He runs a hand over the spell in the last book, still open on the desk. “I wouldn’t know that, would I? Now that you’re missing our appointments.”
“You don’t have to worry about me. In fact, I’m here because of something Hazel said to me, and I feel better than ever.” I reach for the book to pull it out from under his hand, when I notice a large silver ring on his ring finger that reminds me far too much of the Saint’s Order rings. Fear catches in my throat like I’ve swallowed a fist, until I notice that the face of the ring is different. There’s a pentagram instead of a Saint George cross and no inscription. “Where did you get that ring? It’s new since the last time I saw you, right?”
He slides his hand off the book and behind the desk. “Not new. It used to be my father’s.”
“Oh.”
“As for Hazel, I’d be careful taking her advice. She’s from another time, really. So old, her opinion is hardly relevant anymore.”
I snort. “Hardly relevant? She’s the most powerful witch in the coven.”
“That depends on how you define powerful.” His words lash through the center of the room and send a chill along my spine. I close the book and slide it back on the shelf.
“I should take off. I’m going to say goodbye to my parents.” I turn to leave, but his hand lands on my shoulder.
“Zoe, wait.” When I turn to look at him, my cheek comes close to his ring, and I feel the gravity of the metal. It’s that same silent, cold draw, like a black hole of energy, that I felt from the Saint’s Order ring in the Gold Room. I yank my shoulder away from his touch before I can school my features.
“Where did your father get that ring, Jeremy?” The hair on my arms stands on end.
“Goddess, what is with your obsession with my ring all of a sudden?”
“Nothing,” I say, as I step into the hall. “Just think it’s interesting. Wondering if they have a female version.”
“No. It’s a family heirloom.”
I nod and head for the stairs.
“I want to see you again,” he blurts. I can’t tell if he’s asking me to set up an appointment or a date.
“No.”
“Why not?”
I decide it’s better to presume he’s talking about an appointment. “I think, given our personal history, that I should see someone else professionally going forward. I’ll talk to my parents.”
A grin spreads across his face. “Then there’s nothing stopping us from dating,” he says hopefully.
I frown. “Yes, there is.”
“What?”
God, this man is dense. “Me. I don’t want to date you either. I’m sorry.”
Rage colors his face, and I descend the stairs at a fast clip. He follows me. “You should be careful who you’re fraternizing with, Zoe. Dragons are dangerous.”
I stop in the great room at the base of the stairs and look over my shoulder. “What is with your obsession with dragons all of a sudden? Are you a dragon, Jeremy?”
He opens his mouth to say something, but I don’t wait to hear it. I take off toward the backyard and am relieved when I find my dad straightaway. I manage to get him and my mom alone in a bedroom and tell them the truth. I reveal that Jeremy asked me on a date tonight and that I don’t feel that seeing him professionally is appropriate now.
“I told you he was interested in her, Anita,” my day says through a frown.
My mother shakes her head. “But are you also interested in him, though, darling?” Mom asks brightly. When Dad gives her a sour look, she says, “I only mean, might you have led him on in some way?”
I take her by the shoulders. “Not even a little bit, Mom. And you should know that I’ve been healthy for over a year, and by all accounts, he should have cleared me by now. I believe he kept me on because of his attraction to me.”
“On my dime,” my father says angrily.
“Are you sure? It sounds so devious!” Mom says.
