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“Maybe.” Darien caught up to her, boots pounding, and grabbed her hand. “But he’ll warm up to you.” He bumped a playful shoulder against hers. “Just like I did.”
64
Loren wasn’t sure how the professors at Angelthene Academy had managed to make the school look even more magical than it already did, but somehow, they had succeeded.
Garlands of white roses and silver-dollar eucalyptus were draped across doorways and windows. The banisters of the main staircase were wrapped with them, and vases that were full to bursting sat on every table and sill. Brass lanterns floated about by enchantment, lighting up the path from the front gates, down the steep hill, and all the way to the front entrance of the school. In the dining hall, desserts were piled high on tables that were draped with shimmering white cloth. There was an entire wall of champagne flutes, crystal stems glinting.
Loren snatched a glass off the wall and downed the contents. The bubbles burned her nose and made her eyes water.
Sabrine chimed a laugh. “You’re going to be drunk by the time Darien gets here.”
Slapping her chest as the fizz worked its way through her, she managed to bite out, “Darien is exactly why I’m drinking. I’m nervous.”
Dallas joined them, shoving a whole chocolate cupcake in her mouth as she walked, her cream dress swishing. “Why are you nervous?” she asked, mouth full. “Don’t you want Darien to come?”
“Of course I do,” Loren said. She smoothed her satin gown, the color bluer than her eyes. “But I’m half-expecting the professors to refuse to let him in. And if they don’t, I’ll be dancing on the street with him.”
“Didn’t they approve your guest slip?” Sabrine asked.
“I’ll believe it when I see it.” The fact that Darien had dealt with the demon in the library had definitely helped their odds for tonight. If the headmaster hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, they would’ve stamped her guest slip with a big fat NO. There was no lying where spells were involved, and she wouldn’t have felt good about sneaking him in on a night like tonight, even if Tanner was able to do it. She wanted to enjoy the dance without needing to hide or use glamours. She wanted Darien beside her, his identity in plain sight, where they could just be normal together. He deserved that too. He would be gawked at, that was a given. But she wanted him in her life in every way possible. Tattoo and all.
Dallas dusted crumbs off her hands. “Max and I will join you if that happens. If they don’t let Darien in, they won’t be letting Max in either.”
Loren shrugged. “True.”
“Should we head to the dance floor?” Sabrine asked.
Dallas took her phone out from where she’d stuffed it in the front of her dress, the padding in her corset concealing it surprisingly well. Another glamour, most likely. “Max says they’re almost here,” Dallas said, fingers moving lightning fast as she texted back, “and the traffic is making Darien rip his hair out.”
“Let’s go,” Sabrine said. “I told Logan I would be on the dance floor at eight.”
—
Darien pulled up by the gates of Angelthene Academy, his car headlights illuminating the back of Jack’s jeep. Jack stood at the front of it with Travis, the two of them on watch duty, their presence here having allowed Darien and Maximus to prepare for the dance without worrying about Loren, Dallas, and Sabrine.
“You nervous?” Max asked as he fixed his hair in the small mirror in his sun visor.
“Nervous about what?” Darien shut off the vehicle. “A school dance is far easier than ninety-nine-point-nine percent of the shit we’ve both been through.”
And ninety-nine-point-nine percent of the shit they still had to go through, starting tonight. This dance was the one break he would get before being thrown into a battle to seal the Veil. Arthur was nearly done with Randal’s half of the Master Scroll; he’d called Darien an hour ago to let him know he’d found out enough about the Well and the rip into Spirit Terra to potentially fix this mess. To seal it again and stop the imperator in his tracks.
Max slapped the sun visor back up. “I just know I’m going to knock something over,” he grumbled.
“I’ll make sure to have my camera ready so we can immortalize the moment.”
“Dick.” He opened his door and stepped out into the bitterly cold night, Darien doing the same.
Travis and Jack came around to meet them, the tail end of their conversation fading into silence.
“Thanks, guys,” Darien said. “We can take it from here.”
Jack was grinning. “You sure we can’t get in on the fun?”
“The teachers hardly agreed to having two Darkslayers as guests tonight,” Darien said. “I highly doubt they’d want four.”
Travis sighed longingly. “I should get me a girlfriend so I can know what it’s like to go to these mushy events.”
“You?” Jack scoffed. “Girlfriend? Zero-commitment Travis?”
