Entitled dick.
I wondered what it had been like growing up as the golden child of a high-ranking mage. Something told me he’d never wanted for anything. No doubt there had been servants pandering to his every whim, witches falling over themselves to get close to him, and unlimited material things on tap.
It made me feel even more nauseous to think of all the witches who’d had their witchy hands on him. Which was stupid.
I had no claim to the mage. Not one he welcomed anyway.
Even if there was a soul-bond linking the two of us, he’d made it more than clear he would never acknowledge it, and I wasn’t about to be his dirty little secret.
“Come in.” Alaric stepped aside to let us into his apartment. I took it all in with wide eyes. His space was much larger than my room, and a lot more luxurious. But not as over the top as I expected.
He had a sectional couch facing a large flat-screen TV mounted on the wall, surrounded by gaming paraphernalia. A floor-to-ceiling window overlooked the forest rather than the quad, with a small Juliet balcony and doors that opened inward. The walls were pale gray, and the floor polished mahogany. A thick rug across the center of theroom added a touch of softness to the decor, along with a few scatter cushions in various shades of blue.
The whole aesthetic was masculine but tasteful. Not at all what I expected.
To one side lay a kitchen area, with white counters and navy blue cabinets. I saw an oven and a large refrigerator, but judging from the stacks of pizza boxes, he and his friends either ordered in or ate in the food hall. I noted the top-of-the-range coffee machine, which sparked jealousy. Of course he had a barista coffee machine, whereas I had to make do with the generic coffee served in the food hall.
I spotted a door off the living area, which most likely led to the bedrooms, but I refused to think about where Alaric slept.
“Nice,” Glynda said as she gazed around. “Good to know the elite students get way more creature comforts than the rest of us.”
She seemed envious rather than pissed off, but it wasn’t as if our rooms were damp and drafty. I quite liked my little space. It was larger and more comfortable than the attic room I’d had back on the farm.
“There are benefits to being the Mage Council leader’s son,” Alaric smirked, reverting to his usual asshole self.
The subtle reminder of his status compared to ours dulled Glynda’s shine. Her shoulders drooped, and she stared at the floor while fidgeting with her bag.
My temper rose, and I imagined hitting him with a blast of fire magic. Alaric was no better than we were. Just because his father was all-powerful didn’t mean he had the right to make Glynda feel small.
“Don’t be a dickhead,” I snapped. “You’re the one who offered to help, so if your only motivation is to make us feel pathetic, we’re leaving.”
Alaric recoiled in surprise at the sharpness of my rebuke. Maybe I needed to put him in his place more often. The mage deserved it.
He threw his hands in the air. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that you’re inferior. The whole species-supremacy stuff is not something I believe, even if my father spouts such bullshit on the regular.”
“I know we’re not inferior,” Glynda said through gritted teeth. “I may not be the most powerful witch at Starfall, but I have skills.” In a rare act of assertiveness, she held his gaze for a moment before Alaric nodded and looked away.
“Damn right, girl!” Glynda and I high-fived each other. Nothing like a spot of bestie bonding to lift our spirits.
“Yeah, whatever.” Alaric rolled his eyes. “Now show me the spell you’re struggling with.”
Deciding it was best to move on before he told me to leave, I handed him a copy of the spell. Glynda and I had gone through the Hawthorne grimoire, and this locator spell was the only one she deemed powerful enough to work across continents.
We both agreed there was a strong possibility Rasmus had fled to Europe, as that’s where his ancestral home had been. The castle had since fallen into ruin, but he might still be in Romania.
Alaric scrutinized the sheet of paper, giving me an opportunity to admire his sculpted cheekbones, tousled blond hair, and emerald-green eyes. Stars above, the mage was handsome. Almost too pretty for a guy.
Glynda caught me staring at him and grinned.
“Bad idea,” she mouthed.
I pretended to slash my throat and die choking on my own blood to illustrate what I thought of getting naked with the mage. Glynda slapped a hand over her mouth to silence her giggles as Alaric caught the tail-end of my Oscar-winning mime act.
“Do I need to summon a healer?” he asked in all seriousness. “You look like you’re having a seizure.”
“Um, no, all good!” Consumed with world-ending embarrassment, I dashed across the room to examine a small painting of a horse in a gold frame. There was no other artwork in the apartment, so it stood out.
My cheeks cooled down as I stared at the painting. Upon closer inspection, it was seriously bad. Like, so bad, the horse appeared to have a broken leg. Or was that a very long penis? Honestly, it was difficult to tell.
