Page 48 of Shattered Illusion

My belly does a funny little swoop at the sight of him, but he ignores me, keeping his dark eyes trained on Axel.

“I think it’s time to say goodnight,” Jasper grates out, his voice sounding just as rocky as it has every other time I’ve been in his presence. It’s the first time I’ve seen him since the incident in his office with Professor Asshole. He hasn’t even tried to stop by to make sure I’d gotten back okay after I disappeared.

And as much as I want to disagree, I know he’s right. Here and now just isn’t the place or time for Axel and I to come together. Even if my body disagrees.

“Goodnight, Jasper,” I sass, even as I slip from between Axel’s body and the car. Heading around the car, I pop open the back door and lean in, grabbing the bags of food from inside so I can eat it when I get upstairs to my room. Once in hand, I stand back up, finding Jasper’s eyes on me. “Oh, you’re still here?”

“Miss Matthews,” he growls out, his wings twitching behind his back.

“Yes?” I say sweetly, batting my eyelashes at him.

“Inside. Now.”

“Yes, Headmaster.” I put extra sway in my hips as I walk back around to the other side and grab Axel’s hand in mine. I toss him a wink before Axel swoops me up into his arms and flashes into the academy. Leaving a fuming rock bird in our wake.

Fucking hell.

That little minx is going to be the death of me.

Me

Hey, Thaddy! I was wondering if maybe you had time today after I get back from shopping to help me practice my magic.

Thaddy Smurf

Sorry, sunshine. My girlfriend and I have tickets to opening night at the opera tonight. It’ll be pretty late by the time we get back.

Me

No worries, Thaddy. Thanks anyway.

Music blaresloudly through the speakers, drowning out my disappointment as Marion weaves between cars on the road toward Main Street. The highway is packed with people being that it’s Sunday, and it seems they all had the same idea as us.

Shopping.

While I’ve never been a fan of spending money since I needed to save it for my future, now I can because my future has been rerouted in an entirely new direction. Not only do I still have the few grand I left the human sector with, but I also have an entire bank account full of so many zeros, I don’t know what I’ll do with it all.

It’s not like I’ll spend a lot of it, though. Maybe get a couple of things here and there and call it good. There isn’t exactly a lot of storage space in my dorm room. Plus, why get it all now and have to move it after I leave Stonewell.

That’s not something that I’ve really thought much about. Leaving Stonewell. Eventually, it’ll happen. I’ll be done with my schooling and need to move on. To what, I have no clue. There’s only so much I can do being hidden as I am.

The mansion Axel showed me yesterday comes to mind, but I can’t see myself living there all by myself. The place is too big to navigate alone. I know there are many others who would love to be in my position, owning such a grand estate, but things like that have just never been for me.

Marion whips into a massive parking structure, gliding into an empty spot before shutting off the car. The silence now that the music isn’t blaring is deafening. A squeal from the driver’s seat punctuates the quiet, and the car starts to rock as she bounces in her seat with excitement.

“I know I said we were going to go into town, but I thought the mall would be better. There are so many more stores here, and I wanted to get something special for…” she trails off before waving her own words away. “It doesn’t matter. Are you ready for a day of shopping?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” I try to summon the same excitement that Marion has, but there’s no doubt that it falls flat. She, thankfully, chooses to ignore my lack of enthusiasm, snatching her bag from the back seat and hopping out. I followsuit to find her bouncing on her toes as she waits for me to orient myself with my surroundings.

Marion links her arm with mine and all but drags me toward the elevator, talking a mile a minute about who knows what. My eyes are too busy surveying my surroundings, and I reach up, clasping my necklace. Reminding myself that I’m hidden. That no one knows what I am. And as long as I have this around my neck, I’ll be safe.

Famous last words, right? That seems to be the theme of my life. Every time I think that, something bad happens. But it could just be my nerves, as this is the first time I’ve been out in the supernatural world without Axel—without anyone, really. I have to remember, though, that I’m not alone, and Marion wouldn’t leave me to navigate it by myself—or at least I hope she wouldn’t.

The elevator takes us to the bottom floor, and my jaw drops when the doors open, revealing what can only be described as a shopper’s paradise. Marion has to physically drag me from the metal box as my brain stops sending signals to my feet the second I set eyes on the many places where I could easily spend thousands of dollars.

Not that I’m going to, but the temptation is real.

“So, where should we go first?” Marion squeals, her eyes darting around the crowds coming in and out of the various stores to our left and right.

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