Page 43 of The Banshee and the Warlock

He chuckles. "There'll be time for that later," he assures me. "Your sleep is important."

I nod. "I know. And it's going to be dreamless." I don't know how I'm certain of that, but I am. I won't be visiting the misty land tonight.

"You should go and sleep. We can talk in the morning. And tomorrow night, maybe we can spend some time just the two of us somewhere that isn't a Potions lab."

I laugh. "That sounds like a good idea."

Cethin leans in and presses his lips against mine. I sink into the kiss, feeling like everything is finally falling into place.

Chapter 18

Cethin

The classroom is already full of chatter by the time I arrive, but Anja isn't here yet. I push aside my worries that she's not going to show up and take a seat. She seemed to enjoy herself last night, but I still worry that there might be regret this morning.

I check my mirror behind my bag, but don't have a message from her yet. I try not to let that bother me. This is the first class of the day, and it doesn't mean anything that she's not here. Or that I couldn't see her in the dining hall. There's got to be a perfectly good reason for that.

The door opens, and I look up, locking eyes with the gorgeous banshee making her way inside. She's carrying herself a little differently than before, with a confidence that she didn't previously have.

Her whole face lights up as she spots me, and she hurries over, glancing towards the front to make sure Professor Fairburn isn't paying any attention before leaning in and kissing my cheek.

Warmth fills me at the gesture, and I'm reassured that I haven't scared her off. I just wish we could be having our first morning-after conversation somewhere a little more private. Preferably somewhere with a bed.

"Morning," she says brightly, pulling her chair a little bit closer to mine and starting to unpack everything.

"Hey. I looked for you at breakfast," I blurt out without meaning to.

"Oh, I had a meeting with Headmistress Maddox this morning," she replies. "I should have messaged you about it, but I just got so nervous."

"How did you manage that so quickly?"

"I emailed her yesterday afternoon after you gave me the banshee book, hoping that she'd have some suggestions for me. I woke up this morning with a response saying that she had a free half hour during breakfast if I wanted a meeting urgently, so I took it." The relief on her face makes it clear that it was the right decision.

"What did she say?" I ask.

"She's letting me drop one of my modules so I can take Familiar Training and has given me the paperwork to allow me to have Thistle with me on the academy grounds. I didn't even realise that was necessary. Apparently, I've been breaking all kinds of rules by bringing her inside."

"Because those are the only rules you've been breaking," I quip. I'm fairly certain there's probably an academy rule about having sex in the classrooms too.

A blush rises to her cheeks. She reaches out and puts her hand on my leg. "I'll break that rule with you as many times as you want."

I don't need a mirror to feel my eyes flare purple at the insinuation. "No regrets?"

"Not even a little one," she responds. "Or maybe one."

"Oh?"

"That there are other people in the room right now."

I let out an amused laugh. "I can see that one being a regret."

"All right, class, settle down," Professor Fairburn calls. "Before we get started, there's just a housekeeping rule. It's come to the faculty's attention that some students have been using classrooms after hours. You're reminded that not only does this break the rules, but it is not what classrooms are meant to be used for."

Anja smothers a laugh, and I look in her direction, only making it worse.

"Is everything all right, Ms Greystone?" Professor Fairburn asks, giving Anja a look that I'm surprised she has in her arsenal.

"Sorry, I've got a feather stuck down the neck of my shirt, and it tickles."