Dread washes over me.
This is a good thing, and yet…
I count the heavy steps moving in my direction.
I almost wince when the notebook drops, followed by the bag, then a pen that slowly rolls until it hits my hand. I look up into bright mahogany and extremely angry eyes. “Move over.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Rey
“Grab your partners and get comfortable.” Dr. Tyrson’s voice booms across the room, low and commanding. He isn’t loud, but it doesn’t feel like he needs to be. I imagine every word that comes out of that man’s mouth is deliberate and carries weight. I hadn’t even heard him walk in.
He stands at the center of the room, tall with broad shoulders and deep brown skin. His close-cropped black hair has silver at the temples, and a neatly trimmed beard sharpens his already strong jawline. He’s wearing a simple black Endir sweatshirt that makes him look approachable—almost. Maybe that’s a theme here with the professors, what with Sigurd’s garish gold outfit setting the tone.
I steal a glance at Aric and freeze.
There’s not even a dip in the temperature. But the vision hits me like an avalanche all the same.
My hand’s on his neck, his on mine. His eyes move from my mouth, lower, lower. We lean in, breaths heavy, puffs of frost appearing before our mouths, mingling, tempting. His full lips whisper my name as his hand comes up to my throat—
“You done?” Aric asks. His smile is slow and deliberate. “Don’t misunderstand, I was just measuring how much rope I’d need later. I like to be prepared.”
He’s in my head. Myvisions.
Now that’s a complication I wasn’t prepared for.
The classroom hums with noise—backpacks unzipping, laptops clicking open, whispered gossip carrying over the scrape of chair legs. The air smells faintly of coffee and old books as I lean forward on my desk, tilting my head toward Aric. “Wow, and youalready know my number one fantasy about being tied up. You really are a good partner.”
I can do this. Charm him.
I lick my lips, let my gaze linger too long, and pull—just a little. The Aethercall slides from me, warm and soft, wrapping through the air like the faintest brush of a hand. Not much, just enough to test him. To see if he responds.
He’s gripping his pen so tightly I think it might snap, but slowly—painfully—his fingers unclench. His jaw eases. His shoulders drop. It’s like I just cut invisible strings that had been choking him.
He lets out a low groan, barely audible over the noise, but Reeve hears it. A sneaker jabs the back of Aric’s chair. “You good?”
“Fine.” Aric’s voice is iron through clenched teeth. His gaze cuts to mine, sharp enough to pin me to my seat. “Stop it.”
I widen my eyes, feigning innocence. “Stop what? I’m not even talking to you.”
The thing about the Aethercall is that it’s tricky—it can feel like a hug, like warmth spreading across your chest, like someone smoothing your hair and telling you everything’s going to be okay.
But I’m not touching him. Not even close. He feels it. He’s aware of it. But it’s not compelling him. He’s just…calm. And it takes him a second to realize that.
The irony stings: I can make other people feel safe, calm, wanted—but I’ve never had a clue what that would feel like for myself.
“All right.” Dr. Tyrson’s voice cuts through the classroom hum. “Open your syllabus. I know, I know—now the real work begins. If you haven’t already figured it out, you’re in Advanced Ancient History.”
Zane—of course it’s Zane—lets out a cheer. Reeve immediatelystarts kicking the back of my seat like an overgrown toddler. I’m surrounded by children.
“You and your partner will have several group projects throughout the semester. And to kick things off—”
Oh no. Bad news incoming. I can sense it.
“—you’ll each be assigned a local landmark to visit. I expect your paper by the end of the week, just in time for all of you to turn it in before I lose half of you to parties and the chaos of rush.”
The room erupts with groans, scattered cheers. I glance down at the syllabus, my stomach sinking. Our names are right there, paired together, next to our assigned site: the Ice Caves.
