Page 41 of Road To Runes

My heart sank, and I swallowed hard. Figures he'd left me again right when I needed him.

I sat down next to Penny, who ate her bowl of fruit and yoghurt with gusto.

"Hey," I said. "Where's Asher?"

"He left early, I think," Penny said, her face a picture of giddy joy. Whatever she and Edward were up to was clearly doing her some good. "He didn't say where he was going, though. Why? Did you need to talk to him?"

Did I want to open a can of worms about what we had been up to the night before? Not at the breakfast table.

"No," I said, with a shrug. "Just interested."

I still had his number, kept secretly in my phone for what I pretended was "emergencies", when actually I had just held onto the hope that he would text me with an apology and a desire to get back together. If he hadn't blocked me, maybe I could interrogate him.

"Would you mind coming to uni with me today again?" Penny asked. "I'm still feeling a bit… fragile."

On barely any sleep and with time ticking by on my commissions, I was reluctant. But in truth, anyone who ordered a grimoire from me knew better than to complain about being late. They weren't exactly legal, after all.

Even if last night had ended with a complete mess, I had gotten the power I needed and that surely warranted a day off, or at least a morning. Maybe I would catch up on some sleep in the library. Although, after what had happened the day before, I wasn't sure I wanted to choose that venue again.

"Sure," I said.

"I promise I won't ask again… or much more," Penny said. "But-"

"You don't have to explain yourself. I'll come with you whenever you want," I said, smiling at her. "Now would you pass me the toast, please?"

After breakfast, Hecate all but fell into a coma on my bed and Penny begged me not to wake her up. Given the night we had, I felt bad waking her to come with us for the day. Having barely eaten anything at breakfast, she was definitely uncharacteristically tired.

So Edward dropped just Penny and me off at the university. I was grateful that the two of them chatted enough that I could get lost in my own thoughts, which were consumed with last night's kiss. What had Asher meant by his odd ramblings? My mind had been too clouded with emotion to remember if he had said more or if I had forgotten something.

Asher’s comments explained why he had acted so strangely over the past few days. But getting into trouble on my own account was a sure thing. What did Asher think he was protecting me from?

I needed answers, and I wouldn't let him walk away without giving them to me.

As soon as Penny had gone to her lecture and I had tucked myself into a booth in the cafe, I tapped Asher out a text message:

We need to talk about last night and don't blow me off.

It didn't convey nearly as much confusion and frustration as I would have liked, but I had to give himsomereason to answer me. But he didn't answer me. Not straight away, and not by the time I had woken up from dozing on my folded arms, drooling onto the table all the while.

Son of a biscuit. When I got back with Penny, he had better pray I had a sliver of patience left or he was going to get it. In a bad way. Not the sexual way. Although...

I slapped myself in the face and then again on the other cheek for good measure.Get a grip, woman.

"What's with the violence?" Penny asked as she slid into the booth opposite. "Trying to stay awake?"

"Trying to staysane."I massaged my forehead with both hands. "How was class?"

"Weird," Penny said, raising her eyebrows at me. "Some older guy tried to sit in on the lecture but the professor booted him out because he wasn't on the class roster."

"Ew. Think he was there to pick up college girls?"

It wasn't like it didn't already happen at bars. Maybe this guy was trying to be different and go right to the source.

"No idea." Penny shrugged. "But hesaidhe was there to take notes for Troy Franklin."

I stiffened. "Troy wasn't there?"

In all the drama of the night before, I had completely forgotten that Troy was even supposed to show up for class. Of course he wouldn't, not after realising someone had stolen his power.

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