Also, he knew he was guilty of doing exactly what he was grateful she hadn’t done—contradicting and countermanding—but in this case she was flat wrong. He wasn’t about to turn away someone in need because of the Convocation’s draconian rules on familiars. He might be a monster, but he retained some principles, ones he was willing to fight for. With a mental sigh and a surreptitious glance at Nic, he conceded to himself that a fight was likely exactly what he was going to get.

Nic took over as they stepped into the manse, pulling her gracious highborn lady manners around her like an elegant cloak, all chirpy welcome and solicitousness. She guided them into the library, likely because it was closer than the walk to Asa’s offices in the south wing, and more private than the family dining hall. Along the way, she described some of the history of the manse, pointing out architectural details and describing the ongoing renovation—and also flagged down one of the copious new servants, asking for breakfast in the library and for Wizard Asa to attend them for a minor injury.

If he hadn’t been so keenly aware of her magical fury, he’d have thought all was well. Han and Iliana seemed to think so, giving her grateful smiles, but Alise slid her sister a couple of sidelong looks. Sisterly awareness or wizard’s instincts? It would be interesting to discover.

If Nic left him in one piece after this.

~ 7 ~

She was going to kill him.

No, death was too easy for naïve and idealistic Gabriel. He wanted to be a hero? Then Nic was going to tear him into tiny pieces and leave him in a suffering heap of pointless nobility. Something for the storybooks.

Nic held on to her temper—and the vertiginous sense of everything they’d worked for dropping away beneath her feet—with all the tenacity of her exquisitely polite upbringing. She refused to show their guests just how upset she was. She revealed none of her inner turmoil, even though, from the moment she’d realized their surprise visitor must be Alise, Nic had been a mess of emotion.

What in the dark arts had possessed Alise to go truant from Convocation Academy? And on top of that exceptionally questionable decision, to help two rogue familiars escape? Inviting the retribution of House Sammael! Sure, Nic had always liked Iliana, who possessed a sweet and sunny nature that had led her to be kind to Nic when few others were after Nic’s fall from grace. She knew Han less well, but he always seemed all right, as far as the golden chosen who seemed destined to be powerful wizards ever were.

She sympathized with Han, freshly bruised from losing the dream of being a wizard and relegated to familiar status instead. Convocation knew, she felt for both Han and Iliana with their shitty futures and no power to change that. But those two should’ve known better than to dream of some kind of true-love outcome where they’d be partnered together. They did know better. Even if Han had manifested as a wizard, the Convocation likely wouldn’t have matched them. Every student at Convocation Academy was aware of that very simple truth.