Ileft Meridian Hall with my mind lost in a myriad of emotions. Part of me wanted to go and hug Caelan for supporting me in this crazy place. Another part of me wanted to go and scream at Blake for vanishing again for so long I doubted everything he’d ever said. Then another part of me just wanted to beg him to take me back to the Celestial Observances Tower and away from everything and everyone else and do more than just sleep. Instead, I moved silently through the halls, heading to my dorm.
I didn’t make it far before I spotted Blake ahead of me at the top of the staircase.
I gave him a peculiar look. “How did you get here before me?”
A mischievous gleam entered his eyes. “I have my ways.”
The air pressurized between us.
Blake’s presence always did this. It was as if everything within me was being drawn to him in an irresistible pull, stealing the breath from my lungs. His clothes were dark and smoothlypressed like they’d been sewn from the night sky. But his eyes; it was like looking into a storm in the distance.
Beware the raven.
The note’s clear warning sent a chill up my spine. But who was the raven? Or what was the raven?
Blake’s silhouette shifted. He moved slowly, like a predator not wishing to startle its prey.
“I saw you earlier,” he said, his voice low and his meaning clear.
“I saw you too,” I said as he moved around me.
“Then your escort to the ball has been secured?” he asked, now behind me.
I nodded.
“Where have you been?” I whispered.
A moment of sadness crossed his features. “I had something I needed to tend to.”
My shoulders slumped and I knew he was telling the truth, but it didn’t make me feel any better.
I licked my lips as he neared me, my throat running dry as he surveyed me.
“Did you return home?” I asked.
He nodded. “I am sorry. I came tonight to ask you.”
A pang of regret shot through me. He paused behind me.
“Have you ever seen the ballroom?” he asked, his voice soothing as he set my nerves aflame.
I turned slowly, dragging a strained breath into my lungs.
“No,” I muttered.
He was near, but with a measurable distance between us. I lifted my chin so I could see him, and my body tingled with waves of energy that I only felt near him.
What was this? I fought to stay in control, the restlessness fatiguing my muscles. I almost ran. But I didn’t. No. I wasn’t a coward. And this wasn’t normal, and neither was Nightfall.Wasn’t that the entire reason I was here? To figure out what was going on in this crazy place? To figure out what happened to my mom here? Because whatever happened that night felt wild and unbelievable, too, like this did, and while different, I could certainly draw a comparison.
“Relax,” Blake said, as he took in every detail of my demeanor, from the uneven breathing to the slight tremor in my hands. “Breathe.”
I did as he said and closed my eyes. Taking a deep breath, I tried to force calm into my body. As I did, his fingertips touched mine. It was electric. I flinched, but I did not pull my hand away. Letting him connect the tips of our fingers, he tugged gently, taking my hand.
I let my eyes slip open, following him down the staircase.
One step at a time, Anna. Keep walking.
Blake moved through the castle like a shadow, taking corridors and narrow passageways I’d never been in. He slowed when he arrived at two large, ornately styled doors. He opened one and stepped aside, waiting for me to enter.
