The Witchling Apprentice

  “You need to rest,” Nate told her as he reached down to help her stand.

  Cassie brushed off his hands and Nate looked shocked.

  “What is all this stuff about your mark and claiming me? I’m pretty sure I made it clear I don’t plan to date you,” Cassie told him, pushing herself to an unassisted, yet wobbly stand.

  “What do you mean?” he asked, like he didn’t understand what she was saying.

  “I am not your girlfriend.” Cassie tried to enunciate as best she could. Jess’ anger was easy enough to feel with her magic still resonating through her blood.

  “Of course not,” Nate replied. Cassie sighed in relief that at least they could agree on that. “You’re my mate.”

  Cassie couldn’t stop her mouth from dropping open. He seemed oblivious of her choice.

  “I wouldn’t date you if you paid me.” Cassie reached for the door handle to let herself in. She’d rather deal with John’s wrath over unapproved magic than Nate and his delusion that there was something more between them.

  Surprise laced Nate’s eyes.

  “You already chose me, why this game now?” Nate asked. “Anyone else would feel lucky to be you, and here you are complaining. I don’t get you, Cas.”

  A pang of sadness hit Cassie when he used the nickname he had called her in grade school, but she didn’t let that change her mind. Nate had always been charismatic, even back then. He could get just about anyone to do anything he wanted. Cassie wasn’t immune to his charms, but he never asked her to do anything that would get her in trouble, unlike Owen and Nate. They were in trouble all the time. Cassie was always the good girl. She did what was asked of her and never asked questions. She wasn’t going to be that Cassie anymore. She wanted answers, not someone bossing her around. She got enough of that from John.

  Cassie opened the door and slid inside, only opening it wide enough for her body to slip through. She tried to shut the door on Nate, but his foot was quicker than hers, with her not quite awake muscles. Nate reached forward and quickly grabbed Cassie’s arm before she could make it away.

  “We need to talk,” he whispered to her. “But not here.”

  Cassie wanted to protest, but Nate already had her back out the door and quickly shut it much more quietly than she had opened it. Nate let go of her arm, and Cassie stopped right at the top of the stairs as he was walking away.

  “Not here,” he said as he looked at the house.

  Cassie was tempted to look behind her and see which window Uncle John was peering out of, but she didn’t. She just stood and watched Nate as he went back to his car. He stopped his car and glanced back at her.

  He asked the only question that would be tempting enough to get her to move. “You want answers?”

  Cassie begrudgingly followed him. He stood still and didn’t get into his car until she sat down and shut the door. Quickly, Nate followed and gracefully slid into his seat. He turned the car on just as fast and sped off away from her uncle’s house. Nate didn’t drive far before stopping at a park Cassie used to visit as a child. Nate pulled into the parking lot and got out. Cassie had no choice but to follow.

  Nate walked over to the swings and sat down. Cassie stood and watched him. He didn’t speak but waited for her to sit, too.

  “Take you back a few years?” Nate asked as Cassie dangled her feet over the sand.

  Cassie had a head full of memories at that particular park with Nate and Owen. Nothing recent, though.

  “You said you’d have answers,” Cassie replied, getting to business. She was sick of all the games.

  “And I do. I just don’t know where to start.”

  “How about the beginning?” Cassie suggested, pushing back and making her swing go a little.

  “Were you always this blunt?” Nate moved his own swing a little to keep a slow pace with hers.

  “Were you always a jerk who dumps girlfriends for a girl that doesn’t even want to date you?”

  “Touché,” Nate replied with a chuckle.

  “So are we here to swing, or do you actually fear my uncle just like everyone else?” Cassie added. It wasn’t fear she sensed from Nate earlier, but that was a good excuse to use anyway.

  “Do you know anything about your parents?” Nate asked, ignoring her snarkiness.

  “They’re dead. What else is there to know? They left me with an uncle that doesn’t want me. That just about covers it.” Cassie shrugged. There was always more beyond that, but since no one would tell her anything, she had to go with what she knew.

  “Dead?” Nate asked, as shocked as Uncle John had been.

  Cassie bit her lip. That was a secret she had just told her uncle, too. She had done well to keep it hidden for the weeks leading to the exam. Oh well. It didn’t matter, or change anything. It wasn’t like Cassie had hoped they would come save her from the crappy town she was being raised in full of people that would point, stare, and talk about her behind her back. She gave up that hope long ago.

  “My parents figured that much, but I think my mother was still hoping your mom would show up at some point,” Nate replied, staring at the playset that was lit by the bright, almost full, moon in the sky.

  Cassie bit her tongue. She forgot that Nate’s mother and her mother had been best friends growing up. If anyone still hoped that her mother would return alive someday, it was his mother.

  “Has your uncle told you anything about your father?” Nate tested the waters with questions.

  Cassie shrugged. Uncle John had told her nothing about, including a name for, her father. The only thing she knew was the baby blanket she had been brought in had an F on it. That meant nothing to anyone in town, and even the most powerful witches couldn’t use it to locate her parents.

  “What has the coven taught you about the people in town?” Nate asked, changing his questioning but still not making any sense or giving Cassie any answers.

  “That we come from a long line of humans that practice magic,” Cassie replied. Even Nate had heard that same lecture.

  Nate jumped up from his swing and began to pace in the sand before Cassie as he mumbled to himself. She couldn’t hear what he was saying, but it was fun to watch him frustrated. Cool and collected Nate Bay was actually at a loss for words. Finally, he stopped his pacing and looked up at Cassie, his eyes reflecting the moon were almost glowing in the dark evening light.

  “You never heard anyone mention that there are two types of humans?” Nate asked. His eyes were staring intently at her, waiting for her to answer, which she did not. “Night humans and day humans?”

  Now Cassie wondered if maybe she hit her head when she passed out before. She was pretty sure it was just a muscle-relaxing potion, but maybe she did pass out. He wasn’t making much sense.

  “Witches are day humans. In fact, the witches that live around here are the only day humans that can do magic,” Nate continued to explain. Now Cassie was finding him harder to believe. She had met the sidhe. She had seen them do magic, not that she could tell him that.

  “Okay. Let’s say I believe you. Then what are these night humans?” Cassie asked. Everyone was a bit confusing lately, but Nate was the icing on the cake. He sounded even nuttier than Owen and Whitney with their mate talk.

  “You know all those horror movies that are always in the theaters?”

  Cassie nodded, having no idea where he was going with the change in subject. Not that it mattered. He was talking nonsense anyway.

  “Those bad guys that run around killing people and drinking their blood?”

  Cassie nodded again, waiting for the punch line. She loved a good horror movie like the next person, but they were getting really off topic now.

  “The witches in town make up the day humans, but the rest of us are all night humans. Also known as the blood-drinking bad guys,” Nate explained, looking directly at her as he talked.

  Cassie’s heartbeat picked up. She now regretted not telling her uncle she was home. She was alone in a park with so
meone that kind of just admitted he was into drinking blood. Yeah, she had seen those horror movies. Normally the nut jobs like that killed those they lured off alone into the dark of the night. Why hadn’t she brought anything with her? She rarely left the house without a bit of magic. She had been too trusting that Owen would stay with her. Where was her knight in shining armor now? He had left her alone with the crazy guy in front of her.

  “Cas,” Nate said quietly, “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  Cassie glanced up. He was now closer to her. His eyes were filled with concern, but her heart kept beating fast. He stood back and watched her, waiting for something. His dark, almost black, hair was messily pushed off his forehead from running his hands through it as he talked. His lopsided smile was gone, and a line of worry replaced it. He stood back, not making any sudden moves or anything that was even remotely threatening. Her heartbeat slowed a bit. It was Nate, after all. He could be a jerk, but he wasn’t a murderer. At least she had to hope not.

  “You’ve always wanted to know what the big secret was. That’s it,” Nate told her. He kept his distance, his gaze never leaving hers.

  “So half the town likes to drink blood?”

  Cassie stared at him in disbelief. He wasn’t making a move toward her, but just stood there waiting. He seemed sane, and even had a serious expression on his face like he believed what he was saying. Cassie quickly glanced around to find who was taping their conversation. It had to be a joke.

  “Where are Owen and Whitney hiding? And how did you get Jess in on it? Gosh, that’s a great girlfriend. How much did they pay you?” Cassie asked, still searching the park in the dark of the night. They had to be hidden well.

  “No one paid me anything, and this isn’t a joke,” Nate replied, taken aback by her change in attitude. “I’m being serious.”

  “Just like they were serious when they told me all that mate crap before?” Cassie asked.

  There was no way possible people were running around town getting married at seventeen or drinking blood for that matter. That was all crazy, and probably one of Owen’s wild ideas to prank her.

  “Mate crap?” Nate asked, seemingly offended.

  “Yeah, all that stuff about you and me essentially being married. Nice joke, you guys, but this is taking things a bit far,” Cassie said it loudly, so her friends—wherever they were hiding—could hear her.

  Nate seemed confused as he looked around the park also.

  “Who are you talking to? No one’s here,” he told her.

  “Sure. My friends just left me with you,” Cassie replied. They would never do that.

  “I told them to leave, and they did. As the next in line to be alpha they have to listen,” Nate replied, still perplexed.

  “Sure.” Cassie stood and squinted into the darkness, searching for her friends. “Well, it’s been fun, but I’m tired, and I don’t want to miss curfew. I’ll have to scold them later for doing this. Cinderella has to go home now,” she added rather loudly, hoping wherever Owen was, he would hear her and come out.

  Nate followed behind Cassie as she began to walk away.

  “Where are you going?” he asked, jumping in front of her to make her stop.

  “Home,” she replied, like it was obvious. Cassie walked around him and kept going.

  “We can go back and pick up your stuff, but really my house is completely stocked,” Nate told her as he moved beside her. “I think my mother has been shopping for years, hoping that I’d find a mate. She really wanted a daughter, you know. I think she has hundreds of outfits in almost every size she could find.”

  Cassie stopped.

  “Stocked for what?” That made absolutely no sense.

  Nate was being strange as ever, but at least it wasn’t any different than normal. Life had always been bewildering for Cassie. Seemed her friends had a sense of humor about it with their prank. She’d thought passing her exam would let her into the group, but now she didn’t care. The town could keep their secret games.

  “For you to move in,” Nate replied, like it was obvious.

  “Um. Thanks, but I think you’re taking this joke a bit too far.” Cassie slowly backed away from him. He might not be the murderer she’d briefly thought he was moments before, but he was still acting odd.

  “This isn’t a joke. You are my mate.”

  “Sure,” she said slowly, continuing to walk toward the street. “And I’ll be the next Queen of Sheba.”

  Nate paused. “If that’s what you want, we can probably arrange something.”

  Cassie stared at him. He was serious. She wasn’t, but now it was getting too weird even for her.

  “Well, thanks, but no thanks. I’ll just be on my way. You don’t know what John can be like when I don’t follow his orders,” Cassie told him as she continued to walk, keeping an eye on Nate.

  “Like a bear?” Nate replied.

  Cassie nodded. That was the perfect description of him but why Nate would say that was beyond her.

  Opening his car door, Nate slid inside, then reached across the seat and threw open the passenger side door. Cassie didn’t trust him—he had been talking strangely.

  “Get in. We’ll go to your place if you insist before heading back to mine,” Nate ordered her.

  Cassie wrinkled her nose. She had spent her whole life being ordered around by her uncle. She put up with it because he was her guardian. She wasn’t about to be bossed around by someone her own age, no matter what he thought he could do.

  “No thanks. I can make it back on my own,” Cassie replied. The park was only a few blocks away from her house.

  “Cassie, it’s night out. Come on. Just get in my car,” Nate told her as he started the engine.

  Ignoring him, Cassie crossed the street instead. She began walking down the sidewalk before Nate realized that she wasn’t about to listen to him.

  “Cassie,” Nate said from his car as he drove down the street with his window open and car door flopping around. He matched her pace with his car. “Get in the car.”

  “Yeah. I don’t know who you think you are. You might be cute and have tons of people willing to do anything you say, but I’m not one of them,” Cassie explained as she kept walking. It was warming her up to walk, so she kept up her brisk pace.

  “You have no idea what’s out at nighttime. It isn’t safe to just walk around.” Nate scolded, “Cassandra Aisling Booth, get in the car.”

  Cassie rolled her eyes. Uncle John didn’t even use her full name when yelling at her. Nate was acting like he was her mother.

  “If you’re worried about me being out a night, you shouldn’t have dragged me off to the park to play a prank on me,” Cassie replied. “Go home, Nate.”

  Turning, Cassie cut through the closest yard, knowing the neighbors on her street wouldn’t mind her going through their yards. Nate was going to have to go around the block to get to her house at the end of the cul-de-sac. Cassie didn’t care if he tried to continue following her—she was going home, and there was nothing he could do to stop her. She couldn’t wait to get back home and to her cell phone she had left in her room. Perfectly planned as it was, her friends needed to be chewed out for this prank.

  CHAPTER 4

  Cassie couldn’t get a hold of either Owen or Whitney when she got home, but it didn’t matter. She was tired and fell asleep the moment her head hit her pillow. She had gone to her first dance, a bonfire, and even had a spell put on her. It had been an exhausting night. The only reason she got up the next morning was because her growling stomach had woken her up.

  She slipped on a sweatshirt—her room was toasty, but John kept the rest of the house freezing—and made her way silently downstairs. Cassie had gotten very good over the years at being quiet. John liked his sleep almost as much as he liked his food in the fall. Nate had been right about one thing: the more she thought about it, the more John could easily have been a bear in another life.

  Cassie paused in shock. There were voices coming
from the kitchen. Cassie kept to creeping just as silently as she had on the stairs while she continued down the hallway. The living room couch had blankets thrown across it like someone had slept there. That was odd for her uncle. He wasn’t the type that needed or wanted blankets when he passed out in front of the TV.

  “You haven’t told her anything,” a voice complained.

  Cassie wanted to groan. She knew that voice. Nate was at her house, and from the looks of it, he possibly spent the night. They were really taking this joke too far.

  “I told her as much as she needed to know,” John replied gruffly.

  “She needed to know more. She needs to know more,” Nate corrected.

  “I didn’t know she was planning to take the exam. I would have told her no,” John added, defensively. It was strange to hear him up so early without being angry.

  “Well, she’ll be moving in with me today. We already got a room ready for her. My mother will be by to collect her later,” Nate told John. Cassie had never heard anyone talk so directly to her uncle before, especially no one her age.

  “You can’t just waltz in here and take her from me,” John replied. Cassie could picture his face, hearing the words that were almost tipped with ice.

  “I can, and you know it. If you wanted to be in charge, you should have gotten married like everyone else. You’d have complete control of your totem if you had.” Nate seemed to not notice how deadly John’s voice had become, or maybe he didn’t care. Cassie guessed it was the latter.