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“You don’t need them.”
“I do! You don’t understand—”
“Humour me,” he cuts me off like I never even spoke. “Go forty-eight hours without them, and if you don’t feel like a different person at the end of it, I’ll fetch your prescription from your friend and administer the drugs myself.”
I stare at him, completely flabbergasted and wonder what his game is here. I flashback to that heated moment in my bedroom where he challenged me.“I think this diagnosis is bullshit, this ‘doctor’ is a charlatan, and you’re dangerously close to flunking out of SCU entirely, based on your attendance alone. Do better. Prove me wrong about you.”
Is that what this is? His way of making me do better? Or proving him wrong? Is he genuinely trying to help me? Why did he go to so much trouble to cover up my being at that restaurant last night? Sure, I called Cove for help, but the others didn’t have to get involved.
There’s more going on than they’re telling me, and the prof is clearly the boss of it all. I guess the only way I’m going to get any answers is by staying here and getting to know them better. Even if it means going cold turkey in order to do that.
Fun.
The agitation around the table is palpable, and I keep expecting sparks to fly between the prof and Malia. You could cut the sexual tension between them with a butter knife. It’s almost enough to stop a guy from trying with her, but I know the prof won’t touch her. He takes his role too seriously.
Not his fake role as a teacher – he doesn’t care aboutthat,and he’s probably slept with students in the past – but his role as our leader on this mission, not to mention his place as the head of the Queen’s Guard.
No. He mightwantMalia, but he’d never allow himself tohaveher, so I don’t need to worry.
It’s interesting, watching Malia push back against him though. Around here, his word is law and yet she isn’t letting him walk all over her like I thought she might. She does still have a little of that fire in her I saw the first time we met.
I’m glad.
“I’m going for a walk,” I declare, getting to my feet and extending an invitation to Malia. She looks strung-out, but beautiful, even wearing Cove’s clothes with her wet hair plastered to her back. “Would you like to join me, Malia?”
“S-sure.” She gives me a wobbly smile, but I return it with a reassuring one of my own. It’s normal to be a little frazzled after going head to head with the prof, and I sense she could use a little space.
“Are you ready?”
“I only have Summer’s heels for my feet.”
“You won’t need them, we’re on the beach,” I tell her, opening the front door and showing her the view.
“But if I’m staying indefinitely, I can’t keep wearing everyone’s clothes.”
“Good point,” I concede as I pull the door shut behind us. “One of us can head over and grab your things later if you like.”
“Sure,” she replies, looking anything but. She probably doesn’t want us rifling through her things, but it’s a small price to pay for her safety. I’ll send Cove. He knows her best so it’ll be the least awkward.
I can’t decide if the prof laid it on a bit too thick, or not thick enough with what he just told Malia. Part of me wishes we could just come clean and tell her everything. There’s no way the death last night was a coincidence, but until we’re all one hundred percent sure that Malia is the Star, we can’t be sure what level of threat she’s facing.
So far, there doesn’t seem to be much to indicate that sheisthe star. Virtually no traces of magic surrounding her, and it’s too soon to say if there’s truly a pull between the five of us. Though I guess with her staying here for a while, we’ll get to test that theory out.
Who am I kidding? I’ve been drawn to her since the moment we met on the beach and I stumbled over my words and made a total ass of myself. It’s a small mercy that she doesn’t rememberthat.
Pretending to be her doctor every day has been killing me. There’s no denying that she’s beautiful, but it’s more than that too. She’s a captivating person with the heart of a warrior and the soul of a survivor. Independent and capable through necessity, but desperately looking to share her burdens with someone worthy.
She’s amazing.
I’m hooked, ready for her to reel me in and make me hers.
“This is gorgeous. Such an amazing location to have a house.”
I wish I could tell her about the palace back home in Aerwyna, but I can’t. Not just because I can’t spill our secrets, but because I can barely remember the place, only that it was breathtaking and unlike anything in this realm.
I sigh. I should have asked the prof for more details of his trip.
“Race you to the ocean!” Malia cries, distracting me from my morose thoughts. She’s taken off across the soft sand before I can even process what she said.
