Page 59 of A Sea of Secrets
“Take my clothes with you,” he told me, shoving them into my hands. “I’ll meet you outside.”
His shoulders shimmered light green from his adaptation, then one minute he was there and the next I was like a fucking laundry lady, standing all alone with his clothes in my arms.
Shit. So much for him having my back.
I ran a hand through my hair. He’d fucking ditched me, but Noah wouldn’t have left if it wasn’t important. Knowing that still didn’t mean I wasn’t tempted to drop his shit, but leaving evidence wasn’t my style. It was already shifty enough that we were in the building in the first place. No one went into the main building of the academy unless they wanted to speak to a Master or the Overseer. Speaking of which, I needed to find one before anyone manning the cameras decided I was up to no good.
I glanced behind me, spotting Jeremiah’s wide-open door, but the guy was a dick on a good day, and I had no interest in making up some pathetic story for him. Plus, I still needed to check the other offices. Master Nolan’s was next, and I knocked a couple of times. After no answer and a quick attempt at turning the handle, I found it was locked and moved on. Breaking into his office would have looked suss and wasn’t the reason for me being there. Again, I was not entirely disappointed as I walked away. Like Jeremiah, he was also a dick.
As I knocked on the door a few rooms down, Master Luna’s voice rang out, permitting me entry. Thank fuck. The lesser of three evils and my excuse for being in the main building.
“How can I help you, Mr Warner?” she asked once I was inside. She raised her brows, glancing at the bundle in my hands. I must have looked stupid as fuck carrying Noah’s clothes around with me.
“I—”Fuck, what was my cover again?I tried to think of one of the excuses I’d brainstormed with the others before coming here, but for some fucked-up reason my mind had gone blank.
“Yes?” Master Luna pressed, pursing her lips.
“Want to get dinner with me sometime?” I blurted, my brain malfunctioning like a busted control panel. Why did that have to be the only excuse I could remember?
Master Luna sat back; her cheeks tinged red as she folded her hands before her. She was pretty, with bright brown eyes, heart-shaped lips, and long brown hair that flowed in waves to her shoulders. She had to be over a decade older than me to be a Master here, yet you wouldn’t know it by looking at her. The thing is, she wasn’t my type despite that. I was far more interested in a hot raven-haired woman with copper eyes and a bratty attitude.
“The trials can bring out a lot of emotions. Now that they are over you may want to act on them. Whilst I’m flattered and you are very handsome,” she replied, the last living piece inside me dying an agonising death from embarrassment, “I’m sure you’re aware it is not appropriate to pursue a personal relationship with any of the staff here.”
“Ahh, yeah.” I scratched the back of my neck. “I better go then.”
“It is a shame. Under other circumstances, I might have accepted.” She ran her gaze over my body in a caress. “Was there anything else?”
I shook my head, backing away. “No. Thanks.” I got my ass out of there, cursing my brain and its inability to come up with any other reason than the fucking idiotic one that Zane had told me.
Once in the hallway, all the other excuses flooded back to me. I was supposed to have asked her about the ball or the trials or anything else but on a fucking date. That merman was fucking with my head. I took a different route to the exit, taking stock of every important detail before getting the hell out of there. At least I’d managed to get the layout of the rooms so this wasn’t an entire waste of time.
Fucking Zane.
“Hey,” Noah said, his voice scaring the shit out of me as the bastard was still invisible.
“Don’t fucking sneak up on me!” I growled, marching away from the main building and my embarrassment. I clenched my fists at my side.
“What’s up with you?”
“Nothing,” I grumbled, storming towards the auditorium.
“You look a little flushed,” he replied. “Something happen with Master Luna?”
“Nope, not a thing,” I snapped. “Did you get whatever the fuck was so important you had to ditch me for?”
“I think so, grumpy. Are you sure nothing—”
“Shut the fuck up and tell me why you went incognito.”
“I’ll tell you tonight,” he said calmly, not at all bothered by my attitude. See, this is why I liked him best; he wasn’t scared of me, nor did he feel the need to argue. “When we’re with the others and alone.”
I slowed my steps, eyeing the air to my left. “Interesting.”
“You have no idea.”
“Hey! I’m dancing with my girlfriend!”
“Not happening little one,” I replied, dragging Kendra away from Lou.
