Page 70 of Forbidden Magic
“You want a turn?” I ask.
Danger flashes in his eyes. “Try me.” He smirks like he knows I won’t dare touch him, and he’s right. The satisfaction written across his terribly beautiful face is unbearable. “Come. We have to do this assignment sometime.”
“You’re not the boss of me.” But we do need to get cracking on the next spell on our list, and this is as good a time as any, so I still follow his dark silhouette up the gravel path leading to the big stone gargoyle.
The library is quiet, a few students yawning among the stacks. Cole and I take my table, the one at the very back.
We both agreed on a truce not to flunk S&S, but those quiet moments at the library are killing me. Studying alongside Cole is a curse in itself.
The soft rustling of paper, the dim flicker of the torches, everything fucks with my head.
It’s calm. Intimate.
From the way he extends his legs underneath the table after being immobile for too long to the warmth of his knees bumping against mine when he switches position, I can barely focus on the work. I keep waiting for an ambush or a cruel comment to break the serenity of our studying sessions only to be left even more rattled when nothing happens.
I scratch my neck, trying hard not to notice how the knot of his tie is loose enough to reveal the edge of his chest tattoo, the black ink contrasting with the white undershirt.
“Why do you want to stay here? When everyone is against you and your very life is in danger?” He asks without looking up.
“Because it’s the best school.”
“But to what end? You’ll graduate, and then what? Maybe you have a few good years on the market, five at most. But you’ll find a husband soon enough, marry, have kids. Even if you don’t, you’ll never be good enough to get into the Magisterium. These things take practice. Practice takes time, andtimeis precisely what you don’t have.” The casual shrug he uses to punctuate his litany sends angry roaches scattering beneath my skin.
“And why doyoubother? You’ll be given free passes and opportunities because of your last name, and you’ll drown in alcohol and women until your narcissistic instincts command you to procreate.”
A light flush colors his cheeks, but he keeps a straight face. He pauses as he returns the first book to his leather bag. “You’ll never beat me, Sabrina.”
“Why not?”
“I want it more,” he says like it’s all a matter of will.
My knuckles clench against the edge of the table. “My whole future is at stake. I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”
“And I’ll do worse.” It sounds more like a promise than a threat, his face serene.
The upbeat tone throws me for a loop, and I arch an eyebrow at him. “Why do you even care?”
A cloud passes over his eyes before he peels his jacket off the table and whistles out.
When the main entrance closes behind him, I comb my hair back and blow out a deep breath through my mouth.
What a jerk. I can’t let him rattle me like that.
I get home and unpack my bag.
My notes are missing. My entire work of the last three weeks: gone. Someone else must have stolen them while I was arguing with Cole, and now I can’t study. The bastard was setting me up after all.
I spend three full nights in the library before the test to compensate. It leaves me no time for anything else, but since I seem to have no one left besides Trent, I don’t let it bother me too much.
The only thing that matters is beating Cole. After that, everything will fall into place. It has to.
28
Distractions
“You drive me crazy, Jules.”
“Watch your fangs, Darkwood.”
