Page 74 of Demon Apathy: Sunderverse

He put his clipboard down, ready to help. “Are you in search of anything special today?”

“Yes, I like anything you have on Truesight, especially the risks of getting the procedure done.”

One of his bushy eyebrows went up. He leaned closer, his gaze darting from side to side to make sure no one was around. “Grant told me you might be in need of such material.”

“He did?” I asked, surprised. Why would Grant tell the librarian about it?

“Aha!” He reached behind the counter and came up with a stack of books. “These have what you need.”

“Thank you.”

“I don’t know if Grant mentioned this,” he said in hushed tones, “but I would perform the spell.”

I blinked at the old man, more than surprised this time. “No, he didn’t mention it.”

Preston was a mage—I knew that much—but I never suspected he did more than fetch books for the students.

“Therearerisks. That’s for sure.” He nodded adamantly. “But if it gives you any peace of mind, I’ve performed the spell countless times. Every student that has graduated at Striker Hall in the past one hundred and fifteen years got their Truesight from me.” He lifted both hands and wiggled arthritic fingers in the air. “Grant himself and every one of your teachers did, too.”

“I had no idea.”

How old was this man? I knew mages could prolong their lives. More than that, they could make themselves look younger than their years, but Preston looked at least eighty. If rejuvenation spells didn’t do the trick anymore, he had to be really ancient.

“Few do. I prefer to keep it that way.” He winked. “So if you have any questions after you go over these books, don’t hesitate to ask.”

I gathered the books. “I won’t.”

“Good.”

I walked out, hugging the books and wondering how many more things I didn’t know about the comings and goings of Striker Hall. The League of Demon Hunters was an old institution, and I was sure that many secrets surrounded it. I imagined Preston knew a lot of them.

Jenna wasn’t in the room when I got there. I figured she must be hanging out with Benjamin, still waiting for him to make a move. I smiled to myself and settled on my desk to study. It was almost dinner time when a text message from an unknown number buzzed in my phone.

Meet me outside, it read.

Drevan! My heart leaped in my chest. I was halfway out the door before I paused to consider it might not be him. Feeling like an idiot, I paused to type a reply.

Who is this?

You know who it is.

Nope. No idea.

Why do you always have to be so stubborn?

I sighed. It was Drevan, all right. But now I was mad and not so ready to run to him. I stood there, holding the door open with my foot, wishing I could refuse to meet him, but my task was too important to ignore on the basis of my doomed attraction to him. Because that was why he was here. He hadn’t come to visit me, ask me how I was doing, or bring me flowers—even if I thought they were a waste of money. He only came when he needed me to work on our mission.

The phone dinged with another message.

I have news about Khargon and Solar.

But of course.

I slammed the door shut and stomped down the hall, telling myself I needed to get a massive reality check. I had to put the brakes on my feelings. Nothing could exist between Drevan and me. If we succeeded in saving the world, I would be dust in the blink of a devil’s eye.

Outside, Drevan was looking all hot and sexy reclining against his sports car. He had on a pair of dark jeans and a gray hoodie with a navy pea coat layered on top. His shiny hair was combed back, and he wore a pair of aviator glasses. Passersby gawked at him, and a woman in a car had to slam on her brakes not to hit the bus in front of her.

Drool much?!