Page 55 of A Lesson in Obedience
“You make it sound so bad.” He wanted me broken and so far down that he was my only option. He couldn’t control all my decisions, but he could control what came from them.
“Fuck you. Fuck you and your entire twisted idea of a family.”
He walked around me, rolling his shoulders. “How about I do this, since you think I’m such a monster. I’ll back off, just a tiny bit and you join Celica, like you were always meant to.”
“Celica?”
“I’m sure the interim leader has already sent you an invite of some kind. Form bonds with your fellow witches. It would bring me joy to see you in great spirits with the others.”
I curled my fingers into fists at my sides. “I don’t want it. I don’t want a legacy. I can find other witches, make connections without having to step foot in that coven.”
Chancellor Fowler gave me a cheeky grin. “You were erratic and all over the place at that meeting, do you really think many witches will want anything to do with such a spectacle? The coven will giveyou support and shoulders to lean on. Plus, you’ll have your friend in there, right?”
“And it’s a way to keep me close,right?” I mocked, rolling my eyes.
“Closer. I mean, you are already on a campus that our family built.”
I nearly shivered at that thought. I wanted to wretch at the termour family. “Fine. I’ll join. And you’ll back off.”
He held his hands up as if he was the most innocent man in the world. “You have my word. Although, I have no jurisdiction on how Oliver wants to handle his family. I can keep him on a leash when it comes to you, but I have no say when it comes to his sons. The man is power hungry, and once you’ve gotten a dose of power from someone else, it’s a feeling you start to crave.”
“The magic you siphon, you plan to give it to him?”
He shook his head. “No, not all of it. Men like him need just enough to feel better than the rest. The St. James family needs to keep up that prestige somehow.” He grabbed my backpack from the floor and handed it to me. “You will meet with Lena. Monday morning, after your class.”
“I don’t need to meet with Lena. I have nothing to say. I’m fine. I won’t talk to someone you replaced my dad with. I’m not going to sit in that office and pretend like months ago you didn’t shove him out a window,” I spat, yanking my backpack out of his hands and shoving his shoulder.
He looked over at his shoulder and shook his head as if he was disappointed. “I’m just trying to do what’s best as your father.”
“I said I would join Celica, so that’s all I’m doing. Everything you’ve done negates any talk of you being a good dad. We are never going to eat dinner across from each other or sit on a couch and talk about our day. I’m never going to cry on your shoulder because I’m sad or ask you to make me feel better when I don’t feel good. I already had someone who did all those things!”
His jaw ticked. “You have a class you should be getting to in thirty minutes.” He nodded his head towards the clock on the wall.
“How do you…”
“Never mind wondering how I know things, Riley. I do find it rather interesting that Professor St. James, who happens to be your boyfriend’s brother, is someone who feels so strongly about you. I can understand being apprehensive because you are dating his brother, but the way he looked…hmm, there was so much more there. That is something that I feel the school should be made aware of, if it ever becomes a true problem. I've heard he's a firm yet fair teacher, and it would be unfortunate if his effort went to waste.”
My feelings were constantly mixed when it came to Asher, but I knew he liked teaching even when it frustrated him. I also was more than aware that anything that happened between us would be tricky and very delicate territory. Tears threatened to escape my eyes, but I held them back. “I thought you didn’t want to control me?”
“Oh, honey I’m not. I’m presenting a choice. Just like I always do. I gave your mother a choice. I could take over the coven, learn to siphon powers to keep getting stronger so I could protect our child because those witches owed me. All the things I’d endured from my family to get where I was, they owed me. Or I could still siphon powers, but we could end up leaving, go somewhere and start over. She chose neither and left me; she took you. Now I leave no room for error. No room for detours. I will look after my family this time.”
My lip quivered and it took everything in me to force it to stop.
He walked over to the door and started to open it, but froze, turning to me with a sad smile on his face. “Asher and I have that in common. Looking after our family. He was never going to let his brother get into trouble. That’s why he told Oliver about where you were that night in Thomas’ office. Or oh, wait…did he not tell you that?” He bared his teeth as if he’d just accidentally let something slip.
My breath got caught in my throat and I remembered back to my phone call with Corrin. Asher had heard bits and pieces, but I didn’tthink he’d gone and ratted me out to his dad. My feet felt like lead weights as I walked. Chancellor Fowler opened the door for me, and I stopped next to him, trying to maintain my composure. “You should really be more selective about who you surround yourself with.”
The open hallway was bustling with faculty engaged in conversation or headed to their offices while on their cellphones. They didn’t really notice me and how I got a bomb dropped on me just now.
He raised one of his eyebrows, leaned towards me and whispered, “Are you still so sure that you aren’t better off with me?”
20
Riley
My entire body felt like it was vibrating while I sat in my class, hardly listening to anything my professor had to say. All I could hear was Chancellor Fowler’s voice over and over again. The upside was that I hardly noticed the eyes that seemed to land on me every so often. I would occasionally look in their direction whenever I tried to refocus and they would look away quickly.
I tapped my phone screen to life and found my text thread with River.
