I grinned. Some girl time was well overdue.
“Oh my God, I about died when de Spina showed us our first demon conjuring!” Heidi held a hand over her mouth, and her eyes widened.
I laughed, recalling my very similar reaction all too vividly. “What was it?”
“A wraith!” Holly exclaimed while simultaneously batting away a pigeon that was steering a little too close to where her sandwich lay on the picnic blanket. “So gray and wrinkly and ugly. And all those teeth!”
“It seems as though de Spina doesn’t like to deviate much,” Eva giggled. “That was the first thing he showed us too. You should have seen Odie’s face when it appeared in class.”
I tickled her side. “Oh, and you were so tough, Proctor?”
We tossed a few good-natured jabs back and forth before we realized that the younger girls were staring at us with smiles on their faces.
“Sorry,” I said, turning my attention to Holly and Heidi. “We got a little carried away.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Heidi said. “I like seeing that you guys are so close. We’ve heard stories about what you two went through. It’s kinda awesome that you have each other to lean on.” She glanced at Holly. “I hope we can stay that way too, no matter what this academy throws at us.”
My heart grew three sizes. I freaking loved seeing strong sisterhoods. “And I hope you both know you can depend on Eva and me too.”
“We appreciate that so much,” Holly said.
As our lunch progressed, my anxiety over Alex melted away. By the time Conjuring and Transfiguration rolled around, I felt confident that he needed space.
It seemed that Hunter had worked his magic during lunch, because the moment Alex walked into Professor Umbra’s class, I noticed that he appeared less tense. We still didn’t talk much, and certainly not about our issues, but he wasn’t avoiding me and even passed me a pen after I dropped it. I hadn’t expected a miracle right away anyhow.
Our first day of classes stretched on longer than I ever could have expected. When the torture finally ended, I retreated to my room. I had just set my book bag on my bed when a knock came at my door.
When I opened it, Alex stood in the hallway, his messenger bag still sitting on his hip. He hadn’t even dropped it off before coming to my room.
“Can we talk?”
“Come on in.” I sat on the bed and patted the spot next to me.
“I’m sorry for freaking out on you,” Alex blurted as soon as he joined me. “And I’m also sorry for assuming that because we took our relationship to the next level, everything would be fine, and you wouldn’t want to participate in the Spy Games.”
“Thanks for acknowledging that.” Although it was a little jarring, I took Alex’s quick and thorough apology in stride. We’d been here before. Swift apologies was how he operated. “But I know just because you regret becoming upset with me, doesn’t mean you’ll support me fully in this.”
I understood where Alex’s concern came from, but I didn’t agree. Morgan and Merlin were irritatingly vague, and we’d been apart twice already and hadn’t keeled over.
He shook his head. “Of course not. I love you, babe. I want you safe and preferably close to me all the time.”
“Errr, that’s sweet and a little creepy.”
One corner of his lips quirked up. “You know what I mean. Not like a stalker. Like a protector. Until we get all of this worked out, I’ll feel the need to protect you.”
“You realize the feeling is mutual, right? I’m not the only one the demons are after. I’m just the only one they can control if Ishtar makes it to this realm.” I frowned.
“I’m aware that they want us both equally, and because of that, I have a proposition for you.”
He reached inside his messenger bag and pulled out a small, leather-bound book titledMagical Objects for Safety and Protection.
“Do we have to find something to keep us safe?”
Alex shook his head. “There are some rare objects in here that have been enchanted by powerful witches and wizards, but there are also spells to enchant everyday objects too. They’ll let you know if your loved ones are safe.”
“How did you learn about them?”
“After the Beltane Trials, my parents told me about this book. They wanted to make some of these objects themselves.” His cheeks turned bright red. “I refused.”
