I dipped my head in a sloppy curtsey so I wouldn’t get caught balking at him. I wasn’t sure what was between the duke and Fairfax, but it was clear the two hated each other. And it was also clear the duke had intentions of his own by magically forging my genealogy to allow me back here. It wasn’t simply to cover up the truth that a bottomsider could bond, and I could only assume his real purpose had something to do with my dragon’s magic. Only time would tell what the duke really wanted, and I hoped to avoid finding out as long as possible.
“Well, now that this is all settled, I must get back to work. Until tomorrow, Casper.” The duke’s men preceded him toward the door and opened it for him. As the duke stepped over the threshold, he turned back to look at his son. “It is my wish that you attend to all of Miss Alcott’s needs tomorrow night, as her father has asked to hold a private conversation with me at some point throughout the evening.”
The blood drained from my head so fast I nearly fell over. Rush’s throat bobbed and he offered a tiny nod to his father before the man vanished out the door.
CHAPTER 43
“That will be all?” asked Vaughan when the duke and his men were gone.
None of us spoke as we filed from his office, but as soon as we were in the hall, Rush grabbed my wrist, holding me back as the others walked on.
“Ari,” he said, voice low.
My eyes pressed shut. Of course Scarlett’s father would be asking the duke for a private conversation. To arrange a marriage proposal. My gut sank to the floor, and I half considered sinking down with it.
Rush took my shoulders in both hands. “My father will punish me for what I did tonight. There’s no denying I was with you now. All I can do is make him think I did it to spite him rather than because I care for you.”
His words fanned the heat stirring inside me from his touch.
But his hard brow and angry eyes had me taking a step back. “Remember what he does to the things I care about. If he thinks I care for Scarlett, then it’s Scarlett he will try to use to manipulate me.”
I nodded, but it felt awful. I didn’t want to see Rush at the ball with Scarlett. “There was an emerald in the spine of that book,” I said, not wanting to talk about Scarlett.
He nodded. “I saw it. He’s on to us. Ever since the fire, he’s been trying to figure out what I know. Whatever happens, don’t let on that you know about magic.”
A small laugh escaped through my nose. “So now I get to pretend I’m really godborn?”
“Yes, Ari. I don’t know why he did it, but he’s fishing for something. He’s bringing you closer, and I don’t like it. Now you owe him, and hewillcash in eventually. Unless we can stop him from getting the chance.”
“How?” I could barely breathe beneath the intensity of his gaze.
“Stick to the plan. Win the race. Make him want to keep you alive.”
“That doesn’t solve the fake identity thing,” I said. I considered shoving him gently in the shoulder, to lighten the mood, but there was no point. Not if the duke was about to discuss Rush’s marriage to Scarlett. Something in my chest broke, like a guitar string popping loose.
“No, but I’m not worried about that. I need you to stay alive.”
“That’s comforting.”
He pulled me closer. “I heard Shep’s date to the ball recently got injured. As soon as he sees you, he’ll ask you. I know he will.” He half-smiled at me. “It’s not normal for third years to go without a date, and at this point everyone else has been asked.”
A scoff hissed from my lips. “I’m a last resort, am I?”
He playfully jabbed at my waist. “Most guys prefer to take girls who laugh and smile at what they say, rather than poke and prod them with their prickly personality. All I’m saying is it looks like you might have a date too.”
I let out a frustrated laugh.
“My father will be here tomorrow night. We can’t give him any reason to think I was with you tonight or that…or that I care about you.”
Finally, I met his gaze, breaths coming fast.
His next words came out low and fast. “Whatever you see tomorrow—everything I do from the moment we leave this hallway—is an act, Ari. My father has eyes everywhere. I can’t give him a reason to hurt you.”
His body was dangerously close now, and my pulse was thundering.
When his face moved closer, my nerves danced under my skin.
The headmaster’s office door swung open, and my head knocked back against the wall as I tried to leap away from Rush, who raked a hand through his hair and nodded quickly at Vaughan.
