Page 69

68

Summer

O ur second class of the day is less successful than the first, and by the end of the class, Alice is in a foul mood. She whines all the way from Adze Hall to the cafeteria, completely outraged by the amount of homework Professor Brooks gave us. It doesn’t seem the time to mention that I am looking forward to the in-depth analysis piece. I am even more excited that I was given Algiz in its raw form.

“So, I’ll meet you at the cafeteria?” I suggest when Alice pauses between curses to take a breath.

She glances at me. “Aren’t we heading there now? Together?”

“Don’t tell me you’re going all Connor on me.”

Alice gags, but I see the memory of fear in her eyes. “Gross, but he’ll ask where you are. So…”

“I need to talk to the headmaster real quick.”

Alice nods and relaxes a little when she finds out I will be with the headmaster. “Yeah, that sounds like something I do not want to do. See ya,” she says, trotting off toward the canteen.

The headmaster’s door looms in front of me. It doesn’t seem to matter how often I visit. It never gets less intimidating. I take a steadying breath before knocking on the door.

“Enter,” he calls, his cold voice cutting through the wood.

I open the door and step into his office. “I’m sorry to bother you, sir, but I have a few questions.”

He nods, gesturing to the two familiar plush chairs across from his desk. I drop into one of them and pull the grimoire out.

“I’ve been studying this.”

“And?”

His curtness makes me uneasy, but I focus on the text and turn to one of the pages I want to ask about. The book bristles with multiple bookmarks, and sticky notes and tabs cover the pages.

“You’ve been busy.”

I look up at him. “It’s very interesting to me, sir.” I find the page and stand, walking up to his desk and placing the heavy book down. The headmaster looks down at the page, and I point to a drawing. “This symbol. What is it? I can’t find it in any text.” I had been itching to ask the stranger about some things I’d read, but he was still gone. However, he is still viewing my stories. Every single one.

He glances at me and then down at the book again. “That is that mark of Titania.” I tip my head, waiting for him to continue. “It has not been used since Faerie was lost.”

I stare at the symbol. “I have seen it before. I used to doodle it and… I’m pretty sure it’s been etched near the victims of the murders.”

The headmaster’s brows furrow, and he waves his hand. In front of us, the crime scenes appear. The victims are thankfully not there, but the carnage is still present. I look at the murder scene of Lucia, so violently familiar thanks to my nightmares. Every single detail seems etched into my brain, even though I only got a glimpse. The other spell shows what Connor saw, and it’s just as gruesome. The walls are stained with blood, and you can feel the fear and death clinging to the room.

The headmaster pinches the spell and widens his fingers, zooming in on the first crime scene. He points to the mark. “That wasn’t there previously.” He then does the same in the second and locates the mark quicker. The furrow in his brow deepens until it’s nearly a scowl.

“I remember seeing it, sir.” I pause to suppress the shiver. “Behind Lucia.” I hadn’t caught it at that moment, but after, I saw it within a memory, and it glowed like a beacon.

He looks up at me, calculating. “It is a Seelie mark,” he says after a long moment. The air in the room seems to thicken with meaning, and I blink. “Leave this with me, Miss Tuatha De Daanan. I will need to look over the official reports. I’ll summon you if I find any further information.”

I nod and grab my bag before quickly exiting his office. The lunch hall is bustling, but I’m too lost in my own thoughts to notice.

“Hi,” Connor says, wrapping his arms around me from behind and nuzzling into my neck.

“Hi, big guy.”

“Where have you been?” he asks.

I turn in his arms and look up at him. “I had to talk to the headmaster about something. Didn’t Alice tell you?”

He blushes. “She might have mentioned it, but… you didn’t text me.”

“Con, can we talk? Alone?”

Connor nods, and I notice the way his shoulders tense. I slide my hand into his, leading him out of the cafeteria and into the hall. I stride down the hall, tugging him along until I find an empty classroom.

The door is barely closed when Connor blurts out, “Are you breaking up with me?”

I blink. “What?”

His cheeks flush. “Are you…” He hesitates, his voice quieter this time. “Are you breaking up with me?”

“What? No!”

Connor visibly relaxes, exhaling the breath I imagine he has been holding since I didn’t show up for lunch with Alice. Or maybe even before. While I did tell him I loved him, I understand that I may have seemed a little more distant recently.

“Oh. Good.”

I cup his cheek. “Con. In my whole life, I have told two people that I love them. You and Alice.” I stroke his cheek with my thumb. “I don’t say it lightly. Why the fuck would I break up with you?”

I never said it to Torin. I just kept it as my own little secret. Until now, my life was nothing but secrets and lies.

“Well, in the movies, that’s what the girl says right before she tears the heart from the guy’s chest.”

I blink again. “We do need to talk, but at the end of the conversation, you and I will still be together. Okay?”

Connor leans against a desk and looks at me. I can see the relief on his face, but there is still some fear in his eyes. “Okay. What’s up?”

I sigh. “Connor, I know you’re worried. I know you want to protect me. But you can’t know where I am 24/7.”

“What? Why not?”

“Because, Con. Sometimes I will have to stay late, or I’ll go to the gym or to the coffee place, and I need to be able to do that without informing you first.” I have no idea if I’m being unreasonable or not. All I know is that I need to keep a nugget of my independence, and while I know he’s worried about me, I can’t spend my life hiding in his shadow.

Connor’s fists clench on the edge of the desk, the wood creaking. “You want to go places without telling me?”

“I want to not have to tell you.” I tilt my head, searching his face. “Is the only reason that you want to keep me safe? Or is there something else?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you not trust me?” I ask plainly.

Connor places his hands on my arms and pulls me in closer. “I do! I just… they were both fae, Sum.” He swallows hard. He has obviously put the puzzle pieces together on his own. “And you’re fae, and I love you, and…” He hesitates. “When angels lose the person they love…” The fear in his eyes makes my heart clench. I wrap my arms around his neck.

“You’re not going to lose me, big guy.” I press my forehead to his, and Connor closes his eyes, relaxing into me.

“I’m sorry. I know I’m being… intense.”

“Shhh.” I tilt my head and press my lips to his, kissing him.

“I’m sorry. I just… I love you so much.”

I kiss him again, letting him feel and taste me. “I love you.”