by Luna Pierce
Silas clears his throat. “We thought that Willow might be able to locate one of her father’s possessions, to make the search for her mother easier. It’s been greatly bothering her. We should have asked. It’s my fault for insisting. If there are any punishments, I ask to accept them solely.” Silas stands firmly to my right, his hands to his sides. He doesn’t look my way despite me rubbernecking at him.
“And were you successful?” Walker questions, his tone lightening up.
“No, sir,” Silas verifies.
“I see. Well, we’re all adults here. There will be no penalties, but I do encourage you to inform us if you leave the premises again, although I highly advise against it in the meantime. When you decided to attend this school, you put yourself in my care, and to endanger yourselves and weaken the barrier without a second thought is truly disheartening. I don’t want to have to reconsider your admission here.” His last few words are the most impactful of all.
“I’m sorry,” I finally speak.
“I understand these are troubling times for you, Willow. You have more on your plate than most others. I do hope that you’re thoughtful of your actions, though.” He stands, walking around his desk and leaning alongside it like he often does.
“If you don’t mind, I need to take a break from the shadow realm for the time being. I’ve been feeling poorly lately and was hoping to rest up and come back stronger.” But really, I can’t imagine being forced to sit so intimately with the one who deceived me and be required to allow him into my head. My stomach turns knowing how defenseless and exposed I’ve been to him in all this time.
Walker nods. “I had a hunch this would happen. I absolutely understand. Take some time. Recover. We’ll pick back up where we left off, but not until you’re ready. In the interim, Sydney can provide his power.”
They’re going to continue without me? Using Sydney? What if Sydney is making the shadow realm susceptible to more demon attacks?
“Good idea,” Silas answers.
“Thanks for checking in. Please be more transparent if you plan on departing again.”
Silas and I exit the office, my gaze trailing the floor, me trying to process what just went down.
Out of nowhere, a figure comes barreling into me, lifting me off the floor. “You have got to stop disappearing like that, Willow.”
Deghan.
“You’re cutting off the circulation in my arms,” I spit out under his hold. “I missed you, too.”
Cameron pokes his head out from behind Deghan. He waves. “Hi.”
“Cam.” I reach one of my arms free and pull him in, smooshing him between us.
“Listen, I’m really happy for your little reunion, but we need to go somewhere private.” Silas points at Cameron. “Your room.”
Cameron wrinkles his brows. “Did you just speak to me?”
Silas rolls his eyes. “Yes or no?”
Shaking his head, Cameron waves us on. “Mi casa es su casa.”
“Don’t you have roommates?” I add.
“Yeah, I’ll tell them we need a minute. Is everything okay?” He glances back and examines me from head to toe. “Is that… blood on your shoes?” His voice quiets down to a whisper at the last few words.
Instead of responding, I make my way up the stairs behind Cameron. Deghan and Silas follow up the rear. Their presence surrounding me helps ease the concern of Sydney being in the same place.
I can’t believe I cared for him… that I had feelings for him… that I kissed him.
I step inside Cameron’s room, and my sights settle on Lillian, sitting across from Ethan on what I assume is his bed.
The smile leaves her face, and it kills me that I have that effect on her.
Cameron rubs his neck. “Um, sorry. Do you think we could borrow the room for five minutes? I swear I’ll make it up to you. I’ll give you an hour tonight.”
“Make it dealer’s choice, and you have an agreement,” Ethan demands.
“Whenever.”
Ethan stands, and Lillian lets out an exasperated breath, trailing him out of the room.
Cameron latches the door shut, turning toward us and waiting for some kind of answers.
I focus on Silas, willing him to explain.
He relaxes his weight onto the wall beside him. “We have reason to believe Sydney is part of the problem. He took Willow off campus, led her directly into a trap that nearly cost her life. He’s back on school grounds, and I’m not sure what he’s planning, but he can’t be trusted.”
“Holy shit,” Deghan blurts out. “You’re serious?” He concentrates on me. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
“No, I’m okay. But Silas is very serious. He tricked me into thinking he would help me find my mother.”
“He came back in a rush. We tried to talk to him, but he kept throwing up his arms and telling us to get away.” Cameron sits on the bed closest to the door.
“Deghan,” Silas speaks. “You and I will rotate shifts.” He glances at Cameron. “No offense.”
Cameron nods. “Yeah, I get it.”
Deghan shoots Cam a sympathetic look.
“You good to start now?” Silas asks Deghan.
I shift my attention to him, a strange fear consuming me. “Where are you going?”
“Sydney.”
“What? No. He’s dangerous, you’ve said it yourself,” I insist.
“If anyone should confront him it should be me.” Silas kicks off the wall, standing back on both feet. “I won’t be long.”
The last time I heard that, Sydney left me behind in his house, only to lead me into a deadly trap. I stand there, jaw basically dropped, watching Silas walk out the door, a piece of me leaving with him.
“It’ll be okay, little one,” Deghan confirms.
“Can we run to the girls’ dorms? I want to try to talk to Lillian, if that’s okay.” I can’t continue to allow this fracture to tear us apart. I need my friend in my life. Almost dying kinda puts the important things into perspective, and Lills is one of those very things.
“Hmm… I suppose. It’s farther away from Sydney’s room so it should be okay. But we’re doing a sweep of the dorm first and staying put right outside the door.”
“Okay.”
I’d agree to any of his terms to get a chance with her.
We exit Cam’s space—Cameron in front, me in the middle, and Deghan in the rear. When we get to the end of the hall, Deghan comes around to the front, scanning the open upstairs sitting area, then waving us on.
His eyes glow a golden hue, his wolf instincts activated.
Arriving at my old dorm, I knock on the door.
Kyra answers, beaming at the sight of me. “’Bout damn time!”
“Hey, lady. I was wondering if Lillian was here and if I could talk to her… alone.” I bite at the inside of my lip.
“Yes, of course.” Kyra opens the door wide, allowing me to enter. She settles her gaze on my entourage. She strolls to her bed, grabbing her purse. “Sorry, Lill, you two need this.”
Deghan casually glides in, being totally chill about his inspection of the room.
“I like what you’ve done with the place,” he adds.
Kyra gives him a gentle push toward the door. “Scram.”
They funnel out, Deghan glancing over his shoulder to wink at me on his way.
I summon my courage, trying to find the words I need.
Lillian clears her throat, signaling me to get the hell on with it.
“Listen.” I pace in front of her bed. “I’ll never be able to tell you enough how sorry I am for disappearing the way I did. The dorm change came at a really weird time, and I sort of shut down and needed to be alone. Some things are going on that are new and overwhelming, and I’m sorry that I had to leave you in the dark the way I did.” I take a breath, unsure of how my apology came across.
“I’m not stupid, Willow, you’re hiding something from me. And maybe it’s none of my business, but it’s really hard no
t to feel like it is. Your explanation seems… off. I want to forgive you, I really do, but I’m struggling with it.” She crosses and uncrosses her hands on her lap.
“You’re right, Lillian. There are bits and pieces that I’m not telling you, but it’s not because I don’t want to, it’s because I can’t. Please trust me on this. I’m so sorry I hurt you, and if it takes me a million years to make it up to you, I will, but please let me try.”
“I don’t expect you to tell me everything that’s going on in your life, but you realize how strange you’re being? We went from being super close to you literally vanishing.” She locks her gaze with mine. “I don’t let many people in, so this is that much harder on me. I’m pretty damn accepting and the least judgmental… I wish you would have told me you needed some time. Because from my end, all that came across was that you didn’t care. About me. About Remi and Kyra. About anyone other than yourself. I get that we haven’t known each other long but I consider you one of my greatest friends.”
“You’re right, and absolutely justified in feeling that way. I promise you it was never my intention to hurt you. If anything, it was the opposite. Trust me, I don’t let people in easily either. There wasn’t a day that went by I didn’t regret what I did. But I’m not lying when I say I truly thought what I was doing was for the best, even if it seems to be the opposite.” I sit on the bed next to her.
She finally cracks a smile. “Fine, but I’m not letting you off easy.”
My eyes light up. “What? Really?”
Lillian leans in for a hug. “I really did miss you, you little shit.”
“Uh, you have no idea how good it is to hear you say that. I thought you hated my guts.”
“No, not unless you kick a puppy or something.”
I gasp dramatically. “I would never—I love puppies.”
“Right? Who doesn’t love puppies?”
Remi walks in, beaming at the sight of us. “Awe, you two finally made up.”
I grip onto a pillow and chuck it at her.
She tries to dodge it, but it smacks her in the face. “Rude!” She laughs. “What are you wearing?”
I glance down, Silas’s oversized t-shirt and sweatpants still hanging on my body.
“And gross, what’s up with your shoes?”
“Judgy much? It’s been a rough twenty-four hours.”
“You girls good?” Deghan pops his head into the room, scanning for anything different than his first examination.
I shift my gaze to Lillian.
She nods slightly. “Yep.”
A weight lifts from my shoulders, and somehow, despite every damn thing that keeps going wrong, I feel one step closer to happiness.
“Great, because we need to get moving.” Deghan opens the door.
Squeezing Lills’s hand, I say, “We have a lot of catching up to do soon, okay?”
“I’d say so.” She whips her head toward the door.
I exit the room a renewed woman, ready to take on the world. “Can we please go to my dorm now? I’m in desperate need of a shower.”
Cameron leads the way, turning down the west wing hallway.
My dorm room door swings open, and we collectively go rigid.
Deghan gravitates in front of me, his body tensing in response.
Ruby appears, hands in the air. “It’s just me. Silas asked me to do a sweep of your room.”
I examine her energy, determining she’s telling the truth. I reach out to Deghan and shove my calming powers into him. “She’s okay.”
A slight shiver runs over him. “You sure?”
“Positive.” I step around him. “Thank you, Ruby.”
“Sorry, Rubes.” Deghan punches her shoulder as she walks by him. “Things are a little crazy around here.”
“I’d say so. You know me better than that, though, shame on you.” She hits him back, harder than his blow. “I’m across the hall if you need me.”
Stepping under the hot water, I close my eyes, allowing the downpour to rinse me from head to toe. I open them and catch sight of the dirty shower floor. I kick my foot around, doing my best to direct the grossness down the drain.
Between this and the fooling around, Silas is going to have to wash those sheets of his.
I rejoice in the memory, our bodies tangled together in a heap of passion and endless desire. If things were different, I would have stayed there forever with him.
But that’s not what the world has in store, and it would have only been so long until I longed for the other missing pieces of this messed-up puzzle—Deghan and Cam. Why does it seem so wrong to still want Sydney, too?
I’ll never understand what I did to justify having such men in my life, each one of them bringing me more happiness than they’ll ever understand.
But what do I give them?
I’m a constant disappointment, hurting them despite my efforts not to.
It doesn’t take a voice in my head to tell me they deserve better.
“You okay?” Deghan hollers through the bathroom door.
“Yep.” I shut off the water, wringing out my hair, drawing back the curtain only to realize I don’t have a towel. “Deghan,” I call out.
Loud thuds hit the floor when he runs back. “What’s wrong?”
I giggle. “Nothing. I forgot my towel. Can you grab one? They should be on the bed closest to you.”
The door cracks, and steam pours out of the room. A towel is extended, attached to his cinnamon-colored arm. His other hand is covering his eyes, and I can’t help but laugh again watching him blindly walk into the wall.
“Follow the sound of my voice…” I drag out my words dramatically.
He gets close enough that I can reach and wrap the towel around my still wet body.
“You can look now,” I consent.
He peeks through two fingers, then removes his hand. “Damn.”
I grin, stepping out of the shower and wiping the mirror off to take a better look.
“You’re stupid good-looking.”
“Did you hit your head while I was gone?” I stretch my hand out and cup his face.
He sighs. “Nope.”
We stare into each other’s eyes, the mood shifting from light to more serious.
He glances down to my lips, and the second he moves forward, the door to my dorm opens, startling us both.
Silas saunters by the bathroom, stopping and doing a double-take, a sheet of folded paper held out in his hand.
“It’s from Sydney.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“It’s all a lie, right?” The note is held tightly in my grip.
My heart pounds, but what if it’s not a lie, what if he’s telling the truth?
Silas furiously shakes his head. “Maybe. It could be. But at this point, I hate to say that I’m not sure. As much as I dislike him, anything is possible.”
“Let me see.” Deghan takes the letter from my hand.
Cameron hovers next to him, giving them both the ability to read it.
I tuck my towel tighter around me, realizing I’m still super naked over here.
“He definitely took a sleeping potion. He’s out cold. He’s alive, breathing, but he’s not waking up anytime soon.” Silas walks over to my dresser, sliding a drawer open.
“He drugged himself to prove to you he’s not trying to hurt you? That’s intense, Wills. Don’t get me wrong, Sydney is odd and all, but I never once doubted that the dude cared about you.” Deghan hands the paper to Cam to let him finish reading it.
With a handful of clothes, Silas advances to the bathroom, going inside and then coming out empty-handed. “Get dressed.”
I do what he says, throwing the more-my-size but still his—and my—type of color top and bottom on, along with the panties and bra he picked out. I exhale, a sense of rejuvenation filling me with a fresh wardrobe. I come out barefoot, going to the basket of clean laundry to find a pair of socks.
I sit on the bed, and Silas comes over, taki
ng them from me and putting them on my feet himself. His constant need to take care of me is a bit overkill but sweet, nonetheless.
“We should tell Abigail and Walker, right? I mean, if he’s telling the truth, what if he’s in danger?” I lift my right leg up, sitting on it, getting more comfortable. If Sydney really isn’t trying to cause me harm, then what the fuck happened back at his house? He did seal the crack back up, disallowing the demons from respawning. But it was his property, his parents’ property.
It finally dawns on me. His parents.
The mom and dad he’s constantly disagreeing with and never seeing eye to eye. The ones who were always so formal and hard on him. What if it wasn’t Sydney but them who lured us there and summoned the demon? What if it’s been them all along?
I detach myself from my thoughts, missing half of whatever Silas had said.
“What do you know about Sydney’s folks?” I cut him off.
“Um, they’re LeBlancs, and I’ve already told you what I think of them. Why?”
I shake my head. “It wasn’t Sydney, it never was. Did you see the way his mom gawked at me on family day? I’d bet all the magic in the world it was her this whole time.”
“We’ll have to wake him up and ask him ourselves.”
We’re through the west wing in a flash, crossing into Sydney’s room. My gaze falls on his motionless body lying on his bed. He doesn’t appear as peaceful as one would seem if they were sleeping. His face is tense, almost like he’s in pain.
I’m at his side in a second, studying him all over. I spot a glass on the nightstand next to him. I pick it up, examining it, smelling the dark-purplish remains.
“Blueberry?” I hold it out to the guys.
Deghan takes a whiff. “Definitely blubes.”
I rack my brain trying to think of what kind of potion he could have possibly made. I lay my palms on his chest, closing my eyes and absorbing what I can. The aching energy is vaguely familiar.
I glance around the room. “Hand me that big clear crystal.” I point to the stand near his desk where other various crystals are strewn about.
Cam secures it, giving it to me to place on Sydney’s chest.
Not having any idea what I’m doing, I breathe deeply, willing my mind to clear. I reverse the flow of my powers, preparing to pull them out, not push them in. A jolt of throbbing energy flows into my hands, up my arms, and into my core. It’s heavy and threatens to weigh me down.