Page 81 of Magical Mischief

I studied Twobble closely, noticing the slight twitch of his fingers. The quick, furtive glances toward the door didn’t help either.

Keegan stood and grabbed his jacket to go rescue Bella.

“Twobble,” I began carefully, suppressing a smile, “why exactly are you always so nervous around Bella?”

“Nervous?” Twobble squeaked indignantly, drawing himself up to his full, if modest, height. “I am not nervous. I am merely… cautious. Fox shifters can be very tricky, Maeve.”

“Bella wouldn’t trick you,” I laughed gently. “She’s practically family.”

Twobble’s eyes narrowed skeptically, and he crossed his arms with a huff.

“Family or not, foxes have sharp teeth and sharper tempers. Once bitten, twice cautious, I always say. It’s wisdom, Maeve, pure and simple.”

Keegan smiled warmly. “I promise, Twobble, Bella is perfectly safe. She’s probably already freed herself and is planning her revenge as we speak.”

Twobble blanched, his exaggerated bravado evaporating instantly. “Revenge? Exactly what I’m talking about.”

“I was teasing. Relax. She’s one of us, and if the Academy accepted her, we should too.”

I watched Keegan curiously. There was such a quiet confidence in his tone.

It was so hard for me to be sure about anything right now.

My mind circled back to the visions Gideon had allowed me to glimpse, the uncertainty I now felt about the truths I thought I knew.

“Is there more to it, Keegan?” I teased. “Are you her knight in shining armor?

Keegan let out a low, throaty laugh and shook his head. “Not even a little bit.”

He shut the door behind him, and Twobble groaned dramatically, tossing his arms in the air.

“You see? This is precisely why I’m cautious, foxes and their games. Maybe, she just wanted Keegan to be her hero and rescue her.”

I chuckled.

“You don’t disagree, do you?”

I smiled and knew it was my time to return to the Academy. If anything, my dragons needed me more than love triangles.

Chapter Twenty

The Academy felt different this time.

Not louder, not brighter…just, fuller. As though the walls had finally taken a deep breath. As though the air remembered how to move again. The Academy had always felt alive, but the walls felt excited tonight. Anxious?

I stepped inside and paused, giving the old place a moment to greet me. That was the way with the Academy. You didn’t merely barge in. You arrived, you made an entrance, and if it was ready for you, it let you know.

Tonight, it had been waiting for me.

Grandma Elira stood at the end of the hall in a shaft of moonlight that filtered through the blue-stained glass across from the staircase.

Her silhouette was the same as it had always been, spine straight, hands folded neatly in front of her, but something about her face softened when she saw me.

I didn’t need to say a word. She knew something had changed.

“You came,” she said, stepping forward.

“I did.”