Page 30 of Malcroix Bones Academy (Bones and Shadow #1)

The Mystery

Iwalked into the dining hall for Grathrock College feeling off-balance, light-headed, strangely jubilant and excited and unnerved and a little nauseated all at once.

I’d gotten what I wanted from Caelum Bones, and I hadn’t even had to go looking for it. He really might not know what happened that day in Overworld London, but he’d agreed to help me find out. Even stranger, he seemed to already have opinions about it.

He’d seemed oddly certain that, whoever it was, they were trying to kill me now.

Which maybe should make me more nervous than it did.

As I pondered our agreement, his odd comments, and even odder behavior, I wondered why he was so sure the two things must be connected.

It didn’t matter in that moment, of course.

Whatever his thinking, and whether he ended up being right or not, I was definitely closer to learning something about both things than I had been when I woke up.

He’d also finally answered the burning, frustratingly elusive question that had been driving me crazy for months.

I did have a primal.

I simply had a primal no one could see.

Well, no one apart from him.

He seemed to imply it would be better if no one else knew mine existed, either, at least if his offer to teach me to project “a primal for other people” was real.

He obviously hid his black crystal and flame.

He projected the familial primal, and everyone assumed his magic came from that.

Was there some reason our type of primal wasn’t good for other Magicals to know about? Was it problematic in some way?

And really, what was it? What were we connecting to?

The dining hall, thankfully, hadn’t closed during our utility closet negotiations.

It wasn’t even particularly empty.

The space ended up being significantly larger than I expected, but not as austere or intimidating as Worm Hall.

It felt airy and homey, even, with a high, domed ceiling made mostly of glass, a stone tower at one end, and eight, wooden, student-filled tables that each ran roughly twenty feet in length.

Gothic arches broke up the ceiling where banners hung down, just below the framed glass panels that showed off blue sky and clouds.

Vines covered with purple and gold flowers hung down the walls.

A black-stone fireplace stood near the main doors, with marble griffins flanking the hearth.

I got there after my friends, but before they’d left for classes.

They all looked relieved to see me. Relieved enough, I felt a little guilty, wondering if they’d been waiting for me before they left.

“Oh, you look well!” Jolie exclaimed first, looking up from where she had a thick textbook open by her arm. “I guess that tonic from Dr. Gupta must have helped?”

“You looked like death warmed over last night,” Miranda agreed, relief also in her eyes.

Draken smacked her arm, and laughed.

“Don’t tell her that,” he mock-scolded. “Frozen faery tits, Mir. You’ve got the tact of a drunk minotaur?”

“It’s fine,” I laughed, waving them both off. “Since I can’t even remember how I got back to my dorm room last night, I’m sure she’s absolutely right about how I looked.”

“Drake carried you,” Luc said calmly. “You passed out.”

I felt my face grow unexpectedly hot, even as I glanced at the tall, ridiculously handsome mage with the dark eyes. “Really? I assumed I just walked back in a daze. You carried me? The whole way?”

Drake opened his mouth to answer, but a different voice echoed mine from behind where I stood.

“You CARRIED me?” the voice said in a high, scathing falsetto. “The WHOLE way? Oh my soaking wet PANTIES, Hollywood… you’re my HEERRROOO…”

Giggles and deeper chortles broke out at several tables.

I turned my head, more in disbelief than anger.

I glared at the platinum blond sitting there, again with Alaric Greythorne wincing by his side, the three hulking mages with mean eyes from the night before, and Elysia Warrington from my summer bridging course.

Warrington smirked at me like it was her birthday and her favorite person in the world just gave her a present.

“Rasputin’s saggy ballsack, Shadow,” Bones said in disgust. “Just crawl under the table and suck him off, already.”

I stared, a little thrown by the spark of real anger in his eyes.

My mouth firmed.

“You seem awfully concerned about who other witches are sucking, Bones,” I retorted, refusing to blush every time he made a crass remark.

“In fact, you seem awfully concerned about other mages’ sex lives in general.

What? Are you feeling unsatisfied?” I gave Warrington a look, and folded my arms before turning my eyes back on him and quirking an eyebrow.

Bones didn’t flinch.

“Deeply,” he said.

My jaw tightened when I saw the meaning behind his stare. In spite of my resolve, my face grew hot, but I refused to drop my gaze.

“Maybe you’re not doing something right?” I retorted. “Or maybe the equipment’s a bit small? A bit bent in the wrong direction?”

“Or maybe my witch needs some lessons from a slutty little cur,” he shot back, his eyes flashing hotter. “You know any, Shadow? Or maybe you’ve got some extra time this afternoon? If you can peel yourself off Hollywood’s nub for five seconds, that is?”

“I’m surprised you wouldn’t simply pay an actual prostitute to train her for you, like one of those dogs you’re so fond of mentioning,” I cut in. “It’s pretty clear you respect women about as much as pixie dung you scraped off your shoe?”

“Are you looking out for my witch for me, Shadow?” He smirked. “You can beg and beg, but I’m not interested in a threesome with a rangy little mongrel, not even one with nice tits and a talented tongue. ‘Fraid you’ll have to ask one of Hollywood’s other slags for that…”

The silence in our part of the dining hall suddenly felt deafening.

I felt eyes on the two of us, noting it without taking my own eyes off the gold irises in front of me. I considered going all-in on his ridiculous back and forth, then realized, like I had with Draken yesterday, that me trading increasingly crass insults with him was exactly what Bones wanted.

Better to shut him down altogether.

“Cat got your tongue, Shadow?” he sneered.

I blew a curl out of my face, and rolled my eyes.

“No, I was just thinking how deeply boring you are,” I said, my eyes drifting towards the ceiling.

I exhaled with mock-concern. “I can’t imagine why you aren’t able to attract anyone genuinely interested in you, Caelum.

But thank goodness for daddy’s and mummy’s money, right? Where would you be without it?”

Louder chortles and laughter broke out in the room, along with scattered applause.

I heard the most delighted laughs from the table directly behind me. When I held Bones’ gaze, I was surprised to see another flash of real anger there.

Before I could analyze that too deeply, I turned and walked the last few steps to the table filled with my friends.

I realized only then that Draken had risen to his feet again, his expression wary as he glared at Bones.

He gave me a friendly smile when I got closer, though, and touched my arm as I passed.

Miranda grinned up at me when I sat down next to her.

I’d deliberately chosen a seat between the two of them, my back firmly to Caelum Bones.

Clearly, as part of our new “deal,” he meant to keep the status, wealth, and blood hierarchy firmly in place, at least in front of everyone else.

Fine. I could do that.

No reason why I couldn’t sharpen my own claws on the Prince Prick’s back, if that’s what he so desperately wanted.

“Someone in our hall spent half the night talking to G.O.R.E. agents,” Jolie said, leaning over the table to speak to me quietly.

“Apparently, she was caught trying to bring a mirror onto campus. The tripwire chimera exploded it, of course, as soon as she passed through the gate, but it got logged with security, and that was enough for them to look into her after what happened. So I think they’re taking this death threat seriously, Leda. ”

I blinked, looking up from where I’d been eating fried eggs and potatoes.

“Mirrors explode when you bring them on campus?” I asked, baffled.

Jolie frowned, as if I was totally missing the point. “Of course. Anyway, it said so, didn’t it? In the Campus Orientation Manual? Didn’t you read that?”

My lips pressed together at the reminder. “I never got one,” I said, feeing another twinge of annoyance over that fact. At Jolie’s raised eyebrows, I added, “Is there a campus bookstore or anything? I’d like to buy a copy, actually.”

“Oh, I’m sure they’d just give you one if you asked at the admin desk in the Mansion,” Jolie assured me. “Oh, and here, by the way. Dr. Gupta gave me two of these.”

Jolie handed over a small, dark blue, glass vial.

I picked it up and squinted at the list of ingredients written in tiny handwriting on the paper stuck to one side.

“He helped me get the first dose into you, then suggested I mix the second in a glass of water and leave it on your bedside table once we got back to the dorm.” She looked a little apologetic. “He seemed to think you’d wake up thirsty.”

“I did,” I affirmed. “Thanks for that. I felt loads better after I drank it.”

Jolie smiled in relief. “I was a little worried until I saw you in the showers. You were just so pale last night. Even after that first dose of medicine?”

“They’re mirrors in there,” I blurted, thinking aloud. “In the bath.”

Jolie laughed. She shook her head, like she found my mirror curiosity funny.