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The scent of roasted coffee beans mingles with the faintly sweet tang of parchment and old ink, a comforting blend that has become synonymous with these weekly meetups with the girls who have become my best friends—my only friends, really. Aside from Marisol, a girl I met in one of my classes who I’ve started growing closer to over the past few weeks.

The Raven’s Quill, with its mismatched furniture, shelves lined with well-loved books, and low-hanging lanterns, feels like a haven carved out of time. These stores were few and far between back in Chicago. Every now and then I would find a small, cozy shop tucked into the confines of the stinky city streets, but it wasn’t often—and never one as beautiful and enthralling as this one.

I sit across from Nicole and Rebecca at our usual table that’s nestled tightly among the stacks of books. There’s a circular window to the left of us, the view outside hazy from the fog rolling in. Their drinks—Nicole’s cinnamon chai latte and Rebecca’s peppermint mocha—steam in front of them, but their attention is fixed squarely on me.

I pick up my lavender tea and get prepared for the onslaught of questions surely headed my way now that I told the girls I stopped in at the apothecary. “So, let me get this straight,” Nicole says, her voice tinged with excitement. “You finally met Ravenna? Like, the Ravenna?”

“Yes,” I reply, chuckling as I set the mug down on the table between us. “Apparently, she knows you both pretty well. Even more so than you let on…”

Rebecca’s eyes light up, her mocha all but forgotten. “Yeah, we may have undersold our relationship a bit. She’s practically family. She’s mentored us at the Guild since we were in our early teens.”

“Thirteen for me,” Nicole says with a grin. “And she’s beyond brilliant. One of the most respected witches in the entire region. If anyone can help you with the humanity issue, Sylvie, it’s her.”

I blink, taken aback by the fervor in their voices. “She... did seem like she knew what she was doing,” I admit. “But it was more than that. She made me feel... calm. Like I wasn’t completely unraveling for the first time in weeks.” Her presence was like a soothing balm. One I could definitely get used to having in my life.

“That’s part of her gift,” Rebecca says, her tone softening. “She has this way of making everyone feel safe, even when the world is falling apart. It’s why she’s so revered at the Guild. She’s not just powerful—she’s compassionate. But don’t mistake that kindness for weakness. She’s as sharp as they come. One of the most compelling and intelligent witches I’ve ever met.”

Nicole leans forward, her expression serious. “Did you tell her about Lara?”

I nod, the warmth of the coffee in my hands doing little to ease the cold knot in my chest. “I told her everything. The dreams, the visions, what happened with Amara. How I tried to deceive Solstice, but they were one step ahead and had a failsafe in place by erasing Lara’s humanity. She is quite hesitant, like everyone else, but she agrees…we have to help Lara. In some way, at least.”

I think back to spending hours in Petals and Potions, spilling my guts to a woman I’d only just met but that felt like a pivotal person in my life. She took it all in, listened, and offered advice from a brand-new lens.

“That’s huge,” Rebecca says, her voice laced with something incredibly dangerous—hope. “If anyone can figure out a way to bring Lara back—really bring her back—it’s Ravenna. She has access to spells and knowledge most witches can only dream of.” She looks to Nicole. “I honestly don’t know why we didn’t bring her in back at the beginning of everything. It was all just so sudden and fast…”

“It’s okay,” I reassure her. “Everything was up in the air and messed up and none of us knew the best approach.”

Nicole reaches across the table, her hand brushing mine. “I’m so happy about all of this. So, so happy that you will finally have someone else on your side that will be beneficial. But Sylvie, we also need to talk about you. Helping Lara is one thing, but you can’t keep putting yourself in danger for her. If she’s lost her humanity...”

“She hasn’t,” I interrupt, my voice sharper than I intend. I take a deep breath, willing my emotions back under control. “I know she hasn’t. Well, she has, I guess. But she’s still in there. I just... I can feel it.”

Nicole exchanges a glance with Rebecca, but neither presses the point.

“Well,” Rebecca says after a moment, “if Ravenna’s involved, at least you’ll have someone who can help you control your powers, and even learn to better wield them, while you figure this out. You’re not doing this alone anymore.”

“I’m also…” I say, pausing, the words heavier than I expect. “Thinking about cutting down my class load at Blackthorne.”

Both of them look at me, startled.

“Now that I know what and who I truly am, I’d rather just stick with my supernatural classes for now. I’m going to talk to Mr. Fallon and let him know I want to keep my two supernatural classes but drop the rest for the remainder of the semester,” I explain. “Between Lara and... everything, I can’t focus. I just don’t have it in me right now. I want to keep learning about this other side of me, though. I’ve really enjoyed those classes, and I think I can keep up with them, even with the Lara issue.” I sigh deeply. “There’s one more thing,” I tell them.

They each give me a look of disdain, as if I’m going to tell them I’m vanishing from the face of the earth.

“I’m moving out of the dorms. At least for now.”

Rebecca’s brow furrows. “What?” she asks, shaking her head. “Why?”

I shrug. “Honestly, it doesn’t feel safe. Amara knows where I was staying, and if she comes back...” I glance down at my still-steaming mug. “And I can’t exactly live with Lara, either. She currently hates me. And Lucian says she isn’t safe because she isn’t herself. I don’t want to believe she would ever truly hurt me but?—”

“Nothing is as expected right now, Sylvie,” Nicole says. “With the way the Society has her, she isn’t thinking clearly. You can’t be too sure.”

“I agree with Nic on this one. And at least you won’t be homeless while we figure all of this out. You can stay with Professor Draedon,” Rebecca says matter-of-factly, as if it’s the most obvious solution in the world.

I’m surprised she suggested it, although I’m unsure as to why. The girls have been privy to everything going on with Lucian—even the fact that I lost my virginity to him. I didn’t tell them until after the switch of my blood for Lara, but I was glad to have them to confide in about it.

“Yeah. He has more than enough space,” Nicole continues. “And if you’re worried about safety, there’s no one better to keep you protected. Plus,” she adds with a teasing smirk, “he owes you, doesn’t he? After everything.” She’s clearly referencing the fact that he hid the whole Seraphina thing from me—and the fact that we were lovers in my past life.

“I don’t think I want to fully move in with him,” I protest, though the idea isn’t as outrageous as I try to make it sound. When it comes from my lips, it seems almost…natural. I’ve already been staying with him anyways, and it’s working…quite well. “Maybe just stay for an indefinite…amount…of time.” I offer the words up like I’m not exactly sure where I’m going with it. And I suppose I’m not.

I think back to my time with Lucian. How we went from strangers…sort of…to partners in research, to…lovers.

It’s so much more than me losing my virginity.

It’s the intense bond I feel with him—even more so now.

He is everything. Everything I could ever want. And he’s only proven that to me time and time again. I’d like to think that I’ve proven it to him, too. He’s been necessary for my sanity, especially since finding out Lara’s humanity is gone. Sure, in the beginning he was vital to me learning and growing as a witch. He pushed me to learn and research. He helped me when others couldn’t. But the moment we first kissed, everything shifted.

I’m falling in love with him. And the bond I feel to him is unlike anything I’ve ever felt in all my life.

Rebecca shrugs. “I mean, it’s practical. And honestly, he probably wouldn’t mind. You’re kind of important to him, Sylvie.”

Before I can argue, Nicole sits up straighter, her expression shifting. “We’ll get your stuff for you. No need to go back there yourself.”

“What do you mean?”

Nicole grins, wiggling her fingers in the air. “A little magic goes a long way. Just tell us what you need, and we’ll have it out of your dorm and into the professor’s gigantic mansion before you can blink.”

I hesitate, the weight of everything threatening to overwhelm me again. But as I look at Nicole and Rebecca, their unwavering support shining through, I feel the smallest flicker of relief.