Page 23 of The Soulmate Bakery

Guilt reared up inside me at the mention of the spell; I wondered if Sofia would be so friendly if she knew that it was my mishap that cursed Frost, her grandmother’s best friend and co-owner of the apothecary.

‘How,’ I started to ask, trying to sound not guilty, ‘is Frost, by the way?’

Sofia snorted, just as we finally got out of the door. ‘He’s still in the poetry phase. Literally. We wake up to sonnets and sleep to ballads. Granny says she hates it, but some of them are quite romantic.’

‘So, not awful,’ I said, hopefully.

‘Not awful,’ Sofia agreed.

That loosened the anxiety in my chest. Enough for me to consider asking Sofia to join Raven and I on our trip to the Wandering Words Library, where I’d meet Orion for my second lesson while Raven studied for her exam. Selfishly, I also thought he wouldn’t bring up Silas, if he saw someone else with us.

‘Sofia,’ I began, as we stepped into the hallway. ‘Would you like to join me and Raven at –’

‘Hey, trouble.’ Orion’s voice came from behind me, all smooth like melted chocolate.

I whipped a glance over my shoulder to find him leaning against the lockers.

‘Hawthorne,’ I said, nerves gripping my heart. ‘Didn’t you graduate a year ago? What are you doing here?’

‘Alumni privileges,’ he retorted. ‘Allows me to stalk these halls in search of certain witches.’ Then, before I could say anything, he slid his gaze to beside me. ‘And who’s this?’

‘Sofia Fable,’ I introduced, stepping back slightly, ‘meet Orion Hawthorne.’

‘Raven’s brother?’ Sofia guessed, glancing between the two of us.

‘I’d like to think I have other titles, but Raven’s brother works,’ Orion said, with an easy smile on his mouth. A smile he’d never directed at me. Where was the irritable dragon I knew? ‘And you must be the new girl.’

‘I’d like to think I have other titles too, but new girl works,’ Sofia quipped back, and Orion’s laugh was quick and loud.

So loud that it made something sharp and ugly flare up in my chest. It was an emotion I was familiar with, but only in my memories.

‘What have we got here?’ Raven asked, walking up to our lockers and glancing between the three of us. ‘New after-school club?’

‘Yes,’ Orion deadpanned. ‘I’m club leader.’

‘Over my dead body,’ Raven shot back, punching in her locker code and shoving her textbooks inside.

Orion smiled slightly, before turning to me. ‘Sorry to break up the club, but Raven, Sofia, I’m going to need to talk to Reverie. Alone, please.’

‘Whatever you say to me can be said in front of –’ I started but Orion interrupted me.

‘Not this,’ he said, holding my gaze. ‘Raven can take my car to the library; we can walk.’

‘Fine,’ I said softly, knowing there was no point arguing with a determined Hawthorne.

‘All right,’ Raven said, already walking away. ‘Sofia, want to join us at the library?’

‘Sure,’ the faerie replied, following Raven out of the doors of Maple Falls High, while Orion and I trailed slowly behind.

Main Street tended to be quiet at this time; most people were closing up shop, or settling into Charmed & Toasty for one of Ronnie’s specials or having dinner at the Giggling Octopus; my peers would be at the beach or the Firewood Forest. There might even be a party happening. The sky was a lovely lavender colour, streaked with clouds of pink and hints of gold from the dying sunlight. It should have inspired a sense of peace.

But I was a knot of nerves as I walked side by side with Orion.

‘So, Silas Moon,’ Orion said, carefully.

‘Nope, no, not a chance,’ I interrupted, feeling a flush rise on my cheeks. ‘I thought you wanted to talk about something serious.’

‘Look, Reverie, I just want to help –’