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5
Raven
I stayed guardedthe rest of the day, focusing on my studies and trying to keep my head down. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion as it always does when you’re waiting on something.
Faking a headache, I grabbed a paper plate of food at dinner, excusing myself from my usual meal with my friends.
“Need me to come with you?” Makayla asked.
“No,” I said. “I think I’ll just eat and call it an early night.”
Makayla pressed her lips together, giving me a look that made me think she saw right through my lie.
“It’s been a busy few days,” I said.
She smiled, seeming to relax a little. “It has. And I have to tell you, I’m a terrible person because I’m glad you’re sticking around for a while.”
I squeezed her hand. “Same. We’ll talk tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay,” she said. “You sure you don’t need me? I can sing to you or pet your head.”
“Pet my head?” I asked, eyebrow arched.
She shrugged. “It’s soothing. Maybe it’s a wolf thing.”
I laughed. “Goodnight, Makayla.”
“Night,” she said.
I turned and walked out of the cafeteria, grateful that Ben and Luka weren’t there yet. They were usually later showing up for dinner so I was hoping to get in and out without being spotted. Makayla would relay my message and she could deliver my lie so much better than I could to either of them.
I didn’t fully understand the bond between all of us but I knew there were certain feelings and thoughts they could sense. If there was any chance they could tell how stressed I was, there was no way they’d let me go back to my room alone.
Thankfully, I made it back to my room without being stopped. My heart was already racing as I closed the door behind me. The meeting in the library tonight was eating away at me, making my stomach twist in knots. I was afraid but I also wanted it to hurry up and get here already.
I set my paper plate on my desk and set my backpack on the ground. Then I pulled out the decoy book Matt had passed to me in the hallway earlier today and set it next to my plate. The book seemed to taunt me. I picked it up and moved it next to the door. It could wait there till it was time to go.
I walked back to my desk and settled into the chair. Since I’d skipped lunch I was starving and our cafeteria made amazing food. Tonight’s dinner was the option that looked the easiest to eat in my room. Some kind of sandwich with a cup of fruit and a healthy pile of french fries. I picked up the sandwich and took a bite. It was filled with mozzarella and tomatoes. I’d made a good choice.
After a few bites I felt restless, so I stopped eating and reached for the drawer where the book was stored. As soon as I touched it, a jolt of electricity shot through my fingers.
I pulled my hand back.Fuck.Shaking my hand, I glared at the drawer. I’d forgotten all about Matt’s locking spell but I guess it was good to know it was working.
Absentmindedly I grabbed a few fries while I wondered about the book. What could be inside of it that was so important? Or was it something else?
Professor Halifax had given me that book and never asked for it back. She didn’t seem to care that I had it. Did she know that it had some kind of value or did she not care?
It was maddening to know that I had something in my possession that was more than it seemed without being able to crack it. And the only person who could answer my question was in a prison cell somewhere for trying to kill me then use me for my magic.
I frowned at the memories of Professor Halifax. She’d seemed like she was the real deal. She’d helped me with my magic. But it was all for personal gain. If she made me more powerful, she could get me to do her bidding.
I reached for another French fry, but they were all gone so I went back to my sandwich. What I wouldn’t give for a few minutes of trashy television to distract me right now.
Finished with dinner, I stood and walked over to my bed. I plopped down and reached for a book that Makayla had given me. It had a half-naked man on the cover. I hadn’t started it yet but it looked promising as a distraction.
I started reading and then the light faded around me and I was in a dark dungeon. I looked down at my hands. The book was gone.Shit.I had to be asleep. Gray stone walls and iron bars locked me in on all four sides. Water dripped in the background and the air felt cold.
Wake up. Wake up.I had somewhere to be. I couldn’t be asleep right now.
