His eyes darken, his jaw tightening. “We think it might be connected to one of the old legends. The rise of the Dark Arcana.”
“Dark Arcana? That sounds… not fun.”
Kirin gazes out the window, his eyes going far away. When he finally comes back to me, he stands up and says, “You up for a trek to the library? There are some things I’d like to show you.”
“Are you kidding me?” My heart leaps at the idea. “I’ve been cooped up in this suite for three days. I’mmorethan ready for some hot action between the stacks.”
“Well, I don’t know that I’d call paging through dusty old manuscripts ‘hot action,’ but…”
“Iwould. That sounds like the best date ever.”
Kirin presses a hand to his heart. “Marry me.”
I hold out my hand. “Put a ring on it and we’ll talk.”
“Hey! I brought you your honey cinnamon lattes!”
“Point taken. Let me think about it.” I laugh again, but then my smile fades. “Shit. Dr. Devane said I need to be on bedrest until Monday. Think we’ll run into him?”
Kirin flashes a conspiratorial wink. “You leave that old codger to me.”
“Done and done!” I jump out of bed so fast, I forget I’m not wearing pants. Just a T-shirt that barely skims the tops of my thighs.
Kirin’s eyes go wide, his cheeks blushing once again. He clears his throat and stares down into his coffee cup so intently it’s like he’s divining the future in his espresso grounds.
Putting the poor man out of his misery, I grab my jeans and say, “Give me twenty minutes to get dressed, then we’re busting out of this place.”
Thirty-Nine
STEVIE
When we get to the library, we spot Professor Phaines outside, walking Carly and Blue down the main steps. Both women look like they’ve been crying, and for about three seconds, I feel bad for them. But then their energy hits me, a tangled mess of anger and deceit, self-preservation, betrayal.
The usual.
Professor Phaines nods when he sees us, then holds up his hand, indicating we should wait for him.
He wraps it up with the Claires, then jogs over to us.
I bite back a smile. Pretty spry for an old mage in wizard robes.
“Stevie! How are you feeling?” He puts a hand on my shoulder, his concerned energy wrapping around me like a grandfatherly hug. “Dr. Devane tells me you’ve had quite an eventful week.”
I almost laugh.
Eventful? Oh, not really. Unless you mean the part where I basically tried to seduce my mental magicks professor in front of the whole class, nearly drowned in the River of Blood and Sorrow, discovered I have a familiar that can fly me around campus and spy on secret society meetings, almost fucked one of my super-hot classmates, and got bitten by a rattlesnake who may or may not have been the Princess of Swords warning me about the end times…
“Nothing I can’t handle,” I say.
Behind him, Kirin winks.
“Good, good,” Professor Phaines says. “Listen, I’m glad I ran into you both.” He gazes out across the pathway in the direction Carly and Blue walked. “I wanted to share this news with you before it becomes fodder for the rumor mill. A witch was detained last night on charges of murder in Taos, New Mexico. They’re saying she butchered her three children in a blood offering to the devil. Terrible business.” He shakes his head, his shoulders slumping. “Her name is Danika Lewis. She’s Amelia Weatherby’s aunt, the poor girl.”
“Oh my goddess,” I say, remembering the redhead in Carly’s clique. Of all of them, she seems to be the least horrible, and now this? “Is Amelia okay?”
“She’s taking the rest of the month off to be with her family. I don’t suspect this will be an easy time for any of them, or for her friends, for that matter. Carly and her group seem to be very close-knit.” He looks down the path again, then shakes his head. “Always good to lean on friends at a time like this, but I do worry about the morale of the group as a whole. Anyway, just wanted to share that with you in case you see the girls in your classes. Might be a good time to reach out.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I say, not making any promises. “Thanks for letting us know.”
