“I don’t think you want to know,” Jeremy said.
“They were teeth, weren’t they?”
“I’d rather not say.”
“Animal or… human?”
Their voices diminished as they got farther away from Killian and me. I turned to him and offered a smile. “You knew he’d be able to solve the puzzle, didn’t you?”
Killian smirked, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “What makes you think that?”
I pursed my lips together, trying not to laugh.
Behind us, there came a grunt. “She’s the one.”
We turned to see the goblin poking his head out of the entrance to the cave.
“What?” I asked.
He pointed his long, boney finger at me. “She’s the one who is seeked’th.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.
Killian put a hand on my back. “Don’t listen to him. He’s just a crazy, old goblin.” He urged me a little closer to him and then turned to the goblin. “Leave her alone.”
“You hide the truth from’th her. She’s in danger’th. You must’th tell’th her.”
Killian wrapped his arm tighter around me as we walked away from the cave. “Come on, Reagan. Let’s get out of here.”
“But—”
“Trust me. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s never to trust a goblin.”
10
We walked in silence until we reached the school grounds. Killian grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the group of students. What’s he doing? I thought, trying to keep up as he yanked me away. He kept ahold of my hand until we slipped around the main building. As soon as he let go, I pushed him backward.
“What are you doing?” I huffed out, crossing my hands over my chest.
“What I’ve wanted to do since I first saw you,” he whispered, the wind carrying his words.
Within a heartbeat his chest was pressed up against mine. My breath hitched as his lips touched my own. I closed my eyes, tasting peppermint and cinnamon. I tried to resist him, but my body had its own thoughts as I kissed him back. My stomach fluttered when I felt his sharp teeth graze against my lips. It lasted all of a few seconds. I felt him as he pulled away, and I opened my eyes to find him nowhere to be seen. One second, he was there; the next, he was gone. Had I imagined the whole situation?
I quickly glanced around, but no one was in sight. I made my way back to my dorm room to freshen up. All while trying to figure out what had just happened. Had I really just kissed Killian? If it did happen, why had he disappeared so quickly afterward? Was I that bad at it? I was too busy going over what had just happened that I didn’t hear Laurel yelling out my name. She tapped me on the shoulder, which broke me from my thoughts.
“What’s wrong with you, Reagan? I’ve been calling out your name for ages,” she said, walking alongside me into the dorm.
I followed her in, not bothering to reply. She was right: something was definitely wrong with me. Moments ago, I’d been kissing freaking Killian. Just after that weird encounter in the woods with the goblin. I still hadn’t had the chance to process all of that information and now I had to process the Killian mini-make-out session. I was done for. Laurel looked over her shoulder toward me and shook her head. But she didn’t say anything more.
The day went by in a blur, between classes and thinking of what happened with Killian. He didn’t show up to any of the classes he was meant to be in with me. Was he avoiding me? Did he regret the kiss? The bell went and the classroom erupted in chatter. I couldn’t remember a single word the teacher spoke. I had to try and clear my thoughts of Killian and focus on what was important. Getting out of here.
I caught up with Laurel as she stepped outside the classroom. We walked in silence until we reached our room. Laurel closed the door behind us. Rascal leaped out from underneath my covers running straight for me. He ran up my pants and nestled himself on my shoulder. I gave him a scratch behind the ear.
I busied myself, looking through my bag for a pair of pajamas. I couldn’t deal with Laurel and her questions just then. I wanted my space to get my head cleared so I could get focused on gaining back points. I knew Laurel was looking at me, wanting to talk. I couldn’t look at her. I brushed past her and headed straight to the bathroom.
After I freshened up, I snuck into my room and noticed that Laurel was gone. Rascal snuggled in next to me, and as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out.
The next morning, I woke early and slipped out while Laurel still slept, leaving Rascal next to my bed with some dried beef to snack on. I had one mission today and that was finding Principal Grayson. I needed to get on that volunteer committee to gain extra points.
I caught Principal Grayson as she was walking down the corridor toward her office.
“Principal Grayson, can I have a word with you?” I asked, plastering on a fake smile.
She stopped and looked me up and down with a frown. She continued on toward her office, and I followed her in.
“Now what can I do for you, Reagan? Not getting up to any more mischief at night, now are you?” She clicked her tongue.
Of course she would bring that up. I had some sucking up to do to get back into her good books. Until then, I knew she would be keeping an eye on me at all times. Which wasn’t good.
“Well, I wanted to volunteer at the Founder’s Festival. I was wondering if you would allow me to clean your office as a way in?” I bit down on my nail so hard that it cracked.
This was awkward as hell. Principal Grayson laughed, and my eyes snapped up to meet hers.
“Well, I didn’t think my office was that bad, Reagan.”
I froze. Oh God! I’d just made it even worse.
Now I had no chance at getting into the benefit. I turned around, ready to run out. But I stopped as I felt her hand on my shoulder.
“I suppose it does need a little spring cleaning. It would make it easier to find things. You have two hours.” She brushed past me, leaving me stunned and alone in her office.
I stood there in shock for a few minutes, confused at how she’d changed her mind so quickly. I thought for sure that she would refuse my offer based on her first comment. But here I was alone in her office for the next two hours. I quickly got to work starting at her messy desk.
There were papers stacked up so high that I almost couldn’t reach them. I spent the next hour sorting out all her papers into neat piles. I moved toward her filing cabinets. I needed to fit these papers in there so they were out of the way. That would at least make her desk completely cleared of clutter. I opened the first drawer, and it squeaked in protest. It was full to the brim with files labeled with names of students.
Just as I went to close it, a name jumped out at me: Killian Reid. Intrigued, I reached in and pulled the file out. Leaning back on my feet, I opened it up. I had to see what she had on Killian. It should give me some further insight into what had gotten him in here. The first page had general information about his family history. I skipped past it and moved on to the next page. This was where things got interesting. It had a detailed description of what had caused Killian to be sentenced to the school. I read over it. He’d gotten caught engaging in a crime for someone, but the weird part was that there were several parts blacked out. The most important parts. Like who was this guy he’d done the job for and what the job had entailed. Basically, I got nothing from reading it. My mind raced as I thought of reasons why it had to be a secret. I mean, my file no doubt had every detail of what had happened. But someone—or Killian himself—didn’t want anyone finding out.
I glanced up at the clock on the wall. Shit, an hour and a half had gone by. I hadn’t even made a dent in cleaning up the mess. I shoved Killian’s file back into the cabinet. Whispering a speed enchantment on myself, I went into maximum overdrive to get the rest of the job done. I sorted out all of Principal Grayson’s files, filing them away. I spent the rest of my time cleaning her office and moved everything away out of sight
. The door creaked opened, and in Principal Grayson walked. I couldn’t stop the smile that fell over my lips watching her. Her eyes lit up as she looked around at her office, though she was quick to hide her feelings. She sat down behind her desk and rested her hands on her now spotless desk joining them together in a clap.
“I’m impressed, Reagan.” She paused, looking over the space one more time.
I waited anxiously and shifted my weight from one foot to the other. I prayed to the witch god that she would give me what I desired. I needed to volunteer at the event. I could help get Christine back all her points. It was tomorrow night, so this was my last chance at getting in. I stood there in silence. I glanced toward her, afraid that that was it. That was all she had to say. Principal Grayson grabbed some paperwork from her filling cabinet and started writing down some notes. It looked like that was the end of our discussion. Damn it, there goes my chance. Feeling defeated, I turned around, ready to walk out.
“Your volunteer ticket will appear on your account,” she said suddenly. “This will get you in tomorrow night. You will be helping the team with food prep and serving. Don’t be late.”
I took the paper from her and nodded my thanks, making my way out before she could take it back.
I thanked the powers that be for my chance at winning back lost points and gaining back a friend. I just hoped my luck continued. I shivered at the thought. Me and luck hadn’t worked so well together in the past.
11
The next day, hours seemed to fly by. I was actually getting used to my classes, none of which included a goblin. Rascal was behaving, for the most part. Christine was nice to me again, which was a relief. And Laurel was the same cold and indifferent introvert I’d become used to. But what really threw me off was Killian. Anytime I glanced his way, he seemed to quickly avert his gaze. He wouldn’t smile, either. It wasn’t that he was being mean, and I didn’t get the impression he was angry. It was more like he was nervous about something.
I was glad when the day’s classes were over, but my relief was short-lived. As soon as I had reached my dorm room door, the device on my wrist beeped. Wrinkling my brow, I read the message on it.
Please report to the Familiar Animal Check-up Room with your pet, immediately.
Now what? Did I have to prove I had my ferret trained? Were they going to give us a test? And if we failed, would I get minus points? If my wrist device hadn’t been magically attached to my body, I would have chucked it out the window. Instead, I threw my door open and let out a sigh. Rascal looked up at me from cleaning his paws, and I could have sworn he arched a brow.
“Come on, Rascal,” I called. “We’re going on a walk.”
His ears perked up and he jumped off the bed, not running toward me, but past me into the hall. I grunted as I kept up with him. How did he know where we were headed? I guessed I didn’t know everything there was to know about magical pets.
Checking the map attached to the message I’d received, I noticed that Rascal knew exactly where we were supposed to go. I approached the door marked “Check-up Room” and turned the knob.
When I stepped inside, my jaw almost dropped. Killian was sitting in the waiting room stroking his cat, which purred as it lounged on his lap. His blue eyes twinkled as he watched me walk in, that slow, sexy smirk pushing the side of his mouth upward. I had the right mind to sit away from him, on the other side of the room, but something made me choose the seat next to him instead.
Marshall, his cat, was enjoying being pet too much to hiss at Rascal this time. Still, Rascal opted to nestle on the floor behind my legs instead of on my lap, apparently wanting to keep some distance between them.
“Hey,” Killian said, his eyes locked on me.
“Hey,” I replied, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “You get messaged to come here too?”
“Yep,” he answered, his lips making a popping sound on the p.
“Is it some kind of test?” I asked. “For our familiars?”
“Just routine,” he answered, his fingers stroking lazy lines from Marshall’s ears down his back. “They want to make sure we’re keeping them in good health and not performing any kind of illegal magic on them.”
“You, uh, can perform magic on your cat?”
“Well, I could glamour him.” He raised a brow, smirking again. “But I haven’t.”
I opened my mouth, about to ask if he’d glamoured me, but I couldn’t get the words out. Instead, I dipped my head forward a bit. My hair fell over my shoulder, the ends of some strands brushing up against Marshall’s ear. Marshall’s eyes popped open, and he shook his head. As I leaned away, not wanting to disturb the cat any further, Marshall leaped forward, paws outstretched. Apparently he thought I’d been trying to play with him, using my hair to tickle him. Unfortunately, Marshall’s claws got tangled in my hair. He shrieked a meow as I let out a high-pitched cry of surprise. I held my hands out, not wanting to hurt Marshall but also not wanting to get claws stuck in my skin.
“Hold still,” Killian said, reaching for his cat with one hand. “Let me help.” With his other hand, he gently took my tangled strands of hair, separating them slowly with his fingers. I stopped moving and let him untangle the mess, unable to stop staring at him as he leaned in closer to inspect the knotted strands. He caught me looking at him, his blue eyes trapping mine. We were just inches apart, and I couldn’t pull away.
“There,” he whispered. “You’re free.”
I blinked, not realizing he was talking about my hair. Still, neither one of us had pulled back.
“Killian,” I said.
“Yes?” He inched closer.
“About the other day…”
He tilted his head. “What about it?”
“We k—”
He smiled, waiting for me to finish. But suddenly, my nerve was gone, and I couldn’t bring up the kiss. Instead, I cleared my throat and leaned back in my chair.
“I, uh, I got myself a job working the Founder’s Festival,” I said instead, feeling the hot blush tainting my cheeks. “Are you, uh, are you going?”
He leaned back, pulling his cat onto his lap. “No. I wouldn’t be caught dead going to that thing.” He glanced at me sideways. “I mean, you know, any deader than I already am.”
Again he left me speechless. He winked, and the door to one of the examination rooms opened.
“Mr. Reid,” the woman who opened it said. “Let’s see how Marshall’s doing, shall we? Come in.”
With that, Killian got up and disappeared, leaving me to wonder.
Rascal’s exam took place a few minutes later, in the second examination room, so I didn’t see when Killian left the office. Rascal and I were given a passing grade, and I was awarded ten points for taking care of him. As happy as I was about that, I wandered back to my dorm room in a daze, not able to get my encounter with Killian off my mind.
Later, at dinner, I looked for him, but he was nowhere to be found. He seemed to disappear a lot, which made him even more mysterious to me. The next day, he wasn’t in any classes. It was ridiculous how frustratied he made me. I scolded myself for putting so much thought into him. It couldn’t be good for my mental health.
As the time neared for the Founder’s Festival, I forced myself to put Killian out of my mind. At least for a couple of hours. I had a job to do, and if I could earn myself some points by doing a good job at the festival, I sure was going to try my damnedest.
Rascal sniffed curiously at my ankles as I searched through my clothes looking for a white shirt, which Principal Grayson said would be required for all volunteers. I thought it was a pity I couldn’t wear a nice dress to the party, but if I had to choose between that and getting points, the points would win out.
I jumped when the door was thrown open, my hand flying to my heart. Rascal dashed like a bolt of lightning to hide under my bed. Laurel barged into the room and threw her phone onto her bed.
“What happened?” I asked.
“Your boyfrie
nd, that’s what,” she grumbled.
“What?” I fought off the blush that scorched my cheeks. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”
“Whatever. Just tell Killian if he thinks he can use his glamour powers on me, he needs to think again.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to get the fact that she’d referred to Killian as my boyfriend out of my head. “What did he do?”
She scoffed and plopped herself down in her desk chair. “He had the nerve to tell me I should reconsider attending the festival tonight.”
“Why would he do that?”
“I don’t know. I couldn’t get a straight answer out of him.”
I raked my hair out of my face, my brow scrunched up in thought. I wondered if there was something Laurel wasn’t telling me. Like maybe she and Killian used to be an item and now he was warning her off from the festival so he could try to spend time with me. I closed my eyes and shook my head, clearing my head of the ridiculous thought. It wouldn’t even matter if he wanted to spend time with me. He was a vampire. Witches and vampires didn’t mix.
“Maybe he was just being a jerk,” I said. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”
That actually got a laugh out of her.
“What are you looking for?” she asked.
“I’m working the festival. Serving. I need to find a white shirt to wear.”
She pushed herself up off her chair and walked straight to her closet. “Here, you can borrow one of mine.”
I blinked, stunned that she would offer. “Really?”
“This doesn’t mean we’re friends,” she said, one of her brows cocked. “I just understand the struggle of wanting to work off your time here.”
I took the shirt she offered, which smelled nice. “Thanks.”
She shrugged and walked past me holding an almost identical white shirt in her hands. “Well, we might as well hurry up and get ready for ‘work.’ I have a feeling it’s going to be a long night.”
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