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“And that was from neutral magic? You can cast on all three sides?” He didn’t comment on the apples thing, which was good, because who wanted to think about him and his apples?
“Weird, right?” I rubbed my face, and my nose didn’t appreciate it, because hello, table.
“How far did you get in the book?” he asked, way too calm in this moment of revelation. The guy had a poker face.
“I never made it past the first page. Do you think the book could give me the ability to use three kinds of magic?”
He tilted his head, looking pensive. “Your father must have removed magic blocks from you at the same time he healed your stone affliction. He’s very talented.”
“Yeah. He’s going to teach me how to become a gargoyle.” I grinned so hard my teeth cracked while he smiled mildly at me.
“You’re pretty excited about that. Some people would give their soul to be able to cast from more than one side, and you’re over the moon about becoming a hideously disfigured monster. Typical.”
I wrinkled my nose and pointed at him. “Nuh, uh. I’m not spending my weekends with that kind of attitude. I never actually agreed, so maybe I can get out of it, although it might be a good idea.” I chewed on my bottom lip while he raised a brow and looked imperious.
“What kind of attitude are you spending your weekends with?”
I hesitated. How would he feel about being asked to train me to fight against demons? He’d probably hate it, but he’s the one who’d wanted me to call him my betrothed. “Oh, you know, just part of the daddy deal, where he tries to control my life in exchange for free tuition to the magic school of my choice as well as transformation tea parties. It won’t work, but it’s optimistic of him to try. I think she said something about wardrobe, but no man’s telling me what I’m going to wear. The last time that happened, I ended up in that unbreathable dress.”
“I’m sorry, but I have no idea what you’re talking about. You’ll be transforming tea as well as water? Impressive.” He sounded distinctly unimpressed. He would be miserable company, as usual, for every second of this training crap, if I wanted to get out of it, but honestly, it was not a bad idea.
“Look, I’m sure everyone else finds your sarcastic, insulting nature adorable, but I’m going to beat you to death with my skateboard if I have to spend time with you on my weekends when they’re my catch-up-on-sleep days, so don’t do it.”
“Don’t do my naturally adorable nature? That would be the real magic.”
I scowled hard at him, and he raised his hands in surrender.
“I can’t promise never to be sarcastic or adorable, but I’ll try. Why am I spending time with you on the weekends? Are we going to events where we’ll mingle with the lofty and pious?”
“I don’t think that lofty and pious go together. Humble and pious, lofty and… Anyway, no. He wants you to train me to fight demons.” I looked at him skeptically. “You never really did anything but throw my bugs at him, so I’m not sure what good it will do.”
He stared at me, then shook his head. “I can’t cast on three sides.”
“But can you do more than look pretty and throw bugs? What side do you cast on?”
“Neutral with some light. Right now, you know nothing about defeating demons, so I can certainly teach you the basics, if you’re determined to learn. I’m not teaching you if it’s just an excuse to roll around on a mat with me.” He gazed off into the distance arrogantly.
I sniffed. “It’s sounding more and more fabulous all the time. But you could teach me how to use neutral magic to hunt demons? Neutral definitely had the most impressive results, with the huge steam cloud, and I’m not into the dark side.” I looked at my right palm where I’d squished the spider, then rubbed my hand on my pants leg. “Really not into the dark side. If you want to bail and tell him that I’m not your betrothed, that probably makes sense, you know, before things get stickier. Do you have an actual betrothed?” I should have asked before now, but it was so ridiculous.
He shook his head. “First of all, you will not be hunting demons, but defending yourself against an attack. Do you know how many years it takes to learn how to hunt demons? There are entire secret society built on that premise, and they raise their children from birth to… and secondly, it’s better to not tell him that we’re just not friends, otherwise, I’m sure there will be unpleasant repercussions.”
“For me, or you?”
He raised a brow. “I single-handedly got you to your father after much expense and trouble. Would you go back on your payment? I let you wear my jacket.”
“Because you’re so weirdly motivated by status and rank. Do you really think that having all the power and all the flunkies will make you happy? Is that why you don’t have a betrothed, because you never met a daughter of Bellham before? Spoiler alert, I’m not his heir, so you’ll have to look somewhere else for an actual prissy rich princess you can take advantage of.”
His brow quirked imperiously. “So judgy. Not that you’re wrong necessarily, but if I’m supposed to refrain from sarcasm and adorableness, you should probably get off you holier-than-Percy soapbox.”
I frowned at him. “I have no idea what that means.”
“That’s because you speak sarcasm even more fluently than I do. Be nice to me if you want me to be nice to you. Be honorable in your dealings, or karma will kill you.”
I frowned at him for a long time in the backseat of the limo, where the space between us seemed suddenly not nearly big enough. He really was stunningly handsome, and so fit that I could imagine people paying money to roll around on a mat with him, just not me. I swear. I licked my lips and smiled brightly. “Fair enough. Why aren’t you betrothed? Isn’t a catch like you supposed to be tied up by the time you’re eighteen?”
“Honestly? I never met anyone I liked as well as my solitude. I am very good company, and I guard my personal space zealously.”
“So weekends with me will bother you?”
