by Leigh Kelsey
Kati smiled. “Now we’re equals.”
“Dangerous words, Miss Wilson,” he laughed softly, putting the stopper back into the empty potion bottle and placing it in a rose gold wire basket that appeared to be for that exact purpose: returning empty vials. “You should take those.” He nodded to the remaining two ampoules, an opal-white one like his and a duochrome liquid that flashed blue and pink when shifted in the light.
“Tell me what I’m drinking, and I will.” She was partly making sure it was safe to take, but mostly curious what the pearly tonic was.
“Exactly what you’ve been prescribed,” he replied, leaning back against the cushions and looking more relaxed than she’d seen him before. “A shock draught and a calming tonic.”
So he’d taken a calming tonic. Because he was so furious about what Alexandra and her mates had done to Kati? She would have pressed for that exact answer if she thought she’d stood a chance at getting it. Instead she gulped down the blue and pink liquid—thick, viscous, and garlicky—and followed it up with a calming tonic chaser—as thin as water and sweet like sugar paper—and drowned out the combined taste of both with peppermint tea.
“That,” Kati said, after draining the cup, “is disgusting.”
“The price we pay for magic,” Iain replied, amusement in the curl of his lips, the warmth of his voice. “How do you feel?”
“Pissed off,” Kati replied automatically, but she was starting to mellow. The tension left her bones in increments and she went lax against the pillows, a full breath moving through her chest for the first time in … months. “Well, I don’t feel in shock anymore if that’s what you mean.”
She lifted her hands—steady now. And judging by the fact her thumb had stopped bleeding, there was a little kick of healing potion in her tea. She softened towards him even further, her cheeks heating at the way he’d taken care of her. “Thanks. If you hadn’t come…”
“Don’t follow that train of thought,” he said softly, his eyes steady on hers. “That way madness lies.”
Kati snorted. “I get the sense you’re quoting something but I have no idea what.”
“I’m paraphrasing Shakespeare.”
“Because of course you are,” Kati murmured with a grin.
“O, that way madness lies; let me shun that; no more of that.”
Kati leaned across the cushions between them to pat his arm. “You need to get out more, buddy.”
“Rude,” he replied, but he was smiling, the smile reaching his eyes for the first time since she’d met him. “What’s wrong with Shakespeare?”
Kati shrugged. “Not my cup of tea.”
“What is?” he asked genuinely, leaning closer to peer into her face. “Do you read?”
“Obviously, or I’d never know what the hell you were teaching in death magic theory.”
Iain rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean.”
Kati shrugged. “I hate to be a stereotype but I like gothic shit. Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Horace Walpole, Jane Austen.”
“Jane Austen?” he asked dubiously.
Kati pointed a threatening finger. “Don’t start on Jane Austen, I will fight you.”
He laughed, a bright startling sound that seemed to surprise him as much as it had that day in his classroom when he’d revealed his true surname. “I’d be a brave man indeed to start a fight with you.”
Kati grinned, the compliment heating her inside and out. She ignored the flush riding her cheekbones and sweeping down her neck. “Says the man who used a crazy advanced binding spell earlier tonight.”
He glanced away, studying a collection of books lined up on the stone windowsill nearby, and Kati got the impression that he was embarrassed, or ashamed.
“Hey,” she said, drawing his attention back to her, “you don’t need to dumb down your ability. Just because your aunt is … your aunt, that doesn’t mean you can’t have powerful magic too.”
His gaze turned unbearably soft, his eyes travelling over her expression. “How are you so kind when you’re suffering so much?”
Kati snorted to cover up her sudden self-consciousness. “Not sure many people would use the word kind to describe me.”
“I would,” Iain said seriously, leaning closer. “I mean it, Kati. Everyone expects the worst of you, and it’s admirable that you refuse to give it to them, that you remain compassionate.”
“Not to them,” Kati said, more breathless than she’d intended. He was very close, and if he kept talking like this she was going to get some very bad ideas. “They’re assholes, they don’t deserve my compassion.
“But that you have compassion at all after the way you’ve been treated … it’s a wonder.” His smile was tender, and either Kati was delusional or she saw the same longing in his turquoise eyes.
“Likewise,” Kati whispered. “And you’ve been through worse shit than me, so you’re the real wonder.”
He laughed softly, self-deprecating, and Kati got the sense he did that a lot—undervalued himself, shifted attention away from himself and his achievements. “I’m not sure I’d agree with that.”
“I mean it, Iain,” she said, echoing his earlier words. “You’re a good person, and it looks like you’re one hell of a magician. You shouldn’t hide that, or downplay it.”
He smiled, his eyes averted. “I’m used to fading into the background,” he admitted, barely a whisper. “It’s what kept me safe.”
“Yeah,” Kati murmured, impossibly close to him now, her heart slamming against her ribs, “I tried the same thing—didn’t work. But I’m not that mad about it right now. Not when I got to know you because of all that shit.”
He glanced up, confusion narrowing his eyes, pushing his fuller bottom lip out in a frown. “You know my true identity and you still want to get to know me?”
“That and more,” Kati breathed, and closed the remaining space between them.
A breath punched out of her lungs as their lips connected. Finally, her heart seemed to say. She expected to be pushed away, waited for his common sense and moral compass to kick in, but instead a groan built in the back of his throat, and Kati gasped. His hands settled on her hips, tugged her onto his lap, and he kissed her hard, fierce, their tongues brushing in a shock of sensation.
Kati curled her fingers around his shoulders, her heart so loud in her ears as his hand slid up her spine to the back of her neck and dove into her hair, seemingly trying to touch every inch of her as his lips consumed hers. She could feel his heart beating fast through the close press of their bodies, could feel him becoming hard underneath her, Kati growing wet in response and a shot of giddy thrill rushing through her blood. She grinned into the kiss, every brush of their lips sending sparks racing right to her clit.
With a ragged breath, he pulled back, his chest heaving and his eyes glazed with lust as he stared at her, his hands bracing her hips as he greedily sought out more kisses.
“Kati,” he breathed, and she groaned in complaint at that tone. Now he would pull back and tell her nothing could come from this. “This is … unacceptable,” he said huskily, but didn’t push her away as she pressed her lips to his again, brief brushes that only fuelled her need for more. His thumbs brushed circles on her hip bones, his eyes at half-mast.
“I’m serious,” he protested weakly, kissing her first this time, chasing her mouth as she leaned back the smallest amount. His fingertips wandered up her back as his tongue grazed hers, small, barely-there touches that had her dripping between her legs, groaning in the back of her throat. “You’re my student.”
“That’s only an issue when that student is underage. I’m eighteen, Iain, fully able to consent. And souls do I consent.” She kissed him again, drawn back into the desperate ebb and flow of tongues and lips and teeth, her fingers buried in his hair and his glasses askew.
He severed the kiss with a gasp, his lips finding her neck, the spot behind her ear, the thin skin above her pulse that made her eyes slide shut
with pleasure. “We can’t,” he protested even as he did.
Kati carded her fingers through his hair, loving the feel of the strands on her fingers as much as she loved having him close, having him trust her this much.
This couldn’t be a one-off thing; she needed more nights like this, his lips against her skin, his arms secure around her and his hands roaming, leaving heat and goosebumps in their wake.
“Souls,” Kati breathed as he dragged his teeth over her pulse point. “Who knew you were such a good kisser?”
She felt his smile against her skin. “I’m glad you’re satisfied with my skills. Although … Kati, this can’t happen again.”
Kati snorted, then bit her lip as his tongue darted out to taste her, her pussy throbbing. “Maybe say that after you’ve finished kissing my neck.”
With a groan, he drew back, his lips swollen and his eyes glazed, a cocky smile on his lips. Kati loved it, wanted to see more of it, taste it. She leaned forward but he caught her shoulders and kept distance between them. Kati pouted, cold air hitting her warm cheeks, her flushed skin, and the cocoon of desire beginning to fade.
“This shouldn’t have happened,” he sighed, squeezing her hips before lifting her off him and running a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, Kati.”
“For what, kissing me senseless?”
He snorted, then erased the amusement from his expression. “For taking advantage of you when you were scared and recovering from a traumatic attack.”
Kati sighed, flattening wayward strands of her hair back into place. “That’s not what happened here and you know it. This has been coming for a while. At least on my end.”
For a long moment he just stared, silent, and then with a sigh he admitted, “Mine too. But it’s forbidden.”
“According to what? The magic teacher’s guide to dating?”
He laughed, a huff of a breath, but shook his head. “Kati.”
“Iain,” she returned in the same tone of voice.
“I could lose my job.”
Kati scowled. “It’s not like I’m underage. They can’t fire you for a consensual relationship.”
Iain shrugged. “I’m sure most of them are just waiting for an excuse.”
Because he was Lady LaVoire’s nephew. Kati blew out a breath, ignoring the need for him pulsing between her legs. “Alright. If this is just going to make life more difficult for you … I don’t like it but okay.”
“There you are with that compassion again,” he said softly. He reached for her hand and squeezed it. “I’m sorry, Kati.”
“I’m sorry too,” she said with a smirk. “I’m not gonna make it easy for you. It may kill you, wanting me but not being able to have me,” she joked.
“I don’t doubt it.” He leant across and brushed her cheek with a kiss, then pushed to his feet. “I’ll walk you to your dorm, assuming you don’t need another tonic?”
Kati stood, casting a glance at the tray of phials. “Don’t suppose there’s a cold shower elixir?” Iain laughed, a soft sound under his breath but a laugh nonetheless. Kati grinned in victory. “Alright then, lead the way.”
A smile clung to his mouth as he tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear. “I wish this could be different, but my first year—my first term—was always going to be tenuous. It’s shitty timing.”
“I know,” Kati sighed, and then gave him a lopsided grin. “Hey, look on the bright side. If you do get fired, you’d have unlimited access to all of this.” She swept a hand down at her body and spun slowly on the spot, letting him get a good look.
“Incorrigible,” he said in a husky voice when she faced him again, his eyes a full shade darker.
“Yup,” Kati agreed, pushing onto her tiptoes and kissing his cheek. “Come on, Mr Worth, aren’t you supposed to be escorting me to my dorm?”
With a giddy grin, Kati led the way out of the enclosed area and back to the infirmary under the Diamond Rotunda, hoping nobody noticed her blush.
IT’S TOTALLY NORMAL TO HAVE A POTIONS ARSENAL
It was a wonder Kati managed to sleep at all with the noise in her head. All the usual schoolwork thoughts, the worries that she’d fail necromancy at the end of term exam, plus her near-death experience and the aftermath with Iain.
She tried to hold onto the good memories, to dwell on the kisses and touches and let lust blaze a path across her body, but it couldn’t hold out against the panic and terror of being locked in the Venom Chamber, hearing Alexandra Chen tell her friends to leave Kati to die, that she deserved it. She kept returning to that moment, to the pure, sharp horror.
Eventually she exhausted herself enough that she slipped into a deep sleep.
In her dream, Kati sat in the window seat of her bedroom at SBA, staring out across the training green to the dark trees and the silvery lake rippling occasionally as its mysterious sea-beast rolled over in its sleep. Everything was as normal, the sky lightening with the dawn, stars gradually winking out, except the academy walls were lit cerulean blue by the glow of a tower that shouldn’t have been there.
Foreboding rose up all around Kati as she stared at that dream-tower, and with it came knowledge. Someone else was going to die.
Kati awoke with a start, blinking and gasping, a feeling of desperate urgency beating at her breast bone. It felt like she was being lured away from her room, to that glowing blue tower.
The smart thing to do would be to find Iain or Madam Hawkness, but the need to act gripped Kati so tightly and fiercely that she couldn’t delay. Deep down, through whatever augury she had, she knew she didn’t have time to find someone else to help. Only Kati knew that someone was about to die. Only she could save them.
Don’t be reckless, Kati, Dolly warned. Blinking sleep from her eyes and climbing to her feet, she shuffled over to Kati on the bed.
“Someone’s going to get hurt, Dolly,” Kati snapped. “Every time I dream, someone turns up dead!”
I saw the dream too, Dolly sighed. I know.
Kati pulled a jacket over the shirt she slept in and shoved her feet into boots, lacing them over her leggings.
Nothing I say will stop you, will it?
“No,” Kati agreed, holstering her wand and grabbing her athame while she was at it.
I’ll go get help. You should take your besties with you.
Kati clenched her jaw so hard a muscle flickered. But Dolly was right. If she ran into certain danger alone … she was an idiot. Not to mention her destination was a tower that had glowed blue in her dreams, that had been in the exact same place the Stolen Tower was rumoured to have been before it vanished.
Kati shut out the thoughts. Not helpful.
She banged on Rahmi’s door first, simply because she tended to come awake more quickly.
“What?” Rahmi groaned, rubbing the back of her neck.
For a second Kati blinked at the mass of black hair spilling down Rahmi’s shoulders, unused to seeing it, and then she snapped out of it. “Someone’s going to die, Rahmi. There’s no time to get help. I’m going to save them.”
Rahmi’s eyes cleared, her expression hardening. “Give me one minute. I already have an arsenal prepared.”
Kati frowned, watching her friend throw a cardigan over her pyjamas and pile her hair into a headscarf with alarming speed. How the hell did she do that so fast? Kati struggled to check the time on her phone when she first woke up. “Wait,” Kati said. “An arsenal?”
“Yeah.” Rahmi carefully picked up a satchel and put it over her shoulder. “I figured something like this would happen, especially with your dreams. So I’ve been making a few potions a day, preparing.”
Kati blinked in surprise but forced herself to move. This was good—at least one of them was prepared.
“Plus, it’s easier to carry around than my scythe,” Rahmi added as Kati rushed across the living room and hammered at Naia’s door. It took longer for her to grasp the severity of the situation, her eyes crusted shut with sleep, but within seconds she was
spouting off random bits of knowledge and history.
Kati gripped her wand hard enough to bruise her fingers as they headed for the door, Rahmi with a bag crammed with potions, Naia with a head full of knowledge, and Kati mentally reciting every offensive and defensive spell she’d ever learned.
It had to be enough.
It had to be.
THE TOWER THAT SHOULDN’T EXIST
Kati didn’t know where to start looking for an entrance to a tower that wasn’t supposed to exist, but luckily she had a friend who knew almost everything there was to know about the academy. The Concise Guide to Second Breath Academy that Kati had devoured in her youth had left out one detail too many for her liking. “Naia? Any ideas how we get in?”
Naia pushed her glasses up her nose, thumbing through a battered book she’d either checked out of the library or found at the back of a shelf in the history classroom. She kept flitting glances around them, as if they’d be discovered. “But … the curfew…”
“Naia, someone’s going to die. I think that negates the curfew,” Kati said, trying hard not to snap, urgency pumping adrenaline through her body.
“We have a good reason for being out, Nai,” Rahmi said gently.
Naia nodded, swallowing, and consulted her book again. “Okay, I can’t find anything that says where an entrance used to be, and I don’t remember every reading anything about one, but I could guess. We need to go upstairs.”
Kati let Naia lead the way, holding her wand tight as Rahmi took out a long, thin vial of glowing red liquid. “What the hell is that?” Kati asked, alarmed at the bright colour of it.
“Blinding solution,” Rahmi said, scanning the second floor as they emerged at the top of the staircase, Naia muttering under her breath as she reread a passage. “Don’t tell Mrs Balham, but I borrowed an advanced potions book. I don’t think we’re supposed to brew any of the potions in it, but I managed them fine.”
“Because you’re scarily good at potions,” Kati replied absently, her mind on the Stolen Tower, the ominous sense from her dream, and the certainty that someone was being gravely hurt right now.