She released him. “What do you want from me in return?”
How did it feel, Yiran wondered, to live life this way? When everything was transactional? When everything was a means to an end? He shook off the uncomfortable feeling that they were more similar than he’d thought. It was clear Rui wanted her magic back for reasons that ran deeper than she cared to share. That was another thing they had in common.
“Nothing. I want nothing from you,” he lied. “Just lay low and get better.”
Her expression changed to something he couldn’t decipher. She whispered back, “I hate you. I hate everything about you. I don’t know what you’re trying to prove to your brother, and I don’t care. But I won’t let you die.”
It’s not about my brother, he wanted to tell her. But all he did was smile.
She backed into the bedroom and shut the door in his face.
Trepidation followed Yiran as he went down the stairs. Now that he’d said his decision out loud, everything felt more real. More impossible. What if Xingshan Academy didn’t accept him? What if, after all this, his grandfather stuck to his guns and sent Yiran away?
Downstairs, Ash was touring Zizi’s parlor, sipping his coffee and poking around at the miscellaneous objects lying on the shelves. Yiran hesitated, staying in the shadows.
“I see you’re still dabbling in this nonsense,” Ash said, stopping in front of a painting. “Self-portrait?”
“Hmm,” came Zizi’s noncommittal reply. He was sprawled on a chair, one leg dangling over the armrest, idly playing with his cigarette and looking as content as a cat basking in the sun.
Ash pushed aside the hell money strewn on the floor with his foot. “Talent like yours is hard to find. The Guild is short of healers and spell casters. We’re too combat focused, and it makes our Night Hunts more dangerous. We need support members in each team. Three is a better number than—”
“I fail to see how this is my problem,” Zizi interrupted.
“You should’ve said yes to me all those years ago. You could’ve enrolled in the Academy, made a name for yourself. You’re Captain material, you know that. Instead, you waste your talent on cheap tricks.”
Zizi stretched indulgently, letting out a loud yawn as he unclipped his bangs. “Ever thought that maybe you did a piss-poor job of selling cadet life to me? School’s not for me. I’m not one of you, and I don’t intend to be. Besides, my grandmother thinks I’m doing fine as it is, and her opinion is the one I care about.”
Ash merely smiled. “Perhaps my grandfather will pay your grandmother a visit soon, and perhaps she’ll change her mind. He can be rather persuasive.”
“Be my guest. But you’ll find my grandmother more stubborn than me, Lan Xi.”
No one else but their grandfather called Ash by his birth name. Ash didn’t seem to mind. Instead, he continued to look intrigued by the tattooed boy.Why?Yiran wanted to yell. Why didn’t Ash look at Yiran this way? Like he was powerful. Like he could be dangerous. But Yiran had magic now, and he would fight and scheme to keep it, and one day, Ash and his grandfather would look at him differently. Like he was powerful. Like he was dangerous.
“What are you doing here?” came a voice behind him.
Rui was staring at him. She’d changed back into her own clothes and was carrying her sword bag.
“Nothing,” Yiran mumbled.
She pushed past, and he followed her to the parlor.
“Am I interrupting something?” she said.
“No,” said two voices with varying degrees of conviction.
“Could you drop me off at the subway station, Captain Song?” Rui said. “I should get back to campus before I get into any more trouble.”
Ash nodded. “Sure, it’s on the way.” His phone rang, and he held it immediately to his ear.
Rui glared a goodbye to Zizi. He waved happily from his chair as she trekked out the front door with Ash.
Yiran retrieved his jacket. He was on his way out when a hand wrapped itself around his wrist, pulling him back.
“I need you to do something for me,” Zizi said. He was entirely serious.
“You’re asking me for a favor?”
“I went along with your little charade earlier. Treat this as payment to keep my mouth shut about your transgression.”
