I blink up at him, wary. “About what?”
Obviously he’s here to do exactly what his buddies were just talking about. I’m not stupid. I might not know my magic verywell or how to control it, but I do know that a wolf in sheep's clothing is still a wolf.
His gaze flickers toward the door, then back to me. “Some things are better discussed outside the echo of old books and curious ears.”
I glance at Nolan, who’s visibly bristling now. “Whatever you have to say, you can say here.”
That earns me the faintest smile from Auron, an expression that somehow feels more dangerous than his usual scowl. “Suit yourself.”
He pulls a chair from the next table, turns it halfway toward me, and sits with the ease of someone fully aware of how unsettling his presence is.
“I know you’ve heard things in the couple of days you've been here,” he says. “About factions. About the Circle of Blood.”
I freeze, heart thudding once, hard. He’s going to say the quiet part out loud. He’s really that confident.
“People talk,” he continues, calmly. “Loudly. Carelessly. They’re afraid of what you could become.”
I glance back at Nolan, whose eyes are narrowed, lips pressed into a thin line. But still, Auron doesn’t acknowledge him. Doesn’t even seem to register he’s there.
“And what do you think I could become?” I ask carefully.
Auron leans forward slightly, resting his forearms on the table. His pale eyes catch the light in a way that makes them seem almost silver. “A problem. A prize. A weapon. That depends on who gets to you first.”
My skin prickles. “Is this a warning?”
He tilts his head. “It’s a suggestion. Be careful who you trust.”
Something flickers behind his eyes then, something almost like sincerity. Almost but not quite.
“And you?” I ask. “Are you someone I should trust?”
That smile again, brief and a little cold. “That’s the thing about trust, Lindsay. It’s always a gamble.”
And then, just as smoothly as he came, he stands. Doesn’t say goodbye. Doesn’t acknowledge Nolan. He just walks away.
Nolan exhales slowly. “What the hell was that?”
I don’t answer.
Nolan rubs the back of his neck again, the tension still visible in his shoulders. “You do know he's in the Circle of Blood, right?”
I nod, staring at the spot where Auron had been seconds ago. “I figured.”
Nolan lets out a sharp breath, quieter this time. “They don’t do friendly. Not unless they want something. And Auron? He’s not the warning type.”
“I got that,” I murmur, my thoughts spinning.
He leans in a little, lowering his voice like someone might be listening. “They’re one of the most elite—and most ruthless—factions in this place. Half their power comes from how much everyone fears them. The other half…is what they’re willing to do behind closed doors.”
That tracks with the whispers we overheard earlier.
“Why me?” I ask, more to myself than to him. “What could they possibly want with me?”
Nolan's brows knit together, like he’s doing the math and hating what it adds up to. “You’re powerful, Lindsay. Connected to the Veil in a way most people can’t even dream of. That makes you valuable. And dangerous. Which is exactly what the Circle of Blood likes—power they can control or snuff out.”
I swallow hard, throat dry. “Do you think Auron’s trying to control me?”
“I think Auron’s here to charm you into thinking he isn’t,” Nolan says, like it physically hurts him to say it.
