What? I faced him and blinked.
His eyebrows pinched together before his hands shot up to rub his black teeth. We watched as nothing came off onto his fingers with frowning expressions. That wasn’t good.
“It’s like you drank a bottle of ink or something. I’ll grab a spray bottle for—” I jumped up to get one of the “in case of emergency” spritzer bottles when Rylan produced a small vial from his pocket.
He drank the contents, and within seconds the inky black coating on his teeth disappeared. The billionaire sucked in a breath, then looked around the dining hall and his empty plate.
“Looks like you’ve got a secret admirer too,” Remy said to Rylan.
That sinking feeling in my stomach came back. I didn’t think that was an attempt on Rylan’s life, but the fact that he had a stash of power nullifier in his pocket had me questioning things.
Rylan set the empty vial on the counter, then flattened a hand against his stomach. “Remy, I think we need to increase security.”
Chapter Ten
Good. You met Harold
I’d just walked out of transmutation class when the sound of clanking metal came from my right.
“Good morning, student!”
A suit of armor stepped away from the wall, and I jumped back with a scream. No one said anything about talking armor in the brochures.
The polished golden armor waved its metal hand at me. “I’m sorry to have frightened you. I am here to be of assistance, not harm.”
Remy happened to be walking by and stopped. With an arched brow, she eyed the hand on my chest, and the armor. “Good. You met Harold.”
Who the fuck was Harold? The armor?
I didn’t ask out loud because I was too busy trying to calm my heart.
“Rylan and I met with Headmaster Sprucian last night and came up with an improved security system.”
I’d expected cameras or like a beefy couple of bodyguards wearing matching “SECURITY” T-shirts. Not this…whateverthiswas.
“I am Harold.” The armor waved, the metal squeaking with his movement.
I leaned in slightly to peer through the eye slit of the helmet, looking for a person underneath.
There wasn’t one.
Not creepy at all.
Remy’s face lit up in the likes I hadn’t seen thus far. “The suits of armor around the castle were mostly decoration, but now they are sentients. They will always be watching, reporting issues, and assisting students if staff is unavailable.” She lifted her hand and pointed to the side of Harold’s helmet. “We’ve got them hooked up to talk to each other with this.” At the end of her finger was a mini honeycomb gadget with a two-inch antenna.
It looked cool, but that communication thing wasn’t what made my insides feel all warm and gooey. It was the look on Remy’s face as she whispered, “Magic and technology working together. It’s so beautiful.”
Remy was near my age, but I couldn’t help but feel a blast of pride seeing her so enamored. It reminded me of Piper. She would get so excited about a mythology story she’d learned in school that she’d get all smiley and animated when she purged every detail to me in the living room.
I had no clue what she was talking about, but Remy’s sheer joy and awe over magic and technology made me happy too.
“Cute little nerd,” I teased.
Remy rolled her eyes. “You’re not my type, Temperance.”
I stood there blinking at her.Was she teasing me back?The corner of her lips lifted. I think shewas. “Remy whatever-your-last-name-is, you have a sense of humor! Call the headmaster,” I hollered, and Remy blushed.
She nudged me forward. “Alright, mother hen. Let’s go drop our stuff off in the room and head down to the Witch’s Fair.”
