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Silence descends on the class. Every conversation stops and everyone listens intently to Mr. Faible. I suspect the Council assumes something’s happened to Mr. Brian but doesn’t want to scare the students.
“I’m available if you need someone to talk to. One of your teachers is missing, so it’s understandable if that brings up fear. But I want to assure you that the Council is doing everything in its power to find out the reason for Mr. Brian’s disappearance.”
“Could the Noctu be behind it?” Stephen pipes up. “I mean, it makes sense, right? The Noctu are always trying to kill us Tempes. We all know how dangerous they are. Maybe they just ran into Mr. Brian by chance and exploited the opportunity.”
“We’re taking that possibility under consideration. Rest assured that we won’t leave any stone unturned.”
I surreptitiously try to catch Kate’s eye and give her an encouraging smile, but she’s not looking at me. She’s staring at her notepad, scribbling nervously on the paper.
Mr. Faible talks for a while and tries to reassure the students. But that’s not easy because this incident leaves a lot of room for speculation and notions of vengeance. For most of them, it’s black and white: Mr. Brian was killed by the Noctu. And this makes many of them want to head straight out and seek justice – although as students, they’re not allowed to. If this kind of clamor is breaking out among the students, I hate to think what it’s like with the hunters. I’m relieved when the bell signals the end of the period.
I pack up my things and go to Kate, who hasn’t dared to move from her seat. She’s still doodling on her notepad, and she flinches when I put my hand on her shoulder.
“Kate, it’s the end of class.”
She looks up at me irritably, then nods. She packs up her things and follows me out into the corridor.
“All good?” I ask, studying the side of her face.
She shrugs. “Not really. Mr. Brian’s disappearance is going to make big waves, and if the Council believes the Noctu had something to do with it, there’ll be consequences for them.”
I know she’s right. “Maybe we should talk to Noah. He could warn the Noctu.”
“You really think they’d shy away from a fight? They’ll be just as eager to use this as an excuse to ramp up the conflict.”
She’s probably not wrong about that either. But I want to keep Noah in the loop – I don’t want to keep secrets from him. Especially not something of this magnitude.
I quickly take out my phone and type a message: “Something’s happened. Do you have time to talk?” I hesitate for a moment before sending it because I know there are still unresolved issues between us. But for us to have any chance of clearing those up, I need to be honest with him. So I send the message and hope for a speedy reply.
I don’t see Ayden at lunch. He must be in the meeting. On one hand, it’s good that Claire’s getting what she wants and has no reason to complain to the Council. But it sucks that we’re both so much at the mercy of her whims.
To my great disappointment, Ayden doesn’t show up for training either. I was hoping to see him at least briefly today.
After I’ve showered and said goodbye to Kate, I shoulder my bag and check my phone. No message from Ayden.
I turn to Yoru with a sigh. “Time to go back to the Fabricis. We don’t want to make them mad again.”
“Make them mad again? What happened?” asks a voice behind me. I spin around and see Ayden approaching. “Sorry I’m late. But at least I made it in time to see you.” He wraps his arms around me, hugs me tight, and touches his lips to my face. They brush over my skin, hot and ardent, and finally find my mouth. He presses them against mine hungrily, igniting a fierce desire deep inside me. I sling my arms around his neck and intensify our kiss. He’s breathless, and so am I. My pulse accelerates, and I just want to forget everything around me.
Ayden slowly pulls back, but continues to stroke my neck, cheeks, and hair with his fingertips. His deep green eyes study my face. They look like a dense forest just before a storm: dark, misty, and energized.
“What did you mean? What happened at the Fabricis’?”
I sigh and push back a strand of hair. “Just an extra training session because I was late home and skipped some classes. They think I was checking up on Kate, and they weren’t happy about it. I’m not allowed to prioritize a friend over my education because I already have so much catching up to do.” I roll my eyes and paste on a smile, but Ayden instantly sees through my evasion.
“Did Alfredo’s spirit hurt you?”
I hesitate. I don’t want him to worry, but I don’t want to lie to him either. “Yeah, he poisoned me, and I passed out. But they gave me the antidote straight away. I just had a rough night, and I’m still not one hundred percent.”
“On top of everything else,” he says, caressing me with such affection and tenderness that I get goosebumps. How is that I always feel so complete in his presence? All my problems somehow fade into the background, and I only want one thing: him.
“Hey, tell me, what was up with Claire this morning?”
He runs his hand through his hair, looking slightly embarrassed. “Claire’s mother spoke to me.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Uh, what?”
“Claire has to sit her tests soon to prove that she’s a goddess. She needs to be fully focused on that, and her mother doesn’t want anything to unbalance or distract her.”
