Page 50 of Malcroix Bones Academy (Bones and Shadow #1)

A few paragraphs discussed the rift between the two families, which had been a huge scandal at the time.

Not a single word suggested any ideological disagreement between them.

Instead, they implied the fight had been personal.

Press clippings from the time speculated whether Morticia La Fey and Valefor Bones, the Bones patriarch, had been having an affair.

Dark Cathedral wasn’t mentioned, but maybe that wasn’t a surprise. After all, if it did exist, they’d suppress any mention from the papers, wouldn’t they?

I wondered if Caelum would give me more information about the relationships there if I asked him.

Thinking about Caelum had me grimacing again, though, and closing the book with a snap. I checked my dad’s watch, and it was nearly five o’clock.

Time to head back.

The rest of the school would be waking up soon.

“Ugh, not that again.” I pushed it away when Draken set it down on the table in front of me. “Why are they even printing that photo still? Isn’t there any real news in the Magical world, that they have to constantly recycle idiotic gossip?”

“Maybe this sells more papers?” Miranda teased. “You do look pretty hot in that photo, Leda, you have to admit.”

I gave her a flat look. “Not helping, Mir. Anyway, it was over a month ago now. Why is this still a thing?”

My friend only smiled wickedly. “And here we were, thinking Drakey would hog all the press attention in our little group.”

Draken rolled his eyes, but smirked at me. “I’m not complaining.”

I scoffed back. “I bet you aren’t.”

I glanced a few tables over, and saw Alaric staring down at what had to be the same front page of the same newspaper, which happened to be The London Twilight this time. Whoever took that photo in the Kink-Tailed Cat must’ve made a fortune selling it to every paper in Magique England.

Caelum, who sat next to Alaric, legs sprawled under the oak table, was cutting up eggs and toast on his plate. I noticed that in the barest glance, but jerked my eyes back to Alaric when Bones felt my stare and glanced in my direction.

I was still watching Alaric when I saw Bones frown in my peripheral vision, right before he leaned over behind Alaric and stared down at the paper with him.

There was no mistaking the harder look that came to his eyes.

When those gold eyes shifted to me, I looked quickly away.

My eyes dropped to the newspaper Draken had tossed by my plate.

The photo took up much of the front page.

In it, Alaric leaned towards me over a wooden pub table, his fingers gently fingering the green crystal hanging on an antique chain around my neck.

Alaric was smiling faintly, his eyes intent, and between that and my cleavage being distinctly visible in the lacy, low-cut top, the pose looked suggestive, even intimate.

My hair was a mass of black waves and curls.

I also wore more makeup than usual, and I was smiling faintly.

I couldn’t remember what we’d been talking about at that precise moment, or what thought they’d caught me in the middle of, but I knew I’d been tipsy, and affected by that gold amulet, which made the whole thing feel unfair.

“It’s ridiculous,” I said, fighting a blush. “There’s absolutely nothing between me and Alaric. And now he’s probably going to have to answer to his family about this.”

“You’re not wrong about that,” Luc said quietly. “I doubt he’s looking forward to going home over the winter break, with all the attention this is getting.”

I winced at his words, and shoved the paper away.

Clearly seeing some element of my feelings on my face, Jolie patted my arm.

“It’s not your fault, Leda.”

Wasn’t it, though? I’d been the one to force Alaric to deal with me.

And now it turned out Alaric’s paranoia about us being seen together had been completely warranted.

Remembering what he’d said about his father, and what Caelum said about the Greythornes in general, I winced again, folding my arms.

“Ridiculous,” I muttered.

Draken looked a little chastened when I glanced at him.

“Jolie’s right,” he said, quieter. “It’s not your fault.

” When I opened my mouth to argue, he cut me off.

“Greythorne knew what he was doing. Hell, maybe he did it on purpose. Maybe he’s using you to push back against his father and his messed up beliefs.

In any case, he decided to stand with you, and that makes him tons more decent than the rest of those wankers. ”

I thought about that.

I glanced over at Alaric, and saw him looking at me.

He gave me a faint smile and a wink, then held up the paper. Pointing at the me part of the image, he raised his eyebrows suggestively, and I laughed, in spite of myself.

When I glanced at Caelum, he was leaning back somewhat, arms folded. The mask had returned, making his emotions difficult to read. His eyes appeared flat, empty, disinterested, but his jaw ticked as he stared back at me.

Damn him for looking hot as hell in all black, with tailored black pants, black boots, and an also-tailored black dress shirt.

He had the sleeves rolled up and the shirt open at the collar, showing off lines of muscle on his arms and upper chest, and a tattoo I’d seen in person only once before and knew was of an artistically-rendered dragon.

His blond hair fell partly in his face, but managed not to obscure either of his gold, cat-like eyes.

Wanker.

Perfect hair having, stupid hot, annoyingly smug, condescending wanker.

I really, really needed to do something about my dating situation.

I needed to fix that particular problem. Today.