I didn’t bother denying that I’d been looking for the barghest. “Yeah? Well, say hi from me.”
“We need to get you to Darla,” Clary said. “Your hand is bleeding.” She shook her head, her brows drawing together as if struggling to make sense of my calm.
I forced a pained look and nursed my hand to my chest. “Yeah, it really hurts.”
“Nothing compared to what next week will bring,” Jay said, all somber now. “Look, no one will think less of you if you drop out. Get Trax to talk to her. He’s the Hall Master, and he runs the Main Building. She has enough infractions pending. Get him to add the pressure.”
There was no way I was letting Tamina walk away from our bet. “I appreciate it, but no. I can handle her.”
The Thropes exchanged glances, then Brek nodded. “In that case, best of luck.”
“You’ve bled through the handkerchief,” Clary chided. “Come on.”
I allowed her to lead me from the room, aware of the many Arcanus eyes on me.
So much for staying invisible.
CHAPTER 13
The Shining Ones: Unknown species named for the ethereal glow emanating from their bodies. They occupied Nightsbridge between 1 A.O. and 10 A.O., then vanished. The only evidence of their existence are the Baobhan Sith and halfling, the latter a hybrid species which is now hurtling toward extinction.
THE EVOLUTION OF THE SUPERNAL
“Oh dear. Well now, this is nasty, isn’t it? Hmm?” Darla examined my hand. “Luckily for you, there won’t be any stitches required, and I have just the ticket to speed up the healing.”
She bustled across the small medical room to a cabinet filled with jars of gunk in various colors. Her braid swayed to-and-fro as she moved about, so long it passed her bottom. She was adorable with her trouser cuffs rolled up to account for her small stature, and a tunic that fell to her knees, topped with a green apron, its pockets bulging with items.
The room was down the corridor from our quarters, empty unless she was summoned by a student, which Clary had done by pressing her palm to the crystal on the desk.
Clary stood close by, wringing her hands. “I’m sorry,” she said again. “I wish I could heal you.”
I waved her off with my good hand. “It’s okay. I’m fine.”
“Yes, she’ll be right as rain,” Darla said. “This will numb the painandheal.” She scooped some green ointment from a jar and lathered it onto my hand before wrapping a bandage around it. “Palm injuries are the worst. So many nerves and things. But this will set you right in a couple of days.” She handed me the jar. “Take this and make sure to reapply it morning and night. Clary, dear, grab some bandages, would you?” She gently gripped my chin and peeled off the bandage on my head. “Let’s get this one cleaned up, too.”
She was finishing up when Vitra walked into the room. The space seemed to shrink around him. He stood by the door, his golden gaze tracking Darla’s movements as she taped gauze over my head wound.
“You want to speak with Miss Onyx, I assume?” Darla said once she was done.
“I do.”
Trinity save me. His voice did strange things to my insides, and when his gaze landed on me, trapping me in warm honey, breaking contact became an exercise in will. Fortunately, will was something I had in abundance. I dropped my gaze to his mouth, to the knowing smile that played there, then away, anywhere else to give my pulse a moment to settle.
Darla grabbed a couple of jars and popped them into her apron pockets. “Come on, Clary. You can help me back at Border House. I have some tinctures to finish.”
Clary chewed her cheeks, gaze flicking from me to Vitra and back again. “Ana?”
“She’ll be fine,” Vitra said. “I’ll escort her to her room personally.”
Did I want to be alone with him?
Darla took Clary’s hand, and they both vanished into thin air with a soft pop, leaving me with no choice in the matter.
Vitra dragged a stool over, parking it so close that when he sat, his knee brushed mine.
I resisted the urge to pull away and instead looked him dead in the eyes. “What? Have I done something wrong? Broken a rule? Or is this a check-in visit?”
The corner of his luscious mouth lifted. “So abrasive,” he drawled.
