No one says “beau” and you
actually plan to show up?
Not working again?
Unc Dan
Ouch. And no.
I’ve got some groveling to
do with Tiff and brunch
is a good place to start.
I chuckled to myself as I walked out of the elevator, heading outside to walk to school. I glanced at Mr. Rodgers, the doorman, and willed myself not to tell him off.Snitch.
I stopped short when I noticed a familiar tall, dark figure leaning against the door, making small talk with Mr. Rodgers, who was laughing boisterously at whatever was said. His dark green eyes met mine, and both the ring and my heart thrummed unexpectedly.
“Good morning, Ms. Pollard,” Mr. Rodgers greeted, pulling the door open wider for me to step through. “Your boyfriend here was just telling me how he’d get me Knicks season tickets if I suddenly go blind after 10 p.m.” His laughter boomed and echoed through the lobby, and my cheeks heated.
“He’s not my boyfriend.” I gritted my teeth, narrowing my eyes on Alaric, whose smug mouth was just begging to be punched.
“Not officially.” Alaric smoothly threw his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close while simultaneously taking my satchel off my arm and slingingit onto his own. “I still have to ask her officially tomorrow night at Marea’s.”Mr. Rodgers made a low whistling sound. “Marea’s, huh? Fan-cy. Well, you kids have a good day and don’t forget curfew this time, Mr. Gaines.”
“Of course.” Alaric winked, pulling me down the street towards Windsor Academy.
“What the hell was that?” I tried to pull away even though Alaric’s arm around me felt warm. The air was chilly; our breaths visible with every exhale.
“Your uncle called my dad and said we needed the dating cover story for your aunt,” he replied simply, as if it were just a perfectly normal situation we were in.
“Oh my God, I hate both of you so much,” I mumbled, pushing my hands deeper into my pockets, willing the earth to swallow me whole. Facing a Stonebound sounded better than this.
“Don’t be so dramatic, Mari,” Alaric chastised. “There are worse things than having to pretend to date me.”
“Like what?” I groaned.
“Like being dead,” he replied seriously.
I glanced at him, noting the graveness in his eyes. He was right. This was just a way to protect Tiffany from the truth and to ensure we could continue my training.
“Right.” I agreed, feeling slightly guilty for making it seem like the idea of dating him was so abhorrent. I mean, it was a ridiculous but not horrifying thought. “Well, we don’t have to do dinner tomorrow. That was just something Sara-Kate cooked up. We can just use that time for more training.”
“Oh, I think dinner is an excellent idea. You need to fuel up before we get back to work. Plus, we need to get our story straight before brunch with your aunt and uncle on Sunday.” He smiled, pulling me closer to him as the streets of New York became more crowded with pedestrians heading to work.
“How do you already know about brunch?” I groaned.
He glanced at me expectantly. Of course. Uncle Dan had also mentioned that to his dad.
“How do my uncle and your dad know each other, anyway?” I asked, eager to change the subject.
“They met in law school,” Alaric replied, waving his hand in the air. The same red and orange symbols appeared in the air, but no one seemed to notice but me. I felt the silencing and protection ward wrap around us, like an invisible blanket. “And as they were both Bloodwrights, they formed an easy alliance. Not many Bloodwrights stay together for long periods of time nowadays. It is a trigger for the Stonebound, but they keep in touch.”
“Then how is it we can spend so much time together,boyfriend?” I questioned, exaggerating the last word. But I couldn’t help the warm feeling pooling in my belly and the way my ring seemed to hum in contentment as the word left my lips.
He chuckled. “That ring you wear keeps your presence masked, so it’s like you don’t really exist to the Stonebound. At least not while you wear it.”
“How long do I have before the ring loses its effect?” It was a question that had haunted me since first learning about being a Bloodwright, but if this protection had a time limit, then I needed to know.
