Callan’s eyes were slightly narrowed. “I’ll go talk to him. Whatever he wants, it’s better to deal with it sooner rather than later.”
“I’m coming with you,” I said, already beginning to walk toward the academy’s entrance.
“Briar—”
“Remember what you told me? You wanted to protect me from your family until I had access to my powers back. And now I do. You don’t need to protect me any longer.”
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Then he let out a deep breath and met my eyes. “You’re right. I think you may have been right from the beginning. I can’t keep you safe by hiding you away from them. Instead, they need to see that we’re stronger together.”
Then, to my utter surprise, he inclined his head toward the building, signaling for me to join him. “Besides, after that display against Feathergrass, I don’t think anyone could underestimate you, local.”
I fell into step beside him, my heart racing with delight at the shift that had just occurred and anticipation of why Wyatt had come. We went up the stairs, my retro skirt bouncing all the way, until we paused outside the secret wall panel near his dorm.
Callan cupped my face in his hands so gently that his skin hardly touched mine. “I’ve been stronger ever since I met you,and that’s never going to change. Whatever my brother is about to say or do, I want you by my side.”
I slipped my hand into his as he touched his birthstone pendant to the spot below the wall sconce and the hidden panel door swung inward. “Then lead the way, Callan Rhodes.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
We climbed the narrow stairs that took us into the secret alcove at the top of the academy building, my nerves skyrocketing as we neared the top. The last time I had seen Wyatt, he came to take the quill from us. Was he here to commandeer the book we just put on display? If so, how could he know about it already?
When we reached the landing, Wyatt was waiting, his arms crossed. Just like the first time I had seen him, I noticed the physical similarities between him and Callan and the subtle ways they were different. Wyatt’s five o’clock shadow had filled in a bit more since our January encounter.
“You wanted to see me?” Callan asked by way of greeting.
“Have a seat,” Wyatt said, gesturing at the cushiony chairs.
I sat immediately, hoping to ease some of the tension in the room. Callan didn’t follow right away, but once Wyatt sat across from me, he took the chair between us.
“Good to know you still remember our old code. It’s been a while.”
Callan gave a short nod. “It has.”
Wyatt let out a deep sigh. “Look, I understand why you’re on guard right now. I know we aren’t as close as we used to be, Cal. I’m afraid that’s a symptom of my taking the job…” He cast a glance toward me, hesitating.
“She knows you work for the DBI,” Callan said.
Wyatt’s eyebrows rose slightly, but then he nodded and continued. “A lot of this work requires us to purposefully maintain distance. I don’t love that, but it’s an important job, and I feel called to do it.However, what I’ve been working on and what you two have gotten involved in have overlapped for a while, and I think it’s time to clear the air.”
I straightened, eager to ask what he was referring to, but I held back. He was Callan’s brother, after all, and it felt right to let him take the lead.
After several moments of silence, Callan spoke. “What do you think we have ‘gotten involved in’?” He made air quotes.
“Perhaps it’s best if I start at the beginning.” Wyatt shifted slightly in his seat, but there was a practiced evenness in his voice. “Last year, the DBI received intelligence that the verdant shield was faltering. We sent one of our newest agents, undercover, to investigate.”
I sucked in a breath. “Alex?”
Wyatt’s usual stoicism slipped momentarily, and I could see his shock. “You knew he was a magical botanist?”
“It’s a fairly recent discovery,” I said.
Wyatt’s eyebrows were still slightly elevated, but he didn’t ask for more details. “His objectivewas to keep an eye out here and alert us if the progression of the deterioration worsened.”
Callan fisted a palm against his thigh. A few vines from the upper parts of the wall stretched out their tendrils, as if flexing in response to him. “And part of that objective included getting friendly with Briar and dating her friend?”
Wyatt winced, and I could tell the lapse in control had caught everyone in the room by surprise. The vines relaxed. “That was not part of the original mission. I’m afraid Alex may have gotten a little… overzealous in his approach to monitoring the situation.”
“Then why did he enroll at SCC instead of Evergreen Academy?” Callan asked.
