Miles nodded solemnly. I couldn’t help but smile at them. Their reaction reminded me of Geordie enough to make me homesick for our small, rundown apartment. I shook my head to clear away the feeling just as Miles cleared his throat.
“Since that’s settled, I wanted to give you an update on your list,” he said, the wheeze finally gone. “Which is, there isn’tone. I haven’t found anything yet that makes it make sense.”
“I should probably update that list.” I grimaced. “Something happened last night.”
“Does it have anything to do with you and Zypher getting hot and heavy this morning?” Shadrie asked before making kissing noises.
I leveled my sternest glare at her, causing her to laugh. “Not exactly.”
Miles reached into the messenger bag across his chest, pulling out a pen and notebook. Flipping it to a blank page, he motioned for me to proceed. I rushed through an explanation of the night before, leaving out the embarrassing bits I could remember. When I finished, Miles hummed softly and tapped his pen to his lips.
“So, now we have allure added to the list. This really makes no sense. It’s like you’re a mixed-up hodgepodge of abilities that aren’t found together naturally. It’s possible someone is using magic on you, making it seem like these things are coming from you when they’re not. Maybe if we start at the beginning and go through the entire day, we can pick up on something you missed?”
My stomach growled loudly, reminding me I had fled the dining hall after Dante before eating lunch.
“Why don’t I grab us all something from the dining hall, and we can eat in our dorm. If someone is using magic to mess with Bechora like that, we don’t want to risk them overhearing and finding out we’re onto them,” Shadrie offered.
“Smart thinking. Should I come with you to get the food?” Miles asked Shadrie before turning to me. “I’m assuming you’d prefer to head straight to your dorm after what happened?”
“Sounds like a plan,” I replied, grateful for the out. “You two grab food, I’ll head back to the dorm. I don’t have another class until combat class this evening.”
“Perfect. See you there, B!” Shadrie smiled, snagging Miles’ arm and dragging him back the way they’d come.
I gave them both a slight wave and headed toward the dorm,mentally preparing myself to go over every small thing that happened the day before.
Chapter Thirty
Bechora
“Repeat that last part, please,” Miles spoke, his pen scribbling across a page in his notebook, rapidly filling with notes about my day.
“We ran into each other, and she got kind of bitchy when she realized who I was.” I sighed, pacing in front of the coffee table. “She was pissed about me being with Zypher and acted like me touching her to help her up was the worst thing in the world as soon as she found out. I’m not really sure what else there is to say about it.”
“Hmm.” Miles hummed, pausing to study his notes. Shadrie sat next to him, skimming what he’d written over his shoulder. A smile broke across Miles’ face, and he bolted from his seat. “I have a theory, but I need to check something in the library.” His words tumbled out in a rush, his chair screeching back as he grabbed his bag. “Meet me there before dinner!”
He darted from the room, leaving Shadrie and me staring after him.
“What the hell was that about?” she asked, brows furrowed.
I shook my head, still processing how fast he’d moved. “No idea. I was hoping you might have one since you were paying attention to what he was writing.”
Shadrie gave a small laugh, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’ve been helping him dig through books to figure this out for weeks now, and have never seen him act like this. Half the time it ends with stacks of books taller than me and him muttering about some obscure magical theory until he drives himself in circles.” She tilted her head toward the door he’dbolted through. “If he’s running off like that, he must think he’s finally onto something big.”
A knot formed in my chest. Miles had thrown himself into my mystery like it was personal, and though I appreciated the effort—more than I could ever say—I didn’t dare let myself believe this sudden breakthrough would actually be one. Hope had teeth, and it bit hard when it snapped shut on nothing.
“Maybe,” I murmured. “I just don’t want to get my hopes up. Thrackborne’s had plenty of theories that haven’t panned out. What could any of us possibly figure out that he can’t?”
Shadrie shrugged. “He’s told me a little about his coven back in the human realm. They have stories and myths I’d never heard before. Just because Professor Thrackborne couldn’t find the answers doesn’t mean Miles isn’t onto something.” I opened my mouth to retort, but the look she shot me had me snapping it shut with an audible click. “If he’s wrong, he’s wrong. I’m just saying you can’t discount us because we’re not some two-hundred-something-year-old dragon.”
I shifted on my feet, guilt pricking at me. I was grateful to her and Miles for the lengths they’d been going to, looking for anything that could help uncover the answers I needed. I’d only ever had one person in my life that had my back like that, and Geordie had turned out to have secrets so deep they’d landed me here. The thought of him drew my dream to the front of my mind. Geordie was insistent that I uncover the truth of what I am and claim my bonds. There was something in the way he’d told me to hurry that had desperation and fear coiling in my gut and tightening the knot in my chest. If whatever theory had sent Miles flying from the room didn’t pan out, where would that leave us? Would it even be possible to figure this out?
“I can see the wheels turning, B. Your head is practically smoking with how hard you’re overthinking this.” Shadrie spoke, pulling me from my spiral. “Your seer said to trust me, do you remember?” She paused long enough for me to nod. “So, trust me now. Miles hasn’t gotten that worked up the entiretime we’ve been combing through the library. My gut is telling me he’s onto something, so let’s let this play out and see before we freak too much, okay?”
I blew out a puff of air, forcing the panic trying to claw up my throat back where it belonged. “Okay. I can try to do that.”
“Good, and B,” Shadrie hesitated. “You should probably run across campus.”
My brows furrowed, and I shook my head in confusion. “What?”
