Free Joy of Witchcraft by Mindy Klasky Page B

a long moment, but he finally shifted his stance, edging away from the box. As his frantic energy waned, the jangle of madness easing away, and I slipped my arms down his torso. I took care to skim over the bruises I knew had to be throbbing. I nestled my head against his chest, and I sighed when I felt his fingers slip through my hair. We stood there until Neko returned with the warders.
    ~~~
    By the time Monday morning rolled around, it actually felt like a relief to face the first day of class with my new students. There was nothing like concrete magical workings to force away all my lingering concerns—about Pitt somehow bringing a magical beast into the center of our opening ritual, about Teresa trying to cut me off before I even got started, about David’s mania to secure every last remnant of the Osgood collection in the basement vault.
    I woke about an hour before sunrise. After showering and dressing, I met David in the kitchen and fortified myself with a simple breakfast of steel-cut oatmeal and hot tea. I swallowed the last of my pear oolong and reached out to straighten his tie. “You know I’d go to the inquest if I could.”
    “You’d just waste your day sitting on a bench in the hallway.”
    I growled and was rewarded with Spot raising his head from his bed in the corner. As David told the dog to lie back down, I said, “Confidential proceedings. I get it.” And I quoted, “The Court shall preserve the privacy of the accused by conducting all inquiries in a secured facility, closed to all but testifying witnesses.”
    David nodded. His fingers closed around my waist. “I’m the one who shouldn’t be leaving you.”
    “I have six warders at my beck and call.”
    “But—”
    I shook my head. “And every one of them is armed with a sword. I’m not postponing class. You saw the parchment from Hecate’s Court. We have to stay in session continuously, or we’ll break our charter.” I settled my palm over his heart. “We’ll be fine. Just tell me there’s no way Pitt is getting off.”
    Alas, it wasn’t that simple. Pitt stood accused of using his position in the Court for personal profit. He’d skimmed funds from hundreds of witches, taken bribes and sold favors. And now he faced legal sanctions because David and I had turned him in.
    But years earlier, David had tried to take matters into his own hands. He’d falsified documents and forged papers, all in the interest of bringing Pitt’s violations to light. David might be called as a witness in this proceeding, but his testimony was suspect for bias. And he could very well be investigated as a criminal himself.
    “We’ll be fine,” I repeated when David didn’t tell a lie to reassure me. “It’s you I’m worried about.”
    “Then I’m not doing my job right. You should never worry about me.”
    I set my left hand on his chest, letting my engagement ring catch the light. “That ship sailed the day you proposed.”
    For answer, he leaned forward for a kiss. I broke it off first and retreated to the safety of my chair, where neither of us could be further distracted from our busy days. I said, “Let’s have dinner in the city tonight.”
    “There’s no reason for you to come all the way down there.”
    “I’m already driving down. Remember? I’m getting together with Melissa after class. I still need to officially con her into being my matron of honor.”
    “Sorry, I forgot. Sure. Let’s grab dinner. I’ll meet you at the bakery.”
    “Perfect.”
    But it wasn’t perfect. David never forgot my schedule. He never forgot anything. He was more worried about the inquest than he’d ever admit.
    But so-called perfect was better than panic. I wished him luck and hurried out of the kitchen, determined not to add to his concerns.
    I used the walk through the woods to center myself. The driving storm of Samhain had been caused by a strong cold front. In its wake, the sky shone with the sharp blue of lapis. Only the heartiest of