But I don’t move. Not yet.
“I’ll tell you,” I say. “I want to tell you.”
Everything. All of it.
It’s another shock how much I mean it, how easily I make that promise.
I should have explained what exactly I want to tell him—but Thio’s face softens.
This smile is small yet overwhelming.
“Whatever you want, Sebastian,” he whispers. “You can tell me whatever you want.”
I summon Nick. And not long later, my invisible fox plops a chunk of iron into my palm.
The boxes aren’t latched. I could’ve dropped the iron at any point in my mad dash across the field.
It doesn’t matter.
Thio’s going on a date with me.
He finishes the teleportation spell. Our cube vanishes, and after a pause, there’s a loud, wet plop from across the wall, followed by aggrieved shouts.
The crowd cheers, a roar that cocoons us in white noise as Thio turns to me.
“Looks like we won,” he says with a breathless grin.
I return that grin. Feel it through my whole body.
We won?
Yeah.
I’m pretty sure I have.
CAMPUS-WIDE SECURITY ALERT: The missing infant basilisk from the Nomadic Order of the Enchanted Beast Pet Adoption Event has been safely recovered and all affected parties have been de-stoned.
After her daring exploits, during which we are told she assisted in the recovery of a stolen wallet and prevented a fire on the second floor of the Herbology building, the infant basilisk is no longer available for adoption, and will instead be trained to become a guide basilisk for the visually impaired.
Have a happy spring break!
Chapter Thirteen
I stay to watch Orok’s charity game while Thio vanishes—to avoid Myrdin’s approach, but mostly with mysterious promises that he’ll have everything ready when he picks me up tonight. I’m told todress nicely.Which I’m not sure is warranted, given my plans are for whatever clothes I wear to end the evening on someone’s bedroom floor, but hey, thatisthe point of an actualdate,isn’t it? To do more than have sex?
Why did I think this was a good idea?
Oh. Because I like the guy.
Probably more, and for longer, than I’ll let myself believe.
The kids’ group Orok’s team is playing didn’t come to mess around. Most are high school age, maybe fifteen, sixteen max, but they’re out forblood,and by the second half, I catch more than a few windedholy shitglances between Orok’s teammates. The overall vibes are still in good fun. The kids secure a win by one point, and the Manticores cheer and congratulate them with honest excitement.
Security lets me back onto the field and I jog over to the player benches while Orok sprays his face with a water bottle.
“That loss wasn’t intentional, was it?”
He glances around, notes only his teammates nearby, and bulges his eyes at me in disbelief. “You see that one rogue get past me to swipe the ball from Crescentia in the third quarter? Where did he come from? Gods, kids these days. They’re ruthless. Our future’s in good hands.”
