Description:

Unseelie Ties

An Unwelcome Guest

This had to be very bad or Mom wouldn't be soft shoeing her way around me.

"Mom," I said.

"I'm sorry, Syd," she said. "I'm under a great deal of pressure to accept him." Her eyes pleaded with me. "Don't freak out. Promise me."

"No promises," I said, whole body tense, Charlotte's too, from the grip I still had on her hand.

Mom turned and headed for her office, gesturing for me to join her. "It's a complicated and delicate situation," she said, lowering her voice as her hand settled on the doorknob. "Do you understand?"

I sighed, forcing myself to relax before nodding. "Okay fine," I whispered as I crowded behind her, not sure I wanted to uncover her mystery guest or not. "No freaking out. But I might swear."

Second year of witch college has been a little boring for Syd so far. She suddenly wishes she could go back to her boredom when the Unseelie Lord Venemeth appears, a guest lecturer at Harvard....