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Bear snorted. “Good luck with that. Fletcher’s gonna drag you straight back to the Med Ward for a psych assessment.”

Alex knew that was a very real possibility—ifshe told them everything. “I don’t see any reason why they need to know about my journey through time. I can just as easily lead them to presume I found the book in the Meya of today. But theydoneed to hear about Aven’s hostile takeover and how the Meyarins who escaped are now hiding up in Draekora. We’re all in this mess together. They need to be warned.”

“Do you want company?” D.C. offered.

Taking in the way the princess was snuggled so closely to Jordan that Alex had trouble seeing where one of them began and the other ended, she couldn’t keep her lips from twitching. “Ah, no. You stay here and keep Jordan company. You’ve already heard what I’m going to tell them, anyway.”

“I can come, if you want?” Bear said, his lips also twitching as his eyes flicked towards the pair on Jordan’s bed.

“Really, I’ll be fine,” Alex promised. She couldn’t help herself and added, “I think these two need you to play chaperone more than I do.”

“Chaperone?” Jordan said with mock innocence. “What in the world are you implying, Alexandra Jennings?”

When D.C.’s skin flamed, Jordan couldn’t keep up his charade and instead chuckled, leaning in to kiss her blushing cheek. She groaned and moved to hide her face in his chest, mumbling something that sounded very much like, “Shut up, Jordan.”

Alex’s heart melted at the sight of her two friends. Not wanting to make either of them uncomfortable, she only said, “If I don’t get back until late, I’ll try not to wake you, Dix.” She turned to the boys. “I’ll see you both at breakfast. Hopefully I’ll have a better idea of what our next steps are after tonight’s meeting.”

“Good luck,” D.C. said as Alex left the room.

As soon as she was in the hallway with the door shut between them, Alex leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. She loved her friends. Adored them. But after spending weeks in the past, she felt as though she’d aged a thousand years while they’d been frozen in time. What she’d experienced—no words could help them understand everything she’d been through.

… Everything she’ddone.

“You look like you need a holiday from your holiday.”

Alex snapped her eyes open to find Kaiden standing across from her, mirroring her position on the other side of the hallway. She had no idea how she’d missed him, especially with her Meyarin senses.

“Hey,” she said, acutely aware of how lame she sounded.

One side of his mouth curled up. “Hey, yourself.”

“Did you, uh, have a good break?” She gave herself a mental shake, wondering why-oh-why she was making small talk with him. Ignoring the warmth spreading through her body, she schooled her expression into what she hoped was nothing more than casual interest.

“Better than yours, I’d wager.”

Alex thought that was an odd response. “What makes you say that?”

Kaiden didn’t answer. Instead, he pushed off the wall. “Are you heading back to your room?”

“No, I—uh—” Alex stumbled for a reply and settled on the truth. “I have to go see the headmaster.”

Kaiden nodded. “I’ll walk you.”

His instant offer and lack of curiosity brought Alex up short. “What? No, really. Thanks, but I—”

“Call me paranoid,” he interrupted, “but it’s late. Nearly curfew. I don’t think you should be out wandering on your own.”

“Really, Kaiden, I—”

“Especially given everything that happened earlier today.”

Alex sucked in a breath. “Everything that… happened?”

Kaiden’s blue eyes captured her own, but again he didn’t answer. Instead, he turned and started down the hallway.

Alex scrambled after him. “What happened earlier today, Kaiden?”

“You’d know better than I would,” he said as they descended the stairs, with a warning glance indicating the students coming and going from the Rec Room and up to their dorms. Being the first night back after the holidays, more people were mingling in the public spaces than normal—too many listening ears.