My brain was running in circles. I couldn’t accept that he was flirting, but there was too much evidence to suggest he wasn’t. My thought spiral had met a brick wall, which meant there was only one option left.
I shook my head, forcing myself to focus on the task at hand. I had a job to do, classes to prepare for, and a future to secure. I couldn’t afford to get distracted by gorgeous dark elf football captains, no matter how perfect their asses were or how their voices made my insides melt.
But as I worked, I couldn’t stop a small, hopeful smile from spreading across my face. Silver had said we’d be seeing more of each other.
And gods help me, I hoped he was right.
I spent the next hour cleaning the locker room in a daze, my mind replaying every moment with Silver on an endless loop. The way water droplets had clung to his sculpted chest. Those penetrating silver eyes that seemed to see right through me. The slight curl of his lips when he caught me staring.
Gods, I was pathetic.
By the time I finished mopping the shower area, my jeans had finally stopped feeling like they were going to burst at the seams. Small mercies. I moved on to the toilets, grimacing as I channeled a simple cleaning spell through my fingertips. The shadows around me rippled slightly, responding to my magic even when I wasn’t directly calling on them.
“Focus, Ash,” I muttered to myself, watching as the darkness in the corners thickened and began to scrub the porcelain under my guidance. “He’s just a guy. A really hot, confident, probably straight guy who was just being friendly.”
But the electricity I’d felt when our hands touched... that hadn’t been normal. I’d shaken hands with plenty of people before and never experienced anything like that. It was like some primal recognition, a spark that ignited something deep inside me.
My shadows faltered as my concentration slipped. Instead of scrubbing away the grime from the toilets, the shadowsintensified and began to eat away at the glaze and into the porcelain.
“Shit!”
I cut the spell off early in an attempt to force the shadows back. But it was too late. There was now a small hole in the bowl of the toilet and a steady stream of water leaking out the other side.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck…” I grumbled, staring at the damage I’d done and the growing puddle on the floor. “How the hell do I fix that?!”
I walked back to the bench where I’d left my bag and pulled out the spellbook. I flipped through it, looking for some sort of repair spell to help me fix the hole in the toilet. But instead, all I stumbled upon was the author synopsis and a picture of Martha Stewart.
“Well,” I grumbled, staring at her curly blonde bob and smiling face. “That explains a lot.”
Chapter 5
Ash
Scrubbing two locker rooms and all the equipment took far longer than I expected. Not to mention there was now a used piece of chewing gum plugging the magical hole I’d accidentally put in one of the toilets. That wasn’t going to last long, and I didn’t have a fix for it yet. Martha Stewart, despite being the housekeeping witch of the east coast, didn’t have any handy tricks for undoing toilet holes.
Typical Martha.
But I’d have to come back for it later. I was already late for my private lessons with Professor Blackwood. Hopefully she didn’t care if I smelled like a boy’s locker room because I wasn’t going to have time to take a shower beforehand. Grabbing my shabby messenger bag, I headed back across campus toward the Elemental Arts building.
The Elemental Arts building was on the far side of campus, an imposing brutalist structure made mostly of glass that seemed to shift colors depending on what angle you viewed it from. I hurried across the quad, trying to ignore the stares from other students. Whether they were looking at me because I reeked of cleaning products or because I was obviously rushing and flustered, I couldn’t tell. Probably both.
Professor Blackwood’s office was tucked away where the more experimental magic courses were taught. I took the stairs two at a time, my messenger bag thumping against my hip with each step. My lungs burned by the time I reached her door, which was slightly ajar. I could hear her moving around inside.
I knocked tentatively.
“You’re late, Mr. Vale,” came her crisp voice from within. “Enter.”
I pushed the door open to find Professor Blackwood standing by her window, a small whirlwind of flames dancing between her palms. She was a tall, imposing woman with light skin and dark silver-streaked hair pulled back into a tight bun. Her eyes, piercing and intelligent, fixed on me as I entered.
“I’m sorry, Professor,” I said, trying to catch my breath. “The locker rooms took longer than I expected.”
She dismissed the flames with a flick of her wrist, and they dissipated into the air like smoke. “Ah yes, your new student work position.” She gestured to the chair across from her desk. “Sit.”
I sank into the seat, setting my bag on the floor beside me. Her office was exactly as I remembered it from last year—walls lined with ancient texts, strange artifacts displayed on shelves, and a large crystal sphere that constantly emitted a faint purple glow hovering above her desk.
“I hear you’ve already encountered some difficulties with your cleaning duties,” she said, taking her own seat. Her expression was unreadable, but I thought I detected a hint of amusement in her eyes.
My face heated. “How did you?—”
