Page 75 of The Cursed Fae

I nodded and covered my mouth to stifle a yawn.

She handed me an envelope. “From Chancellor Keene.” She turned and left without another word.

I cracked the seal on the back and withdrew an actual invitation to join him in his office. Great. Because there wasn’t enough going on already, now the head of the university had summoned me for a chat.

A glance at my cell told me I had time for a quick shower if I didn’t wash my hair. Twenty minutes later, I grabbed my backpack and headed out to greet the day.

Chancellor Keene sat behind his desk, as always. He offered me a fatherly smile as he gestured to a chair and invited me to sit.

“How are you, Winter?” he asked.

I shrugged. “Fine. Things are good.”

“You don’t need to be nervous.” He leaned back, feigning nonchalance. “I wanted to see how you are adjusting to Arcane Landing. I realize a supernatural community differs greatly from the human towns you’ve lived in.”

“It’s different,” I agreed. “But I’m getting used to it.”

Had he really summoned me here for a routine new student check-in? It seemed too good to be true.

“That’s wonderful to hear.” He straightened, his expression turning serious. “We spoke of it briefly before, but how are you feeling in the aftermath of the attack?”

I tensed but shrugged noncommittally. This was more than a friendly chat. “It’s been a lot,” I admitted. “I’m handling it.”

I’d learned so much since the last time he questioned me about the vampires at the cove, and I had no intention of sharing any of it. Though Chancellor Keene had to know about the Prophecy of Eternals and could probably fill in some gaps in Nana’s story, it wasn’t tempting enough. Maybe my great-grandmother’s dislike for the chancellor had rubbed off on me, but I didn’t trust him.

“You are safe here at the university. Your protection—the protection of all the students—is my top priority,” he declared, leaning forward so his elbows rested on the desk.

“Thank you, sir,” I muttered.

“There is no reason for you to take extra precautions, Winter,” he continued. “I need you to understand that.”

I blinked, uncertain where the conversation was heading. “Um, I do.”

He smiled indulgently. “It has come to my attention that some ingredients have gone missing from the supply cabinet in S203. Do you know anything about that?”

The abrupt subject shift caught me off guard, and it took my mind a beat to process the question. Shit. This was not awesome. S203 was where Laz and I had been prepping the ghost summoning spell.

“It’s okay, Winter. We encourage students to learn all they can outside the classroom,” the chancellor said.

I sagged a little.

Then, he added, “However, you are very new to all this, and I worry you might take unnecessary risks in light of the attack.”

I didn’t respond immediately. Truthfully, I’d been taking risks because of the eternal. But they weren’t unnecessary. Plus, learning to use my dimensional magic had nothing to do with the ingredients Laz had apparently stolen for our spell.

“I’m sorry, sir,” I said, choosing a lie over denial. “I am just eager to catch up with my classmates.”

“I understand. It must be very frustrating for you. How about I make you a deal? If you pass the proficiency test for the lower grades, you can move up to learn more advanced spells.”

“Really?” I sat up straighter.

Things with Archer were up in the air, so the idea of a new tutor was appealing—one who didn’t lecture me or distract me every time we got close. There was a chance this meeting would end on a positive note after all.

“This requires a lot of studying,” he warned. “You will need to learn magical history, not just practical magic.”

“That’s okay. I’ve been doing extra reading already,” I blurted.

“If you’re sure, we can set up a date for the exam,” he told me kindly.

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