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“Thank you for telling me.”

He was silent and she couldn’t read the expression on his face.

“Obryn took me off the investigation,” she added. “He said my part was fulfilled.”

“I know.”

Had he felt an invisible band between them snap when it happened, too?

“Obryn told me to stay away from you,” she continued.

His features hardened, but he remained quiet.

“It’s not the first time he’s warned me about spending time with you,” she said.

Aidric’s stare turned cold. “He isn’t wrong.”

What does that even mean? “Do you want me to stay away?”

He hesitated a fraction. “It would be better for you.”

She scoffed. “Since when do you follow Obryn’s rules?”

His eyes flashed a shade darker and then something caught his attention behind her. When she turned, she saw Ella looking for her.

“Looks like you better get back to your friends,” Aidric said, and walked away without another word.

—

For the rest of the evening, whenever she dared to take a glance at Aidric across from her, his silver eyes were locked on her, unbothered by the display onstage.

Mira thought about taking the amulet from Corvin and destroying it. No, that was a lie. She thought about killing him for what he had done to Aidric. But that was such a horrific thought. She didn’t know where it had even come from, this anger. This determination to right this wrong and balance the scales. Perhaps with blood.

Why was she imagining killing the Primemage? Then it hit her. This wasn’t anger. It was vengeance. She closed her eyes and took a deep inhale, focusing on the Dark Magic strand in her mind. Not since acquiring her signifiers had she taken time to inventory her own powers. From the main strand of her Dark Magic came two offshoots. In her mind, she took hold of the branch of her vengeance and told it to quiet. To her surprise, it obeyed. Instantly, the heat of her anger cooled.

The curtain fell, and the crowd erupted in applause. Mira got up and clapped. The private box in front of her was empty. Aidric was gone.

People headed for the exits and mingled in the foyer. Oliver’s friend joined them, and several students congratulated him on the night’s stellar performance.

Out of the corner of her eye she caught Aidric, shrugging on his coat and heading toward the front door. When he saw her, his eyes darkened and he took a sharp turn.

The laughter and chatter around her faded into the background when Aidric headed straight toward her.

What is he doing? He never approached her when she was surrounded by Casters. But now he seemed determined. Single-minded toward her.

His eyes darkened and didn’t waver from their target. People stepped out of his way.

“Is Aidric Dawson marching straight toward you?” Ella asked next to her.

Mira didn’t know how to answer. She was trying to figure out what he might want. Was there another murder? He wouldn’t tell her here, and she was no longer part of the investigation.

There was anger in his step.

When he reached her, he didn’t hesitate and pulled her flush against him. His fingers moved along her neck. Before she could even think, his lips crashed into hers.

The way he kissed her knocked the wind out of her lungs. His tongue parted her lips as he deepened the kiss with determination. As if he was starved for her. For the moment, she forgot everything around her. She forgot they were in the packed foyer of Tallan’s opera house, surrounded by their classmates and her friends. She forgot this was their first public kiss—as if he wanted to make sure everyone saw. Brand her. Claim her.

When he broke the kiss, his eyes bored into hers. His spearmint breath danced on her skin.