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“Ah-ah-ah…” She unfolded from her chair, stood, and raised her chin, looking down at him. “How the school gets out of the red remains to be seen, Alden. I can close it and save you the money, or I can make it profitable, or at least self-sufficient, and eliminate your losses. That decision…” she inwardly stumbled, the idea finally hitting home full force, “is mine alone.”

“Then do it. Whichever. But I am tired of getting a barrage of complaints about this cursed place.” His face was pinched, the dull eyes weary. He paced like a caged animal now. Magdalene remained silent, allowing him to address whatever else was on his mind, because while his earlier outburst may have been warranted, she highly doubted he’d have made the trip just because the Dragonettes were heckling him at his rallies.

Finally, he stopped in front of the closed door and hesitated, as if deciding whether to say something or leave. His shoulders drooped, and he finally spoke without looking at her, as if afraid to face her fully.

“And why aren’t you ensuring the safety of the faculty?”

Interesting. Faculty. Samantha.Sam.

Her eyes narrowed.What is your interest in her, old man?

“I’m taking precautions. And law enforcement is fully appraised.” Then, because the entire conversation had been threaded with red lines, leading to this very moment, Magdalene gently placed what he seemed to have been seeking like a golden chalice between them. “And she has never been in any true danger.”

His head jerked up, and his pale hand on the door handle twitched. Still not looking at her, he murmured, “Ironclad contract or not, if anything happens to her, Magdalene, I will ruin you.” He shrugged his left shoulder and Magdalene’s breath froze in her chest.

Of all the people…

“Stanton…” She had no idea what she wanted to say or why she was using his first name.

Sam. The orphan. Sam of sharp cheekbones, gray eyes, and a left shoulder shrug when confused or dismissive…

The revelation her mind had leapt to wasn’t one to warrant more pity or concern. So why was she feeling precisely that? Magdalene had no idea whether he even realized what he’d said and how much he had divulged, what weapon he had placed in her hands.

When he turned to her one last time, the hand on the door handle trembled in earnest.

“Magdalene, the board will stand by you, as long as you stay the course.”

Her head swam from the pace of the conversation, the subject change leaving her reeling. She took a deep breath and tried to switch gears as well.

“So I have your support, then?”

His look was sharp.

“Some.”

With that, he was gone, and in her peripheral vision, Willoughby relaxed, his tail settling around his paws.

“Some…” She repeated the word, her lips twisting into a grimace of distaste. And yet, the exchange gave her so much food for thought. And uncovered so much. Stanton Alden. Sam Threadneedle. Magdalene Nox. It seemed the threads of fate were all tangled around the same thing, the same place. Dragons.

She gave the cat another pat and carefully set the newly revealed information aside. It wasn’t for her, even if she recognized how much advantage she could draw from it. She’d never hurt Sam, and she wondered if Alden realized it had been entirely safe to reveal such a secret to her, even if he’d done so inadvertently.

* * *

The Amber Cliffmet her with the salty fury of the ocean beneath it, the humid safety of the ivy and the fragrance of jasmine still lingering in the late summer air. Magdalene inhaled the scents of all three and allowed her tense shoulders to relax. Beside her, Willoughby stretched on the mossy knoll.

She watched without seeing as the waves chased each other to their perdition at the foot of the cliff; the motion setting her frayed emotions at ease.

Alden’s visit had allayed some fear she’d not been aware she was holding close. And above all, Sam’s support meant the world to her. Her steadfast loyalty to Dragons frequently irked Magdalene, but her decency, before all else, made it impossible to be truly angry with her. And that decency had been on full display today when—as devoted as she was to Dragons and for all her conviction that Magdalene did not have its best interests at heart—she had still defended what was right and stood up to Alden.

What was right…

Magdalene herself felt like she’d done what was right earlier. When faced with a choice of promising to close the school, to obey her employer, she hedged. She realized that it wasn’t about obeying, not about the contrarian in her–no matter how ornery she could be on occasion, especially when a man was involved. No, her epiphany ran deeper.

What felt right was to decide. She was to be the one who would make the final call on what would happen to Dragons. And despite still awaiting the results of the audit and the financial advice as to which, if any, avenues of investment were available, in her heart, Magdalene knew what that decision would be.

She not onlycouldsave the school, her skills being what they were, but she also had the power to do so. In her mind, Magdalene heard her own words ring perfectly true.

The decision is mine alone…