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Arya nodded, pointing her thumb over her shoulder. “Ashlyn has been a really good friend. She’s… a lot like me. We’ve gotten along ever since we met last week.”

I was quite aware of the issues Ashlyn had been through. Her father, Ignacius, had confided in him multiple times about Ashlyn’s rough upbringing among humans. She’d struggled quite a bit to fit in here, too.

“It sounds like Ashlyn is a good friend. And more than likely, she needs you just as much as you need her.”

“I’ve heard that around here, people kind of stick to their own kind,” she said, a hint of resentment in her voice. “You know, mermaids with mermaids, dragons with dragons?”

I smirked. “I wouldn’t say everyone follows that trend. If I did, I’d be a very lonely person. I am the last surviving gryphon, at least to my knowledge. My closest friend is a kitsune—Kai Inari, your math teacher. And I consider Celeste to be a close friend, too.”

“And what about my friend Shea?” Arya asked.

The mention of that name sent a blast of heat radiating through my chest. How could I possibly forget the feisty brunette, especially after her naked debut had burned into my retinas?

“You’re referring to your friend who tagged along the night I brought you to The Dome?” I asked, hoping she couldn’t see through my pretense of disdain.

Arya nodded.

“There’s a long history of hostility between witches and shifters,” I cautioned, though I suddenly found myself wishing it wasn’t true. “Because their use of magic is without limitsand without governing, they pose a considerable threat to our kind. And I can assure you that they trust us as little as we trust them.”

“You want me to completely stop talking to her?” she asked, distress and anger heightening her pitch.

I placed both hands on the table and leaned forward. “You are free to choose who your friends are. Nobody else has the right to make that choice for you, least of all me. And who knows, maybe your friendship with Shea will lead to future alliances between shifters and witches. Who can say? I would just encourage you to foster friendships with other shifters, too.”

Arya nodded, shifting a bit in her chair and struggling to keep eye contact.

Honestly, so was I. It was hard enough not to think about Shea in general, but now that we were talking about her, it was damn near impossible to get her out of my immediate thoughts. After the way she’d snuck into the school, which was honestly very impressive, I couldn’t help but wonder—with anticipation—if I could expect another break-in attempt.

“How is your friend Shea, by the way?” I blurted before I could stop myself.

Arya cocked her head at me, obviously surprised by the question.

“It’s just that she’s already broken in once,” I added, trying to cover my tracks. “And I’m curious if we can expect her to try again.”

Arya sighed and shook her head. “I don’t think so. Um…” Her gaze flicked up at me before shying away as she continued. “There was a party the other night at Jackson’s house, and Shea went with me in hopes of winning over some of the other students.”

I leaned forward suddenly. “Really? What happened?”

I had heard about that party, and Kai had tried to talk me into crashing it. But the last thing a bunch of rowdy teens would want is their decade-older teachers dropping in on their fun, and honestly drinking with my students didn’t quite hit my list of favorite weekend activities.

If I’d had any idea Shea was going to make an appearance, I wasn’t sure I would’ve been able to stay away…

Arya’s frown deepened. “Well, it started off great. Everyone loved her. She showed off with some fancy fire magic, and everyone assumed she was a phoenix, so she just went with it.”

I chuckled softly, picturing the scene Arya was describing. It wasn’t hard to imagine the tenacious witch charming even my stubborn students.

“But then it all went to hell when they figured out she was a witch instead,” Arya continued with a grimace. “After the way they pretty much kicked her out, I don’t know if she’s going to keep trying.”

She looked sad about that fact, and I couldn’t discern her regret from my own. I honestly didn’t know how to feel about what happened to Shea. There was anger that my own kind had treated her so horribly, confusion at why I cared, and hope that the little witch wouldn’t give up so easily.

Damn, I really needed to get off the subject of Shea before I gave in to the demand of my own growing interest in her any further.

I cleared my throat. “The real reason I asked you to meet me this morning was to find out how you’re doing in general. How are your classes going?”

“For the most part, they’re going well,” she said. “There’s so much to learn—everything is so new. It can be overwhelming sometimes.”

“I can imagine,” I replied, pushing thoughts of Shea out of my mind to focus on the girl in front of me. “I wish I could say it’ll get easier soon, but I don’t know how honest of a statement that would be. You have years of catching up to do.”

Probably not the best thing to say to her.