Page 92 of Wicked Chains
"Isn't that good?" I ask, but I already know the answer from the sorrow in his eyes.
Drake's hand passes through mine for a moment before solidifying again. "I’m fading, Rose. That unfinished business that was keeping me here, it’s over. That's what's beenhappening when I disappear. I'm not going anywhere else. I'm just... ceasing to exist. Little by little."
My throat tightens. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"Because I didn't want to hurt you." His smile is sad. "Because I didn’t want it to be true." His hand cups my cheek. "Because you made me feel alive again."
I lean into his touch, my eyes burning with tears that won’t fall. "There has to be a way to stop it. Maybe Lucien knows something, or Soren. They've been around for centuries, they might?—"
Drake shakes his head. "This is how it's supposed to be, Rose. I've been living on borrowed time for a hundred years. The natural order is reasserting itself."
"Fuck the natural order," I say. "Nothing about this place isnatural. I'm not letting you disappear."
I throw myself into his arms, hugging him, relieved when he stays solid beneath my hands. "We'll find a way."
“There’s more, Rose. I?—”
A light knock interrupts whatever he was about to say.
"Seriously? What is this, Grand Central Station today?"
Drake stands, his form flickering again. "I should go."
"No," I grab his wrist. "Stay. Please. I don't care who it is. They can go away."
He hesitates, then nods. "Alright."
The knocking comes again, more insistent this time.
Drake's cool lips brush my forehead. "We'll finish this conversation later. Come find me on the fourth floor when you're done here." He kisses me properly then, and his mouth against mine feels like goodbye. "I promise I'll still be there. It’s not my time, not just yet."
Before I can argue, he’s gone.
Whoever it is knocks again. I walk over and open the door.
Ollie, of all people, stands in the hallway, his shoulders hunched, eyes darting nervously from side to side.
"Ollie?" I pull him inside quickly, checking the hallway before shutting the door. "What are you doing here? Staff aren't allowed in the dorms."
"I know, Miss Smith. I'm sorry." He wrings his hands, shifting from foot to foot. "I wouldn't have come if it wasn't important."
An ice block settles in my stomach. "What's happened?"
"It's Headmistress Wickersly. Helena. She's—" He glances toward the window, then back at me. "She's planning something. Something bad."
"Okay," I say, trying to keep my voice calm. "Tell me everything."
Ollie takes a deep breath. "Last night, I was finishing up my shift, taking out the trash behind the kitchens. I saw Helena leaving the main building. It was late, after curfew." He swallows. "I know I shouldn't have, but I followed her."
"You followed Helena Wickersly?" I can't keep the disbelief from my voice. "Ollie, that's incredibly dangerous."
"I know, but..." He looks down at his shoes. "After what she tried to do to your familiar, I thought you should know if she was up to something."
I can’t quite believe it. Ollie, this simple, kind boy who barely knows me, put himself at risk to help me.
"Go on," I say.
"She went into the woods, to a clearing quite far in. There were others waiting for her, Blood Moon Coven members, at least seven of them." Ollie's voice drops to a whisper. "I got as close as I dared. They were talking about Mr. Ash, about how he's becoming unstable, how his, uh, attachment to you is compromising his judgment."
