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58

Summer

M y head throbs, and the light burns despite my eyes still being closed. Blindly, I reach out, and even that slight movement makes me want to hurl. I grab one of my pillows and cover my face, nearly weeping at the sweet darkness it brings.

Alice groans from the living room. “Fuckkkkkkkkk. Not to alarm you, Summer, but I think I might be dead.”

“Aren’t you already dead?” My words are heavily muffled by the pillow, but Alice hears them clearly.

“Okay, re-dead.”

My stomach rolls suddenly. I bolt from the bed and run to the toilet, just barely making it before I hurl the entire contents of my stomach up. After vomiting another three times, I feel well enough to crawl into the shower and turn it on. The hot water hurts as it taps against my already banging head, but the warmth is also comforting. Slowly, I remove my clothes and throw them out onto the stone floor, where they land with a wet thud. My whole body trembles from the hangover, but I feel slightly more alive once I get clean.

Stepping out of the shower, I wrap a towel around myself and manage to brush my teeth without throwing up before going in search of water or coffee. Alice is lying on the cool kitchen floor, and I nearly trip over her. It looks like she made it that far but then couldn’t stand up.

“Kill me? If you love me, you’ll have mercy and kill me.”

I grab a bottle of water and take a sip, bending to rest my forehead against the cool counter. “Those mushrooms were lethal. Tequila would never do this to me.”

Alice nods. There is a loud knock at the door, the sound piercing my brain like a hot poker.

“Whoever that is will be dead soon,” Alice growls.

I drag myself to the door and open it, nearly weeping when I see Connor holding a tray of coffee.

“Hey, babe, figured you’d need this.”

I groan, taking one of the cups and burying my face against his chest.

Connor wraps his arms around me, and the hug calms the hangover shakes. He lifts me and sits on the couch, cradling me on his lap. I sip my coffee and moan in pleasure. It tastes like the nectar of the gods.

Alice crawls over pathetically and takes one of the cups.

Connor presses a sweet kiss to my head. “Is there any alcohol left in the realm, or did you two drink it all?”

I nuzzle into his neck, needing more cuddles and kisses, more affection. If I were myself, my neediness would make me feel ill, but I can’t help it right now. Fuck it. It feels good to need someone and to know I’m not setting myself up for disappointment.

Connor, understanding the assignment, tightens his arms around me and kisses the top of my head again, giving me what I need.

It takes until I’m mostly done with my coffee before I start to feel better.

“My poor girl.” Connor smiles into my hair. He’s clearly loving this, and at the moment, I can’t even muster the energy to give him a hard time for it.

“At least we were just in the house. So no hangover fear .”

“Hmm,” Connor says, and I pull back, looking at his face.

“I was at home, so I didn’t publicly embarrass myself. Right?”

Connor laughs softly. “No, Alice did it for you.”

Alice props herself up, looking at us. “Huh?”

Connor pulls his phone out and loads up Alice’s Nexus story. There, the first fucking story, is me dancing on the table. What’s that at the end? Oh, that’s my bare ass, barely covered by my thong.

I grab his phone, replaying it. “Fuck.”

Alice grimaces from the floor, watching it on her own phone. She takes a sip of her coffee, and I can’t help but wonder how she is doing that while lying down.

“What are the chances no one has seen it yet?”

“Uh, extremely low.” Alice grimaces again and turns her phone to show that the video has thousands of reactions and comments.

I nod. “Well. The whole school has seen my bare ass then, I guess,” I say matter-of-factly. What am I going to do now? Run around trying to pull the memory from everyone at school?

“It’s a hot ass,” Connor says, and I bury my face in his neck. Connor laughs. “Babe, it’s fine. Everyone will forget about it when the next drama happens. Probably next time Alice gets into a fight. So sometime today.”

Alice flips him off.

I just nuzzle into Connor again, inhaling his cloud scent.

“I like it when you are all cuddly,” he says, and I can hear the easy smile in his voice.

I press a soft kiss to his neck.

“So I take it you’re both cutting today?”

I shake my head. “I’m going in.”

Alice lays back down and lifts one of her arms, her hand the only thing visible. She shoots a finger gun at Connor and says, “I’m staying home and dying.”

Reluctantly, I slip from Connor’s lap and pad into my room. I change into my uniform and grab my phone from the charging pad. Checking my alerts, I see an email from the headmaster. With a frown, I open it.

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Ms. Tuatha De Daanan,

I wish to discuss a matter with you. Please come to my office prior to your first class.

Headmaster Emrys

With a sigh, I lock my phone before pulling on my uniform and accessorizing with a large pair of black sunglasses to shield my eyes from the devilish sun. Connor wanders into my room and laughs when he sees me. “You look adorable.”

Grumbling a thank you, I continue to plait my hair into two French braids, making sure they aren’t too tight but will keep my hair out of my face. Connor comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. “I know. I’m the worst.”

I turn in his arms and wrap my arms around his neck. I gaze up at him and ask for something I have never asked for before. It’s something I never in my life thought I would ask for. I tunnel my fingers into his hair and say, “Tell me you love me.” There is something about this moment. Something about the vulnerability I feel that makes me need to hear the words from him. Connor and Alice are the only people I ever need to hear it from.

Connor smiles, something like pride shining in his eyes. It’s not because he’s feeling arrogant that he’s tamed the beast that is me, but because he knows I genuinely need to hear it. Somehow, he knows I believe him when he says it. “I love you.” The words are so sweet and sincere that I can’t help but brush my lips over his. At this moment, it finally clicks. Connor is my peace. When I asked the Almighty if I would ever find peace, she told me I would, and here it is right in front of me.

Connor pulls back after a moment and turns, crouching to offer me his back.

I pat his shoulder as I walk past him. “Not today, big guy. Motion sickness.”

Connor laughs and catches up to me, sliding his hand into mine.

Connor walks with me all the way to the door of my first class. I’ve not told him about my meeting with the headmaster because I know he’ll ask about it, and I don’t want to lie to him. I’m pretty sure it’s about the murders, and I’m still committed to Connor not knowing anything more about it, not until I know more. He’s only just lost that haunted look.

Connor kisses me and then heads to his own class. When he turns the corner, I hurry to the headmaster’s office. I stand and stare at the door for a long moment before knocking, the same nervous energy filling me. I always feel like a kid about to get a telling-off when I’m preparing to speak to the headmaster.

“Enter,” he calls, his deep voice rumbling through the door.

I step into his office, and he looks up at me over his glasses, the scent of allspice and oak surrounding me. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him wear glasses before. Somehow, it makes him look even more intelligent and maybe a little more approachable.

“Miss Tuatha De Daanan, thank you for taking the time to see me.”

I nod, stepping further into his office. I look away. “How can I?—”

He tsks. “What did I say last time, Miss Tuatha De Daanan? About when you speak to me?”

I clear my throat and lift my eyes to meet his silver ones.

“I have something to give you,” he says. He waves his hand, and a heavy-looking book lands on his desk.

Intrigued, I move closer. “It looks like a grimoire,” I whisper, mostly to myself. The cover is intricate, well-loved, and perfectly worn, yet still ornate. From this close, you can tell it’s a powerful book, but it wards off inquisitive eyes from a distance. I’d read a little about them, but they’re not something there is much literature on.

“That’s because it is. It is my personal grimoire.”

I try not to gape in surprise. Usually, sorcerers don’t even admit to having grimoires. They are that precious. That he is planning to lend this to me?—

“You are wondering why I am letting you borrow it,” he says. It’s not a question. It’s as if he’s plucked my thoughts straight from my mind. I nod in confirmation.

“Please, sit.”

I hesitate before sitting on the very edge of one of the two chairs opposite him. He removes his glasses, placing them on top of the book he was reviewing.

“Grimoires are a source of information, but they are also a source of power. Now, I’m guessing from the look on your face when I told you that the grimoire belongs to me, that you understand their importance to my kind.”

I nod.

“This was my very first grimoire. It has notes about Nimue, things I jotted down from the information I was able to extract from my father and other fae that he knew. It’s not much, but the mark is mentioned. Maybe you can make more sense of it than I can.” He lays his hand over the book. “It is also full of runes, runic circles, and dangerous magic. It is not something to be handed off without thought.” His eyes lock on mine. “I sense whatever dared to breach my school and harm my student is far from done. You’ll need to prepare yourself, Miss Tuatha De Daanan. I am not a being that one crosses unless the goal is worth the cost. You must be worth a cost that even the devil hesitates to pay.”

He sits back in his chair and puts his glasses back on, returning his attention to the book he was reading when I came in. Not only had he just given me a wealth of knowledge beyond imagining, but he is potentially the most powerful sorcerer in existence. That was widely suspected, but now I had confirmation. The information contained within the grimoire is not simply what is written in the pages, but the words are imbued with his power, ready to be unlocked.

Carefully, I stand up and pick up the tome. My hands tremble, reacting to the power radiating from the book. It feels odd to stow it in my bag, but I know I can’t just carry it around for all to see, so I carefully tuck it in amongst my other books.

I glance at the headmaster, who is deep in concentration, and see myself out.