“For now.” He nodded.
We sat there, holding hands, Alaric’s ancient book between us. I thought after hearing everything I would feel better; knowledge is power, and if I knew what I was up against, then I would be more prepared. But I didn’t feel prepared. I felt unbearably small, like the weight of generations had been dropped onto my shoulders, and I was expected to carry it alone.
“Say something,” he whispered, his green eyes pleading with me.
“That’s a lot to take in,” I finally replied. “And to be honest with you, I’m terrified.”
“But you aren’t alone.” He squeezed my hand again, his words echoing the same sentiment that Uncle Dan had also said to me the night before. “That’s important. And you will learn how to control your abilities, how to remain undetected by the Stonebound.”
“So, what do I learn first?” I was eager to get started, to learn whatever I needed to know to protect myself and my family.
Alaric smiled, closing his ancient book and placing it on the bottom shelf. He did the thing with his hands, and orange and red symbols appeared in the air again. Suddenly, the book was concealed, unrecognizable as what it once was, with what looked like a shimmering haze surrounding it, just barely perceptible.
“We’ll start tomorrow. You needed information today, but I can see the exhaustion in your eyes.” He did another similar motion with his hands, and I felt the silencing ward he had put in place dissipate. He held his hand out for me and helped me stand.
“Where will we meet?” I asked as I pulled at my jacket, readjusting my satchel on my shoulder as we headed towards the door.
Just as he was about to reply, the door opened and the librarian came in backwards, with what looked like stacks of books in her arms. Just before she turned to see us, Alaric grabbed me by the waist, pushed me against one of the glass-encased bookshelves, and kissed me.
I stood stone-still, hands gripping the lapels of his jacket as my brain tried to catch up with what was happening. Alaric’s lips were soft, but urgent against mine, moving in a way that made an unfamiliar warmth flood my limbs. I opened my mouth to protest, but his tongue met mine in a dizzying dance, feeling completely foreign, yet familiar at the same time. My heart pounded, a heady thrumming pulsating through my veins as I leaned into the kiss, meeting him stroke for stroke.
“What in the dickens is going on here?” the librarian's shrill voice reverberated through the room. Alaric reluctantly pulled away, his eyes dark with desire as he turned to face Mrs. Whitmore, who barely clung to the books in her arms from the shock of seeing two students in the special editions room making out.
My face flushed as my hand went to my swollen lips as if to hide the evidence.
“Oh, we’re sorry, Mrs. Whitmore,” Alaric began, his hand reaching behind him to grab mine. “The door was unlocked, and we just wanted a moment alone.”
Mrs. Whitmore’s face grew red with rage, her forehead furrowing. “This room is off-limits, and fraternizing with the opposite sex is discouraged on campus, Mr. Gaines.”
He nodded as he pulled me along behind him. “Yes, of course. It will never happen again.”
“I have a mind to put you two in detention for the rest of the semester,” she continued her tirade as we stepped by her and quickly made our exit.
“Like I said, it won’t happen again,” Alaric called over his shoulder, pulling me along as we took the stairs two at a time, rushing out of the library before she could catch up.
“What the hell was that?” I pulled my hand out of his, outraged.
“We needed a cover. The book in there is important, and I couldn’t let her end up snooping around for it.If she thought we were there for the books, she could have done a whole inventory of the catalog, but if it was just two hormonal teenagers kissing, then there is no reason to look further,” he replied matter-of-fact, all evidence of any want or desire gone from his face. This was just a ruse, a way to ensure the Bloodwright secret stayed that way.
I felt my heart deflate at his sudden change in demeanor and response, but it made sense. No one could start snooping. It wasn’t safe.
“How do you know she’s not going to actually put us in detention until we graduate?” I changed the subject, willing the heat in my cheeks to cool.
“Because my father had this library built and I doubt she is going to do anything that would potentially upset me or him.”
What a spoiled, rich kid thing to say. Anger filled me as I looked at him and felt the tug on the ring that bound us as mentor and apprentice. I had a rich asshole as my mentor. And I had just kissed him.
Chapter Eight
The only thing worse than having your first kiss stolen by your rich and arrogant magic mentor is being unable to tell your best friend about it. While it wasn’ttechnicallymy first kiss (thank you to chapped-lipped Alex in eighth grade who kissed me on a dare), it was still the first real kiss I had experienced. Or at least thought it had been real in the moment.
I had walked home in a daze, the memory of Alaric’s lips on mine causing a confusing whirlwind within my mind. The ring thrummed, as if echoing the truth I hated admitting—that my feelings for Alaric were tangling deeper, like two trees whose roots had begun to merge.
On the one hand, I was grateful for his help—he literally saved my life in a way, protecting me from my inability to control my newfound Bloodwright abilities and from being detected by the Stonebound. But on the other hand, he was an arrogant asshole, and I was now feeling even more regret at the fact that Uncle Dan couldn’t be my mentor. I understood why most Bloodwrights kept the mentor and apprentice relationship in the family—much less complicated.
I walked into the apartment mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted. I had an English paper to outline and a ton of math problems to do, but the only thing that I could manage was falling into my bed, uniform still on, barely having the energy to kick off my shoes before my face hit the pillow. I slept hard for several hours before a soft rustling and dip in my bed woke me up. I glanced through my half-shut eyelids, not too surprised to find Tiffany sitting on my bed, her hand brushing my hair out of my face.
“Long day, huh?” She chuckled, taking in my current state. I glanced at my bedside clock, groaning to find it was already 10 p.m. and I hadn’t started any of my homework.
