He’s silent for a moment before he responds. “Understanding danger is the first step in transforming it into something useful. Foxglove revolutionized cardiac medicine, belladonna is still used in ophthalmology, and even hemlock has medical applications in the right hands.”
I’m at a loss for words. The simple, confident way he articulates his knowledge is beyond impressive, and I immediately find myself wanting to stay here all night to talk to him.
When he realizes I’m not going to respond, he simply adds, “It’s always been fascinating to me how the same plants can be medicinal, magical, or lethal depending on how they’re used.”
I nod, still mesmerized by the garden before me. “This is incredible. Monkshood, oleander, lily of the valley…” I trail off.
“You said you’re new to the academy? You have an impressive amount of knowledge for a first-year.”
I bite back a smile. After questioning my own capabilities for so long, it’s nice to hear some praise. “I actually am starting the grad program for botany. I went to a different school for my bachelor’s degree.” I don’t mention that it was a totally normal university, not one of the other magic academies. I make a mental note to learn how many other academies there are later. “But honestly,” I add, “I’m just really interested in things like toxicity and medicinal herbs.”
Curiosity crosses his expression, but whatever he’s wondering, he doesn’t ask about. “Sounds like you’re in agood program for that, then. You’re clearly knowledgeable, though I do have to question your wisdom. Wandering around campus alone at night isn’t exactly the most prudent decision.”
“How much danger could I really be in on an island that nobody can easily get off of? It’s not like they could rob me then run away,” I joke.
He doesn’t smile. “You’re in a place where magic exists without inhibition. There are far more dangerous threats here than assault or robbery.”
The memory of Max smiling, flashing her fangs at me, pops into my mind, and I want to tell him I’m not sure I’m much safer in my dorm room. I don’t, though. “Point taken.”
“Good.” He kneels down beside me and slips on the gardening gloves that had been sitting on the ground, then pulls a small knife from his pocket and carefully cuts several stems from the belladonna plant before moving onto the hemlock. He moves through the plants with care, cutting a little bit of each and placing the cuttings in a small basket I hadn’t noticed before.
We fall into companionable silence as he continues his work and I observe, until my curiosity gets the better of me… again.
“Making a poison bouquet for someone special?” I tease.
He chuckles. “Not quite.”
“Is this for your super secret research, then?”
“No.”
“Then why are you cutting them?”
“I suspect you’ll find out soon enough,” he says,pinning me with an intense yet unreadable stare. “In any case, sometimes the most dangerous blooms can be the most beautiful.”
My cheeks warm at his thinly veiled flirtation, and before I can come up with a clever response, he stands and grabs his basket. “You should be getting back to your room, and I should be doing the same. Shall we?” He gestures toward the entrance.
I stand, and as we leave the small sectioned area, Alaric closes the door behind him and pulls something out from under his jacket. I hadn’t noticed it before, but a thin leather cord hangs around his neck, and dangling from the bottom are three brass keys, all old and ornate like my dorm room key. He selects one and locks the door, then raises his hand and waves his fingers in a subtle pattern over the lock until there’s a dull click.
When he sees my wide eyes, Alaric simply says, “Reinforced the lock with a standard protective charm. I know it probably seems like overkill, but I don’t want anyone interfering with my plants.”
I nod, as if I totally understand, because it’s clear he thinks my surprise is due to his careful actions rather than the use of magic.
He locks the greenhouse door behind us normally, without using additional charms, and I stand there awkwardly, waiting to see if he’ll offer to walk back to the dorms with me. Even as attractive as he is, I’m not intending on making a move; it’s just nice to have friendly company.
“Be safe on your walk back to the dorms,” he says, answering my unspoken question.
“You’re not walking back?”
He raises the basket in his hands. “I have to deliver these elsewhere. Frankly, I wouldn’t chance bringing these into the dorms. Even at a prestigious academy like this, I wouldn’t trust one of the drunk students not to eat these berries on a dare.”
I laugh. “Fair point. Well, hopefully I’ll see you around next week?”
“I’m certain we’ll run into each other,” he agrees. “I look forward to it.”
With that, he sets off down the pathway in the opposite direction of where I need to go, and I start the trek back to my dorm room with butterflies in my stomach and a renewed intrigue for what this semester might hold.
CHAPTER 7
