Page 16 of Radiant Shadows

He scoffed. “I saw you two at the hotel the other day. What else does a vampire and human do behind closed doors?”

A strange sense of shame seeped into my gut, but I was also relieved. Better that he, and Hadrian by proxy, assumed that was all we were doing. Safer for Julian. But I couldn’t allow this bastard to report that I was a witch. This had to end here.

“Sekha hedjefa,” I said, channeling all my desperation into the memory spell.

Adam snapped to attention, his expression going blank.

“You will forget this conversation and every piece of damning information you have against Julian or me.” I narrowed my eyes as I considered my next words. “And you will forget where you’re living.”

My lips curled into a smug smile as I imagined him riding all around Chicago, looking for his place but unable to find it.

Adam shook his head, his eyes beginning to refocus, so I rushed to seal the spell. “Hetem.”

He blinked a few times, then looked up at me. “What happened?”

“Yes, Shea, whatdidhappen?”

I whirled around to see Gram standing behind me, wizened face fixed in a suspicious frown and arms crossed.

I got to my feet, ignoring Adam as he continued to scratch his head. “Just dealing with a problem, Gram. Is bingo over?”

“It is,” she said with a nod, her dubious tone suggesting she expected an explanation.

“Good, let’s go.” I stomped off toward the parking lot where her gray Subaru was parked, and she was hot on my heels.

As soon as we got into the car, the interrogation began.

“Why did you use magic on that boy?” Her expression was dour and critical.

“I had to,” I said without looking at her. “He was threatening one of my friends. And me.”

Her keys jingled as she set them in her lap, telling me we weren’t going anywhere. “Shea, I think it’s time you start telling me what’s going on. You’ve been acting out ever since Arya started going to that school, and I know you’ve been keeping things from me. If you’re in some kind of trouble, I can’t protect you if you don’t let me.”

I scoffed, even though some part of me wanted to confide in her. “Oh, you think keeping me under lock and key is going to protect me? Just like keeping me from using magic?”

She sighed. “You know why I’ve tried to shelter you from the magical world. It took your mother from us.”

“But I’m not her!” I shouted, turning to finally look at her. “I am powerful and capable of so much more than this mundane life. And without magic, I’d already be dead!”

Fear pinched her features, and I instantly regretted my words. “What do you mean? What’s going on?”

I closed my eyes for a moment, resigned to spill everything. Keeping all the secrets was quite literally killing me, and I was tired of dealing with these issues alone.

“There’s a supernatural war brewing, and I’ve unwittingly found myself right in the middle of it,” I confessed. “Ever since Ifound out about the shifter school, I’ve been determined to get admitted into it.”

“Is that why you’ve been running around with the gryphon?” she asked, her tone soft and unaccusing.

“Yes.” Well, that had been the initial reason. “He’s the director of the school, and he’s fighting a centuries-old war against a coven of vampires that wants to rule everything. That boy I cast magic on just now, he’s a spy for the vampires. I used a truth spell to make him confess and then a memory spell to make him forget about me. But if I’m on their radar, I’m not safe, Gram.”

She pouted, putting a hand on my shoulder and kneading it with her thumb. “I will protect you.”

I shook my head, giving her an imploring look. “That’s not enough. You can’t shelter me from everything. I need to know how to protectmyself. I need magic.”

She held my gaze for a long moment, and when she looked down, I knew I had lost this argument yet again. I wanted to weep with futile desperation.

“Very well.” Her voice was so quiet I barely heard it.

“W–what?” I asked, hardly breathing.

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