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Bianca made a fake gagging sound, and normally I would have agreed, but this time, I was struck with a sharp ache of longing.
They’d never be alone. These people had their lives all figured out, and everything was right on track.
Where would I be in ten years? Alone, at the bottom of the sea, helping my clan, watching over the narwhal shifters, trying to avoid my mother’s matchmaking, and wondering what had happened to that gorgeous golden guy from Slaymore.
The ache was replaced by a spike of panic. I had my life figured out. I had a plan.
A plan to learn and be the best at marine mythology and go home to save the paranormals of the sea. Repopulating the Bering clan was someone else’s problem. I didn’t need the headache or the heartache.
“It’s been really nice to study with you.” I put a slight emphasis on the wordstudy. “But the diner says no magic on the premises, so I’m going to go back to my room and try the transformation circle. Thanks for your help, Bianca.” I met her eyes, hoping she knew that I meant it.
“No, hang on, wait,” Numina pleaded as the waitress appeared to take the empty dishes. “I had a question about load-bearing runes. Like, how many do you need? Is it a formula per square inch of pressure?”
Bianca leaned over to answer her. Ezric put his head down on the table, and I was not about to scoot over him in my skirt, meaning I was stuck until he moved. Clenching my teeth, I looked down at my notes again.
Deus shot me a slightly anxious smile over Ezric’s back. “Did you get some help?”
I passed over my notes. He looked at them thoughtfully for a few long moments. Then his face cleared. “Oh! You have a cusp birthday? I can’t believe I didn’t think about that. Did you try it out yet?”
I shook my head. “I’m not going to get kicked out of the diner like we almost got kicked out of the library.”
Ezric turned his head to face me. “That sounds like an interesting story,” he drawled. “Let’s hear it.”
“No.” I started re-drawing my transformation circle, using carefully controlled and crisp penmanship. If I was stuck here, I’d be stuck doing something at least moderately useful.
“All right.” Ezric sat up abruptly. I could feel his black eyes on my face, but I didn’t give him the satisfaction of looking at him. “I hear you come from up near Alaska.”
“Yeah.” I bit my lip as I compared two runes. Was I still being too stylistic?
“That’s kraken country.”
My eyes jerked up to meet his before I could hide my surprise. Did I look guilty? I had nothing to look guilty about. My hand found my cuff.
I cleared my throat. “So I’ve heard.”
He tilted his head. “Heard? Never seen one?”
“No,” I lied.
“Not even a tentacle? A stirring of the waves? Maybe a weird shipwreck?”
“Bering mermaids keep to themselves,” I told him, pushing ice into my tone. “Plus, the Bering krakens may or may not exist. It’s not really my problem.”
“I thought you were obsessed with marine mythology? But you don’t even want to look for the krakens in your own backyard?” He arched one perfect dark eyebrow, one side of his mouth turning up in a challenging smile.
It was obvious he thought I was lying about something.
Summoning an air of boredom, I rolled my shoulders and tried to look disinterested. “If there are krakens in the Bering Strait, they’re down in the Deep and must keep to themselves. I don’t really see our paths crossing.”
“That’s good. I hear they have poisoned tentacles.”
We didn’t. Did he already know that and was just trying to bait me into answering?
“You know, my uncle slayed a kraken.” Ezric sighed, sounding almost wistful.
I forced my shoulders not to hunch up and looked down at my paper to keep him from seeing the irritation in my eyes.
Ezric continued. “He brought home a tentacle as long as our house and a handful of teeth to prove it. You know what kraken teeth go for these days?”
