“Why?” Her gaze flicks to my desk, where I’ve got my textbook open, parchment spread all over the place, and half a stale muffin sitting on a plate. “You still need her help.”
My lips pull into a frown as I lower my hands, one still clutching the invitation. “Because she’s busy, Maeve. She’s got her own finals, plus she’s Silvermoon’s TAandis still working on the ball. Having to lug me around was just an added weight on her.” My voice drops. “I was trying to do something good.”
Maeve stares at me for one long terrifying moment. Then she lets out a heavy sigh, her tense shoulders drooping. “You men are insufferable.”
“Is that why you refuse to let any of us court you?” Felex asks from the doorway, causing us both to start.
Maeve whips around to face him, hands on her hips. “What have I told you about prowling around like that?”
“I don’tprowl,” Felex says, as if the thought of doing so is offensive to him. “You just aren’t very aware of your surroundings.” He joins us in the dorm room but leaves the door open—even though he won’t admit it, I’m pretty sure he’s as afraid of Maeve and her storm magic as I am.
“Vampires,” Maeve grumbles, turning again to face me. Her eyes meet mine, and she lowers her voice a bit to say, “You need to talk to her, tell her what’s really going on. I think she’s feeling abandoned by you right now, but she doesn’t want to burden any of us, so she won’t talk about it. Actually, you two are similar in that way...” She narrows her eyes a bit, thoughtful, then refocuses on me. She jabs a manicured finger into my chest, which is surprisingly painful. “Fix. This. I’m serious, Aric. I don’t like to see her hurt.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt her,” I say. “I—”
Maeve holds up a hand. “I know. But you did. So now you have to patch it up—preferably before the ball.” A little glimmer comes into her eyes. “The dress she got...” She shakes her head and smiles to herself. “It’s beautiful. And if you want to dance with her, you’d better be the Prince Charming I know you can be andfix it.”
“Prince Charming?” Felex says from where he’s standing in front of a mirror, tousling his golden waves. “Are we talking about the same Aric?”
Maeve ignores him, her eyes pinned on me. She holds my gaze until I let out a sigh and nod.
“I’ll fix it,” I whisper.
“Good.” She puts a hand on my shoulder and gives me a squeeze, then turns and strides from the room, picking up her wicker basket full of invitations from where she left it beside my door.
“She’s a tempest,” Felex says once she’s gone and I’ve closed the door behind her.
“That’s one word for it.” I return to my desk, still holding the invitation to the ball. Then my gaze flicks to Felex. “Are you going to this?” I hold the invitation up, and he glances at it, able to easily read it from across the room with his vampire eyes.
“No. My great-uncle is in town that night. We’re getting dinner together.” He sounds oddly...pleased, enough so that I arch a brow at him.
“You just soundedhappyabout something. You like your uncle that much?”
Felex finally turns away from the mirror, his golden hair perfectly arranged. “He’s an academic. A historian.” Felex adjusts the cuffs on his pressed shirt, then smooths down the collar. “He’s good company. And he’s got an interview with the headmistress for a faculty position here next year.”
At the mention of history, my stomach turns, and I almost groan aloud.
“Sounds like agreattime,” I grumble.
Felex narrows his eyes at me. He’d typically banter with me in that cold, sharp way of his, but he must see how stressed I am, because instead, he says, “How about dinner?”
He doesn’t actuallyneedfood—he’s a vampire, after all—but he explained to me once that to vampires, eating food is to humans what drinking alcohol is: unnecessary, butenjoyable all the same. And he doesn’t usually offer to go to the dining hall with me, so he’s really going out of his way to try to make me feel better.
I glance at the Blue Moon Ball invitation one more time, then slide it into the top drawer of my desk.I’ll fix this, I tell myself.Somehow, I will.
Then I nod at Felex. “Dinner sounds great.”
Chapter 47
Poppy
I’M WEARING MY PURPLE DRESS, the one I bought for the Blue Moon Ball. It’s soft as butter against my skin, and I actually feel pretty in it. No,beautiful. And that’s something I don’t often feel.
People dance around me, moving to music played by a small orchestra, though I can’t see where the musicians are, can only hear their notes drifting through the candlelit ballroom. I’m in the center of the dance floor, beneath the giant chandelier, and I feel like I’m waiting for someone, though I’m not sure who.
Until the crowd parts in one seamless movement to allow Aric to cross the floor toward me. He looks so handsome in his crisp tuxedo, his hair smoothed back into his typical topknot, the hoops in his ears gleaming in the candlelight. He smiles at me, tusks flashing, then takes me by the hand and twirls me into a waltz. Somehow, I know the steps, and Aric leads me across the floor with that same confidence he has on the runeball field.
“Aric,” I say softly, blinking up at him. “You came.”
