Page 54 of Alchemy of Souls

But I don’t get to ask more questions because Ivy bounces up to us. “Time todance. Like now.”

Naomi looks at me. “Care to join?”

“Yesss, come dance with us, Gray Gray,” Ivy adds, who has clearly had too much to drink.

“Tempting,” I lie. “But I’m gonna crash soon. It’s been a shit week.”

“Maybe I’ll swing by your room later?” Naomi offers.

Despite the fact that I want more intel, there’s no chance I’m doing a late-night hangout with Naomi.

“Another night,” I say, and I scent her disappointment.

Naomi grabs her drink and I cross the room to Bas, who leaves his conversation to meet me by the door that leads to the roof. I quickly recap my conversation with Naomi.

“How stressed should we be?” he asks, but I don’t have an answer.

“The girls are going to see their families this weekend,” I say. “Let’s wait and see if there are any developments. I also need to try to meet up withour friendto see if she’s heard anything.”

Bas pushes back his hair, exhaling. “Your house?”

“Exactly. Which means I’ll need time to go there. I’ll need you to cover for me with the girls. Tell them I’m stressed about not being marked Gifted and that I’m trying to get in my uncle’s good graces.”

“Sure thing,” he says. “Although, I still don’t understand how Sage manages to meet you at your house of all places,” Bas says, and I grunt.

“I don’t, either,” I lie. The fewer people who know about the tear in the ward the safer everyone is.

But now I have another problem. Willow walks through the door with her friends and Ivy immediately waves her over. I can already picture how that conversation will go as she recounts seeing me and Eloise leaning into each other in the hall.

“I’m gonna want a full update,” Bas says.

“Deal,” I reply. “And speaking of covering for me,” I say, and clap Bas on the shoulder. “That’s my cue.”

Bas’s gaze flicks from me to Willow and the girls who are in full-blown conversation, gesticulating and periodically looking our way.

“What did you do?” he says like he can make twenty guesses, none of them good.

I smirk and hand him my glass. “You might need this drink.”

“Damn it, Grayson. You’re a bastard, you know that?” Bas says, but that’s where I call it quits and bail. Because I can already scent Naomi’s anger.

CHAPTER 30Eloise

Adrien, Maggie, and I lounge in Maggie’s living room around bowls of chips and guac Maggie snagged from the kitchen with her invisibility spell.

“Rummy,” I say, laying my cards on the coffee table with a huge grin.

“I swear you’re cheating,” Adrien says, shaking his head.

“You can just go ahead and take that the feck back, Adrien Aster,” Maggie says, pointing her chip at him. “Eloise is not a cheater. Or anything else for that matter. Except goddamn lovely. Now pay up, Frenchie.”

Adrien raises his hands in surrender and I snort-laugh. It feels good to be joking with friends after so much tension.

“What spell do you want as payment?” Adrien asks me with a small smile. “I could make you a piece of jewelry. A ring maybe?”

“Hmmm,” I say, tapping my finger on my lips while I think, because a ring does sound nice. But it also sounds a little personal.

Adrien’s eyes flit to my tapping finger and his smile widens. “Unless you’re trying to signal that you want a kiss—”