Page 21 of Baneful Magick

Isla

SUNDAY

Cassius had been silent since the lecture hall, delivering no dry commentary or snarky remarks as my friends and I checked out our classes and grabbed some dinner. Even Wells’ continued presence didn’t draw him out.

His silence disturbed me more than I wanted to admit, and I started to get worried without his voice in my head. Now that I was alone in my room, I was hoping to get an idea of what was going on.

‘Cassius?’

Silence.

‘Cas? What’s wrong? Who was that guy?’I tried again, hoping like hell he couldn’t tell how worried he had me even though I knew that was an impossible wish. Cassius always knew my feelings better than I did.

‘Beastie.’He sighed, and the shakiness in his tone made goosebumps cover my skin.‘It’s–’

I cut him off as I sat down at the window seat to look out over the misty forest.‘Don’t you dare say nothing.’I stared at the dark green trees all around, watching rain start to fall. Smoke filled the right side of the massive windows, then Cassius’ body started to manifest in the darkness. He looked stressed, and hesomehow had circles under his eyes that I could see even with the designs inked on his face.

Dark eyes studied me as I looked him up and down, and a pang of loneliness hit me. We were so close yet worlds apart. Even as a child, when we didn’t get along, I always thought it was cruel for him to be alive, yet not, inside of my mind.

I never figured out what or who he was besides my Cassius. For as long as I could remember, he had been in my mind, a lingering presence, though I wasn’t sure if that was comforting or not. He’d never seemed inclined, and still didn’t now, to tell me much about himself.

With the tumultuous beginnings of our situation, I never mentioned him to my friends at the academy because they never even hinted at having something similar. He was just Cassius, and most of the time, that was enough.

Now, though, I wanted to know why he had that reaction to a man I’d never met before. A man he couldn’t have met before becauseIhadn’t, right?

‘I can feel your thoughts racing,’he said, trying to break the ice, but his gaze seemed haunted and his forced laugh fell flat.

‘Silence tends to make me do that, which you already know,’I replied tartly, shifting my gaze to the forest beyond.

He didn’t reply for a moment, but I saw some of the tension in his shoulders loosen before he shook his head the tiniest amount.

‘I’m not ready to talk about it, beastie.’

I sighed, closing my eyes and leaning my head back against the wall.‘Just don’t lie to me when you do.’

A whisper of a hand down my arm brought me some comfort, though it must have been my imagination. Cassius couldn’t actually touch me. It must have just been the air kicking on in the building or something.

‘I should get some sleep. My early class might be the death of me.’

‘It’s at nine in the morning. Hardly early,’Cassius deadpanned, then he chuckled softly when I opened my eyes to glare at him.

‘You were listening! Besides, it feels early to me!’

‘Of course I was listening. Your shielding is terrible. Not that you really bother to shield in the first place.’

‘Any time I attempt to shield myself from you, Cassius, you get pissy.’

‘I do not!’

‘What about the time you took over my body and signed me up for a ballet class?’I retorted, pursing my lips when his mouth twitched.‘Mom made me complete the entire year despite the fact that I knocked down two girls and one broke her wrist during my first class.’

‘That was classic.’

‘All because I shielded during a test because you were interrupting my focus.’

‘I was trying tohelpyou, beastie.’

I rolled my eyes at the familiar argument but was happy at the sense of ease between us now. Taking a shower and going to sleep would be the smart thing to do, but my nerves about starting classes made my stomach feel like it was in knots. I needed to get some of this energy out, or I’d never get any sleep.

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