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He chuckles and shakes his head.

“The other night, when we were doing the Tarot stuff, Aaron said the cards whisper to him.” At the time, I thought he was trying to describe an intuitive nudge, like your own voice talking to you. Now I suspect it’s something more. “Do you think he meant that literally?”

“Absolutely.”

I curl my hands up into my sleeves to shield them from the biting wind. Maybe Aaron invited me tonight because he thought I’d understand what he experienced. I feel , he hears .

I ask Leo, “What’s Avery’s superpower?”

“Her superpower?”

“Yes, her superpower. Isn’t that what you’re doing, putting together an elite team of heroes?” I’m probably misquoting, but anyone would get my reference.

Leo shoves his hands into his front pockets. He won’t make eye contact with me.

“What’s our mission, Nick Fury? Save a small planet? Rescue the earth from a ruthless god? Oh, I know!” I do a little skip step, dancing along beside him. “Before he died, some big baddie put all his evil powers into a…a, I dunno, a pretzel! And we have to find it before the Russians do!”

Leo stops dead and whips around to look at me. His brows are so tightly knitted they’re almost vertical.

“Haha!” I keep up my prancing and teasing. “I’ve hit the nail on the head, haven’t I?”

He lets out a breathless laugh and grips my shoulders, forcing me to settle down. “You’ve lost your mind.”

“ I’ve lost my mind?” I jab him in the chest. “Everything you say is preposterous! ”

“Which is why I need you to be level-headed.” With a lopsided smile, he turns me bodily around and nudges me onward.

“Level-headed?” I toss a grin over my shoulder. “You’ve got the wrong girl if that’s what you’re looking for.”

I nearly collide with Aaron and Avery who’ve paused in front of the glass double doors.

“You two all done flirting?” Avery asks.

I go redder than a stoplight and Leo huffs out an awkward laugh, his breath white in the cold. As I pass him to go inside, I avoid his eyes. We were talking, playing around, joking. We weren’t flirting.

Were we?

The Bobcat is a vast lounge area in the middle of the student center.

Someone must’ve put a lot of money into it because it has a gas fireplace and the comfiest chairs and couches on campus.

It also boasts a coffee bar. Knots of students are always hanging out here, studying, talking, and fueling up on caffeine.

The four of us find a cozy spot near the fireplace, above which hangs the Brownhill Bobcats flag.

Avery flops down next to Aaron, leaving me and Leo to share the sofa opposite them.

Relaxed and comfortable, we rehash all our theories about Aaron’s dream, agreeing that his clairaudience is the most reasonable explanation.

Like reasonable and psychic belong in the same sentence.

I’m mulling this over when Avery smacks her knees and points at me to get my attention. “You and I need to talk.”

“Oookaaay. What about?”

“I hear you’re in need of some protection.”

Protection? Holy crap. “I—I—” What business is it of hers how I manage my sex life?

Aaron snickers. “Uh, Ave. I think you’d better clarify what you mean.”

“What?” Avery shrugs. Then suddenly it hits her. “Oh!” She laughs and elbows Aaron in the belly. “Get your mind out of the gutter.” She turns back to me and says pointedly, her eyes darting at Aaron, “What I meant was—I hear you could use some protection spells. Spells, Aaron, not condoms.”

I should be dying of embarrassment right now, but I’m too hung up on the word spells . Is Avery some kind of witch?

Leo explains, “I told Avery what happened to you when that guy OD’d.”

“There are entire books on protection magic,” Avery says excitedly. “There’s shielding, and wards, and amulets—” She lifts a black heart pendant off her chest. “See this? It’s obsidian, and it absorbs negative energy. But I also did a spell on it, so it’s, like, double protective.”

My head spins. I know there are people who go around calling themselves witches, and I’ve also heard of Wicca and covens, but I’ve never met anyone in real life who believes in witchcraft.

Hesitantly, I ask, “What did you say it does?”

“Absorbs negative energy. Any kind: harmful emotions, psychic attacks, energy vampires…” She ticks off the list on her fingers. “…malevolent spirits, hexes…”

Malevolent spirits? She’s nuts. But my brain homes in on one phrase: harmful emotions. “Wait, so wearing a black necklace can protect you?” I move in to get a good look at the pendant. It’s pretty, in a Hot Topic sort of way.

“If you do a charm on it, or if it’s a crystal. There’s all sorts of stuff you can do with crystals, like carry them in your pocket or set up a grid. Herbs too. Oh, and you can learn how to shield. All you need for that is your own mind…”

She keeps talking, but I’m not registering anything she’s saying. Instead I gape, totally overwhelmed, wanting to understand but unsure how to even ask questions.

Leo leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees. To Avery he says, in his calm, reasonable way, “How about we start small? Maybe with a few crystals and a book you could loan her? ”

“Oh, yeah,” Avery says. “Sure. I know just what to give her.”

“Perfect.” Leo pats the table and eases back on the couch. Meanwhile, I let out a long exhale.

Aaron chuckles and changes the subject. “So Leo, man, any new theories?”

“Well—” Leo stretches his legs out to the side of the coffee table and crosses his feet at the ankles.

In less than two seconds, those Doc Martens are rocking back and forth.

He’s in thinking mode. “I just read an article about researchers who want to do DNA testing. They think some of the colony’s descendants are mixed in with a few indigenous groups, including the Cherokee out here. ”

“All the way out here?”

“Possibly.”

“But they haven’t done any tests yet?”

Leo stops nibbling his bottom lip long enough to answer. “No. They’re still trying to find other relatives in the UK to compare them to.”

“Roanoke Colony,” Avery stage-whispers to me. “Leo’s obsessed.”

I nod. “He’s told me about it.”

I want to know more about this DNA stuff, but the guys’ discussion has switched to common British surnames. I’ll ask Leo about it some other time. Maybe we can meet at the library again after…

Oh shit.

I shoot to my feet. “What time is it?”

Aaron points to a clock behind my head. “Almost eight.”

“Oh god. I have to go.” I pat my pockets to make sure I have my wallet and keys, already halfway to the doors. “I’ll see you guys later.”

“Betts, wait.” Leo jogs up to me. “Let me walk you back.”

“No, it’s fine. I have to run anyway. Like, literally.” I don’t stick around to argue with him.

Liv is gonna be so pissed.

As I power-walk the short distance to my dorm, I check my phone.

Three texts from Liv. My ringer was off but I should’ve felt the vibration.

Was I that distracted? Unwilling to waste even the seconds it would take to read her messages, I pick up speed, hoping as I hurry that she’s still in our room and that she doesn’t hate me.

Three minutes later, I throw open our dorm room door.

Liv springs off her bed. “What the fuck? Where were you?”

“I’m so sorry. The meeting went?—”

She cuts me off. “You said an hour!”

“I know, I know. I’m sorry. I should’ve texted you. But for some reason, it took longer than I expected and time just…got away from me.”

“But I texted you .”

“I know. And I don’t know why I didn’t feel it.”

“What the hell, Betts? You promised we’d work together.” She jerks an arm at her desk. “I did everything you said. I even made an outline.”

“I’m so sorry. I really am.” The zipper on my jacket catches. Sweat breaks out along my hairline as I yank and pull.

“So who were you meeting? That guy Lara saw you with at the library?”

My hands go still and my stomach drops. “What?”

“Seriously?” Liv crosses her arms and narrows her eyes at me. “I’m your best friend. Don’t play dumb.”

I will myself to get it together. Other than being late tonight, I’ve done nothing wrong. “Where did you hear about that?”

“Braden told me.”

Legs going numb, I sink onto my bed. Who told Braden and did Braden tell Zander? And when was Liv talking to Braden? Because the answer to that question should be never.

I say, “Last week, I was with a guy at the library, but we were just studying. ”

“That’s not what Lara said.”

“Yeah, well, Lara’s a big fat gossip.”

Liv flinches. How dare I insult a KPT.

“Honestly, Liv. Do you think I wouldn’t tell you if there was something going on?”

She looks like she’s about to cry. “I used to think you’d tell me, but now I’m not so sure. I mean, you’ve been hanging out with some guy I’ve never even met!”

“It’s not like that. He’s a casual acquaintance. That’s all.”

“Whatever.” Blinking furiously, she turns away. “How could you just blow off our plans?”

My throat burns. “Liv—I’m so sorry.”

“I mean, do you even want to be in a sorority? Because for a year it’s all you could talk about, and now it’s like you don’t even care anymore.”

“I do care, I promise.” I blot my eyes with my sleeve. “I’m so sorry. It’s just…. I’m having a hard time juggling everything right now, you know? With Rush, and classes, and Zander and all that.” And a bargain-basement Nick Fury trying to recruit me for his team of psychics.

“Yeah.” She slumps onto the bed beside me and heaves a sigh. “This year’s a lot harder than last year.”

“Tell me about it.”

She sniffs and looks at me with confused, dark eyes. I can’t stand it. I fold her into my arms, and when she squeezes me back, I melt in relief.

“It won’t forget you again,” I promise. I’ve veered off course in the past few weeks, but from now on, Liv and Zander come first, classes and Rush come second. Leo? A distant third.

“You’d better not.”

“I won’t.” I arrange her soft black hair. “Now, come on and help me with this stupid zipper so we can get that essay done.”