Page 32 of Hex Appeal

They were almost nose to nose now, both breathing hard.The air crackled with tension.Books rattled on the shelves as their emotions boiled over.

"I'm not scared," he said, voice low and intense."I'm terrified.Of what could happen to the students.Of what could happen to you.Of how much I still want you even though I know I shouldn't."

She reached up without thinking, touched his face.He caught her wrist, but didn't pull her hand away.Instead, he tugged her closer, and suddenly they were kissing desperately, days of tension exploding between them.They were going to get caught, but she didn't care, too lost in the feel of him, in finally acknowledging what they'd been trying so hard to deny.

"Well," Thorncraft's voice cut through the haze like ice water."I believe this calls for an emergency board meeting."

They sprang apart, but it was too late.Thorncraft stood in the doorway, satisfaction emanating from him like heat from a furnace.

"Sir—" Malachai started, straightening his tie with hands that weren't quite steady.

"No need for explanations."Thorncraft settled into a chair without being invited, radiating triumph poorly disguised as disappointment."Though I must say, this situation requires immediate attention.The board will want to discuss this first thing tomorrow morning.And whether you’ll still have a job here Starcatcher."

The silence after he left was deafening.The practice dummies huddled together in concerned pairs, while the protective wards around the classroom seemed to dim in response to the sudden tension.

What bothered Ceries most wasn't Thorncraft's intrusion, but his smile as he left—too pleased for someone supposedly disappointed in their behavior.Everything suddenly felt like pieces of a puzzle she couldn't quite see, a trap that had been carefully laid and now was springing shut.

"Mal..."she started..

"Don't."He straightened his tie, retreating behind formality like armor."This is my fault.I should have maintained better control."

"It's our fault," she corrected."But something about this feels wrong.The timing...This doesn't add up.Why is he so fixated on the curriculum?Why does he want to get rid of you so badly?”

"I don’t know, but I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.The board meeting is at nine," he said formally, already pulling away emotionally as well as physically."Try to get some sleep."

As he left, Ceries stared at the scattered papers on her desk—all the forms and requests and curriculum changes that had seemed so important moments ago.Why did everything suddenly feel like pieces of a larger scheme?Why had Thorncraft looked so satisfied?And why did she have the sinking feeling that tomorrow's meeting was about much more than just their inappropriate relationship?

She gathered her things slowly, a sense of foreboding settling over her like a shroud.Tomorrow would change everything—she was certain of it.What she couldn't know was whether anything would remain of what they'd built together, or if Thorncraft's trap would destroy it all.

Outside, rain began to fall, droplets streaking down the windows like tears, matching the heaviness in her heart.

Chapter 9

The mahogany doorsof the Grimm Mawr Academy board room had never looked more imposing.Ceries took a deep breath to steady her nerves as she and Malachai waited to be called in.His face was carefully composed, but the slight twitch of his jaw betrayed his tension.

"Whatever happens in there," she said quietly, "I want you to know I don't regret anything."

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