by Luna Pierce
“I could say the same thing about you.” He blots my face to cool it down. “You still think this has nothing to do with your curse?”
“I don’t see how that’s possible. How would that make sense? I’m cursed to have an upset stomach?”
“You should rest.” Silas saunters to the oversized window and closes the curtain to block out today’s bright sun.
“Promise me you won’t let me oversleep.”
“Shh.”
It doesn’t take long until I doze off, the sound of Sydney’s voice waking me.
“Hey,” he speaks softly. “Drink this.”
I sit up on my elbows, eyeing the steaming mug. “What’s in it?”
“A little family recipe. Some ginger, chamomile… fennel. Some other stuff that helps with nausea.”
My gaze shifts to across the room where Silas stands, clearly keeping his distance from Sydney.
Taking the cup into my hands, I hold it tightly near my face, letting the steam rise and caress my sinuses. For such a weird combination, it seems to smell pretty good. I take a hesitant sip, and the warmth courses through my body.
A few swallows later, I’m surprisingly feeling much better, my energy levels rising and the heavy exhaustion disappearing.
I suppose his family isn’t good for nothing.
I swing my legs off the bed and pause, worried I might get dizzy from standing too quickly.
Sydney reaches out to steady me and helps me to my feet.
“How are you feeling?”
“Better, much better.” And it’s not a lie. It’s a surprise, but if I didn’t know better, I’d never think that an hour ago I had gotten sick.
“You have statistics next in S one. I can accompany you there.” Sydney keeps one hand on my arm like I might topple over.
“Not necessary. I’ll take it from here,” Silas interjects.
Sydney steps back. “If that’s what you want.”
Is that sadness I sense from him?
“We’ll catch up at lunch, okay?” I graze his arm with my fingertips. “Thank you for taking care of me.”
“Always.”
Silas carries my backpack and escorts me to my next class.
It’s a silent venture and only gives me more time to think about the disconnection I have to Silas lately.
“Can we talk tonight?” I finally say.
“Okay.” Is all he responds.
“Thanks.” Is it me or is there a weird tension? Typically, the invisible thread to him is beaming with energy, and now it’s almost like there’s a thick haze covering it. It’s still there, the original line, but there is something else.
“I’ll be out here when class is over.” He kisses my cheek, hands me my bag, and leaves.
My heart aches for him to come back so I can piece together whatever has happened to us.
I stroll in, and Cameron is there to greet me.
“What was that all about?” he questions.
“Um…” Do I really have to relive the humiliation? “I kind of got sick in first period. But I’m better now, don’t worry. I think it was something I ate.”
He frowns and holds out his arms, wrapping me into them. “Aw, you poor thing. Tell me if you start to feel bad again, okay? Do you want me to go grab some crackers? A Gatorade, maybe?”
I smile into his chest. “Sydney made me a witchy tea, and Silas sat with me while I napped.”
He leads me to my seat. “Well, don’t be afraid to speak up if you want anything.”
“Thanks, Cam.”
Professor Tremont walks into the room, his dark hair flowing almost to his shoulders.
We’ve interacted on occasion regarding supernatural things, but I’ve never had him for a teacher.
He supervised me a couple times during the whole constant surveillance thing, but my guys insisted on taking over the majority of the shifts, so his help wasn’t necessary. And even those instances, we didn’t talk much, so I barely know anything about him.
Tremont clearly knows about supernaturals, and from our handshake the first time I met him, his energy imprint has me leaning toward thinking he’s a witch.
“Good morning, students.” He scans the room, pausing and nodding toward me and Cam. “Today we’ll be going over the syllabus and diving right into our work. This course isn’t for the faint of heart. Most come close to failing it on their first attempt, so here’s to a new start and an opportunity to pass on the initial go.”
A collective gasp fills the room, and I glance around, taking in some of the familiar faces.
I’m not exactly an outgoing person, but outside of my guys and the girls, I haven’t really gotten acquainted with anyone else. Not that that’s a bad thing. I have my hands full with balancing my friendships and relationships as it is, especially because I’m a newbie witch and that whole curse thing.
Still, though, I can’t help but think I should be doing a better job at being social. This college experience may be my last shot at making friends, even if it’s only short-lived. Maybe this formal will be a good opportunity to do exactly that.
“If you pay attention, there shouldn’t be an issue, but if you get behind by just one lesson, you will struggle. Each skill builds on the next, so you have to master each one and then move on.” Tremont reaches into his briefcase and retrieves a stack of papers. He motions to the girl with bright-blonde hair sitting in the front row. “Hailey, will you pass these out?”
She cheerfully stands and does what she’s told, handing them out one by one.
“Your final exam will be thirty-five percent of your final grade, and you will be tested on all of the material learned up until that point. I highly encourage you to make sure the entirety of your assignments are turned in on time and accurate to get any credit you can.”
I take the sheet and look it over. Words including probability, plots, histograms, and null hypothesis stare back at me.
Cameron sighs heavily and meets my gaze. “We’re gonna need some extra buddy study sessions.”
Math was always a strong suit, but this class might be giving me a run for my money.
Here’s to hoping I can balance it with everything going on. Fingers crossed my life doesn’t blow apart like the seams of the shadow realm.
Chapter Six
“That was brutal,” Cameron sighs while shoving his stuff into his bag.
“You’re telling me.” I secure mine onto my shoulder carefully, not wanting yet another spill.
We take off toward the door, and a voice calls out.
“Miss Oliver, a moment, please.”
I nod to Cam and walk across the room to Professor Tremont, who sits on the chair behind his desk.
He glances at the empty room. “I wanted to reach out, to tell you that if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”
His deep-brown eyes strangely stare into mine.
“You’re doing quite the service for the school. Well, you and Sydney both. So, should something come up, whether it be for statistics, the repair, or related to your curse, I’m here to help.” He pauses and then laughs faintly, his dimples showing. “I don’t mean to come across so overbearing. I’m sure this is all incredibly daunting. If I can be of assistance, don’t waver.”
“Thank you, I appreciate that.” It is nice to know that if I find myself struggling in his class that he might offer some leniency or guidance in getting back on track.
“Of course.” He pauses and shifts his head to the door. “Better not keep your escort waiting.”
It doesn’t take long to comprehend broody Silas is there. I felt his presence arrive prior to the period ending.
When I get out of the room, Silas says, “What was that about?”
“He was telling me if I need help to reach out.”
“With what?” He takes my bag, carrying it for me.
“Anything that comes up.” I shrug. “I think he was trying to be nice.”
We pass the dining hall, where the hum
an students are beginning to eat lunch. We continue along, into the west wing for speech. Luckily, Silas leads the way because I’m still a bit rocky on my schedule, something that is so not my style.
Typically, I’m well put together. Totally organized and on top of everything. On time, fully prepared, all that jazz. But now? Now, I’m a hot mess. I can’t even find my schedule, let alone have it memorized yet. What is going on with me?
Oh, right… my life is chaos.
“You should be cautious of people being nice out of the blue.” Silas motions for me to sit and then claims the desk next to mine.
Apparently, we’re in this class together. Something else I was unaware of, not that I’m complaining.
“I will be.”
He grabs my hand, startling me but remaining serious. He holds it with a gentle firmness. “Promise me?”
I meet his gaze. “Yes, Silas, I promise.”
Something is so off about him. He’s typically reserved and stern, but this takes on a new level of extreme for him. He’s hurting, more than usual, and it eats at me from the inside. I have to figure out what’s going on and when I get some alone time with him tonight, I hope like hell I can solve this new mystery. Here’s to wishing he doesn’t shut down and not talk to me.
I take the moment with his hand still on mine to push a little calming energy into him, anything to ease whatever it is he’s experiencing.
Oh, Silas, I long to take all of your torment away, to free you of your demons.
Speech goes by quickly, considering it’s during a lunch period. Those two time slots are allocated for the shorter classes that are fewer credit hours.
Silas walks me toward Deghan, handing him my pack. “I’ll be back. Watch over her.”
Confused but willing, Deghan does what he’s told, side-eyeing Silas and then me.
Silas kisses my cheek softly and leaves, not bothering to explain where he’s going.
“I get that you two are in love and all, but damn is he strange sometimes.” Deghan clasps on to my hand, leading me toward the food.
My heart flutters at his words. In love? Silas is fated to one true love, but he’s never fully admitted it to me. Maybe he’s fated but the love part comes over time? I wonder what makes Deghan so sure.
“I’m starving. They really should let us eat first.” Deghan drags me along, only dropping my hand to get a plate and extending it to me. “Ladies first.”
“Thank you, sir.” I curtsy and then pluck a cheeseburger from the metal tray ahead.
“Mmm, yeah, me, too.” He takes two, some fries, a slice of pizza, and onion rings. Sadly, he looks at his food. “I ran out of room.”
“You’re pathetic. What else do you want? I have space on mine.” I grin at him.
“You are an absolute princess. Surprise me. You know what I’m into.” He winks.
My mind flies to the time our bodies melted into one another, and it takes me longer than I’m proud to admit, to focus on the task in front of me. I decide on a massive BLT, two brownies, one for each of us, and a yogurt parfait—hopefully, that should satiate him, for now at least.
I make it to the table without tripping or losing any of the food along the way, each step more careful than the next.
“You okay over there?” Sydney asks. His gorgeous green eyes meet mine.
I’ll never get over how brilliant a shade of green they are. It’s comparable to someone chiseling an emerald and plopping it right around his pupil. Even the nearly black ring around them stands out beautifully.
“Accident-prone lately. Just being careful.” I relax once I’m finally sitting. I place the extra food in front of Deghan, and you’d think I’d handed him a puppy.
He wraps his arm around me and squeezes tight.
The way to that man’s heart is definitely through his stomach. No wonder he and Cam are so close, Cam being a bomb chef and all.
I steal a fry off Deghan’s plate and munch on it. “Hey, Syd, have you talked to Tremont lately?”
Sydney wipes his mouth. “No, why? What’s up?”
I shake my head. “Nothing. He um…” I pause to look around the room. “He held me back to tell me to get ahold of him if I needed anything. Mentioned what you and I were doing for the school, so I wasn’t sure if he offered the same to you.”
He shrugs. “Nope, not a peep. I don’t have him until later, though.” Sydney takes a drink of his tea, reminding me that I forgot drinks. Like he can hear into my mind, he says, “You good with tea?” He stands and points to Deghan. “Sweet for you?”
Through a mouthful of cheeseburger, Deghan mutters, “I love you, guys.”
Sydney laughs. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
I focus on my food, my stomach growing impatient by the minute. Shadow realm repair really does do a number on draining me, not to mention the whole barfing up my breakfast thing I did earlier. I should probably avoid the greasy meal, but damn does it look good.
“How are you feeling?” Sydney returns with full glasses.
I hold a napkin over my mouth while I chew what’s left in there, bobbing my head to somehow speed the process up. “Much better. Whatever was in that tea did the trick.”
Deghan reaches out and takes a long swig of his drink, then hands the cup to me with his nose wrinkled up. “This one is yours.”
“Oh shit, I’m sorry,” Sydney calls out.
“It’s fine, really, just wasn’t expecting it.”
I swap the cups and pat Deghan on the back. “You’re not a fan of dirty sock water.”
Ruby comes toward us, tray in hand. “Mind if I sit with you?”
She’s so tiny and shy, and it’s kind of adorable.
“Absolutely.” I point to Sydney. “Scooch over.”
“’Sup, Rubes,” Deghan says with another stuffed mouth.
To an innocent bystander, one would assume Deghan hadn’t eaten for days.
“Hey, Degs.” She unwraps her sandwich. “I hear we’re going to be back to work by the end of the week. Is that true?” She eyes Sydney and then me.
Sydney speaks up. “That’s what they’re saying.”
I latch on to my burger, and right when it’s almost to my face, a big ol’ blob of ketchup falls onto my lap. “Shit.” I frantically find a napkin. “Seriously?”
Why does dumb shit keep happening to me? I mean, totally ridiculous stuff that seems so silly and small but at the same time, conveniently keeps adding up.
It’s like I’m cursed.
Oh, wait.
No? Is that possible? I think it’s safe to say that anything is, but maybe I shouldn’t be blaming my bad luck on some ancient curse. Maybe it’s nothing other than a temporarily crap time.
I wipe the substance off my leg. Luckily, my pants are dark, so even if it does stain, it won’t be obvious. Regardless, though, it’s hella annoying to smell of ketchup the rest of the day. Maybe if I hurry and eat, I can run to my room and change out of my pants quickly.
Yeah, that’s what I’ll do.
“Did you get it?” Syd hands me a napkin, this one wet.
“I think so.”
He frowns. “And you think this is only another accident?”
I exhale, sitting closer to the table and over my plate this time. “Probably.” I continue to eat my lunch, robbing Deghan of a fry here and there.
Despite his obsession with food, he doesn’t seem to mind sharing.
I give Deghan what’s left of my meal and grab the brownie and my backpack. “I’m going to swap out my pants. I’ll see you later.”
“I’ll tell Psycho you went to your room,” Deghan adds.
Taking a bite of the chocolatey heaven, I exit the dining hall and make my way to my room. It’s only one left turn and then up the stone stairs, and into the west wing hall. My dorm is the last one of the left, and I’m pretty sure the biggest of all of them.
I open the door, and my eyes are immediately drawn to the massive curved window along the far wall. The cu
shy seat calls to me, begging me to skip next period and curl up with a book. But the responsible side of me reins in my attention to my messy situation.
I set my treat on the nearby table and toss my bag on the floor, freeing up my hands to rid me of these pants. I haphazardly remove them and head to the bathroom to soak them in the sink. They might not stain, but with my current luck, that’s not something I want to risk. I only have so many clothes at the school and I can’t afford to get any more if I ruin them.
A loud sound startles me, and I accidentally fling the cold liquid all over myself.
Double shit.
Chapter Seven
Silas rounds the corner. “Are you okay? Why are you alone?”
I point to the tiny pool of water. “Um, I spilled ketchup.”
His gaze wanders down, like it’s finally clicking into place for him that I’m pants-less and partially wet.
Now I’m going to have to change my top, too. Great.
He stands there silent for an awkward minute and then asks, “Do you need help?”
“Could you get me a change of clothes?”
In a flash, he leaves and is right back, the garments secured. He approaches me slowly.
I let go of the now soaked bottoms and turn to him.
Silas tugs at the hem of my shirt and pulls it over my head.
My heart seems to pound out of my chest. I’m only in my black bra and matching panties, inches away from him. Desire fills my entire body, and the connection we share thrums between us, begging to be smothered.
“Here,” he whispers, holding out the new shirt.
Oh.
I take it reluctantly and pop it over my head.
He kneels, holding the pants open for me to step into. His hands graze me on their way up, sending figurative sparks flying. He stops, his face so close to mine. “I was worried about you.”
“I’m worried about you, too.”
Silas’s brows crinkle. “Why?”
I fiddle with a stray string on my top. “You’re…”
I’m cut off by a knock at the door. “Ey, you love birds decent?”
“We’ll talk later, okay?” Silas runs his thumb along my cheek and across my lip, tugging it down in that drive-me-wild kind of way.
