Page 45 of Forbidden Magic
Allie elbows my side. “I hate that girl.” The venom in her hushed voice takes me by surprise.
I brush it aside on the count that I wholeheartedly agree.
By the end of the class, I’m not sure I made the right decision picking this course. Divination is so fluid. Imprecise. Everyone is tripping over themselves to please Mr. Brady. I gather my things.
“Lydia. Can you stay behind?” Mr. Brady asks.
Lydia’s eyes bulge.
Allie hugs me goodnight. “I’m beat. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I hang back awkwardly, standing right in front of the door leading back inside the tower staircase, waiting for Lydia.
Mr. Brady sits on his desk and braces his hand in his lap. “Your grandmother was a mentor of mine. I’m so sorry she died so young.”
“We all miss her.” Lydia’s voice is squeaky, and her arms are wrapped around her frame.
Brady combs his brown locks away from his tall forehead. “She was an amazing woman. Do you know what happened to her tarot deck?”
Lines appear on my roommate’s forehead. “I have it.”
Mr. Brady scratches his neck. “Here? In school? I figured you’d keep it under lock and key.”
“Are you going to steal it from me?” she laughs nervously.
“Of course not. But others might.” He pats her shoulders for an instant. “Good job today.”
The enigmatic warning hangs in the air, and Lydia inches toward me, stunned.
“What was that about?” I ask.
Her rosy cheeks are proof that Mr. Brady is even more stunning up close. “No clue.”
Olson is waiting at the bottom of the stairs, but he’s not alone. Jessa is leaning against the stone wall, her creamy leg propped behind her.
My eyes narrow.
Olson bounces from one foot to the other. “Hey. I wanted to talk to you. Holly woke up.”
“Did she say what attacked her?” I ask.
Olson kicks a small rock at his feet. “She couldn’t remember.”
A cruel chuckle pops out of Jessa’s big mouth. “The mortal woke up and ran for the hills. She dropped out the second she was able to put two words together.” She licks her lips. “One down…” The evil grin stuck on her face makes my fist itch, but she pushes herself off the wall and struts away.
I give Olson my bestwhat-the-fuck-are-you-doing-with-her look.
He raises his hands to the sky. “Hey, I’m not stupid. I know she wants something from me. My dad is on the student housing committee. She’s not the first to ask for a private room.”
“You’re not going to help her, right?”
A wicked glint warms his eyes. “Of course. She’s hot.”
I smack his arm.
He sobers up, his carefree face darker than I’ve ever seen it. “Listen. We are all thinking the same thing. Someone on campus isn’t happy with our presence here. We have to be careful. Especially you.”
I cross my arms. “Why do you say it like that?”
