Severin laughs at that, and I realize he’s been doing that more often: laughing, smiling, letting his guard down bit by bit.
“Tryancient,” he says, then glances at the clock on the mantel and takes a final sip from his coffeecup. “We should go.”
My smile fades. “Do we have to?”
Severin smooths a hand over my hair, then presses a kiss to the top of my head. “Unfortunately. Checkout is at eleven. And it would be best if we’re not seen leaving the room together.”
Right. The whole “forbidden professor-student relationship” thing.
I didn’t have much with me last night, so it’s easy to get ready to leave. We decide I’ll go first, and as I step toward the door, Severin says, “Wait. It’s a downpour out there, and you didn’t even wear a cloak.”
He fetches his long cloak from the coatrack in the corner, then drapes it over my shoulders, his cool fingers clasping it around my neck.
“You should take better care of yourself,” he grumbles. “You’ll catch a cold out in that weather.”
Despite my somewhat glum mood, this makes me laugh. “You sound like my grandmother.”
“Well, I’m probably three times her age, so that’s unsurprising.” He adjusts the cloak on my shoulders, then glances back at the coatrack. “You should take my umbrella too.”
When he moves to grab it, I stop him with a hand on his chest. “Then how areyougoing to get back in the rain?”
His dark eyes narrow briefly. Then he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a few eldertokens, which he places in my hand. “Get a carriage, then. Don’t walk back to the academy in this weather.”
I roll my eyes lightly. “I don’t mind the rain, you know. Storm witch, remember?”
A smile flickers across his lips. “How could I forget?”Slowly, he pulls me in for a long, gentle kiss. When we part, he says, “I’ll see you in class tomorrow.”
The reminder settles like a stone in my stomach. As soon as I step out of this room, we’ll have to go back to seeing each other only in fleeting moments, to catching each other’s eyes across a crowded corridor or a packed lecture hall.
Why am I being so clingy?I wonder.It’s never been hard to walk away from anyone before.
But it’s hard to walk away from Severin. And as he holds the door open for me, I find myself lingering, not wanting to go. But I have to.
So I pull up the hood of the cloak and step into the hallway, leaving Severin and our perfect night behind.
Chapter 23
Maeve
TAKING A CARRIAGE BACK TO the academy ismuchfaster than walking, and when we pull up in front of the castle, with its soaring towers and stained glass windows, I’m suddenly very grateful that Severin gave me the fare for the ride. I pay the driver, then step out into the rain. It slowed a bit on the ride here, but it’s still coming down steadily, enough to make me pull the hood of the cloak up as I make a quick dash across the soggy ground and up the stairs to the massive double doors.
Standing in the entrance hall, I shake the rainwater from my borrowed cloak, and the marble floor beneath me dries immediately; it’s enchanted that way. If it weren’t, I’m sure this hall would be injuries just waiting to happen during the winter, when students traipse in and out with their snowy boots all day long.
With a sigh, I start through the castle, ignoring the curious looks I get from passersby, probably because I’m still wearing my skin-tight black dress from Samhain last night. Severin’s cloak smells of him, like night air and whiskey and old books,and I have the urge to bury my face in it as I start up the winding staircase of the north tower.
Raelan is standing outside—like usual—when I get to room NT33. His eyes look tired today, and I immediately wonder how late he and Alina stayed up last night, probably breaking all the rules in his room until early this morning.
One of his dark brows arches in what looks like impressed surprise, and I give him a small victorious smile before opening the door and stepping into the dorm.
A fire is crackling in the hearth, and the room comforts me immediately; this place has become home over the last few years, and Alina, Lyra, and Poppy are like sisters to me now.
Sisters who all look up from what they’re doing when I step into the room.
Poppy holds a book in her hands, a cup of tea on the side table beside her; Alina is eating what looks to be a blueberry muffin; and Lyra is watering the potted moonflower on the windowsill.
“Well, well, well,” Lyra says, breaking the silence first. She disperses her water magic with a wave of her hand, then turns to face me. “We were just starting to wonder if Professor D’Arques kidnapped you away to his vampire castle.”
“I wish,” I say, slowly peeling my boots off and removing Severin’s cloak. I hang it on the hook by the door, my fingers lingering on the fabric for a moment before I join the girls in the sitting room.
