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I shake my head and grin. “I don’t think it’s that. You’re just being really careful for some reason. Are you shy around girls or something? Aren’t you a little too old for that?” I tease him.
He shoots me an offended look but we both crack a smile. “I’m not shy; I’ve always just been careful.” He looks ahead, seeming deep in thought. “And I’m only twenty-four, though some would say I have an old soul.” His eyes flick back down to me, waiting to see my expression.
“Well, you look tired for your age.” He glowers at me and I laugh. “But I am starving. Is dinner already over?” I look at the darkening sky and frown at the stars that are peeking through.
“I’m afraid so. I can sneak you into the kitchen though.”
I narrow my eyes at him and he chuckles again, finding my skepticism funny. My stomach growls loudly and my cheeks warm.
“Right, I’ll take you straight there then.” He covers his mouth and I know the grin he’s hiding is lovely.
We reach the bottom of the slope and the courtyard stretches out before us. The amber lights from Alkrose are bright against the snow. Students are training in the open area; amongst them are Aervin and the two I noticed keeping close to Finn yesterday.
Finn’s too distracted and doesn’t see me, but his white-haired friend looks up at us and studies me with curious blue eyes. He looks like a younger version of Elias, less built and rugged but similar enough to make me think they hail from the same nation. My bet is Cyprin. Most white-haired individuals with beautiful blue eyes are from the eastern part of the world.
I quickly look away and stick close to Arthur’s side as he leads us to the mess hall. It’s an odd room to be in when it’s empty. The space seems triple the size without the crowd of people to fill it.
We walk to a door off the back side and enter a massive kitchen. White tiles, metal sinks, and countertops make up pretty much the entire area. It’s immaculately clean and there’s no food in sight.
My stomach growls again and Arthur just grins, giving me a sympathetic look as he opens one of the large fridges. He snags a few pieces of bread and a slice of meat, handing me the plate and grabbing a cup of water while I wolf down my sad little dinner. He frowns as he hands me the cup. “I’m sorry we made you practice so long. Elias is very stern in his blight classes.”
I swallow and take a long drink before replying, “It’s okay, I’d rather be a little hungry than blight someone else.” I look down at my hands and think of Raine. “I don’t know what I’ll do with myself when Raine—” I stop, unable to finish that thought.
Arthur takes my empty plate and cup, setting them in the sink, facing away from me as he says in a low voice, “You might be able to find something in the library that can help.”
My heart jumps at the small trace of hope.
“Like something that might keep the blight from killing him?” I stare at Arthur as he slowly turns to look back at me. There’s a somber light in his eyes, but he nods. My brows pinch. I’m hesitant to let the hope in. It tangles with my Shadow’s ability to reign in my emotional turmoil. “Why would you tell me this?”
Arthur walks over and leans over me, pressing his palms to the counter I’m sitting on. I inhale sharply as his face lowers to mine. His nose is a mere breath away.
“I’m not unsympathetic, Terra. Why wouldn’t I try to help?” He pins me with his steady stare.
“You’re not at all what I expected,” I whisper. The air is dense around us, thick with tension.
“That makes two of us,” he says in that low raspy voice, letting his eyes fall to my lips before glancing back up to my eyes and pulling away. “You should head back to the Nova House and get some rest.”
I take a deep breath and fight the desire to look back as I leave the kitchen.
My room is filled with lavish things, but it feels oddly empty. I sit at my desk and exhale slowly, lowering my head to my arms. I’m exhausted from training but I want to study or at least read through some of the books for my classes. I’ve already lost an entire day compared to everyone else and I need to search the library as well. There are a million things encircling my mind and that only makes me wearier.
A soft knock on the door wakes me.
Did I fall asleep? Godsdamn it.
I open the door expecting Elias, but it’s Raine. My heart lurches all the same.
His blue eyes study me carefully. “You weren’t at the mess hall for dinner, so I got worried.” The scar that carves the side of his jaw is hardly visible in the dim light.
I don’t give him a chance to retreat—he grunts as I grab his wrist and pull him into my room.
“Miss me?” He laughs, brows knitting tight with exhaustion.
“Please don’t be mad at me,” I say sadly. He opens his mouth to argue but I cut him off. “You literally fucked me on your torture room floor in front of him, so I don’t want to hear it,” I say dryly, crossing my arms. My Shadow doesn’t want to be tied down and quite frankly, neither do I.
Raine’s eyes soften and he sighs with defeat. “Fine. I can’t help but feel greedy with you though.”
I press my hand against his chest and when he doesn’t push me away, I pull him in and hug him tightly. His arms wrap around me just as surely, and his breath is warm on my neck.
