You’re the one who made a scene,I snapped back at his mind.I was doing what I was supposed to do… pretending you’re the racist crown prince who hates that I’m sweating all over his private practice space. You’re the one who lectured Draken for acting possessive––
Heisa possessive twat,Bones muttered in my mind.I wonder why that is?
I ignored the implication, biting my lip.
I fought to focus on the Dark Rituals quiz on my desk, then, seemingly unable to restrain myself, shot thoughts back at him, anyway.
From the royals’ perspective, why would you be defending me?I demanded.Because itsoundedlike you were defending me. Are you mad?
Bones didn’t answer, but continued to stare down at his own parchment.
Just… stop being stupid about it,I thought at his silence.I know you don’t like him. You’ve made it crystal clear you don’t like him. But don’t usemeto needle him in ways that are going to make Voltaire and the others wonder if I’ve got you undersome kind of chimaeric spell. You need to control yourself. How is it you can be so controlled with fighting and school and everything else, and so utterlynotin control around Draken Joran?
Are you worried about me, Shadow?Bones asked, amused.I may faint.
You’re the one who got on me about keeping up appearances,I retorted back.If we’re going to try and find out what happened to Alaric, they can’t be looking at you, wondering why you’re acting odd all of a sudden. That’s bad for both of us.
Bones grew quiet at that, but I swear I could hear his teeth grinding in my head. I fought to focus on my test, but again, my annoyance got the better of me.
I just wish you would––I began sharply.
A different voice cut me off, speaking aloud.
“Whilst it’s against school policy and Magique law for teachers to listen in on adult students’ conversations with one another,” Professor Wragnus intoned, his voice warning as it boomed from the front of the room. “That doesn’t mean we cannotsee clearlywhen such a conversation is taking place…”
I tensed, feeling my face flush red.
Wragnus wasn’t finished.
His voice sharpened in annoyance as he went on.
“There is to beno talkingduring test-taking, if you please, even if those conversations occur in the aether. Ms. Shadow and Mr. Bones, if you cannot control yourselves, your tests will be forfeit, and you will each receive zeros for today’s grade.” Folding his arms, and gripping his pipe in one hand, he finished in an irritated mutter. “I confess, I didn’t think I would have to tell mytwo best studentsthey aren’t allowed to collaborate during exams.”
Eye of Ra.The entire class was staring at us now.
Luckily, none of Bones’s “bodyguards” were in there, probably because they couldn’t handle the reading load. That didn’t mean it wouldn’t get back to them.
Shoving Bones out of my mind, I forced myself to focus on the nearly-blank parchment under my hands, and re-dipped my quill in my pot of ink. It took me another few seconds to concentrate well enough to answer the first question. I answered the one after that a bit faster, and then I was fully absorbed by the material again, realizing that my reading had stuck in my mind better than I might’ve expected, considering the past few weeks I’d had.
I managed to keep my mind entirely silent for the rest of the class, at least.
I didn’t hear so much as a mutter out of Bones, either.
He pulledme into an alcove after our Numerology and Symbology class let out at half-five, after motioning me down a narrow side corridor on the second floor of Osiris College.
Since I’d missed lunch trying to make up reading time for Alchemy, I was starving, and overly-conscious I had to meet up with Forsooth in the Northeast Tower of Malcroix Mansion in just a few hours, which meant I’d need to shower and change early if I intended to do it at all.
Bones threw a chimaera over both of us so we wouldn’t be seen, and hovered over me.
“You can’t possibly need it already,” I whispered fiercely, as soon as the last of our class walked by in the main corridor. “I let you use my magic again on Saturday, and––”
“What?” He stared at me, eyes narrowed, then I saw it click. He threw a second chimaera over us, and the sound around us noticeably deadened.
“No,” he said, visibly annoyed. “Are you going to that meeting tonight?”
I blinked until his words clicked, then huffed, folding my arms.
“I knew you read that note,” I grumbled.
