Page 108 of Forged in Blood

I’ve grown used to their presence in my mind—surprisingly fond of it too. They are never far from me, whether in thought or in physical form.I’m okay. Cadence is here, and we’re going to hit the books… and the cookies. Hard.

He laughs.Yeah, cookies are a good idea, you need to keep your energy levels up, baby.

That annoying flush creeps over my cheeks. I dip my head so Cadence won’t see and wonder why the hell I’m blushing simply sitting here in the library.

Stop it!I admonish.

He laughs again.I’ll come pick you up when you’re ready to leave.

I roll my eyes.I can walk home alone. I’m super powerful, apparently.

I don’t doubt it for a second. You already have me and my brothers on our knees for you. But I’m still walking you home. Now, be good, and I’ll see you later.

“Hey, did you hear that?” Cadence interrupts my conversation with Malachi. Did I say any of that aloud? Or even worse, can she read minds? Sheis a witch, and I still don’t know what kind of powers witches have.

But she frowns and glances over her shoulder.

“No. What was it?”

“Like someone called out.” She shakes her head and turns back to me. “I swear this place is haunted.”

“You think ghosts really exist?” In all my conversations with the guys, I never thought to ask about the existence of ghosts.

“I think there are plenty of things in this world that can’t be seen with our own eyes.” She shrugs. “Doesn’t mean they aren’t real.”

I nod my agreement. “I get exactly what you mean. Like sometimes you can feel something, even though nothing’s there.” I stop talking, afraid I’ll reveal something I shouldn’t. But long before I learned what I am—according to Professor Drakos, anyway—I always felt like something lurked nearby, mysterious and unseen.

Cadence leans closer and drops her voice to a whisper. “Have you ever made anything weird happen and couldn’t explain why?”

My throat feels like it closes over. “Have you?” I croak.

She sucks in a breath. “Kind of. But then I’m…” She glances around us. “Can I trust you, Ophelia? Because my gut tells me I can, but I need to know that you won’t tell just anyone about this.”

I understand her dilemma because I don’t know how to tell her that I share my headspace with three hot vampires without revealing too much about myself.

“Some people might freak out, is all,” she adds.

I take a deep breath and go for it. “You mean nonmagical people?”

She smiles. “So you know about magical beings? I know you hang out with the Ruby commanders, but I wasn’t totally sure if you knew…”

I nod. “I know about witches and vampires and werewolves and the like.”

She grins. “Demons and warlocks too.”

And elementai, I want to add but don’t. “I won’t tell anyone who might freak out. I promise.”

“I’m a witch,” she whispers.

“I knew it!” I mentally fist-pump the air.

“You did? How’s that?”

I blink in confusion, but there’s no hostility in her tone, simply curiosity. “I sensed something in you, I guess.”

She arches an eyebrow. “Because maybe you’re a witch too?”

“I don’t have any powers, though. Why would you think that?”

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