“Come on.” I waved, and she bounced on through after Ender.
“This hotel does have elevators.” Ender’s smile turned smug. “And if you wanted somewhere private to kiss me, I can think of at least five other places inside this hotel with a better view.”
I rolled my eyes and nudged him as I passed, my shoulder tingling at the contact. My cheeks flushed at his comment and I was thankful he couldn’t see my face as I went up the stairs.Though he was joking, something inside me urged me to do just that—kiss him.
Aura wove between my feet and climbed the stairs, taking the lead.
“So where are we going?” Ender asked as we passed the next floor and kept going.
“You asked for a better view.” I waved to the next level, where a door led outside.
“I didn’t peg you for breaking the rules.” He raised an eyebrow at me and then glanced at the locked door. “Are you going to pick this one too?”
I flinched. I had let him believe that assumption.
“Yeah. I didn’t pick the lock that day in the library. I just stole a key.” I shrugged and strode over to the door.
“I lied,” Ender said. “I definitely peg you as a rule breaker.”
“I can’t manipulate any of the locks at the academy, but this is steel, not tungsten. Plus, my dad said to not leave the building.” I froze. I hadn’t meant to call John my dad.
I swallowed, ignoring the pain in my chest, and hovered my hands over the metal box where the lock was. I closed my eyes and concentrated. Metal was the hardest for me to manipulate and was draining. My magic’s warm sensation slid from me into the lockbox, searching for the release. Once I found it, I closed my hands, opening the lock with a click.
“Why am I not surprised you can manipulate metal?” Ender’s smile fell as he stared at me. “You continue to amaze me.”
Little spirals of fire went up my spine at his gaze, and I swallowed. The admiration in his eyes told me he wasn’t lying—and it wasn’t just a fascination. I had unknowingly taken a step toward him or he had taken one toward me—I was unsure of which. The closer we were, the more—
Something warm moved around our legs, and I glanced down to see white fluffy fur. Once Aura got our attention, she trotted toward the door.
“Someone must be excited to go outside.” I let out a small laugh.
“Or doesn’t want us to kiss.” Ender took a deep breath as he ran a hand through his hair, then waved me onward. I couldn’t get a read on his expression, as my own nerves confused me.
I pushed open the door and stepped onto the roof. Even though it was winter, the warm air was fragranced with jasmine and burnt sugar. It was too warm for my hoodie, so I had left it in the room. The fact that the man who had pretended to be only the headmaster of my school and not my father had given the hoodie to my mom didn’t make it any less special.
The newly dark sky was clear, and the stars were visible even with the lights from the city.
“Careful,” I told the little fox as she jumped up on the chest-high parapet overlooking the city. Clearly, she wasn’t afraid of heights.
The hotel wasn’t the biggest building in the city, but it wasn’t the smallest either. I leaned on the cool cement parapet—avoiding the growing moss—next to Aura, who began nuzzling my arm until I rubbed her chin.
“Now this is a view.” This was a first for me. I had never been to a big city like this.
“It is.” Ender’s voice was raspier than usual, and I turned to see the corner of his lip turned up into a sexy smile, warmth crawling up my spine.
“What?” I asked.
His gaze held mine. Wind swirled around my head, sending loose strands of my hair flying. It softly trailed across my neck and stopped below my chin, pushing it upward. I looked up at him; his magic was like his own caress as he stepped in close.
And we stared at each other just like we had in the stairwell.
“What is this?” I blurted out.
“This is called a rooftop.” Ender’s grin was cocky, and I snorted.
“You had told me that there’s something else between us, and that I feel it too.” My teeth gnawed at my lip, my heart racing at its own will. “What did you mean?”
“When you first arrived,” Ender’s expression softened, “I was drawn to you. I thought it was the fascination with how you avoided people, especially me, but you also did everything to protect your sister. You looked like you hated sitting at that lunch table, but that’s where your sister sat. I found similarities between you and me—we both hate crowds and socializing.”
