Page 146 of Malcroix Bones Academy

He stepped closer, crowding me even more. He caught my arm again, and gripped it tighter.

“I’m not leaving you out here like this,” he growled. “You can scream at me about what a bigoted prick you think I am all day tomorrow, when you’re feeling better. I’ll block off my fucking calendar.” His jaw hardened. “That’s what you’ve decided I am. Isn’t it?”

I stared up at him, struggled to focus on his face. “What?”

He tightened his hold on me, even as anger re-heated his eyes.

“I wasn’t offended by the goddamneddream,Shadow,” he said, a touch colder. “Not like you’ll ever believe me… or likely even remember this… but I enjoyed it, all right? The only thing I didn’t like was youendingit… and then asking thatprickout right in front of me the very next day.” His jaw hardened, as if he wanted to bite back his words. “Let me take you back to Grathrock. I’m not leaving you alone, but you can sleep it off on my bed. I won’t go near you. I’ll bring you your fucking cat. You can handcuff me to the armchair…”

I stared up at him, breathing harder.

His bed sounded good. It sounded really, really good.

It sounded even better with him in it.

“Shadow.” He exhaled, and some of the anger left his voice. “You don’t mean that. Trust me. You don’t.”

I felt my face warm, but continued to stare down at the balcony’s stone floor. “That all right?” I managed to slur out. “Bed?”

His other hand took hold of my other arm.

“Yes,” he said firmly. “It’s fine. I’ll get you your own bucket to puke in and everything.” He glanced out over the balcony. “I’m taking you out of here, all right? Can you walk? Or do you need me to carry you?”

The thought was so ludicrous, I burst out in a laugh.

I immediately regretted it when my stomach lurched.

“Don’t,” I forced out, holding up a hand.

“Don’t carry you?” he asked, oddly patient now.

“No.” I shook my head, eyes closed. “No laughing. Don’t make me laugh.”

“But I’m normally such a laugh riot, Shadow. How can I possibly help it?”

I smacked him, or tried, missed, and burst out in another laugh.

“Okay.” He exhaled, now holding me up with his arm around my waist. “I think you’re getting carried.”

I didn’t object.

He bent down and wrapped an arm under my knees and the other around my shoulders, and I found myself leaning into his gold-painted chest. He picked me up like I weighed no more than a doll, but I felt strangely guilty about it, and also unbelievably relieved. I no longer had to figure out how to move my legs, or what to grip to stay upright. I placed a hand on his chest, and carefully touched the gold paint, then looked at my fingers.

It didn’t come off.

“I used magic,” he said, gruff, as he began walking with me down the stairs to the left of the balcony railing. “It’s make-up, but I used magic to keep it from getting on everything.”

Why hadn’t I done that? It seemed so obvious.

I was frowning, though. I stared at his upper body, and waved my fingers through the visible layer of sparkling light I felt over the top of it.

“You charmed yourself,” I said, baffled.

“Yes.” That odd patience returned to his voice. “I just explained that, Shadow.”

I shook my head. “No. Not the make-up. You charmed your actual body.” I looked up, and found myself staring at his facefrom only a few inches away. A laugh bubbled up from inside me. “Did you actuallycharmyourself to make yourself look hotter?”

I saw his jaw tighten, and burst out in another giggle.