just left.

“Um,” I say, my voice high and prim.

“Was that just tabloid gossip?” Tony presses, leaning forward a bit and I think enjoying himself. “Or was that kiss at the boxing match subterfuge, meant to distract the public? Or is this…” he says, tarting a finger between us, “somehow illicit?”

Jackson just growls a little, his eyes on Tony as his arm tightens around me, I think a mostly unintentional reaction to the suggestion that our connection is illegitimate.

“Oh, she’s mated to Jackson too,” my mom breaks in as Rafe sits up and the two of them gather around the table as well. Rafe spins to mom with his mouth open, appalled that she’d drop the secret like that, but mom just flaps a hand like she can dismiss the tension like smoke in the air. “Honestly, that drama is the least of our concerns today.”

Tony raises his eyebrows at me and I just shrug as Jackson takes a rather vicious bite of his sandwich, daring Tony to doubt for a second that he’s my mate. Tony’s face breaks into a grin and I work hard to fight my own.

“Cool,” Tony says, shrugging and apparently taking the news in stride, nodding to Jackson to let him know that they’re good. Jackson’s arm loosens around me, just slightly. “So…not that I mind his absence, because I think he’s full of crap, but…if this is magic class, where is Alvez?”

“Jackson punched his lights out,” Jesse says happily, leaning back in his chair with a clever grin, watching Tony’s face go pale at his words.

“Are you serious?” Tony breathes, turning to stare at Jackson.

“Only a little,” Jackson says with a shrug before taking another huge final bite of his sandwich and then reaching for another. “Then Jesse grabbed him with his shadow magic and shook the soul of the God of Darkness loose. I think that’s what really took him down.”

Tony pales further, his mouth falling open.

“Tony, ignore them,” Rafe says with a sigh, glaring between Jesse and Jackson as he likewise digs into the food. “They’re each just trying to one-up each other.”

“So,” Tony says, looking over at Rafe now, still clearly a bit shaken. “None of that happened?”

“No, it did,” Rafe says with a sigh, making Tony blanch even further. Rafe hurries into a quick explanation then for Tony’s sake – because of course we told mom and Cora everything as soon as they got here – of how Jesses’ power manifested last night, and then Alvez trapped me in the room, and how they broke down the door and Jesse forced the God of Darkness out of Alvez and now Alvez is down in his room, shaken but sleeping it off after mom healed him up too.

“Whaaat the hell,” Tony breathes, looking around at all of us. “I mean, I was considering taking you guys up on your invitation to dinner but…I am no longer sure I want to join this group of friends.”

Mom’s mouth falls open in protest that someone wouldn’t want to hang out with her darlings.

“No offense, your highness,” Tony says, resting back into the couch’s cushions. “That just…sounds like one hell of a morning.”

“It was,” I sigh, thinking of the one thing that I’m keeping back from everyone, wanting to talk to mom about it in private before anyone else.

Still, Jackson looks down at me with a frown, sensing my worry and sending a little question to me, asking if I’m all right. I snuggle closer to him, looking up into his face, nodding quickly to let him know it’s fine. He nods back and returns his attention to my mom.

“Well, as you can imagine, Tony,” my mom says, resting a half-eaten cookie in her lap and looking around at all of us evenly. “Professor Alvez is…not precisely up to teaching any longer this semester. And, considering that you have thus-far been working with a dark God who very likely was actively working against any of you learning anything real about your magical skills,” she grimaces, apologizing silently for that, “clearly, we need to make some changes here.”

“Study hall?” Jesse asks eagerly. “Nap time?”

Cora smacks him on the knee, even as she laughs. He smiles back at her, making me grin too to see them.

“Nope,” my mom says, beaming around at all of us. “Cora and I are going to take over your magic class! Isn’t that great!? We’re going to be your new professors!”

We all look around at her, our mouths open, because…

How on earth is this ever going to work?

Silence reigns in the room, even as mom beams around at all of us. After a few second, her face drops a little. “What?” she asks, looking around. “What’s wrong with that?”

“Mom, how on earth are you going to do that?” Rafe asks, shaking his head at her. “You’re a Queen – you can’t just drop everything to come and hang out with us. I mean, dad couldn’t get away from the war for even a couple of hours today – and you’re proposing to what, come live here?”

“No, your father would miss me too much if I came to live here,” mom says with a scowl, smacking Rafe on the arm.

“Not to mention your other two children,” Cora says, dry. “Remember them? Juniper and Mark?”

“Oh, they wouldn’t miss me,” mom says, again waving a dismissive hand that makes me smile. “Though they do need me. No, Rafe, obviously Cora and I will just come once a week to work with you. We’ll take the helicopter with Hank when he comes to work with Jackson.”

“Who’s Hank?” Tony asks, sitting forward with interest.

“My mom’s human ex-boyfriend,” Jesse whispers loudly, making me burst into a grin.

Cora gasps a little, turning to smack Jesse on the shoulder. “A very well-respected doctor who is working with Jackson on…” he hesitates now and looks between Jackson and Tony. “A side project.”

“You royals just get…more interesting as the minutes pass,” Tony says, grinning widely and leaning back into the couch, looking around.

Rafe narrows his eyes at Tony, suspicious. But Tony either doesn’t see it or ignores it. I scowl a little, annoyed at Rafe for still suspecting Tony when I already trust him with my whole heart – something in my instincts telling me to do so. I catch my mom’s eye in that moment and she smirks and gives me a little nod, letting me know she feels the same even if…

Well. Even if her own magic did have a strange reaction to his. What could that have been, anyway? Like death…

“Well, let’s get started,” Cora says with a sigh, leaning forward and peering around at us, the more scholarly and analytical side of my aunt coming forward, I think a bit eager to have a problem to work on.

“Wait, mom,” Jesse says, putting out a hand towards her. “Obviously, I’m pumped at the idea of you coming here every week to work with us but…” he hesitates, looking between his mother and his aunt, “what on earth qualifies you to be our professor?”

Cora stares at her son for a moment, eyebrow raised, clearly silently asking him if he wants to re-think that question. Jesse bursts into a grin, I think both entertained and slightly terrified of his mother in this instant.

“I think what qualifies us, nephew-mine,” mom says, likewise a little miffed, “is first that both Cora and I are experienced magic users, and second…that no one else wants the job.”

“What?” I ask, leaning forward, laughing a little.

“Alvez was one of like, two applicants we got when we advertised this a few years ago,” mom says, laughing. “And he was so nice! At least…before he got possessed.” She shrugs. “There are not a lot of magic users out there, and those who are aren’t precisely thrilled at the idea of moving to a remote castle to secretly teach a bunch of Alpha boys.”

“And girls, now,” I say, holding up my cookie in a little toast to myself.

“And girl,” mom agrees, giving me a wink and holding her own cookie up towards mine. We pretend to clink them and then laugh, taking bites.

Everyone ignores us.

“Any other questions, beloved first-born?” Cora asks, turning towards Jesse.

“Yes, actually,” he says with a wry smile, turning towards his mom with his arms crossed, clearly about to quiz her about her qualifications. But before he can, Cora just raises her eyebrow again, lifts her hand, and snaps her fingers once.

Instantly, a cloud appears above Jesse and dumps a great deal of rain all over him in a single gush, making him gasp and leap out of his seat as a tiny, adorable grumble of thunder rolls through the room.