“Not everyone.” She reaches across the table, calming me with a soft smile and reassuring pat on my hand. “Starla Milan has changed you for the better. Don’t let this setback close you off again.”
I open my mouth to deny it, but then, what would I deny first? The fact that I feel my walls going up again, so soon after inviting the professors, Isla, and Nat in? Or the fact that Stevie has changed me at all, let alone for the better?
“She’s changed us all, Cass. Just like her mother did before her.”
Memories of Stevie flicker through my mind—the first day I met her in the prison, her toughness, her stubbornness, the taste of the tea she brought me.
The taste of our near kiss in my classroom, and all the long nights I’ve spent replaying that moment in my mind.
Changed me?
That is a gross understatement.
Starla Milan has given me a reason to hope again. And for that, I’m falling in love with her.
Heat rises up my neck, and I clear my throat, averting my gaze and pulling out of Professor Maddox’s grasp.
“Our only recourse is to find out where Professor Phaines is hiding,” I say, getting us back on track. “We need to go back downstairs and try another spell. Get him to reveal—”
“You need a break.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re exhausted, and you’re not at your best.” She rises from the table and heads to the door that leads to the basement. “Go home and get some sleep. I’ll take care of this.”
I want to argue with her, but she’s right. I haven’t slept more than a handful of stolen naps in three days, and I’m getting sloppy. My reaction to seeing Phaines’s face is all the proof we need of that.
Reluctantly, I nod, and she opens the basement door.
“Professor Maddox, if we don’t figure this out by Harvest Eve…”
“We will, Cass. I promise.”
She turns to head downstairs, but a shriek from the basement stops her cold.
“You’re too late, Cassius Devane!” It’s Janelle, her voice twisted and distorted as Phaines breaks through the veneer. “The clock has been set, the hours always passing. Very soon, the light shall embrace the dark, and you shall embrace your death.”
Twenty-Six
STEVIE
The morning after our epic night of dunch and big-o desert, Kirin and I finally drag ourselves out of bed and into the shower. As much as we’d love to hit the pause button on the rest of the world and linger in bliss, that’s just not an option.
Besides, I’ve got plans to hang out with Ani today, and Kirin’s eager to hit the library to start documenting some of our findings and comparing it with the existing lore.
Unfortunately, Baz is still a no-show. He sent a few texts this morning, assuring us he’s okay, but says he needs a little more rest before he’s ready for prime time. I sent him back some hearts and smileys and told him not to worry, but secretly, Kirin and I agreed to give him one more day—then we’re storming down his door.
“You sure I can’t entice you to tag along?” Kirin asks now, all dressed and ready to go, his face lit up with the promise of spending hours in the stacks.
I stretch up on my toes for a kiss, letting out a soft sigh of contentment. “As much as I love nerding out with you at the library, Ani is coming over later, and I need to put my bedroom back in order.”
“Wait. You need to straighten your bedroom forAni?” Kirin raises an eyebrow, his green eyes sparkling. “So you guys are…”
“What? No, why would you—no. I just… I mean… The place looks like a bomb went off, and I need to clean it up before company arrives. Ani and I…” A strangled laugh bubbles up from my throat. “Kirin, youknowAni’s just…”
Kirin nudges my nose with his. “Just what? A friend you like to kiss on occasion? In my office, no less?” His tone is light and teasing, not a single shred of jealousy to be found.
“To be fair,” I say, “those were extenuating circumstances. We’d just figured out that the Arcana objects were hidden in the dream realm. I wanted to kisseveryonethat night. I was excited.”
