Caden climbed to his feet and collected his coffee. I noticed his duffel bag by the door, packed and ready to go.
“Do you have any classes today?” he asked.
“Just one, later this morning.”
He scrubbed a hand through his hair, and a beat of awkward silence passed. “Good . . . I was thinking you could swing by the manor when you’re done. We should fill Oscar in on what we’ve learned and figure out our next move. Not to mention he’s been going on about getting your training started.”
“My training?” I scrunched my nose in distaste.
“Yeah, Graves. Spells and combat. Remember I told you I plan to whip you into shape? Well, Oscar’s job is to help you expand your magical abilities. You’ll like that one. It involves books.”
“Well, why didn’t you say so? Tell him I’ll be by around one. Assuming the lights will be turned on and the water running by then.”
“I wouldn’t drink the water, but it’ll be running. I’m meeting the crew in an hour.”
Caden grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder. Another awkward moment passed. His gaze roamed my room as if he were committing it to memory. Finally, he looked at me, and a little jolt of awareness spread through my body. The room warmed as our gazes held.
“Later, Graves,” he murmured before pulling open the door. When he closed it behind him, I stayed still as the room grew quiet. Even Loki paused from gnawing his chew toy. The warmth faded, and that slippery feeling of dread returned.
Memories of my dream came back with a vengeance, and I had to shake myself from their grip. I couldn’t hide in my dorm room. I had to keep going.One step at a time. Class, training, investigation. Easy peasy.That’s what Ivy would have done. She never showed fear. Or any emotion at all, really.
I needed to be more like her.
Finishing my breakfast, I rolled out of bed and got ready for class. For an hour or two, I’d pretend to be a normal student. Except normal students didn’t look for a man with a scar behind every corner.
Making my way across the quad, I couldn’t help but constantly glance over my shoulder. I tensed whenever someone got too close. My heart thundered when footsteps sounded behind me. Maybe I should have told Caden about my dream, but he’d finally started treating me like I could handle the extra weight on my shoulders. Letting him see the paranoia inside my head would only make him worry.
I was the leader of our team; the chosen one. It was up to me to lead the way. Prove to everyone I could fill Ivy’s shoes or die trying. With any luck, it wouldn’t come to that.
My class passed quickly, and then after stopping for lunch I returned to my dorm to collect Loki for our trip out to the manor. Gathering all our notes on the case, I tucked them into my backpack. I grabbed my energy crystals as well, and a small zippered bag I liked to call my witch’s starter kit. Who knew what Oscar would have me doing? Better to come prepared.
I waved to a few students in the hall and hurried down the stairs and out into the parking lot. Halfway to my car, the feeling of being watched rose the hairs on my neck.
“Hey, Elle!”
The sound of my name caused me to jump, but I relaxed when I saw Zoe jogging toward my car. She had on her catering uniform, and her hair was bound in a tight ponytail. A large red slushy in a plastic cup melted in her hand.
“You’re a tough girl to track down. I haven’t seen you in a couple of days.” She held out the slushy and offered me a sip. I shook my head, already shivering in the chilly air.
“Sorry, classes have been crazy. Are you on your way to the country club?”
Zoe took a deep pull on her slushy and nodded. “It’s my first day back. We’re doing an outdoor cocktail party under the tent. It’s just for an hour or two, so we’re going to make, like, no money. Angela says we’ll be back up and running again soon, but I’ll probably be in debt up to my eyeballs by then.” She took another drink from her cup. “It’s going to be weird without you there. Who am I going to complain to when the guests get on my nerves? Even that new guy, Caden, quit. Not that I blame him. A death on your shift definitely goes down in history as the worst first day ever.”
“Yeah, it’s hard to top that.” I fiddled with the strap of my backpack, gathering the courage to answer her question. “Maybe you could talk to Jake.”
She choked on her slushy and pounded on her chest. “Why should I? You saw how he ignores me. I think you’re right—he’s not worth the effort. Besides, he’s gone too. Got a new job over at Oaks Bar and Grille downtown.”
Zoe was still hiding her involvement with him.Maybe she’s embarrassed, or maybe it was a one-time thing and now he’s giving her the cold shoulder.But wouldn’t she be cursing his name out if that were the case? I couldn’t think of a good reason for her to lie about it. Then again, I hadn’t told her about Caden either. Though, what was I supposed to say? Unless I was ready to tell her the truth about my witchy heritage, anything I said about him would be a lie.
I hated lying to my best friend, and I needed to let her in on my secret. What had always stopped me in the past was that the truth came with a heavy burden. Pulling back that veil and revealing the dark side of our world wasn’t something that could be unseen. We could share our secret with those closest to us, but it never seemed like a fair trade.
Until I figured out how to tell her, I’d just have to keep pretending everything was normal between us. Although, there was one other thing that had been bugging me.
“Zoe, how come you never mentioned you had a class with Professor Roberts this year?”
Zoe’s fingers tightened around her plastic cup, making it crinkle. “What do you mean? I didn’t have a class with her. Why would you think I did?”
I should have come up with a suitable answer for that question before I brought up the topic, but I didn’t. She crossed her arms over her chest and backed up a step, waiting for me to answer.
