My hand shot out, and the spell wrapped around the bottle. Half a second longer and it would have smacked me in the chest. I pushed my hand forward, and the water bottle reversed directions. Caden caught it, and I released the spell, shaking out my fingers.
That was intense, and the effects of using too much magic were taking their toll. After a day of working with Oscar, I needed a nap.
Caden whistled. “Not bad for your first time.”
“Not bad? That was some high-quality witchery. I may have even broken a record.” I cast a glance at Oscar to check, but he shook his head. “Okay, so it wasn’t record-breaking, but it’s certainly worthy of some praise.”
Loki was the only one who seemed to understand I was fishing for compliments. He trotted over and rolled in a circle before sitting up on his hind legs with a hearty bark.
“At least the dog gets it,” I grumbled, reaching out a hand for a ghostly sniff.
Oscar sighed, completely missing the point. “We’re still horribly behind schedule with your training. Years, in fact, but you had an adequate first day.” He pointed to the spell book. “Before you go, I’m giving you homework. Read through the next two sections, and I want you to master the spell on page forty-eight for next time.”
I groaned and stuffed the spell book into my bag. Between training and classes, I was drowning in homework. Plus, we still had to look into the rest of the suspects on our list and track down a cache of missing artifacts. It was too much!
“Hunters are allowed to have a life too, you know? They didn’t have this back in your day, but it’s called a work-life balance. With everything on my plate, I barely have enough time to sleep.”
“You’ll sleep when you’re dead!” Oscar pointed out with a satisfied smirk.
“Yeah? How’s that working out for you?”
His smirk wilted, and he tugged on the ends of his vest, not meeting my gaze. “Not very well, actually. Haven’t slept in decades. Fine—take the night off from your homework, but try to do just a little bit of investigating. A smidgen.” He made a gesture, showing the amount with his index finger and thumb.
I stifled a grin. “I think I can handle a smidgen. One of our suspects just got a new job at the Oaks Bar and Grille. Looks like I’ll be having dinner in town tonight, and not in the cafeteria.”
Caden scowled, his grip tightening around the water bottle, making it crunch. “Not without me, you’re not.”
I tossed my hands into the air and made a face. “Sorry, I already have a date. He’s about a foot and a half tall, furry, and thinks I’m the best witch around.”
“Very funny, Graves. It’s me or the cafeteria.”
Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I shrugged as if I wasn’t hoping he’d be my escort. “Fine. It’s a date. But you have to tell Loki the bad news.” Swallowing a laugh, I patted Caden’s arm as I walked past.
Loki’s growl of disapproval followed me out the door.
***
The server from the Oaks Bar and Grille seated us at a table by the window. Twinkling lights hung around the casing, casting an intimate glow over our section. A pair of votive candles sat on the center of a pristine white tablecloth, and our cotton napkins were folded fan-style on top of porcelain bread plates. Even the butter dish was fancy, filled with little pads of butter shaped like oak leaves.
I ordered a sweetened ice tea, and Caden selected from the beers on draft. Once our server left to fill our drinks order, I removed my napkin and laid it across my lap. Caden gave me an odd look and did the same.
“What is it, Graves? Why do you keep smiling?”
“It’s nothing. I just can’t believe you wore a tie.”
For the first time since we met, I watched embarrassment color his face. He cleared his throat and grumbled, “You called it a date, and this is a nice place. Besides, you’re wearing a skirt and makeup. You did something different with your hair too.”
I sipped from my water glass and smiled. “It’s called loose curls and a smokey eye. Thank you for noticing.”
“I noticed,” he said under his breath.
His words set off a fluttery feeling inside my stomach. I picked up my menu as a much-needed distraction. To be fair, I had put a certain amount of effort into tonight’s dinner. I’d borrowed the mascara, eye shadow, and a tube of satiny lipstick from the girl across the hall, and then we’d played dress-up until we settled on my cute skirt and silk top.
It was nice to know Caden had made a similar effort.
“So, what looks good?” I asked, scanning the menu.
“The baked lasagna.”
