Fates, I hoped she knew I wasn’t like him.
More than anything right now, I needed to talk to my mom.
rune
. . .
I pushedoff the little velvet cushion with a groan, stretching my arms over my head as the room swam in half-focus. “If I don’t get tea in the next sixty seconds, I’m going to lose it.”
“That sounds like an addiction,” Hawk murmured from behind his notebook.
“You sound like an addiction,” I spat back, making little sense.
Hawk blushed. “I mean, if you think so.”
“That was supposed to be an insult,” I clarified.
His smile dropped. “Oh.”
“Don’t listen to him, venom baby. Go get your tea.” Slater shot me a thumbs-up.
Zuko, on the other hand, watched me like he was waiting for me to walk away so he could drag me into his room.
“Don’t werewolves go hang in the woods to fill their reserves or like bathe in moonlight?” Aura asked Hawk.
He nodded. “Yeah. Forest strolls and moonlight bathing do it. Though, full moons, we shift.”
“That’s why she drinks her tea. To fill her reserves,” Koa said in reminder. “Remember?”
“Oh, yeah.” Hawk ran his hands through his hair with a long breath. “Sorry, Rune. I forgot.”
“Whatever.” I ignored the heat prickling up my neck and slipped into the kitchen.
The rest of my class was used to my poison cravings, but Hawk kept forgetting. It was starting to piss me off. My dads were overly concerned about me testing new poisons, and I understood that. But when it came to poisons I knew and loved, there wasn’t any point in getting upset. Even Dad and Pops knew that.
Grabbing the kettle by the curved handle off the counter, I filled it at the sink, then set it on the glowing rune embedded in the counter’s surface. The heat spread immediately, pulsing through the metal in rippling waves as steam began to gather in the spout.
It whistled.
I poured the hot water into my mug and then pulled out my tea pouch from my little box in the cabinet with mandrake and some other aphrodisiac herbs I’d found, with a hint of frost-apple for taste. I emptied them into my favorite green mug. The enchantment turned the green neon.
The scent rose instantly, and I inhaled it.
My lips curved into a smile as burnt sugar invaded my senses. I picked the spoon up just as Zuko’s arms came up on either side of me, bracing himself on the counter.
“Pretty little poison…” He effectively caged me in between his tall frame and the counter. His breath fanned over my ear. His body didn’t touch mine, but my magic flared toward his intimately.
Fuck.
I wanted Zuko.
I didn’t turn around. “Yes, toxin?”
He chuckled, his breath brushing the curve of my neck. “Do you need any help?”
I stirred my tea slowly, the herbs blooming around the spoon. “I think I can handle making my own tea.”
“Oh?” His hand moved slightly, brushing the edge of my hip. His voice dropped even lower. “Are you pretending that you’re not into me?”
