Page 109 of A Tower of Half-Truths
“Of course it’s about the Covenants. And they’re not ‘ridiculous’; the High Council enacted them for a reason. Without any standards for decorum, the entire wizarding community would be…well, it would be completeanarchy!”
She snorted. “The entire world won’t end over a kiss.”
“Perhaps not the entire world, but my career might.”
“Not if no one finds out about this—aboutus.”
His stomach lurched. “You’re not suggesting we try courting in secret? I told you what happened withConor—”
She placed a hand on his cheek. “But I’m not him. I wouldn’t dream of holding the Covenantsagainst you.” She smiled wryly. “Besides, you know I’m no stranger to keeping secrets.”
“I…” He sighed again, closing his eyes as he leaned into her palm. “I don’t know…”
“Then why don’t I make this easier for both of us and resign?”
His eyes flew open. “Please, Mavery, don’t sacrifice your career on my behalf.”
She scoffed. “A ‘career’ that’s lasted all of two months. Leyport’s a large enough city, I can find work elsewhere.” She looked downward. “Though, to be perfectly honest, I doubt I’ll find anything quite as enjoyable.”
“Then that’s all the more reason to keep things as they are.”
“But I don’twantto keep things as they are. I want to be more than your assistant.”
His instinct was to doubt her. Their kiss had been simply the result of getting caught up in the moment after a week of trials and failures. He’d warned her of what involving herself with him would entail. Yet, despite knowing the darkest marks of his past, she’d stayed. At this moment, she remained wrapped in his arms.
But if they went through with this, if they got caught…
“If I lose my rank, then what will I have?” he whispered.
“You’ll still have your brilliant mind, for starters. Your good heart, your—”
“While I appreciate the compliments, you don’t need—”
“Yourstubbornness”—she jabbed his sternum with her index finger—“that’s so relentless, I doubt losing access tolibrarieswould stop you from doing anything.”
He laughed. “I can’t argue with that.”
“You’ll still have your passion for magic.” The finger that had just prodded him now stroked his cheek, leaving behind a trail of tingling skin. “And a beautiful face, with a smile that’s godsdamnedsublime.”
He smiled as heat trickled up his neck. “Hmm, I don’t think those last two count asscholarlyattributes.”
She rolled her eyes. “There’s that stubbornness again.” She cupped his chin. “You will always be so much more than a scholar.”
Her lips parted, and as she leaned closer, he was caught in a war between his heart and his mind. The former wanted to forget about the Covenantsand kiss her again—and never stop kissing her. The latter knew this was no time to make any rash decisions. Her lips were a hair’s breadth from his when he released her and slipped away.
He squeezed his eyes shut as he kneaded his temples, but nothing he did could temper the dilemma raging inside his head. And that wasn’t even taking into account the work that awaited him in the days ahead. The incantation might have been a success, but he still needed to finish writing his report, then prepare the presentation itself—
Mavery touched his arm. It was enough to quiet his thoughts, if only for a moment.
“What do you think we should do?” she asked softly.
He turned to her, meeting her furrowed brow. “Perhaps…we should set aside these feelings for the time being, then revisit this conversation once the presentation is behind us.”
Mavery sighed deeply. Her disappointment was palpable, but she nodded.
“All right,” she said.
“For now, let’s run through the spell again. We’ll need to measure its area of effect, as well as its duration.” He forced a smile, a vain attempt to add some levity. “I can’t say I was paying attention to either the first time around.”
