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“This is how I normally walk you to class.”

I quirk a brow.

“What?” he asks, a little sharper than usual.

I sigh heavily and kiss him. “Go to class. I’ll see you after.”

Connor glances at Alice, and then he kisses me again. “Okay. I love you.”

“I’ll see you later,” I reply. If Connor was expecting me to say it back, he doesn’t give it away. I suspect he’s still high on the feeling of me saying it yesterday morning. As he walks off, he glances at us more than once over his shoulder, and I wave at him each time.

“He doesn’t know what we suspect, does he?” Alice whispers, pulling me toward class. “That you’re the target.”

I shake my head.

“Oh, so he’s just being a weirdo. Must be his natural state.”

“He’s worried, and I know he struggled with not being with me last night. Me disappearing like that and coming back injured really got to him.”

“No, Sum. There is worried, and then there is being psychotic, and he is on the last train to crazy town.”

I sigh heavily, sitting down in our Realms class.

“Are you going to tell him?”

I shake my head again. “If he’s this worried not knowing, I’m pretty sure telling him I might be the target will send him over the edge.”

Alice shrugs, and we drop the subject as Professor Ambrose enters the room.

68

Summer

Our second class of the day is less successful than the first, and by the end of the class, Alice is in a foul mood. She whines all the way from Adze Hall to the cafeteria, completely outraged by the amount of homework Professor Brooks gave us. It doesn’t seem the time to mention that I am looking forward to the in-depth analysis piece. I am even more excited that I was given Algiz in its raw form.

“So, I’ll meet you at the cafeteria?” I suggest when Alice pauses between curses to take a breath.

She glances at me. “Aren’t we heading there now? Together?”

“Don’t tell me you’re going all Connor on me.”

Alice gags, but I see the memory of fear in her eyes. “Gross, but he’ll ask where you are. So…”

“I need to talk to the headmaster real quick.”

Alice nods and relaxes a little when she finds out I will be with the headmaster. “Yeah, that sounds like something I do not want to do. See ya,” she says, trotting off toward the canteen.

The headmaster’s door looms in front of me. It doesn’t seem to matter how often I visit. It never gets less intimidating. I take a steadying breath before knocking on the door.

“Enter,” he calls, his cold voice cutting through the wood.

I open the door and step into his office. “I’m sorry to bother you, sir, but I have a few questions.”

He nods, gesturing to the two familiar plush chairs across from his desk. I drop into one of them and pull the grimoire out.

“I’ve been studying this.”

“And?”