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  Then his mouth is all I can think about and I lean into his kiss. My body is on fire as his warmth seeps through our clothes. He lowers me down on the bed, and we’re both way too big, legs hanging off and all over each other, but I don’t even care. My heart is pounding. I’m kissing Carter. It’s reckless, it’s marvelous, it’s right, it’s—the stupid phone rings. Both phones. The WNN tone.

  Carter’s mouth lingers for a moment, then he pulls away from me. My lips still tingle. His face is flushed when he looks down at the phone. I ignore mine and sit up. I hate the phone. I hate the WNN. Stupid demons. I was kissing Carter. Holy crap. Why was I kissing Carter?

  “Demon attack in region three. Two dead,” he says.

  Moment ruined.

  He slides his phone back into his pocket and grins at me. I bite my lip. I really want to do it again.

  “What time is it?” I say quickly. I pull the phone out of my pocket. After one. “We should go.”

  Carter drums on the railing as he goes down the stairs. I stumble over a step and he steadies me. Embarrassing.

  Downstairs, I lock the door behind us. I’m trying to think of what to say now. How do you follow up a kiss? I mean, without more kissing. Which I would do if I had time.

  “Will I see you tomorrow? We could work on our magic,” Carter says.

  “Tomorrow—will you be around the Nucleus House? I may need you. Our magic, I mean. It’s Pairing day,” I say.

  “I can probably do that.” He smiles.

  I sort of love that smile.

  It’s warm out here for it being so early in the morning. I blush, remembering his lips on mine. Maybe that’s why I’m hot.

  “Thank you. For helping me with this; I know it’s just an exchange.”

  We start down the sidewalk. Man, that was a good kiss. I get hot again, blushing.

  Yeah, it’s totally him.

  “It’s not,” he says.

  “Not what?”

  He runs a hand across his chin. “Just an exchange. I mean, I help you; you help me, sure. But”—he pauses and his smile is big and boyish. It’s too adorable—“I like the excuse to hang out with you.”

  “Stop it,” I say.

  “What? It’s true.”

  I swat at him. “You’re ridiculous, Carter Trent.”

  “Let’s get you home.” He puts his hand on the small of my back as we walk.

  Chapter Fifteen

  No one can throw a party like Mrs. Bentham.

  She’s the most esteemed member of the council, not only for her record, but for her ability to make our ceremonies—the Pairing, the Bonding, the induction of new Enforcers—amazing. When Ric and I walk into the ballroom at the Nucleus House, he whistles. The banquet hall is dressed to the nines, just like we’re about to be for the Pairing ceremony. We have to get ready here. Another part of tradition.

  All the chairs are covered in a silver fabric and these pink bows that are so light they look white. The lights are dimmed, but bright enough that they create this warm, hazy glow across the room. The stage is decorated in floating lisianthuses that hover magically in the air around us.

  The whole witch community of our combined regions in the US will be here—I don’t even know how many people from all the various regions. It’s going to be packed with family and strangers and Enforcers.

  I’ve never really understood the purpose of making us feel important like this, having a big ceremony where half the people don’t even make it past the Partner Final. The whole thing feels pointless. This is only part one of two.

  “This is the shit,” Ric says.

  I groan. “I just want it to be over.”

  “Not me,” he says. “I want everyone to see me so they know who’s going to pass the final test, save all their asses someday, and get eternal praise.”

  “Always the humble hero,” I say. I know he’s kidding about the macho stuff. Ric is as nervous about the next part as I am. The Pairing is the mark of something bigger, and the fact that we’ve made it this far shows that we are worth something. But if we don’t make it when we’re Paired, if we don’t pass the Partner Final, then in the end, we’re nothing. We’re forgotten.

  It’s sort of like a championship game where a team works so hard for the prospect of winning, and gives it all to be there, to fight, to play. In the end, it’s win or lose. No one remembers the losers except the losers, because they get to be close to glory, to success that’s only dreamed of. They get to taste the possibility, to feel it within their grasp and potentially never get to keep it. It’s all a very heavy feeling.

  “Boys to the left; girls to the right.” Mrs. Bentham yells.

  She’s not even in the room, it’s just her voice. Magic really makes life so much easier.

  “See you out there,” Ric says.

  I nod and move to the right. Once today is over I will be one step closer to getting everything I want.

  My phone vibrates. There’s a text from Connie saying Gran is nervous for me, and panicking about good seats so they are coming over early. I also get one from Carter. I’m wearing my lucky shoes for you.

  I smile and respond. You have lucky shoes?

  I cross the threshold to the girls’ side and Maple waves at me. “I’m glad you made it through,” she says with a smile. I return it.

  “You too,” I say. “Nervous?”

  Maple shrugs. “No more than usual.” Kessa calls for Maple and like that she’s gone again. My phone buzzes again. Yup. Wore them the day I met you, Lucky Penny.

  I feel my cheeks redden as I think about the kiss and send Carter a nonchalant “whatever,” but it is far from “whatever. It’s way more than “whatever”—but it’s something that I can’t think about right now, so I slide the power off and slip the phone into my pocket.

  Magic surfaces around me and starts pulling me toward a mirror. My dress and shoes get removed from my hands, and I land in some chair. I guess it’s time to get ready. Two hours to go.

  The reflection looking back at me doesn’t look like me at all. Her hair is curled. Her eyelids shimmer with golds and browns, and rosy pink is on her cheeks. And she’s got on this dress that’s something I would never wear. But she is me, and that’s the most jarring part. I have never looked so damn good. I wish that Carter were here to see it. I really hope he comes like he said he would.

  “Five minutes, girls.” Mrs. Bentham claps through the backstage. “Make sure you’re beautiful!”

  The reflection rolls her eyes. Okay, so that move was totally me.

  I look down through the other girls in my class. They all look amazing, so I’m not really sure what Mrs. Bentham is talking about. If they were any more beautiful the sun would probably melt because of their sparkle, shimmer, and shine.

  Once the ceremony is over, we meet with our new partner. Everyone wants to look good. Even me.

  “Penelope!” Kessa yells, motioning for me to come to their side of the room.

  I smile and join them. This huge red clock counts down the minutes, and the nerves start. The other girls are checking each other’s makeup, hugging. And me? I’m trying not to vomit.

  “Look how pretty it is,” Maple says, peering behind one of the curtains and into the main ballroom. “So different than last month.”

  Mrs. Bentham would never use the same decor over again. Each ceremony is a new beginning for a new group, so she’s a firm believer in the room matching the new theme.

  “Two minutes! Places, girls! Places!” Mrs. Bentham yells.

  The whole room squeals in excitement and nerves. The music starts and there’s a murmur beyond the door of people taking their seats. On a wall monitor we can see what’s happening outside.

  As the doors open, the noise fades and I feel them approach. Everyone does, and that’s all it takes for silence to descend as the whole council enters. I’ve never seen them all in one room before, not when I was sitting this close. From here, they almost look like ten regular people. Ten regular people
in long white robes.

  They may almost look regular, but they’re powerful. The magic seems to glow out of them; the power they wield is that freaking strong. We don’t see the Triad as much as the council, mostly because they are busy doing high and mighty things, but the council acts as liaison between the Triad and the witch community. They were tested and Paired, and worked their way up the ranks. They’re mostly like the rest of us witches, except they are all purebloods—centuries of magic on both sides of the lineage, passed down from generation to generation of witches—and they all used to be Enforcers. They move so gracefully through the room they look like they’re floating.

  I guess they stopped being like the rest of us a long time ago.

  When they’re all seated in the front of the room facing the audience, Mr. Bentham stands, his arms outstretched and welcoming.

  “Greetings,” he says. His voice is squeakier than I expected. He’s small, mouselike, compared to his wife. I wonder if they Bonded by choice or because of the pressure of the Pairing. I really don’t want that. Nerves are doing jumping jacks in my stomach.

  I stare at the screen while Mr. Bentham speaks. “Today is a momentous occasion in the lives of these young people. We have matched them up to perfection, a perfect Pair of boy and girl to fight this war together. For today, they will begin down a path to their future. Should they succeed in the next steps of their journey, they ensure a future that will prove their loyalty to the cause of protecting our great community and the Nons from which we were created,” he says.

  Behind him, I see Mrs. Bentham’s lips moving as her husband gives his speech.

  “Starting today, they will be tested to the innermost core of their magic, their strengths, weaknesses, and what exists inside them.” Chills spread up my arm on that line. Chills. “But no longer will they go it alone, for today they each enter as one and go forth as one-half. One-half of a duo that must trust, must work hard, must grow together, must fight for each other, and must both succeed in order to earn the role of Enforcer.”

  His words resonate throughout my being. I’m still clinging to the hope that maybe I’ll be Paired with Ric. Maybe everything will work out better than I expected and I’ll at least know that the person who has my back knows how to cover it. Someone who won’t freak out when he learns how weird my magic is. Someone like Carter who doesn’t judge me and even goes out of his way to help me.

  If I had to rely on someone to cover for me for the rest of my life, if the Restitution doesn’t work out, I’d want it to be Ric. After Carter, I feel like I have to tell him eventually anyway. He’s my best friend, and he would be so pissed if he found out I was keeping something like this a secret. Then he’d be pissed all over again when he found out I told Carter first. This would be two birds with one stone. I hope.

  People are clapping, so I do the same. I missed the end of the speech, of our welcome, but it doesn’t really matter.

  Mrs. Bentham steps forward, wearing her best smile. “Each Pair will have a member of the council acting as mentor for the two-week period before the Partner Final. I will call the name of a mentor and then each Pair will join them as a council mentor calls their names. Your mentor will escort you to another part of the Nucleus House where the three of you will start preparing immediately.”

  “Sacra,” Mrs. Bentham says to the council. I keep my eyes closed because—well, I don’t know. It feels right for some reason. Safer. There’s a shuffle around the room and I can imagine her white robe flowing around her like wings.

  “Annah Jelowski,” Sacra says. I open my eyes and Annah looks pale when she walks past us toward the front of the room. She’s first of the ten. The very, very first. I hope she doesn’t get McEllory.

  She’s gone from view for a few seconds before I see her on the screen, walking down a long aisle. There are so many people out there. Oh God.

  “And Jordan Stork,” Sacra adds. The monitor flips to Jordan’s side and shows him walking a shorter distance down the aisle. They both stand next to Sacra and everyone in the room speaks a blessing in Latin. Then the three of them exit.

  Only nine more pairs to go.

  Next to Mrs. Bentham, Kenneth Slade stands up. He’s a very tall, very dark, very intimidating-looking man with muscles that protrude from his arms, but his hair is graying and I knew him when I was a younger. I remember him coming to visit Dad, and once the sight of him made me cry, but then he smiled and his white, white teeth lit up the room. He would be a good mentor. I wonder if he remembers me.

  “Jenna Lakes,” Kenneth says. Jenna disappears from beside us and we all watch her walk through the crowds of witches.

  “James McEllory.”

  I exhale. At least I was saved from that atrocity. James and Jenna meet at the front, the blessing is said, and they follow Kenneth out of the room. Poor Jenna. I hope James doesn’t let her down.

  The names probably go quickly, but the waiting feels like forever. Trina is Paired with some tall boy named Marcus. Eva Leigh Error with Tyson George. Siobhan Coleman with some boy named Adam. Kessa with an Oliver. Only four couples are left. Maybe one of them will be Ric and me.

  But no, because just as I think it, they call Ric’s name and he walks to the front of the room toward Maple. At least he got a good partner. Maple is smart and fast and strong.

  Ellore stands up next and moves toward the door closest to the front—and farthest away from me. As she moves, I can only think she’s beautiful, her hair down today in dark curls, wild and long. She’s so young, too, to be on the council. “Penelope Grey,” Ellore says.

  I swallow a hundred thousand pieces of glass.

  It’s as if every nerve ending is on the brink of explosion. Hundreds of eyes watching me, waiting for me to trip over my shoes. I can’t breathe, but magic helps me walk. I don’t know that I could’ve gotten my feet to move on my own. At least there won’t be any tripping.

  I’m not supposed to be nervous, but I could vomit all over this pretty floor and all these pretty witches if I wanted to. There are only a few more people after me to be paired.

  One, two, three, four, five. One, two, three, four, five. I count so I don’t have to think, to wonder, to worry. Mrs. Bentham, Ellore, and the front of the stage are getting closer. I’m getting closer. This is torture. I just want it to be over. Did it take this long with the other girls?

  I feel sick. I’m halfway to the front when she says it. I think I expect trumpets or songs of chorus from heavenly hosts, but that’s not what I hear. Only a name.

  “William Prescott.”

  I take a step up to the stage. My heart somersaults inside my chest.

  Something warm is on my arm—Mrs. Bentham’s hand. She practically pulls me the couple extra feet until I’m standing right beside her. She lets go with a squeeze; whether it’s reassuring or threatening is yet to be determined. I guess it’s all depending on if I tuck tail and run.

  I look around for someone in my family. I can’t find them and my heart races in my chest, like it’s trying to set some sort of record. My eyes drift around the room, but no one is moving. Why is no one moving? I count the people left. One, two three, four…where’s…? five. Where’s my partner?

  Mrs. Bentham moves toward Ellore and they share a hushed conversation. Ellore nods. I count so I don’t bite my lip, so I don’t twitch and let the vomit fly free. I watch Mr. and Mrs. Bentham talk to Ellore. I’m not sure what they’re saying, and I should be listening. How do you make your brain turn off?

  The guests at the ceremony all stand and applaud. Despite telling myself I don’t care, my eyes drift to the boys’ door as I walk. I don’t even know what I’m hoping for. That he’ll be as good as everyone says he is? That maybe the normal life I want can be mine? I mean, William Prescott is the son of the Triad leader, so he has pull. Maybe my past can be overlooked. Maybe he will like me enough to not want me exiled to the Nons. Who knows? This could be a chance. Do or die. Literally. I have no control over the rest of this p
artnership.

  The applause fades.

  The door doesn’t open. In fact, nothing happens at all.

  I shift on my toes and try not to draw any unneeded attention on myself. Where is he? This is embarrassing. I can’t even imagine what Gran is thinking, but I’m sure something like “I told you so” will be the hidden message. And Pop—what’s he doing? Connie is probably horrified because she knows how much I want this.

  My stomach is in knots. Where is he? It’s all I can do not to lose it. This is my life, my future. I knew this Prescott guy would be trouble—I knew it as soon as the other girls starting talking about him. About how awesome he was, how powerful, how good. There’s no one that perfect. He’s not that great at all. He may be noble, but he’s obviously not what he seems to be. He’s a jerk. A pompous rich kid. I hate him. I hate him so much.

  If he shows up I’ll tell him exactly what I think of him.

  Someone coughs in the crowd.

  Mrs. Bentham clears her throat and it echoes across the room. All the breakfast I ate hours ago fights its way to the surface and I swallow it back down. My fingers grip tighter, pushing crescent-shaped marks into my palm.

  “Mr. William Prescott,” Mrs. Bentham repeats.

  There’s a shuffle in the crowd and for a second, I think it’s the door, but it’s not because it doesn’t budge.

  And then there’s more silence.

  Stifling, eerie silence. There’s nothing like this moment: a crowd full of eyes watching a stranger ditch you. Who the hell is this guy, anyway? How can he just not show up?

  The rest of the room starts to murmur. Someone please save me already.

  My cheeks turn fourteen shades of red and I steal a glance at Mrs. Bentham. She’s flustered, her hands flying all over the place, looking for a way to settle, but failing. And Ellore looks horrified. Mr. Bentham just stands there.