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Neither did I. But I didn’t catch Lords setting his fixed point, either.
“I’ll check for other fixed points,” Lords tells us. “If you haven’t had any breakfast, get something to eat. I stocked the fridge with milk and eggs.”
“And bacon?” Charlie asks hopefully.
Lords rolls his eyes. “No, Charlie.”
“Pancakes it is, then,” Charlie says, rubbing his hands together before he loops his arm around Gabe’s neck and drags him toward the refrigerator.
“Sit, Teddy, and tell me about this duel.”
I grimace at him. I wanted to go through my notes one last time before our Necromancy exam.
Darwin nudges me. “You know everything you need to know for Necromancy. Talk to Lords and I’ll bring you a cup of tea.”
I turn and hug him. “You feeling ready?”
He nods. “I’m better prepared for these exams after studying with you than I’ve ever been before. We’re going to ace this and then I’m taking you on a date.”
A date? During finals? “That’s bold.”
“Wait until you see what the date entails,” he says, waggling his eyebrows.
“What part of lockdown was unclear?” Lords grumbles.
“I promise you neither Gravka nor Klotho will find us,” Darwin says.
Lords grunts. “Will phones work where you’re going?”
Darwin nods.
“Fine. I want a text every hour. And be home by midnight.”
I start to bristle. He’s giving us a fucking curfew? But Darwin runs his fingers up and down my back placatingly.
“We won’t even be that late,” Darwin promises.
Lords grumbles to himself for another minute but nods grudgingly.
Darwin steers me toward the table before he goes to make tea. Well, before he goes to ask Charlie to help him make tea. Darwin could burn water, I swear.
I plonk down across from Lords and look out the window while he finishes typing something on his laptop. It snowed while we were in Faery. Snow turns Bevington into a winter wonderland. The withered grass and stained concrete paths are covered in a snowy blanket. The pines framing our garden are frosted with glittering white. The sky above them is a perfect, crystal blue that you never see in Manchester. It looks like it goes on forever, that sky.
Someday, I want to fly up into that sky with my-Gabe. I flew several times with Future-Gabe—when we weren’t humping like bunnies—and it was amazing. I want my-Gabe to feel that soaring sense of freedom.
Lords clears his throat, drawing my attention back to him.
“Duel?” he asks.
I tell him about it. Darwin brings over mugs of tea, which Charlie definitely made because the milk isn’t even scalded, and sits beside me. When I reach between us and wrap my hand around his, I feel the tremor running through his fingers. I scoot my chair a little closer.
If our situations had been reversed, I’d have been scared for him. I trust my boys; I believe in them. But I also don’t want them facing our enemies alone.
Gabe and Charlie tote piles of pancakes to the table and we all dig in. Gabe sits on my other side and feeds me bites of his pancakes with sugar and lemon, the way Jan-Jan taught him to make them. I return the favor with the pancakes I’ve drowned in maple syrup. Being so close to the home of real maple syrup is a huge perk of coming to Bevington. They should put that in the college brochure. Would have sold me.
We fall back into study mode quickly, quizzing each other, speculating on essay topics and strategizing how to answer them. Lords sits in our midst like a stone, not contributing to our discussion. He occasionally taps something into his laptop. Twice, he takes short phone calls.
When we start to carry the dishes to the sink, Lords stops us. “Go get ready. Study. Shower. Whatever you’re going to do. I’ll do the dishes. ‘Least I can do for being an unwelcome guest.”
