Home > Harley Merlin and the Mystery Twins (Harley Merlin #2)(3)

Harley Merlin and the Mystery Twins (Harley Merlin #2)(3)
Author: Bella Forrest

Looking around, I spotted my Rag Team at one of the long tables. A couple of seats away from them were Finch’s old teammates, including Garrett Kyteler, who still carried that brokenhearted-boy look on his handsome face. I still had a bit of a soft spot for him, but I blamed it on my hormones—just my body responding to an attractive individual. Nothing more, nothing less.

No longer overwhelmed by crowds, thanks to my Empathic self-control, I kept my focus on my friends as I walked over to them. They’d saved me a seat.

Santana Catemaco, Tatyana Vasilisa, Raffe Levi, Astrid Hepler, Dylan Blight, and Wade Crowley. They weren’t just my teammates anymore. We’d grown closer as a group. We’d learned to work together and to trust one another. Most importantly, they supported me in my quest to improve myself. I knew I would forever be in their debt for everything they’d taught me so far, knowingly or otherwise.

“There she is!” Santana exclaimed as I glided between the long tables to reach them. “Heard you had quite a fiery experience in Physical Magic earlier!” she added, chuckling.

They were all smiling, happy to see me again. It warmed me inside to feel that. The only one who was still guarded and weirdly nervous around me was Wade, but I decided not to rub his face in it after the ass-whooping he’d just gotten from Nomura.

I sat down at the table and proceeded to scarf down my lunch. As usual, I left little room for talking, washing my food down with a glass of sparkling water, which Raffe was courteous enough to pour for me.

“It was intense, yeah,” I replied, then tackled another piece of potato. “This gravy, though…”

Astrid giggled. “I know, right? I’ve been trying to get my hands on the recipe, but the chefs hold on to it like it’s a state secret.”

“So, how are you coming along with everything?” Santana asked. “I haven’t seen much of you this week.”

I gave her a brief shrug. “Really busy. But I think I’m doing okay. I mean, it’s definitely better than when I first got here.”

“Still a long way to go, though,” Wade interjected.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Hello, Captain Obvious.”

That was part of our routine. Banter and sarcasm were essential parts of my dialogue with Wade. I didn’t quite understand what purpose it served him, but for me, it was a good way to keep my mind sharp. I enjoyed our back-and-forths. Well, I enjoyed delivering solid burns to Mr. High-and-Mighty-Crowley, anyway.

“It’s true. You’re nowhere near our proficiency levels,” Wade replied, pushing a broccoli stalk around his plate with a fork.

“Oh, I know. Wait till I get there, though,” I said. “I did manage to make you sweat this morning. I’ll take that minor victory today.”

The others instantly turned their heads to look at Wade.

“Did she kick your ass?” Dylan asked, grinning like the Cheshire cat.

“You wish,” Wade muttered, pretending to focus on his almost-empty plate. “Nomura had us training without our Esprits again. Needless to say, Miss Merlin here still can’t wrap her head around that.”

“I’d just love to get more training with my Esprit, not only without it,” I grumbled.

“You heard Nomura. First, you need to hone your raw abilities,” Wade replied.

“Oh, Miss Whitehall is here,” Tatyana said, watching the director’s table. We all followed her gaze and found Alton having lunch with the preceptors, accompanied by Imogene Whitehall and Leonidas Levi, Raffe’s estranged father. Raffe and Leonidas didn’t get along and only really saw each other during these official visits.

Raffe didn’t look happy. “Ugh. He didn’t even say he was coming.”

Imogene glanced around the banquet hall and smiled when she saw me. I gave her a polite nod in return, and she winked back. It felt as though we’d already had a full conversation. Imogene was one of the few people whose emotions I couldn’t sense, but her gentle expression and bright blue eyes always put me in a good mood.

Out of all the stuck-up figures in the California Mage Council, the authority directly overseeing coven activities in the state, Imogene was the only one I was wholeheartedly fond of. Even before I found my Esprit, she’d advised and encouraged me. Once the whole issue with Finch and the Bestiary was resolved, she took the lead on the Council and defended us, ultimately awarding our coven with over a thousand points toward the end-of-year bonus. In my book, that made her super cool and a breath of fresh air, compared to the elitist snobs she had to work with. I’d bumped into her before, mostly in Waterfront Park during the occasional day out, and we caught up over tea now and again. She was, by far, one of the kindest magicals I’d ever come across—in complete contrast to the pompously stiff Leonidas Levi.

“I wonder what they’re doing here,” I said, chewing on my last piece of bread.

“It’s probably about the gargoyle incident,” Raffe replied. “They’re most likely doing follow-up, making sure everything is okay.”

“The cleanup operation was a success, though. It took us two weeks to wipe everybody who was in the area at the time, but we did it,” Wade said. “Mage presence isn’t really necessary at this point. We have it under control.”

Astrid’s AI, “Smartie,” had done a stellar job of scrapping and manipulating CCTV and social media footage, as well. Tobe was back and had Preceptor Bellmore assisting him in further securing the Bestiary boxes. Everything seemed to be back on track, so I was inclined to agree with Wade.

Raffe sighed. “You don’t know my father well enough, then. Once he sets his sights on a coven, he’ll watch over it like a hawk and swoop in at the first mistake. Plus, he’s not very fond of Alton.”

“Surely, Imogene balances him out, right?” I asked. “Like she did at the hearing.”

“Oh, you mean when my own father was ready to sink my coven, and Imogene intervened and set the record straight after you came in and testified? Yeah. You could say that,” Raffe replied. “It doesn’t matter if Imogene is here, though. They’re both part of the California Mage Council, and it’s not just the two of them. All seven of them are watching us now. After what happened with Finch, they’re worried.”

“Well, the concern does stem from the fact that they now know it was Katherine Shipton’s doing. That she’s still very much alive and kicking,” Santana said. “They’re quaking in their boots, man.”

“She was really bad, huh?” I sighed, losing my appetite. Fortunately, I’d already gone through most of my plate, leaving a handful of crusts on the edge.

“Haven’t you been reading up on the Shiptons?” Tatyana asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Alton promised he’d dig up all the information he has on them and the Merlins, if I focus on training and learning,” I said. “He’s yet to deliver, but, frankly, I can’t say I’m looking forward to reading up on my family history. I’ve been studying about my abilities, mostly, and the Bestiary. It feels less… toxic.”

“Not ready to deal with your past, huh?” Tatyana replied.

I exhaled. “Willing, sure. But no, not ready.”

“Whatever you need, we’re here. You know that, right?” Santana said, smiling softly. “My Orishas like you, by the way.”

I chuckled. “Oh, yeah, after that ride they took me on with the gargoyles, I’m sure!” I replied, remembering the button in my throat, which the Orishas—powerful Santeria entities commanded by Santana—used to amplify my voice and draw the gargoyles back into Balboa Park and away from the city streets. The experience was impossible to forget, as it had left me with a small scar on my throat, where the button had burned through at the end.

“Well, yeah. They think you’re a tough cookie. They like tough cookies,” Santana said.

“That explains why they obey you,” Raffe interjected. It surprised Santana, and it must have taken some effort on Raffe’s part. My heart was pounding like a maniac—my Empath senses were picking up Raffe’s feelings. He was nervous, yet brave enough to give Santana a compliment. He liked her. A lot. But there was a part of him I’d yet to wrap my head around. Raffe struck me as a dual character. Warm and friendly, shy and helpful on the outside, but with a dark and poisonous storm brewing on the inside. He didn’t like talking about himself, which made it difficult for me to ask about the mixed emotions I sensed. I had a feeling I hadn’t earned his full trust on that. And no one on our team spoke on his behalf.

It was kind of an unspoken rule: Only Raffe talks about Raffe.

“Thank you, Raffe,” Santana replied, her lips stretching into a dazzling smile. It made my heart flutter—once again, that was all Raffe. I was swooning over her because of him.

“When is your second Reading?” Astrid cut in, looking at me.

Out of everyone in our circle, Astrid and Santana had been the most vocal about me doing a second Reading. Neither believed that I was really a Mediocre, and, as much as I tried to stop myself from experiencing potential disappointment in the future, I didn’t believe it, either.

“I have no idea. I haven’t talked to Krieger about it yet,” I replied.

“Ah. Wolfgang Krieger!” Astrid replied, faking a German accent and making us all chuckle.

I glanced to my right and noticed Garrett watching me. Rowena Sparks, Poe Dexter, Lincoln Mont-Noir, and Niklas Jones were with him, talking and laughing about something. But Garrett wasn’t listening. He was focused on me. I felt another pang, remembering that I’d never see Ruby Presley again. She’d died in the gargoyle attack, and even though we hadn’t really gotten along, her passing was still a terrible tragedy.

“I heard some pretty creepy stuff about Krieger,” Dylan said.

Garrett smiled at me, but there was a tinge of sadness in his blue eyes, which I was convinced had something to do with Finch. Out of everyone in his crew, Garrett had been the most affected, since he and Finch were best friends. I couldn’t feel him as an Empath, either, but his face said plenty. He was still hurting.

   
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