Unbound (Unbound, Book 1) ~Formerly Casting Power~

Chapter 48

It took a half hour to drop Maible off and make my way back to the Manor. I slammed the main door shut and marched to Devland's office without bothering to take off my wet clothes or shoes, having stewed about what I'd learned throughout the whole drive, even when Maible and I cranked up the music and sang at the tops of our lungs. The storm that had raged outside was gone as it made a new home inside of me.

I entered his office without knocking. I didn't care if he was talking to the Prime Minister—I wanted answers, and I deserved to get them. He owed it to me to finally be honest. If he did one thing as a father, I'd make sure that this was going to be it.

"Noreena, what can I do for you?" He set down his phone and smiled, gesturing to vacant the chairs.

"We need to talk," I said.

He sighed and pinched his fingers against the bridge of his nose. "What do we need to talk about?"

"That's too broad a question. The issues between us are infinite, growing every day, it seems," I said between clenched teeth. "What we need to discuss right now, however, is about the Larkin's and what my mother did to them."

"Noreena—"

"How could you have allowed me to be placed in detention I didn't deserve when you knew there was somebody who had a reason to want to frame me? Knowing that, how could you not have told me or try to stick up for me?"

"I can't abuse my position—"

"That's a bunch of crap! Behaving like a father isn't abusing your position. You knew—"

"It happened so long ago now that it seemed irrelevant," he said. "It's just detention, Noreena."

I was so tired of people telling me they hadn't thought of things until after the consequences are experienced. "Everybody at school has pegged me as the prankster because of that detention. That's worse than detention!" I threw my hands up and looked to the wall on my left. "Do you honestly think that helps me make friends? If I do, it'll only be the delinquents who think I'd love to start a fire or something equally criminal. How do you think that makes me feel? Better yet, how do you think that affects your stupid reputation? I'm sure if I put it that way you might give a damn, right?"

"I do care, but not because of my reputation."

"Well, whatever you care about, it doesn't seem to be me," I said and stood. "Why did you want me to come live with you? To look good to the community? To show how caring you are? A family man? You should have kept my existence secret and continued to pretend that you didn't have a daughter because I sure as hell don't have a father!"

"Noreena!" Devland stood and slammed his hand down.

"What?"

"I really didn't think it was a factor, okay? Yes, I thought of it, but I didn't think anything of it—I still don't. The Larkin's haven't stepped out of line since your mother was around."

"Then you are leading the community with a pair of blinders, Devland." What an idiot. "Duvessa has been egging me on since the moment I stepped inside Grimas. All she cares about is power—who has it and who doesn't."

"I don't believe that."

"Then you are not looking hard enough, and I pity you. If she doesn't cut it out, Vavila Fallyn is the only Fallyn her family will have wanted to have heard of. I won't be a scapegoat."

"If this is as you say it is, put a stop to it." He shrugged. "You have everyone believing you have no abilities. We both know that isn't true."

"Do we?" I asked, feigning innocence. "I don't practice the Craft, Devland."