Page 98 of Spark of Sorcery

“I notice you haven’t been invited,” she sneers with a smile

“I’m obviously devastated.”

“Those Princes obviously don’t care much for you.” Her smile grows wider. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re planning on dumping you. Especially when they find out you’ve been sneaking off to the forest for a secret rendezvous. Is it that boy you’re always with? Is that who you’re fucking behind the Princes’ back? I should have known – you’re such a slut.”

I glare at her. I know how this goes. I know what she’splanning. I can practically see the evil wheels spinning in her head. She’s going to tell everyone who will listen that that is what she saw and before you can say fuck-a-doodle-doo it will be the gospel truth with ten more eyewitnesses.

“I think you’re projecting,” I tell her. “Just because you’re sneaking around the pathways on the way to lick some shadow weaver pussy behind your protectors’ backs, does not mean I am doing the same thing.”

Horror overtakes her face before she schools it into something more neutral.

“Oh, little Slate scum,” she says, pouting, “I know they didn’t educate you properly back where you come from. I know all they did educate you on is how to lie on your back and open your legs. But tea is not the same thing as that.”

I shrug. “That’s what I heard.”

I take a step towards her, for a moment forgetting what I have hidden inside my coat. “So just be assured, Odessa, if you go starting rumors about me, I’ll be starting them about you.”

“Yeah, but the difference is, no one will listen to you,” she says smugly – which is true. Still, I’m guessing my threat might be deadly enough to stop her. The last thing she wants to do is lose her protectors and any sort of rumor of cheating is probably too much of a risk for her. My momentary thoughts of triumph vanish almost instantly though as her gaze drops to my chest and she frowns, observing the lump in the front of my coat. “What’s that?” she asks.

But I’ve had enough. I’m not going to stand here and let her interrogate me.

“Nothing,” I say quickly, stepping around her. “Good night, Odessa. Enjoy yourtea.”

Once I’ve returned to my room, I kick off myboots, flop down on the mattress with a relieved sigh, then unbutton my coat and let Blaze out.

“You did so well, baby,” I say, as he clambers over my face, licking my cheeks. “You were so well behaved.”

Except he isn’t that well behaved because I spend the next ten minutes trying to wrestle my left boot out of his mouth – he clearly doesn’t like the idea of me leaving him.

“I don’t want to go either, buddy,” I tell him, shoving my foot back in the boot before he can snatch it from me again. “But I’ve neglected researching my sister long enough and it’s important to me.”

He stares at me with his golden eyes, before curling up right in the center of my bed. I leave him snoozing, and walk through the campus to Clare’s room.

I’m more cautious stepping outside this time but it’s a quiet evening, too bitterly cold for anyone to want to hang outside. Everyone’s tucked up inside. I swing my head back and peer up at the stars up above. They’re the same stars that filled the sky back at Slate. Unchanging, constant. For a moment, I let myself think about the Princes, wondering what they can be doing, where they might be. Are they staring up at the exact same stars? Something deep inside me pangs and I suspect I do miss them, but I push that thought aside. Tonight, I’m focused on Amelia.

Clare is sitting in the center of her room with the books all spread out around her. Fly is there too, laid out on her bed and flicking through a novel.

“You were ages,” he murmurs as I enter.

“Yeah, the thing I had to do took longer than I thought.”

“The thing?” he says, eyes narrowing.

“Yeah and I ran into Odessa.”

Fly lifts his head from the pillow. “And yet you have all your body parts. How is this possible?”

“I have all my body parts, but don’t be surprised if there are all sorts of gross rumors flying around about the two of us tomorrow.”

“Ewww,” Fly says, “do I even want to know?”

“Nope.” I drop down on the floor next to Clare. “So anything in particular you think we should look into?” I ask her.

“Nothing solid,” she says, flicking over a page and pushing her glasses up her nose. “But …”

“But?” I say hopefully.

“I’ve been thinking–”