“Just checking.” He grins and pulls me close again, tucking me under his chin. “Wanted to make sure, because now you’re stuck with me. Officially. That’s binding.”
“Binding? Really?”
“Absolutely. Didn’t you know that any agreements made in the Whim are binding? Come on, Brains, you should know this.”
I laugh and roll my eyes, feeling lighter.
Girlfriend. I’m his girlfriend. And he’s my first boyfriend.
The thought almost makes me tear up again, but I’m able to hold it at bay.
We stay there under the oak tree, me wrapped in Aric’s strong arms, with the floating candles drifting overhead and the distant sound of drums still thumping through the hedge maze. And even though there’s a fear curling deep inside me, right now, I’m happy.
And for right now, this is enough.
But even as I think it, a small voice in the back of my mind whispers,For how long?
I push it away and cuddle closer against Aric’s chest, trying to memorize this feeling, this moment.
Because deep down, I fear it will change.
Whether our words are binding or not.
Chapter 39
Aric
AS I TRUDGE UP THE stairs to ET27, my muscles aching with every step, I comfort myself with memories of Poppy on Samhain: her beautiful laugh when I nearly drowned at the apple-bobbing booth, the way her black dress swirled around her as we danced by the bonfire, the look on her face as she gazed up at me from her knees.
That last one has pretty much been on a constant replay for the past two weeks. Not that I’m complaining, even if itisa dangerous distraction.
And I remember the moment she said yes, that she agreed to be mine. It still makes me grin, even now.
But then reality hits, slapping me back to the present: Finals are only a few weeks away. And since Samhain, since that night I held Poppy under the big oak in the Whim, every free moment has been swallowed by runeball practice, tutoring sessions, and hours of studying that leave my brainexhausted and feeling like mush. The joy of that night feels distant, almost forbidden, replaced by a pressure I can’t afford to ignore.
I can’t get kicked off the team, and I have to graduate if I want that apprenticeship with Alden. I can’t fail.
In my room, I drop my bookbag beside my desk and collapse into the chair. Every part of me hurts—my arms from throwing the arcane sphere and blasting it with magic, my legs from running never-ending drills, even my jaw from clenching through the frustration of missed passes and fumbled opportunities. We don’t usually have practice on Tuesdays, but we’ve needed to practice more. And Coach Grayward ran us harder than usual today, preparing us for our next game, one of only a few left this semester.
And maybe forever for me if I don’t pass all my classes.
Which is why I don’t have time to rest, even if all I want to do is to fall into bed, cuddle Poppy up in my arms, and sleep for a week.
I pull out my history textbook and flip to the chapter on the Dragon Wars, a time of upheaval when most of the dragon shifters were killed.
But not Raelan’s ancestors, I think as I squint at the tiny text. The dates and details blur together, dancing in front of my tired eyes.
“More studying?” Felex asks from his bed, where he’s reading that same old poetry collection. How he’s not sick of it yet, I have no idea. Maybe vampires have more patience than orcs—long lives and all.
“Finals are in four weeks,” I say, not looking up. “If I fail even one class, I can’t play runeball nextsemester. I might not graduate. I might even have to repeat a year.” My stomach pinches at the thought.
“Yes, yes, the dominoes of your potential doom.” He turns a page, the rustle of paper crisp in our small space. “But studying while exhausted is counterproductive.”
“I know. But I don’t have a choice.” I force myself to focus on the page, even as Felex makes a small sound that I know is disapproval.
When did the Dragon Wars begin? And why? I can’t remember, so I flip back a few pages, trying to find the timeline.
My eyes feel heavy. The words keep swimming. Maybe I’ll try that headache remedy the apothecary in Faunwood gave me. Not sure it helps with sleepiness though.
