Page 26 of Practically Witches

“Villain.” I nod and say it with some conviction this time because I don’t want to use the S-word. It’s too real and I don’t know what else to call her. “She had black eyes.”

“Black eyes?”

I nod. “It was dark, but I think so.”I take a second because there’s something I’m missing, some random fact that is nagging my mind, that might tie some of the details together for me. “Where?”

“What?” He looks at me with his brow pinched and his eyes narrowed, like he doesn’t understand the question. “What?” he asks again, softer this time.

“Where was she when it happened?” The need to know is burning inside of me even though I’m certain I already have the answer. I can’t look at Aimee or I’ll blurt the entire story out and the secret of the grimoire will be no secret anymore. “I need to know, Zane.”

“At a club downtown.”

And I know. Iabsolutelyknow. Because the grimoire showed me. “Club Mera.”

He nods and I want to tell him so badly how I know, to not have that spark of distrust standing between us.

“How did you know that?” His voice is low, almost quiet, but I look behind us to make sure none of his friends are paying attention.

“I can’t tell you.” And I wish I could. I wish I could go get the book and share it, but I can’t. It isn’t mine to share, and I don’t know that I didn’t summon this syphoner anymore than I know he didn’t somehow mark the victims. I also can’t tell him about the syphoner trying to take from me and failing.

He nods and I don’t know if he’s agreeing to my silence or if this is some ironic guy thing that he’s going to use against me for the duration of whatever this is between us.

“Okay. You’ll tell me when you can, or when it’s too big to keep inside.” He smiles. And then he moves closer so we’re almost pressed against each other. “But you have to be careful.”

“I’m careful.” I smile up at him.

Then the best moment of my life happens. Zane Bradbury slides his hand onto my waist so it rests just over my hip and his fingertips are low—super low on my back. The touch is intoxicating. My pulse hitches. He has moves and he knows it.

Him knowing it doesn’t stop me letting him pull me close enough that only the thinnest beam of light would dare try to fit between us. “I hope so.”

“RJ, I’ll meet you back here at 11:45.” Aimee has to get to class, but I have a couple minutes. Not that I plan to do more with them than linger here and be touched by ZaneBradbury. At least until he either realizes I’m not nearly the right girl for whatever this is or I have to go to class.

“Okay,” I call over my shoulder without turning too far away from him.

He doesn’t kiss me or move closer, doesn’t lean in or do more than smile. “Do you know Ariya?”

“I saw her there. At the club once.” I pull back because it’s what I do when I fuck something up. I pull back from it so that when it falls apart, I’m protected.

He looks at me as I continue backing off. “I should get to class.”

And then he’s beside me, heading to the building where I am expected to sit and study the magic for the test I am not going to pass in a few weeks. “Hey.” I stop and look at him because I want this. I want him. But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to figure out how to protect myself. “Are we still on for lunch?”

I should say no.

But I can’t.

“Yeah. I’ll meet you here.”

He grins. “I forgot to ask where we’re going.”

I look at him. He’s going to find out eventually. Might as well be now. “Club Mera.”

Chapter

Thirteen

I’m not into class today. Don’t want to be here. I’m sure it’s worse for Aimee, but she didn’t complain about coming to school. As a matter of fact, when Mom tried to keep her home, keep us both home, Aimee wasn’t having it.

She hasn’t missed a day in five years, and doing it now would lead to questions. And she’s right, but that’s no surprise because she’s usually right. I haven’t spent much time looking at her today because I can’t meet her eyes.Fortunately, I don’t have any morning classes with her. She’s in an entirely different building.

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