Page 18 of Do You Even Hex, Bro?
Sadie shrugs. "Could be minutes, could be days. Magic operates on its own timeline."
"So we're just supposed to sit around and wait for someone to knock on our door?" Killian stands, his frustration evident in every line of his body. "That's your big solution?"
"You don't expect me to stand here the whole time, do you?" Rowan asks dryly.
"What were you expecting, fireworks?" Sadie snaps, zipping her bag closed with more force than necessary.
"Kinda," Sean grumbles, looking genuinely disappointed.
Sadie gets to her feet, brushing salt residue from her pants. Then she turns to Killian and holds out her hand. "Pay up, asshole."
Killian's jaw tightens. "We don't even know if you did anything."
"We had a deal. I did the spell, now you pay me." She wiggles her fingers impatiently. "Two thousand bucks. Cash."
"Two thousand is pretty steep for a witch without a license," he mutters, but reaches into his back pocket for his wallet.
I watch as he counts out the bills. Hundreds, because of course Killian carries that kind of cash. The rest of us might be scraping by on football scholarships and part-time jobs, but Killian comes from old money. Wolf royalty, practically, with a family that's been accumulating wealth for generations.
Sadie counts the bills, her black lips curving into a satisfied smile. "Your family's name is on multiple campus buildings. You can afford it."
She's not wrong. The Underwood Science Center, the Underwood Athletic Complex, the Helen Underwood Library—his family's influence is all over Stormvale University. It's probably the only reason we haven't been expelled after some of our more... enthusiastic pack activities. Like the time Sean decided to see if shifters can hold our breath indefinitely underwater (we can't) and flooded the dean's office.
"You better not have scammed us," Killian warns as Sadie tucks the money into her bra.
"Believe it or not, I actuallywantyou idiots to find your Bonded," she replies, shouldering her bag. "The sooner you do, the sooner you'll stop bothering me with your stupid wolf problems."
"Such sisterly love," I comment dryly.
"Stepsister," she corrects automatically. "And you know how I feel about your little furry fraternity."
I do know. Sadie has hated wolves—all shifters, really—since before our parents got married. I think it's because she secretly wants to be a vampire.
"Thanks for helping anyway," I say, walking her to the door where Rowan steps aside to let us pass.
She pauses in the doorway, her expression softening just a fraction. It's as close to affection as Sadie gets with me. "Just... be careful, okay? Bonds are serious shit. When your witch shows up, don't be a typical alpha male dickbag about it."
"I'm not a dickbag," I mutter.
"You're an alpha," she says with a snort. "You'realldickbags."
With that parting wisdom, she disappears into the night, the scent of her magic lingering.
When I return to the living room, Sean is hauling the coffee table back into place while Rowan lingers by the door and Killian stands by the window, staring out into the darkness. The lines of his back are rigid with tension through the fabric of his gray Henley.
"Well,thatwas anti-climactic," Sean announces, flopping onto the couch.
"Did you expect our Bonded to materialize out of thin air?" Rowan asks, brushing salt from his jeans.
"I mean, kinda? At least some kind of sign that it worked."
"The blue flame wasn't enough for you?" I grab a beer from the fridge, popping the top with a flick of my partially extended claw. One of the many perks of being a shifter is never needing a bottle opener.
"That could have been anything," Sean argues. "Witch theatrics. For all we know, your sister just scammed us out of two grand and lit some chemicals on fire."
"She wouldn't do that," I say, though there's a sliver of doubt in my mind. Sadie might be my sister, but her sense of humor can be... twisted. "I think."
"It doesn't matter," Killian finally says, turning from the window. His face is set in that determined expression I've come to recognize as his "pack alpha has made a decision" look. "We're not just going to sit around waiting for magic to solve our problems."
