We worked in silence for a while, unpacking his clothes and books. His possessions were few and well-worn—threadbare t-shirts, jeans with frayed hems, textbooks that had clearly been purchased second-hand. It was a stark contrast to my own designer clothes and brand-new everything.
“So,” Ash said finally, breaking the silence as he placed a small, framed photo on the desk. It showed a modest house with a middle-aged couple standing in front, their hands on a younger Ash’s shoulders. “Are we going to talk about what happened?”
I paused, a stack of his books in my hands. “Which part?”
“Any of it,” he shrugged. “All of it. The fact that I apparently cast a spell that might have bound us together for life. The fact that we...” His cheeks flushed. “The locker room.”
“The locker room was pretty great,” I said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood.
It worked. Ash laughed, the sound warming something inside me. “Yeah, it was. Until I teleported us into the woods.”
“Even that was kind of exciting,” I admitted. “In a ‘holy shit’ sort of way.”
His smile faded. “Silver, what are we going to do? About... this?” He gestured between us.
I set the books down and sighed, running a hand through my hair. “I don’t know yet. But we’ll figure it out.”
“And if we can’t break it?” Ash asked, his voice small. “You said humans aren’t allowed in the Twilight Realm. And you have to go back after graduation.”
“I know,” I said, the weight of our situation pressing down on me. “I’m working on it. I have... resources. People who might be able to help us understand what this is exactly.”
“You mean back home?” Ash looked surprised. “They way you talked about it… I didn’t think anyone would be willing to help.”
“Caldwell agreed to help.”
“Your butler?”
I nodded. “He’s very fond of me. Practically raised me, in fact. He’s a good man and he’ll keep this secret until we can find a solution.”
“If there is one,” Ash murmured, his gaze dropping to the ground.
I stepped forward, grabbing his chin with my thumb and forefinger before I could help myself. That same jolt was still there, maybe a little lighter than before. I lifted his chin, our eyes meeting.
“We’ll figure this out, Ash,” I said more confidently than I felt. “I promise. And even if there’s no solution then… well, we’ll make one up. But I’m not going to just leave you behind. I like you too much.”
“Is that you talking, or the true love spell?” he asked, fear in his eyes.
I shook my head. “Doesn’t matter. It’s the truth either way. You have my word.”
He nodded slowly before I pulled him into my arms, savoring the heat of him against me. Even in that perfect moment, I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d just made a false promise to him, one that I could never keep. The time would come when I’d have to return home. That much was certain. And Ash, despite the circumstances, would not be able to follow me.
And that thought terrified me more than anything else ever had.
Chapter 13
Ash
Istill couldn’t get used to the bracers. They’d been clamped onto my forearms for almost three days now and they were getting itchy. Not to mention, wearing them in the shower, like I was now, was just weird. It was like wearing socks on a wet floor. It just wasn’t right. And it kinda made my skin crawl.
Living in Silver’s room was even weirder. Of course, it was my room now too, but that didn’t stop me from feeling like an intruder in his space. It’s not like we were total strangers by any means. Still, I always felt like I was in the way, so I did everything I could to remain busy. I went to the library a lot, took my time cleaning the locker rooms, and tried to generally stay out of his way. Hell, I’d even forced myself to stay glued to my side of the bed these past three days even though he slept only a few inches away.
I wanted to touch him, to kiss him again. I really did. But I was terrified. What if my magic overwhelmed the bracers? What if I punched another hole in the wards around the academy? What if I hurt Silver or teleported us into a volcano? I wasn’t sure I could live with the guilt.
I turned off the water and grabbed a towel, drying myself off as best I could while the bracers remained stubbornlydamp. They never seemed to fully dry, always maintaining this uncomfortable moisture that made me want to claw at my skin.
When I stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in nothing but my towel, I found Silver sitting on the bed, shirtless, flipping through one of his books. His purple skin seemed to glow in the lamplight, and I had to force myself to look away before I did something stupid.
“Hey,” he said, glancing up at me. Those silver eyes tracked across my chest, and I felt that familiar heat bloom between us even with the bracers dampening my magic.
