A bell sounds, signaling the time. “Shit, I’m late. I’m OK, but Alexis and I have found some information that may lead us tosome awful, awful stuff about the Conclave. Awful,” I say one more time.
“Come over after class? I can hug you and we can talk it out.”
“That’s exactly what I need. And Donovan?”
“Yes, my, Tee?”
“Keep Wes close. Don’t let him out of your sight, OK? I also had an awful premonition. Look after Wes.”
“I will, I promise.”
“Good, love you.”
“Love you more, Sweet-Tee. See you soon.”
Gods, this feels like the longest Friday ever. I watch the clock slowly head towards five, and then I’m out of there. Rushing out the classroom door, to my surprise, Ludo is waiting in the corridor. “Hey!”
—Where are you going? I’ll escort you—
Dear Ludo. “I’m going to your least favorite place, I’m afraid.”
His mouth quirks. —So, back to Electis?—
“Yep. Did you get some proper rest today?” I ask, worried about the shadows under Ludo’s eyes.
—I’m fine—
I switch to telepathy. —Are you really? And would you tell me if you weren’t?—
—Do you need to stop for food first, Nymph?—
—Ha! Don’t avoid my questions. And as for food, when did you last eat?—
Ludo doesn’t reply immediately, but after a beat, his voice comes into my head loud and clear.
—Having you care about whether I’ve eaten or slept is strange for me, Nymph. I don’t know whether to give you answers that give you peace, or answers that are the truth—
That’s it. I can’t fight the urge, so I grab his hand and entwine our fingers. “Always the truth, Ludo. Always. What affects you also affects me; you understand?”
Ludo flexes his fingers with mine. —I’m trying to, Nymph, but it will take time—
I reply through our telepathic link—We’ve all the time in the world, Ludo. That is, if the world isn’t destroyed by the dark essence—
The intense look Ludo gives me in response to my thoughts makes my heart skip.
“The janitor? Why am I even surprised?” Jordan sneers as she and her friend Kayla stand on the path in front of us.
“At least she’s dating within her own class,” Kayla cackles.
Jordan’s top lip raises even higher. “Completely inappropriate behavior for a Validus Vale student. It seems like this should be reported. He’ll get fired from his job, and the dud will lose her scholarship.”
“Oh, fuck off, Jordan,” I sigh, and tug on Ludo’s hand, trying to make us walk on the grass to go around her. Ludo doesn’t budge.
—She cannot disrespect you like this—
“Oh, look, the cleaner has something to say,” Kayla giggles. “Maybe he wants to plead for his minimum wage job.”
—Leave it, Lu. It’s not important, and the last thing we need right now is the academy breathing down our necks—
