The Windhaven Witches Omnibus Edition : Complete Paranormal Suspense Series, Books 1-4 by Carissa Andrews (graded readers txt) 📕

“Thanks,” Wade says, tipping his head. “Let us know if you hear anything else, though.”

“Oh, trust…if I hear anything, I’m coming straight for you,” she laughs, wandering off down the hallway.

Again, a twinge of jealousy writhes its way into my abdomen. I twist around and start heading for the door, completely willing to brave the insane cold to escape the frigid feeling in here.

“Hey, woman. Hold up, would you?” Wade says, chasing after me. He slides his hand into mine and pulls me back as we get to the door. Without a word, he opens the door, so I can go through first, as always. The insanely cold air thrusts its way into the hall, making me shudder, but I ignore it.

“Thank you,” I say, releasing his hand and sliding it along his waist as I go by.

He shudders. “Now, that, you can definitely do more often.”

A smile spreads across my lips, melting some of the concerns. “Come on, mister. Let’s get your money over to Ms. Cain.” I tip my head toward my vehicle and start to race him. “I’ll drive.”

“I can hardly wait for the onslaught of elation to roll off Ms. Cain. It’s bound to be epic,” Wade says as he gets inside Big Blue.

I snicker under my breath and put the vehicle into drive.

The trip to Windhaven Academy takes less than five minutes from Wade’s apartment. Had the day been warmer, it would even have been a nice walk. The parking lot is devoid of the usual hustle and bustle of student cars since the semester doesn’t start until Monday. Instead, a small huddle of SUVs and Cadillacs in the faculty lot are the only clue the school has people inside.

“At least this should be fast,” I say, pulling up as close as possible to the front door.

“I’ve seen Ms. Cain in action. When she’s behind that desk of hers, nothing moves fast,” he says, reaching for his handle.

I nod. “You’re not wrong.”

We make our way to the enormous school entrance as quickly as possible, but as soon as it’s within reach, Wade stops to look up.

“Cool gargoyles,” he says, pointing. “Never noticed those before.”

My gaze follows his fingers and I smile. There are multiple gargoyles on the building, if you look close enough. But the ones he’s pointing to are griffins, with what looks to be a large piece of rope dangling from their beaks.

“Pretty awesome, right?” I say, shivering from the cold.

He reaches for the door handle, nodding. “For sure. Come on, get inside before you turn into an Autumncicle.”

As we step inside the school, the floor squeaks with each of our steps, clearly newly polished in preparation of Monday’s fresh arrivals. Everything about the building sparkles, from the banisters on the large stairway to the windows and walls.

The door to Ms. Cain’s administration office is wide open. As we enter, she looks up slowly, taking her time to cast her gaze out over the dark-rimmed glasses.

“Ah, Mr. Hoffman. So delighted to see you. I take it this means you have some good news. Should I start jumping for joy?” Ms. Cain says, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

Wade nods, pulling out the cashier’s check from his pocket and slides it across the space between him and Ms. Cain. “Well, it’s good news, depending on how you look at it. But I have tuition covered.”

She tips her head in acknowledgement. “Very well. Thank you, sir. I’ll make sure your hold is lifted and you can continue on with classes as planned, come Monday morning. Do you require another copy of your schedule?”

“No, I’m good. I have it memorized already,” he says, smiling broadly at her.

“Do you, now?” she says, quirking an eyebrow, clearly impressed.

“Yep, sure do. It wasn’t that hard. There’s only six classes to keep track of.”

“You should teach that trick to your fellow classmates,” she chuckles. “The sheer number of lost students I’ll have to deal with this coming week already makes my head hurt.”

“Well, you’ll have one less to contend with. Have a lovely day,” he says, laying his sweet on thick.

Ms. Cain smiles. “The two of you as well. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.”

I cast a quick wave at her, and her smile twists into a smirk. Walking out behind Wade, I bump my shoulder into his. “What was all that?”

“All what?” he asks, arching an eyebrow and walking out the door.

“You sure impressed Ms. Cain back there. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her quite so…happy.” I narrow my eyes at him, unsure that happy and Ms. Cain belong in the same sentence.

He raises his eyebrows and shrugs. Leaning in, he whispers. “I learned a long time ago, you can never be too nice to the administrative staff. If they like you, doors open that may not have existed. They are the eyes and ears of their establishments, but everyone overlooks them.”

My mouth drops open, and I stop my descent down the snow-covered stone steps. “Ah, that makes total sense. It’s always been uncanny the way that woman can memorize people’s names and faces without even having met them.”

“Maybe that’s her gift,” Wade says, matter-of-factly.

I halt my progress to Big Blue, blinking back surprise. “You know, she’s always seemed so mundane. It never occurred to me that she might have a special ability, too.”

“She works at a supernatural school, Autumn. I think it’s pretty safe to say everyone who works here has some sort of gift,” Wade says, winking at me.

My heart beats faster and I reach for his hand.

Suddenly, the Lucifer theme song goes off, and Wade pulls up short, reaching for his phone in his back pocket. He eyes the phone number, raising an eyebrow, then eyeing me.

After a moment, he raises the phone to his ear. “Hello?”

His expression flits from confusion to concern as he swaps the phone from one ear to the other.

“Are you…are you sure?” he says.

Silence follows and I shiver in the cold, swapping which leg I