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My wolf sulks at the thought of them leaving. Now I’m the one pouting. “How long will they be here?”
“Another couple of days, maybe.” She shrugs, but the grief in her scent doesn’t budge. “We’re trying to convince them that Wintermoon is a safe place for them, but they don’t seem all that convinced.”
Ezra frowns when Kade and Leah turn to him. I give his arm a squeeze. “Can Ezra influence them to stay?” I ask.
Kade gets back to business. “Well, you did scare the shit out of them with your Stormscale magic,” she tells Ezra. He stands up straighter beside me. I catch the bitter edge of guilt coming off him.
“I’m going to get a handle on that,” he mutters. “I promise.”
Kade aims her sheriff stare at me next. “So how much lumber do I need to stockpile for repairs?”
I blink. “Huh?”
“You’re Levi’s pup. That means you’re stubborn as fuck.” She points at Ezra. “So how much is this pairing going to cost me?”
I turn to Leah for help, but she only grins and leaves me on my own.
“What are you talking about?” I manage.
Kade points at Ezra again. “He’s going to burn some shit up over you. I just know it.”
My mouth falls open. When Ezra chuckles beside me, Kade whips around on him.
“This isn’t funny.” She swings her finger from Ezra to me and back. “I already know this one is hardheaded as hell. You have to remember I practically helped raise the two of you here at this Academy. I know both of you well.”
I snap my mouth shut and narrow my eyes at her. I’ve got nothing to fire back with, because she’s not wrong. I do have a stubborn wolf. She huffs, and I swear she takes it as a compliment.
Kade points at Ezra yet again. “You better not burn shit down at this Academy.”
He throws his hands up. “Chill, Kade.”
She puts her finger down and keeps glaring at him. “Hit up the library first. Angie’s in charge of keeping watch over the Mer with Josiah.”
Ezra and I cringe at the same time. “Uncle Jo?” I groan.
Kade and Leah sigh in unison. “Yeah, who are you telling,” Kade mutters.
Leah clasps her hands under her chin. “We love Jo. He’s family to all of Wintermoon. It’s just…” She taps her lips and gives up.
Kade wraps an arm around Leah’s waist and kisses her cheek. “Go on. We’ll catch up with you later.”
Ezra flinches, and I can’t blame him. He may have given House of Zorah a formal apology, and my father accepted it, but that doesn’t mean Angie’s over it. My aunt can hold a grudge worse than a lion shifter.
We’re not even out of earshot when Kade starts back up. “I’m telling you, Leah, he’s going to try to burn the school down.”
“Baby, calm down,” Leah tells her.
“Leah, baby, he’s going to try to burn the school down. Again.” Kade makes sure the last word carries down the hall. Ezra groans and blows a puff of smoke out of his nose, but we don’t stop walking. I swallow a giggle.
We cut through the corridors past the dormitory wing, where the younger students sleep, then by the cafeteria. The moon and star pendants are switched off in there, with the chairs stacked on the tables underneath. Framed artwork the little ones have given Angie over the years covers every inch of the walls. The empty room still smells like her.
We take the stairs up and cross the glass walkway from the university addition to the library. It looks out over the courtyard and the forest. This has always been my favorite place on campus. Dark wood shelves climb toward the vaulted ceilings, with cushioned window seats tucked into the reading alcoves between the stacks. Brass lamps glow on the study tables even in the daytime. Usually students are crammed into every corner up here. Today I can’t hear a heartbeat on this floor except Ezra’s. The silence makes me want to whisper.
I breathe in old paper and leather bindings. My wolf pulls toward the fresh air drifting in from outside. Our footsteps echo down the long aisles.
Ezra rubs his thumb over the back of my hand as we walk. “I’ve been under your love spell. I didn’t quite factor in that I’d see Angie again so soon.”
“This is Wintermoon.” I snort. “I don’t know why you’d think you could avoid anyone here for long.”
