Page 32 of Bonds of Magic (Vesperwood Academy: Incubus #3)

We practiced until midnight, and it wasn’t until Cory was drifting off in the middle of my lecture about mid-air knife rotation that I realized how late it had gotten. I’d wanted to distract him from thoughts about his dad, but this was pushing it.

“We should pack it in,” I said.

“No, we can keep going.” Cory put a fist to his mouth, trying and failing to stifle a yawn.

“We can, but we won’t. Remember, you still have to dream tonight.”

“Maybe I’m strong enough to go for five nights now,” he suggested.

“Better not to risk it.”

He seemed listless as I packed the target away, his joy over the knife I’d lent him already spent. I expected a sullen walk back to his room, but as soon as we stepped outside, I heard a meow. I looked down to see Mouse at my feet. She meowed a second time and put her front paws on my calves.

That was odd. She was never this affectionate. Pushy, even. It wasn’t normal.

A caw sounded in the night air, and Cory’s raven, Cat, swooped over to us.

But instead of landing on Cory’s shoulder like they usually did, the raven landed on the ground at Cory’s feet.

They pecked once at his shoe, then hopped three times down the path that led further into the woods, and eventually to my cabin.

Cory looked from the bird to me. “What do you think that means?”

“I don’t know. They’re your bird.”

I bent down, wondering if Mouse would let me pet her the way she did Cory.

Instead, she darted away and joined Cat in the middle of the path.

That was even stranger. The two animals weren’t enemies, exactly, but I’d never seen them in such close proximity without one hissing or flapping at the other.

“Do you think they want us to follow them?” Cory asked.

“I think you’re thinking too much. I don’t know about your raven, but Mouse is a normal cat. She never tries to tell me anything other than that it’s time for dinner.”

“Cat, what’s up?” Cory asked. He walked forward and bent to pick the raven up, but the bird eluded his hands, flying into the air and settling down ten feet farther along the path. They cawed three times, sounding insistent.

I looked at Mouse, who trotted down the path to join Cat again. She turned and looked at me expectantly.

“I’ll follow you later,” I told her. “But I need to get Cory back to his room now.”

I started down the path that would bring us back to the manor. I’d barely made it five steps before Mouse bounded over and sank her claws into the front of my joggers. She hissed loudly.

“I think maybe we should follow them now,” Cory said.

I sighed. “Fine. We’ll follow for a bit, just to see. But then I’m bringing you back to the manor.”

I looked down at Mouse, who still had one set of claws sunk into the leg of my pants. “We’re coming, okay? You can let go now.”

She retracted her claws and rejoined Cat.

The animals seemed happy enough once we’d begun following them down the path they’d chosen for us.

At each fork, they chose the path that would lead to my cabin.

We passed the turn offs for History Haven, then Harvest, and I briefly glimpsed the lights of Hearth glimmering in the distance as we made the final turn towards my cabin.

As soon as we reached it, Mouse hissed again, but this time, she was directing her anger at the house itself. Cat flapped up and circled the roof over and over, cawing angrily. I walked towards the front steps, then stopped. The door was ajar, hanging loose from its hinges. My body went cold.

Someone had broken into my cabin.

Cory sucked in a sharp breath of air when he saw the door, then followed me closely as I made a circuit of the house. There was a hole in the bathroom window around the back, and what remained of the pane was spiderwebbed with cracks.

I turned to Cory when we made it back to the front. “I’m going inside to check it out. Stay out here until I know the coast is clear.”

“It’s one room,” he said. “And Cat has been cawing like crazy. I don’t think anyone’s still hiding in there. Besides, aren’t I in more danger out in the woods by myself anyway?”

“Fine.” I didn’t want to waste time arguing. “But get your knife out.”

I slid my two knives out of their wrist sheathes and held them, one ready to throw, the other ready to slash. I walked up the steps on silent feet, then pushed the door open with a bang, sweeping the room with my gaze.

It was empty, but the place had been ransacked.

All the kitchen drawers were pulled out, the chairs at the table overturned.

The couch cushions were scattered, the mattress pulled halfway off my bed.

I darted back to the bathroom. It was empty too, but the floor was covered with shattered glass and the medicine cabinet had been pawed through.

“Did someone try to rob you?” Cory asked when I came back to the main room.

“I don’t have anything worth stealing.”

“Someone must have thought you did.”

I couldn’t shake the sense of violation I felt, seeing my home turned over like this.

I realized with a jolt that this was exactly what I’d done to Teresa and Sheridan.

But I’d been careful to put things back where I found them.

Whoever did this either hadn’t had the time to be careful, or didn’t care.

Or maybe leaving the mess was part of the message. Maybe they wanted me to feel unsettled.

“Sit tight,” I told Cory. “I need to get this cleaned up before I take you back.”

“I’ll help,” he said, and he did. Together, it didn’t take long to put the main room back in order. Cory yawned the whole time we worked, though.

“I need to clean up the bathroom,” I said, “and find something to put over the window temporarily. I’ll take you back as soon as I’m done.”

“Sure.” He sat down on the couch, leaning back against the cushions. “Take your time.”

But when I came back from the bathroom ten minutes later, he was lying down on the sofa, afghan pulled around him, fast asleep.

Seeing him made me tired, too. I was physically weary from cleaning up, and psychically weary from trying to figure out what had happened.

Nothing had been taken, as far as I could tell.

I didn’t relish having to talk to Isaac after taking Cory back to his room.

Hell, I didn’t even want to leave the cabin right now.

I looked down at Cory. He was exhausted, and already asleep. He might be in someone else’s dream right now. I didn’t want to wake him.

Instead, I picked him up gently, cradling him in my arms. He stirred, but his eyes remained closed. He made a gentle mmph when I set him down on the bed, but didn’t wake. At least he’d be more comfortable there. I could take the couch.

I sat down on the edge of the bed, watching him. He’d rolled over onto his side, his back to me, deep in slumber. After a moment, I lay down next to him.

Just for a moment , I told myself. Just until I can catch my breath .

I was more tired than I realized. The old wound on my chest ached. Who had broken in here tonight? Did they know Cory and I were supposed to be here? I should stay close. Keep Cory safe. One moment longer.

When I woke up, it was still dark outside. The cabin and the forest were utterly silent. My heart thumped when I realized there was someone else in my bed, then beat even faster when I realized it was Cory. Fuck. I hadn’t meant to fall asleep.

Then I realized what had woken me up. It was the sound of Cory shifting in bed. The sound of him whispering my name.

“Noah?” he said again into the darkness. I could barely place his shadow, a deeper patch of black in the dark of the room.

“Yeah?”

“Are you awake?”

It was such a silly question that I laughed. I reached over and flicked on the lamp that sat on the bedside table. I looked at Cory, searching his face for a sign of what was troubling him. My hand took hold of his without conscious thought.

“What’s wrong?” My voice was as soft as his, though there was no need to whisper.

Golden lamplight kissed his features. “Nothing. I was dreaming, and when I woke up, I didn’t know where I was. I didn’t mean to fall asleep here.”

“It’s okay.” My heartbeat began to slow as I realized there was no immediate danger. “You seemed tired, and I didn’t want to wake you, so I…”

I trailed off with a shrug. His eyes slid down to my hand, holding his. I tensed, preparing to move away from him, but something stopped me. My body, my mind—every part of me was tired of fighting. Tired of pushing down my desire.

“So you…” Cory said slowly, his eyes traveling up to meet mine.

Maybe it was the fact that it was the middle of the night. Maybe it was what he’d told me about his dad a few hours ago. Maybe I was sick of lying to myself, and to him, about what I wanted. The reason didn’t actually matter.

My actions did.

I leaned in and pressed my lips to Cory’s.

They were chapped, dry from sleep, and he made a surprised little gasp in the back of his throat.

I leaned in farther, balancing on one elbow, bringing my other hand to his face.

My thumb stroked his cheek as my tongue probed his lips.

His mouth opened, a sigh escaping him, and I tasted his tongue.

I’d wanted to do this for so long. I’d been holding back, desperate for it. Ever since the first time he’d kissed me.

No, since before that. Since the first night I’d met him, I’d wanted to taste his lips, make them my own. Cory’s kiss that first night had been tentative, but I was confident now, pressing my claim. My hand slid to the back of his head as I lay him down against the pillow.

He moaned, a small, soft sound in the golden light, and slid a hand to my back. Within seconds, I was on top of him, my body covering his. He groaned, and I pulled back.

“Sorry,” I said. “I should have asked.

“No, you shouldn’t have. If you’d thought of asking, you would have talked yourself out of it. And I like the feel of you on top of me.”