“Flame and blood and blade and bone,” I breathe.
“What was that?” He leans in closer to catch my fading words.
“Flame and blood and blade and bone.” But it’s still just a whisper, my mind spinning, my heart hammering in my chest as the pieces click into place.
They’ll come for you, Stevie. After the sky falls and the scorpion stings, after the star takes flight and the lightning burns… Flame and blood and blade and bone…
The sky falls—that was the hailstorm that nailed me on the Grande, and it certainly felt like the sky was falling. The scorpion sting? That has to be Luke, the scorpion king himself, seemingly betraying me, stabbing me in the gut. And the star takes flight—I’m the star. Starla. Mom used to call me her little starlight. And what else could I call that great leap from the rock face—the spread of the owl’s magickal wings—but taking flight? The lightning burns fits, too. The minute I was on the ground, lightning hit the smaller rock behind me.
Holy. Shit.
“Stevie, what is it?” Devane asks.
“My mother.” I grab his arm, fuck propriety. “She knew you would come for me.”
He considers me a moment, but doesn’t press for an explanation. Thank Goddess; his eyes are full of so much compassion, I’m pretty sure I’d spill everything if only he’d ask.
Instead, he says simply, “Your mother was a talented seer. It seems she knew a great many things.”
“What things? What else do you know about her? Does anyone ever talk about her? Or my father? What about—”
“Stevie, all of your questions will be answered in time. You’ll just… you’ll have to trust us right now. Trustmeright now.” He puts his hands on my shoulders, looking deep into my eyes. “Can you do that for me?”
I want to. Goddess knows, I want to. But despite everything Dr. Devane has done for me, how much do I really know him?
At the end of the day, he still works for the enemies of my parents. I let my guard down, let his kindness and good looks and taco-making skills lull me into a false sense of security.
But trust is earned, not presumed. I’d be smart to remember that.
“Not yet,” I answer honestly, stepping away from the warmth of his touch. It’s too confusing, too easy to believe. “But I’m here, Dr. Devane. And I’m willing to give this a chance.”
“Fair enough.” He glances up at the flags once more, then back to me, a passing group of students making the air swirl around us. “Let’s get this over with, then. Rip off the old Band-Aid, so to speak.”
“Wait, what? You said the test would be easy!”
“The house test, yes. Meeting the headmistress? I’m afraid that’s another story entirely.”
Fourteen
CASS
Power.
It emanates from her in subtle but distinct ways, if one knows where to look. The fire in her eyes, the spunky edge in her words, the sharp turns of an analytical mind. Even the way she carries herself across the landscape of this strange new place, down the hallowed marble halls of the Academy’s oldest building, speaks of fierce determination.
Not even half a day after being liberated from her own personal hell on earth, Stevie moves through this space like she owns it. Like it’s her birthright.
She is a witch, through and through, and despite her parents’ best efforts, there is no steering her from the magickal path.
I’m not surprised that after so many months, Kirin has grown so attached.
Something about the woman draws me in, too. It isn’t just that inexplicable vision at the moonlit pool. There’s a spark in her, a flicker of something that some deep part of me recognizes. I feel like our paths have crossed long before. Perhaps before she was even born—at least, in her current incarnation of a fiery, beautiful, young woman. Emphasis on young.
Christ, Devane. Where are your damn priorities?
Not only are student-professor relationships forbidden, unprofessional, and highly unethical, but I can’t afford to be distracted—not by Starla Milan or any other woman for that matter. Kirin and the others need me. Our mission is the absolute priority now. Too many lives are at stake, including our own.
Including that of our newest enrollee.
