“Great, even with my own private tutor I still suck at this,”I mumble, feeling defeated. At some point, even Tarlaz and Elgen grew tired of watching me fail, the shadows moving on to elsewhere in the academy.
Galen is lounging in the chair at my side now, and he smiles as he watches me.
“I swear, my magic is broken. I guess it’s lucky I have three shadow daddies on my side.”I wink at him, even though we both know they can’t help me during the games.
“Hmmm,”Galen muses, stroking his chin.“If you can create a shadow pathway, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to do this.”
“Wait, you know about the pathway?”My cheeks heat as I think about how I’d accidentally created a pathway to Thane’s room days ago.
Galen smirks, amusement dancing in his eyes.“Indeed. And if you can do that, then this shouldn’t be such a struggle.”His expression grows thoughtful for a moment before he says,“I have an idea.”Before I can respond, he disappears from view.
“Galen?”I hiss.
“Yes, treasure?”he purrs a moment later, popping back into view on the chair.
I snatch a glance at where Professor Lankin is busy discussing something with another student across the room, but my gaze flicks back to Galen when something colorful catches my eye.
His grin grows when my gaze lands on the object he’s holding, and my jaw drops.
“What is that?”I practically squeak.
He casually lifts the hardcover that was resting on his lap. Its spine is thick, and it has a black and red cover that glitters in the candlelight. Smiling, he turns the book so the pages are facing me, and I gasp at the incredible artwork that’s painted on the edges. A tree with tiny red leaves drifts across the edge of the pages, and in the distance is a stone castle with towers that reach high into a starry midnight sky.
“You like it?”Galen asks.
“Like it?”I stare at him incredulously.“It’s stunning.”
Appreciation twinkles in his gaze, and he stares at the book proudly.“It took a bit to get my technique right when painting the edges, but yes, I do think it turned out rather wonderfully.”
My brows shoot high.“Hold on, you painted that?”
“Rebound and painted,”he corrects. Lifting from the chair, he moves until he’s standing in front of me. Now that he’s closer, I can read the sparkling title of the book, and there’s something familiar about the poetic words. My gaze lifts to meet his eyes.“I’ve seen this before.”
“Possibly,”he murmurs.“It’s one of my favorites, and you may have seen it in my office.”
“One of your favorites?”
“Yes, and I had intended to gift it to you.”
I think of the books in his office, and I narrow my eyes suspiciously.“Wait. Is this a history book? Because if it’s one of your favorites, that could mean anything.”
He smirks.“Rest assured, this is one of my favorites that I believe would also suit your tastes.”
I arch a brow, still not convinced. I mean, of course I want the book anyway, it’s gorgeous, but if it’s non-fiction, my level of desperation for it can be adjusted.
He chuckles like he can understand my train of thought.“Think enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, and all the monster smut you could want.”
I groan, then quickly stop myself. A student close by is staring at me strangely, and I give him a thumbs up. “I justlovecloaking,” I lie. “It gives you a rush, doesn’t it?” Thankfully, the guy gives me a weird look and turns away, working on cloaking himself again.
“Okay, you need to stop talking dirty to me or both of us are going to get caught,”I say to Galen.
He laughs, and the sound warms me from the inside. I’m still smiling when I finally process the other part of what he’s said, and my happiness dims a little.“Wait, what do you mean you had intended to gift it to me?”
My mate drums his long fingers on the cover of the book.“Well, now I’m wondering if perhaps you should earn it. That this may be just the motivation you need.”
I purse my lips.“I’ve been trying to use my magic this whole time.”
“So it seems,”he replies.“But I’m merely suggesting some positive reinforcement may help things along. Something is clearly blocking your magic, and perhaps some extra motivation wouldn’t hurt.”
