“You nailed it,” she said, placing a hand on the bag over her shoulder. “Definitely a bad joke, and you’re my dad, so…”
“I am, aren’t I?” He chuckled darkly, running his hand through his long dark hair.
Her hair was prettier.
“You are,” she said to him.
Bringing my pipe down, my eyes rolled back as I tilted my head back. I blew out the stream of fae magic in the form of rainbow smoke.
Fear magic quaked my muscles, threatening to leak out and condemn the academy to the hell Ihad wrought on that village over the summer. The entire Fates-damned reason I was stuck in this academy.
I could feel her eyes on me even as she spoke to her dad.
Despite the magnetic pull I felt toward her, there was a nagging voice in the back of my head, warning me of the dangers that could await me with her.
I didn’t fear her, but I did fear what she represented.
Plus, she was fucking nobility.
Glancing back at her, our gazes connected, and my magic leaked. My lips curved into a mocking smile.
She jolted, glancing down before fear splintered off her. It was suffocating and intoxicating all at once, and my magic reserves filled to the brim—dangerously high.
Fucking Fates.
Her father's reputation preceded her, casting a shadow over any potential connection I wanted. I knew all too well the power and influence nobility wielded, and the fear Death instilled in those around him was enough of a reason to steer clear. But here she was, his daughter, a delicate and potent reminder of the darkness that lurked within her bloodline.
Darkerthan even mine.
I hated how my heart raced at the sight of her catching up with her dad and walking away from me.
Why the fuck did every fiber of my being yearn to ease her fear of me despite the looming threat she was?
The distant cry of a desert bird knocked me back to reality. My limbs tingled with the fae drugs, and I wasn’t sure how long I’d been there. The high clouded my brain, but the sun was noticeably lower than when I’d zoned out.
I kicked off the wall of the building and shook my head. The crunch of my feet against the uneven, shifting ground echoed faintly until I reached Occult Arch. It towered overhead, casting a long shadow.
I found Bram Hemlock lying in the grainy sand underneath it, trusty bottle in hand and, of course, empty.
His family sucked worse than mine did.
I stumbled forward and kicked at his leg until he startled awake. “Dumbass.”
Bram groaned, blinking like he was trying to focus as he sat up. Sand clung to him everywhere, including his black hair.
His red bleary eyes looked up at me with confusion before turning to slits. They were nothing like the big red eyes I’d seen in Death’s daughter.
“What the fuck, Skel?” He ran his hand down his face, the sandy grains falling everywhere.
I backpedaled until my back hit the stone arch, and I yawned. “Don’t pass out in the middle of campus. Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
“Shut up,” he slurred, pushing to his feet and stumbling over to lean against the stone with me. “When are you going to get me some more fae booze?”
“Never.” I snorted, taking a hit off my pipe and blowing the magic into his face while my veins sang with blissful drugs. “You drank an entire bottle at once, and your dad blamed mine for the coma you threw yourself into. If you gotta death wish, stop dragging me into it.”
He turned to glare at me, his shoulder shifting on the arch, and small rocks broke off and tumbled down from the motion. “Did you see her?”
I sucked in a sharp breath. “Who?”
