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“I agree. Alarik is in his office too often,” I said quickly, and Miles looked at me.

He wasn't used to me agreeing with him. Neither should he get used to it.

“Somewhere on campus…” Bayla pondered aloud.

Julie stared into the flickering fireplace, her voice calm. “In the room where we met the other day.”

Miles looked at me teasingly. “In one of the back closets.”

An uncomfortable blush began to spread across my face. Added to that was Julie’s confused gaze, which darted back and forth between me and Miles.

“Good thing you're doing the thinking for us,” came a voice from the couch.

Larissa walked over to the large table with her notebook, opened it on the solid tabletop carved with grapevines along the massive edges, and wrote something at the top of the page.

I slid off the windowsill and walked over to her.

Refounding of the Dragonfly Society

Member list

The first name was listed below.

Orphan.

I didn't quite understand why she had chosen this depressing name and was about to ask, but then I remembered that we had agreed to leave it at that. The background of our names didn't matter. All that mattered was that we wrote something down that we could identify with.

Miles had also come closer and read what Larissa had written. His gaze was more concerned than serious.

“What?” Larissa laughed nervously, then pushed the book toward me. “Write down your names.”

Quickly and somewhat embarrassed, I pulled the book toward me to write down my alias.

Midnight.

I hoped that this name would cover me well enough. That no one except the others would identify me with it, even if I did.

Then I pushed the book to Bayla and looked at Miles.

By now, it felt like I was repeatedly reaching into a hot flame and burning myself over and over again. It was noticeable, predictable that he was looking at me. A reliable guarantee. And I had the option of simply avoiding his gaze, but it was as if we were opposite poles and he was the pole that was constantly turned in my direction.

If only he would turn away, not always look at me...

I tried to concentrate on the book, which wandered over to Julie.

Another name had appeared.

Arcane.

It sounded Latin. Once again, I couldn't probe further, even though I was burning with curiosity to know what was behind Bayla's choice.

Julie finished writing, and once again, I read something I couldn't interpret.

Chione.

Finally, the book wandered over to Miles.

I stared at his elegant fingers, and a tingling sensation spread through my body, accompanied by the memory of how those fingers had rested on my skin, on my bare back, gentle and warmer than expected.