Page 80 of Ghost

Bianca

Control

“Thank you for meeting with me.” I glanced back at Ms. Protean, preparing to leave her office. My initial fear toward her had receded, and even Cécile seemed less imposing.

We had bonded, I supposed. She was actually very interesting. I considered looking into some of her classes. And, maybe, someday she’d even be a grandmotherly figure for me as well.

I might like that. I’d never had a grandmother before. And the lack of glowing-eyes probably meant she wouldn’t eat me. I hoped.

It was unlikely that she could eat students anyway. There had to be rules against that sort of thing, ethical code violations.

“Not a problem. And remember, Miss Brosnan,” Ms. Protean was stroking Cécile again and didn’t glance up, “The Cole family has spies everywhere. I’d hate to see you become another victim. Don’t make me regret talking to you.”

“Alright.” I nodded. It was sweet of her to warn me, but she didn’t need to know I had no intentions of stopping my investigation. I only had to stay cautious. “I won’t do another thing. Goodbye.”

Ms. Protean sighed, waving me off, and I exited the room without another word.

I had hardly taken three steps down the hallway, lost in my thoughts, when a voice startled me into the present.

“Did you discover anything interesting?”

“Miles!” I screamed, spotting him leaning against the wall.

He frowned at my reaction, and his stern expression remained fixed on me. “Why didn’t you message me, Bianca?”

“I…” I wasn’t certain what to say; it sounded stupid to admit I didn’t want to be a bother. Besides, it hadn’t even been that long. And he was still supposed to be in class. “How did you know I was here?”

“I have ways.” His mouth quirked, before the stoic mask fell back over his expression. “But that’s not the question. Did you not feel as though I’d keep my promise? Do you not feel as though you can depend on me?”

Despite the creepy nature of his promise, my heart thundered for an entirely different reason. “No.” I never wanted him to feel that way. Before I second-guessed myself, I had already rushed forward and grabbed onto his arm.

His eyes widened, and I realized this was the first time I initiated contact with any of them. But the solid and warm feeling of his arm fell to the side as his words rushed through me. I was desperate to make sure they felt needed.

“No,” I repeated.

His shocked gaze melted into something softer as he looked at me.

“I don’t want to burden you,” I told him, hoping he’d see the truth in my eyes. “I don’t want you guys to think that I can’t handle myself at all. I want to do what I can to help. I was going to get back before you ever knew.”

“Bianca,” Miles sighed, tucking a loose strand of my hair behind my ear. His brown eyes held onto mine. “We don’t think that at all. You don’t need to prove anything. There’s only the matter of your safety. There’s a lot that you don’t understand—”

“I know that she’s a werewolf,” I tried to reassure him. “But I was perfectly safe. She’s a teacher, it’s not like she’d eat me.”

“Well…” he trailed off, hesitant.

I let go of his arm, backing away. Hadn’t wejustgone through this?

“It’s unlikely,” he explained.

I was gaping at him. “But what about last night? And the background checks?”

Miles’ eyebrow rose. “What do you remember about last night?”

What did I remember? What an odd question. “We talked for a while, Titus told me that he was a dragon. You guys said I’d never be eaten. And then I fell asleep.”

“Okay.” Miles was frowning now. “I’ll simplify this. There are bad shifters out there. Just like there are bad people. But Titus, and most shifters, won’t hurt you. Now, think about what you’ve learned so far. In terms of elements and controlling elements, shifters are…”

His voice trailed off, and it took a moment to realize that he was waiting for an answer.