by Olivia Ash
I make a vow to find a way to save him.
But first, I need to find a way to take care of Professor Lawrence. Because if it’s one thing I know, it’s the information contained in this letter changes everything.
This is it. This is what the professor has been after. Like my father, I suspect he knows. He likely assumes I knew all this time and needed me to somehow share and confide in him that little secret. I just didn’t know I had fused with the meteorite. That explains so much. This is probably the reason why I can do magic without a conduit and not lose my soul. But I’m not positive.
The men need to know.
I quickly change and grab the letter, tucking it tightly into my hand as I rush out of my room to find Soren.
I have a feeling I know where he is, but I’m not going there immediately. I need to get Milo and Jesse first. For now, I want to wait to let Gideon know until Soren and the others see the letter. I don’t want to overreact, but at the same point in time, I also don’t want to involve the headmaster and risk him losing his position.
I don’t know who the Order is, or how deep their influence runs, but I have a feeling they are not people to be trifled with. If that is the case, I really need to be careful on every single move I make from here on.
First, I find Milo, in the library of course. He looks at me with concern in his eyes as I approach. But I don’t give him a chance to speak.
“Follow me,” I say.
“What’s going on?” he asks.
“Just come,” I say and turn around.
He does, and I’m glad I don’t have to offer any further explanation. We walk through the halls until I find Jesse with a group of his housemates. He seems to be in the middle of telling some story of his with exuberant details and wild expressions on his face, but as soon as he sees me, and the look of determination on my face, he stands up. All serious and ready to take action.
“Come, now,” I say.
He smiles and says, “Damn I love the way you give orders.”
I sigh. “Just come, okay?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he says and salutes me. I shake my head and walk off toward the training circles.
As we walk, Jesse is relentless with his questions.
“So what mischief are we up to today? Why so serious? C’mon, Wren, curiosity killed the cat?”
Finally, I stop and pull both him and Milo into an empty hall and keep my voice at a whisper.
“This,” I say, holding up the letter. They each take a moment to read it. Both of them don’t seem to make the connection.
“I fused with a meteorite when I was five. Now, Professor Lawrence wants what I have, but I don’t think he knows. I didn’t even know until this letter showed up.”
“Are you sure it’s from your father and not someone trying to trap you?” Milo asks.
“I’m sure,” I say with a nod. “No one else knows what my dad called me.”
“What?” Jesse asks. “Little bird? That’s a bit obvious.”
“True,” I say, “but no one but him has ever called me that.”
Milo shakes his head. “I’m not convinced.”
“Look,” I say and take the letter back, “either way, I’m in danger. I don’t know how they would take the meteorite from me, but I also have no desire to find out. It has to be bad. I can’t do this alone. So, I need to know, are you with me?”
Jesse snorts. “Is it not obvious?” He winks. “You couldn’t keep me away if you tried.”
“You already know I am,” Milo says.
I ignore the jealous look in Jesse’s eyes and say, “Good. Let’s go find Soren.”
“Yeah, about that,” Jesse says and points behind me.
I turn, finding him storming towards us, the anger pouring off him is damn near palpable.
“You have better have a good excuse to miss training.” He practically spits fire as he speaks, and the guy is still fifteen feet away. Even still, his anger is nearly tangible.
“I do,” I say, holding up the letter.
“What is it?” he asks as he stops in front of me and snatches the letter, almost ripping it with the force of his movement. I don’t answer, I just wait for him to read. His expression changes from anger to shock, and maybe even a little worried. His eyes move to mine. “Gideon. Now.”
Oh good. He’s back to one-word responses.
“Okay,” I say.
He hesitates and his eyes widen a little. “That’s it? No argument?”
“Nope,” I say.
He shrugs then looks to Milo and Jesse. “You two, go back to your houses and wait there.”
“No,” I say crossing my arms in front of me, standing my ground.
He levels his gaze on me and flatly says, “No?”
“No. They are in this with me. If you don’t like it, tough. Like it or not, they are coming too.”
“Awe, thanks, kitten,” Jesse says, and I roll my eyes at the endearment of his.
“She’s right,” Milo says. “We’re involved now. There’s no point in keeping this from us. Besides, she’ll probably find a way to keep us in the loop anyway.”
“Damn straight,” I say and give him a nod. He smiles and pushes his glasses up on his nose.
Soren crumples the letter in his hands. “We don’t have time for this.”
“Fine. Then it’s settled. Let’s go.” I turn around and wink at Jesse who has a smile of pride plastered to his face.
Chapter Thirty-Two
We make it to Gideon’s door, and I hear his voice and feel my magic blend with the reaction of the others’ and it’s a bit dizzying, but I feel stronger and more resolved to take care of business.
Soren opens the door. I follow after him. Jesse and Milo file in last.
Gideon is in the middle of a lecture for a summer refresher course—as is written on the board behind him. He acknowledges us with a nod, never wavering in his speech. We take a spot near the wall at the back of the class and wait for his class to be dismissed.
“Coursework for the next year will start in a couple of weeks, students,” he says. “I expect all assignments on my desk before then.”
He levels his gaze on the twenty-or so students and waits for each to acknowledge him.
“Yes, Headmaster Storm,” they say in unison, some sounding a bit unenthusiastic about having to fill the rest of their break with more assignments.
“Very good. You’re dismissed.” He turns and wipes the board clean as students file either toward his desk to ask a quick question before leaving or out the door.
Once the last student leaves, he says, “What’s going on?”
We approach his desk, and as I get closer, my magic reacts like a flurry of hot and cold, shifting between buzzing and pulsating. It’s almost dizzying. In fact, my magic swirls between all of the sensations the men give me. All the passion, the calmness, the ease, the strength. I force myself to breathe as calmly as possible while my body feels like it’s about to vibrate through the room. It’s an intense sensation that takes most of my attention, which wouldn’t be so bad if I didn’t have to discuss my letter.
Soren starts off this shindig, holding out the letter to Gideon. “You need to see this.”
The headmaster of the academy scrunches his eyebrows as he looks at the now wrinkled letter. “Did you kill it?”
Soren huffs. “No, but you may want to once you read it.”
I step forward and say, “It’s a letter from my father. He warns that I’m in danger and that I’m who Professor Lawrence and the Order are looking for.” I still don’t know who the Order is, or what they have to do with the professor. But it’s clear that what they want from me puts me in danger, could have serious consequences, or may kill me. I don’t want to even begin to think about what methods they would use to take the shard from me.
I won’t let them. I will fight them tooth and nail to keep this. To stay in this world.
Gideon moves his gaze toward me and it’s a cold gaze with a
bit of dread mixed in.
My heart damn near freezes in my chest.
I don’t like that he just looked at me like that. My anxieties rise a little more, and I’m made very aware of just how dangerous everything has become.
He sets his gaze over my right shoulder at Milo and Jesse. “And these two are here because?”
“Wren insisted.” His voice is full of agitation.
“They have been helping me,” I say. “I’m not going to dismiss them now.”
“That’s right,” Jesse adds, throwing an arm over my shoulders. “And we’ve proven ourselves invaluable beyond our pretty looks and dashing smiles.”
I close my eyes and swallow down the need to roll my eyes. The looks that Soren and Gideon are giving him with his arm around me makes me wonder if maybe that was the wrong move. I gently slide out and give him an apologetic smile. Hopefully he realizes that though I’m okay with his amazing touches, the others may not be, and with everything being so new, I have to be careful of each step I make. Not only where it concerns Professor Lawrence, but with the men I’ve come to care about too.
Milo says, “We can and have helped. We’re not stopping now.”
I cock my head over my shoulder to cast my gaze over at him. How about that? I’ve never seen him so resolute and resolved when it came to anything other than his love of books and knowledge. To hear him refuse to leave my side creates a flutter in my tummy that takes my breath away a little. He meets my gaze and I smile. He nods once.
Well done, Milo. Sticking to your guns on this one.
And I’m grateful too. If anything, Jesse and Milo have never given me a reason to doubt them and have been essential to my time here. I couldn’t have snuck into the professor’s little hideout without Milo’s help, and Jesse… he’s been a real comfort for me. And the fact that he refused to let me go in alone speaks volumes to me.
“Very well,” Gideon says as he steps around his desk and takes the letter. As he unfolds the crumpled piece of paper, he leans against his desk, crossing his legs at his ankles.
At first, I’m shocked the headmaster didn’t have an argument. He seems to accept that I have made friends, hot friends, and he doesn’t seem a bit jealous or threatened. He just moves on.
But as I watch his eyes read through the lines on the letter, his expression changes from smooth and unaffected to a mix of confusion and anger. And I don’t know what to think about that. Once he finishes reading, he places the letter on the top of his desk then faces me.
I start to squirm under his gaze. My nerves are on fire, and my magic can’t seem to make up its mind on what it wants to do.
But as he speaks, he turns his gaze to Soren. “Before we address our next steps, I want to first say, I told you so.”
Soren groans. “Yeah, yeah. You were right. What do you want? A medal?”
Wow. I’m truly impressed. He must not be accustomed to admitting he was wrong.
Gideon seems to consider it, but says, “Wren, I believe your fusion with the meteorite is why you can do magic without a conduit. But I will need to research this in more detail.”
“What?” Soren’s voice seems tinged with horror. He stands taller, angling his body toward the headmaster. “She what?”
“Well this is quite a surprising development,” Jesse adds.
Milo grips my shoulder and gives it an affirming squeeze. I smile at him. He knew what I could do. So did Gideon. But Jesse and Soren…
Well, I suppose Soren will go back to hating me.
“That explains so much,” Jesse finally says.
I give him a questioning look.
“That night you came home from the trial and your conduit was on your pillow.”
Ah. Right. I nod.
“I knew there was something off about you, you shouldn’t be able to do magic without a conduit,” Soren says. “But I also know that you are not evil or going dark. I’ve been around you enough to at least know that much. I owe you an apology for my behavior. There was an event in my past that doesn’t excuse my behavior, but perhaps explains it.”
Wow, that must have hurt. My eyebrows are raised on my forehead as I gape at him. But my attention is soon reclaimed by the ever-intoxicating headmaster.
“Now is not the time to go into detail,” Gideon says.
“I agree,” Soren says. “Which is why I plan to explain later.”
He settles his gaze on me and my nerves burn. I’m surrounded by hot men and my body wants to gravitate toward each of them. Especially him. Soren’s amber eyes that see into my very soul.
“I look forward to it,” I say. “But I need to know what is going on. I understand this meteorite inside me is what gives me my power. What I don’t understand is why.”
Gideon nods. “I may have an answer for that.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “Go on.”
He pulls himself from his perch on the desk and walks toward a glass globe resting on a stand in the corner of the room. The globe itself rests within a brushed bronze ring, with legs that curve underneath it and the stand is a simple pillar of grey marble.
“Follow me,” he says.
We do, and as we get closer, the globe takes life with colorful clouds, until the center is of a vast universe, moving and flowing.
I’m in awe.
Gideon waits for all of us to surround the globe, and as soon as we do, he runs his hands through the air above the glass. The image shifts to that of a meteor, with blue and purple veins of light swirling throughout it. The white aura that surrounds the large object gives it an eerie glow. But the whole thing is beautiful to me.
“There is a fable that tells of a powerful star that died eons ago. The power supposedly contained within the pieces was thought to be so great, it would change the world. Some believed that this power would be destructive and apocalyptic, using it as a story to instill fear into people, while others believed it was simply a gift to bring peace and a new prosperous era.”
The image shifts, showing the rock heading toward Earth.
“No one knows if this is the fragmented star that soothsayers spoke of long ago, and though many have watched the skies, with meteors passing the world by, none broke the atmosphere until fifteen years ago. The pieces were scattered all over the world.”
“But there hasn’t been an apocalyptic event or time of peace and prosperity,” I say.
“I agree,” Gideon says. “Only time will tell which is correct. But this is just one possibility for what fused with you. I will need to research it more and find out exactly what that power is meant to do.”
“Meanwhile, I’m a sitting duck.” I cross my arms over my chest, placing my full weight on one leg.
“I will do what I can—”
“We all will,” Jesse adds.
Gideon nods. “We will do all we can to figure this out. However, it’s imperative that the Order never know of you having fused with the meteorite’s power. If they find out, they won’t stop hunting you until they drain every last drop of power from you. That will, unfortunately, kill you.”
Oh fantastic. Dead woman walking.
Jesse and Milo instinctively step closer to me, while Soren’s hands clench into fists so tight, his knuckles turn white.
“No one will bring harm to her,” Soren says, and the growling undertone of his words makes me gawk at him.
I’m… I’m at a loss for words. But my heart flutters as warmth rushes through me, my magic pulsates and buzzes in reaction, and I am loving it.
“We will do whatever it takes to keep her safe,” Gideon says with a sidelong glance at Soren.
“They will also have to go through me,” Jesse says. “Believe me, they will have a hard time trying.”
“Indeed,” Gideon says. “Illusionary magic is a rare ability that not many have the chance of mastering, and you, Mr. Taylor have made quite the progress on your skills. I’m impressed.”
Milo steps slightly in front of me. “I’ll do whatever it
takes to make sure Wren is safe.”
Gideon nods. “Excellent.” He sets his gaze on me. “It seems you have made quite the impression on each of us here, Wren.”
My cheeks flush with heat, burning up from my neck that seems to be set aflame. So, these men must share in the same feelings I have for them.
I smile.
Awesome.
“I’m grateful for each of you. It means a lot that you stand behind me and care about my wellbeing.”
“Of course,” Gideon says.
“We will always have faith in you, even when you lose faith in yourself.” Milo takes my hand in his and the light in his eyes is intense.
I nod.
This new development comes with some pretty sexy perks. Not only that, I now know why I can do magic without a conduit and not turn dark. That was my biggest worry, Soren’s biggest concern, and now, we have to make sure no one else finds out.
“First things first,” Gideon says. “Stay away from Deacon as much as possible. Avoid being alone with him. Take Soren with you if you get called to his office.”
I nod. Though I’m sure that will not go over well. I refuse to let myself fall into his trap, risking my life for his drive for power. My power.
“Wait, what if one of us is with her?” Jesse asks, gesturing between him and Milo. “You said it yourself, Headmaster, that I’m quite skilled.”
“Soren has seniority here,” Gideon explains. “He is known for doing things for me. Having him speak on my behalf is both believable and plausible.” He pauses for a moment, snaps his fingers, and adds, “In fact, having you around her constantly may get suspicious. We can’t lead Deacon to believe we are hiding something. Perhaps, the four of us should randomly take turns. This will ensure she doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.”
I frown, leveling my gaze on the handsome as hell headmaster. His bluish green eyes meet my gaze, and I almost forget what I’m upset with.
Almost. But not quite.
“I don’t need a babysitter.”
“Don’t think of it like that,” Gideon says. “Simply a bodyguard of sorts. You have developed a relationship with all of us, and so it will go unnoticed having us around a majority of the time.”
