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“That’s the table for Prince Cade,” she said. “No one dares to sit there unless they want to commit social suicide, or real suicide in some cases.”

“Shit, I don’t want to commit either.” I shook my head, even though I wouldn’t even be granted social suicide, since I didn’t have a social life to begin with.

“A nice table isn’t worth it,” she agreed.

But I suspected that Bea might not have many friends either. So now we had banded together to give this social life a try.

We perched on the chairs at the table Bea picked. I put down the thick book on her side and the box of ice cream on mine.

“What do you want?” Bea asked.

“I don’t know. Anything is fine. I’m not picky.”

She laughed, “I’ll order for you then,” and pulled out an electronic tablet from her schoolbag.

“What’s that?” I asked. I’d seen Drusilla use one to take notes on Louis’s orders.

“Spinchat,” she said. “Every student has one. It’s the equivalent to humans’ Facebook and TikTok but cooler, since the device is spelled. The streams are fueled by magic as well, so it’s nearly impossible to be hacked.”

“But it can be hacked, right?”

She gave me side-eye. “Who would want to do that? They’d be courting death. Some laws here are very strict, and there are no second chances for those criminals who step into a forbidden area.”

“Will you teach me how to use Spinchat? I love all things pop culture and social media.”

“Sometimes it’s better to stay away from social media,” she sighed. “I’ll show you how to use Spinchat, but let’s order something first.”

My legs bounced under the table in excitement. Bea would teach me to be a social media expert. I might even find a new job through it. Being the vampire prince’s squire, aka walking blood bag, wasn’t a long-term solution.

Bea buried her head in the tablet, swept her thumb over the screen, and then clicked a few items before she put it down on the table. She looked at my expectant expression and laughed again.

All those years on the run and living on the street, it’d always been me looking inside the shop through the window with longing for a mug of steamy coffee or tea with a plate of cake, and more importantly, with a friend to share and laugh with.

My jaw dropped as a tray with two cups of tea and half a dozen cakes on it floated toward our table.

“Here I come, Houston!” I exclaimed and jumped from my seat to welcome the cakes.

I instantly consumed the three cakes on my side, then tried my best to sip the tea the way Bea did, like a lady.

“What are you, Little Bob?” Bea asked abruptly, curiosity lighting her intelligent gray eyes.

I nearly choked on my tea. “What do you mean? I’m just like you!”

“I’m regarded as the lowest in the academy, but I have an ability no one else in my house has, except maybe Prince Cade. I can feel power grades, and you’re in the highest caliber. I’ve never met a magical signature like yours. It’s like your magic is as massive as a black hole.”

As I’d said, Bea had a potential that she’d never realized. There were several types of magic users in the House of Mages—druids and mages ranked at the top, sorcerers stood on the next rung, and witches were at the bottom. Among the witches, there was a strict hierarchy as well.

Bea was likely registered as a witch, but she was at a mage’s level. She’d be more powerful than most mages if she could dig deep into her well of magic and unleash it. When she leveled up to a mage, those bullies who constantly picked on her would have to bow to her. I looked forward to that day.

I’d help her and eat away the elaborate spells that bound her, but not at our first hangout. I wondered if she knew that she was bound by spells, or if she preferred it that way.

“I’m not a black hole,” I protested.

“I felt drawn to you—your power—the first time I saw you in the courtyard,” she said. “Others are drawn to you as well, even though they might not know why. Power attracts power. And I was meant to meet you. I was waiting for you on the bench that day after I had a premonition from a tealeaf reading. I was coming toward you again today, since the tealeaves said that we’d cross paths again. Only I didn’t expect to be jumped on by America’s gang.”

“So, your tealeaves failed you.”

“They served their purpose, didn’t they? You came to my rescue, and now we’re here.”