Page 22 of Baneful Magick

As if fate knew just what I needed, there was a knock on my door.

“Yes?” I called out. It opened to reveal Echo standing there with a wide grin and mischievous spark in his gaze.

“You want to get out of here?”

“And do what?” I asked. A sneaky look at the window had me both relieved and sad to see Cassius was gone.

“Anything but staying inside. I’m getting antsy, but Aizel just wants to sleep before class tomorrow.”

“Let’s go,” I told him, excited by the prospect of doing something. Being outside with someone I half knew was better than sitting here in my room wondering how classes were going to be tomorrow. Plus, the prospect of getting to know my new friend was an opportunity I didn’t want to pass up.

I stood up and grabbed one of my favorite black peacoats from the closet, then we were out the door. Aizel and Zhara were nowhere to be seen, so after a quick pat down to make sure I had my card to get back inside, we left the suite and made our way outside.

The night air made it cool, and a smile curled my lips the moment a breeze passed by, bringing with it the rich, welcoming smell of dirt, earth, and the ever-present hint of rain. The sounds of small forest animals filled the night—owls hooting, the chirp of countless crickets, the scurrying of small animals.

The place felt alive, and I wanted to sink into it. There was no way that could happen right now though. I didn’t want an audience when I connected with the earth. It felt like such a deeply private thing, and I was left completely vulnerable when I did it.

Some other students were outside too, with everyone talking in small groups.

“Are Aizel and Zhara together, you think?” I asked, peeking at Echo from the corner of my eye.

“I wouldn’t know,” he replied evenly, though I didn’t miss the slight twitch of his suppressed smile. “I’m not there.”

“So naughty,” I joked with a laugh. “Good for them.”

“Anyway… Where should we go?” Echo asked after clearing his throat.

Threading my arm through his, I started dragging him along. I needed to find the greenhouse from last night. There was no way I couldn’t take this opportunity to explore it further.

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going and how much trouble we’re going to get in for being there?” He sounded more intrigued rather than the concern I expected.Honestly, how fucking refreshing is it that someone is letting me take the lead.Demir was always in charge at home, and my younger siblings had been adopted when I was at the academy, so my opportunities to take charge had been minimal.

“Oh, probably a lot, but I’m not exactly sure I remember where it is...” I trailed off in thought, heading to the far side of the grassy quad to where I thought the greenhouse had been.

“That’s not super helpful,” Echo replied, easily keeping up with my fast stride. “But I’m up for whatever. Being inside those walls was driving me nuts.”

“Not a fan of the indoors?” I teased, and I was surprised to find Echo’s expression was serious when he slowly nodded.

“This place is nice, especially considering how large our suite is, but being stuck inside for long just makes my skin crawl.” He shuddered, reacting to whatever memory his words had brought up.

Part of me wanted to ask, to find out what had put that haunted look in his eyes, but I knew he wouldn’t tell me. Hell, I wouldn’t tell some stranger something that could put that level of fear in my eyes either. Echo shifted his gaze to meet mine, a forced smile tugging his lips before a shaky sigh escaped.

“Sorry...”

“No need for sorry.” I shrugged, letting the moment go so he would feel comfortable. “We all have shit we don’t wanna talk about. Right now, though, I want to talk about this greenhouse I found last night before I ran into Zhara and you guys. I think it was over this way.”

“You didn’t see it during our tour earlier today?” Echo asked, his voice going up in question.

“No,” I replied, frustrated at the admission. “Even through the trees, I didn’t see a building that looked like it.”

“Sounds ominous. Let’s go find it,” he replied smoothly, not the least bit concerned about possibly getting into trouble. Maybe he was faking it for my sake, but I appreciated the fun nonchalance.

I burst out laughing at that, looking up at him with a wide grin. “I knew you were my favorite incubus.”

Echo’s answering laugh was deep, the sound honeyed with a touch of warm sensuality that I could almost feel enveloping me. It wasn’t aggressive though, nor did it feel like he was purposefully trying to seduce me.

It seemed like his power naturally responded to my praise. It shouldn’t be attractive or hot as hell, but something inside me stirred as his dark gaze met my own. Maybe I should have taken it as a warning to not make the mistake of thinking he wasn’t dangerous.

He slowed to a stop, and suddenly I was very fucking aware that I was with a practical stranger in the middle of the woods at a school whose mantra was basicallyfuck around and find out on your own.

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