A Crown of Blood

Chapter 15

Jude was in a particularly sadistic mood during our morning training. It had been exactly two weeks since the start of my crash course in witchcraft—two weeks since my world turned upside down—and despite my jump from basic to intermediate, Jude was still not satisfied. So, he was heavy on the physical part of witch training—of levitation and keeping glamorous fortified even as external forces attempted to beat you into the ground.

Jude's choice of external force? Wind, rocks, and dirt to my face.

It ended when I lost my temper, knocked him into the mud, and punched him in the nose. We brawled for a quick moment until he blasted me into a tree—the second time that day—and I yielded when I saw the silver on his necklace.

"That's cheating!" I barked. The wolf wrapped herself around my mind as though the silver chain might rip her out of me somehow, and I stormed toward the cabin.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" he called back.

Outside the window of the training cabin, Rosalia and Sutton discussed a training exercise across Caine lands. The urgency in their voices told me it was preparation for something important.

"Don't fuck this up," Sutton warned. "Understood?"

"Yes, Beta!" said the chorus.

It piqued my curiosity, of course. I tilted my head and listened a little closer, even if the bruises from Damon's attack the previous night made me ache in more ways than one. Whether it was the magic or the bond, my healing was slower than I anticipated.

Snapping his fingers, Jude said, irritably,

"We don't have as much time today, witchling. Pay attention."

Balanced over a spell book that contained puzzles required for casting, I raised my brows. "Oh?"

Running a hand through his lavender hair, Jude rolled his eyes. "We'll be going into the city today. That's all I'm telling you."

A rush of excitement coursed through me. Did I hear him right? The city?

This was the perfect opportunity to make contact with Mr. Goodwin. He'd be over the moon when he heard about my accidental covert mission. And if the Caines wanted to take me into the city, that meant another piece of their puzzle would be revealed.

I might just be able to pull this off...

I dove into my training with newfound fervor. Every missed word was a zap of electricity to the back of my neck from the misplaced magic. The wolf was convinced Jude was doing it on purpose, and when she took control, claws jutted out and swiped at him. When he restrained me with his magic, I closed my eyes, focused, and broke through his hold. Instead of being angry, the witch was equal parts terrified and equal parts impressed.

"See what happens when you do your homework?" The pride in his voice made my chest swell with emotion. Every compliment he gave me had that effect, even if I tried to block it.

Trying to appear nonchalant, I said, "It's all raw, natural talent, Jude."

"With the right teacher."

"Okay, fine. With the right teacher."

He returned my words with a beautiful smile himself. Standing in the sunlight, Jude all but glowed in the afternoon light, and I found myself wondering about him for reasons outside of intel. Did he have a family? What was his coven like? Why and when did they get involved with wolves?

And then I thought about Rosalia. The way she looked at Jude on the dance floor of Club Wolfsbane, pure pain and longing in his eyes as she spoke about losing the person she loved. A witch and a werewolf. An outlawed pairing. I wondered what Jude felt. If he reciprocated. If that type of pain would subside with distance and what kept him from seeking it.