I’m not sure there is anything more annoying than attending a Council of Witches meeting. Back in high school, I came to the realization that the acronym for Council of Witches was COW. Needless to say, the council has no sense of humor and doesn’t appreciate being referred to as COWs.
No one would guess that the conservative two-story business compound just outside of Bishop Ranch in San Ramon was where the Council of Witches met. That wasn’t the only thing housed in the building. There were also witch medical offices, a witch college, and the offices of all high-ranking council members, just to name a few things. Naturally, there was also a special area for the familiars to stay when their witches were working or attending school in the building.
Trevor was waiting outside the meeting room, dressed in his rich crimson robe, another robe draped over his arm. That’s when I realized the problem with borrowing a robe from Trevor’s family. Robe colors were assigned to families based on status. Trevor and Dylan were both in crimson because their families were considered equal in status. My family wore black, and there would be serious speculation about my relationship with Dylan if I wore a crimson robe to the meeting.
Trevor held out the robe without a word, but based on the amusement in his eyes, I was pretty sure he’d already figured out the problem with the robe color but chosen to keep his traitorous mouth shut.
“I can’t walk in there wearing this robe,” I said quietly, careful not to make a scene.
“Put the damn robe on,” Dylan said, and I could tell he was on edge about something. Maybe he’d just realized the problem, too, and he was mad at himself for not thinking of it. Surely, he couldn’t blame me for this since he was the one who’d suggested getting the robe from Trevor. Then I realized he might not have realized the problem and might think I was being difficult for no reason.
“If I put this on, the COWs will make assumptions,” I insisted.
Trevor laughed. “Don’t use that term in there or you’ll be in even more trouble than you were in school. Also, don’t worry about what everyone thinks. I thought about that on the way over, and I figure we’ll just tell everyone you’re under my protection since my parents aren’t very traditional. The council can make all the assumptions they want about our relationship, and I’ll have a lot of explaining to do with my mom later, but it’ll be fine.”
“She’s under my protection,” Dylan ground out.
“Are you out of your spell casting mind?” I demanded. “Why not just lift your leg and pee on me?”
Dylan looked at me like I was crazy, and then he laughed. “Fine, I’m a possessive asshole, but I still don’t want people thinking you’re with anyone other than me. In my defense, I don’t have much experience with relationships. I just want everyone to know you’re mine.”
“I’m not yours,” I insisted.
“You admitted you’re mine twice today,” he argued.
“Under duress,” I reminded him and then let out a sigh because I was acting like a bitch for no good reason. My choices were to wear the robe or not attend the meeting. “Just give me the robe so we can get this over with.”
Trevor laughed as he helped me into the robe. “Are you going to be okay sitting in the meeting?”
I looked at him over my shoulder, waiting for further explanation.
“I just figured you might be a little sore after that spanking Dylan gave you earlier,” he teased.
Trevor was trying to embarrass me, and I was a little embarrassed that he knew about what had happened—what I had no doubt would happen again since I’d enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. Embarrassed or not, I had no intention of letting Trevor get the last word. “It does sting a little,” I lied in a breathy voice. “I’m sure it’ll be hard to stay still when the stinging gets worse, and I can’t stop thinking about having Dylan’s masterful hands on me again.”
Dylan coughed to cover a laugh, and I had trouble keeping a straight face myself.
Trevor swallowed hard. “Fuck, Allie! You are going to make me hard for the meeting.”
“What happened to you not being interested in Allie that way?” Dylan demanded.
“I’m not,” Trevor said. “I’m just taking the scene she created and picturing someone else. In case you were wondering, I’m also picturing her over my knee instead of yours.”
Dylan didn’t cover his laugh this time. Trevor really had a way of lightening the mood.
“You’re such a moron,” I said. “How do I stay friends with you?”
Trevor gave me an adorable grin. “Admit it. I’m completely irresistible.”
“Let’s get into the room before Trevor’s head gets too big to fit through the door,” Dylan suggested as he placed a hand on my elbow to lead me in. It was my turn to swallow hard as the nerves returned. How bad could it possibly be?