Chapter Twenty-Eight - Birthday
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Birthday
BLYTHE: BE PAJAMA ready!
I smiled, tossing my phone in my bag with some overnight clothes. The loose black tee with pajama pants wasn’t super sexy, but they were comfortable and perfect for a night of watching movies. If there wasn’t a bandage on my upper arm, I would have gone with a tank top. This shirt didn’t completely hide it, though it wasn’t a big mark, and lots of students had random bandages when leaving Magical Combat.
This kind of relaxing was exactly what I needed after feeling my world implode and unsure about how safe I was at the academy. I tied my long black hair into a messy bun before knocking on Blythe’s door.
“Perfect,” she said, staring down at my pajamas. Her freshly dyed, bright pink hair was left down to graze her shoulders. She went with an oversized green sleep shirt and blue plaid pajama shorts.
“Let’s head out,” said Levi, wearing light green pajama pants that matched his eyes.
I followed them to the front of the academy.
“You always pick horror,” Levi sighed.
She smiled and skipped past the gates. “It’s my birthday—we’ve got to do horror.”
“Fine, but let’s finish the night with a comedy.” Levi created a portal in front of us.
Blythe tugged my hand, and we all stepped through.
Stepping out, we appeared at the front of a manicured lawn, past trees and a walkway decorated with trailing lights. It resembled a modern castle—mansion would have been too quaint. Looking around, most homes in the area were built similarly, all spaced far apart over green hills.
I couldn’t hide the shock on my face when I looked at Blythe.
She looked down, a blush forming on her face. “This is home.”
“It looks awesome,” I said. She didn’t need to feel bad or awkward, I was just shocked.
Levi rested an arm on my shoulder, staring at her home. “I pretty much had the same reaction.”
The moment we started walking toward her house, a light electric feeling brushed my skin. It was almost like what I felt yesterday evening. Except it wasn’t radiating nearly as strongly as the one I watched Nick break when I had to sneak through it to follow him.
“Did you feel that? What is it?” I asked .
“It’s just to tell my parents we’re here. A security barrier.” Blythe waved a hand in the air carelessly.
We followed her inside. She led us past the grand entryway and kitchen into a living room. A large sectional took up most of the room, looking big enough for us all to sleep on, lined with way too many pillows. She jumped onto the center of it and shouted the name of a movie. The title lit up on the TV nearly covering one entire wall. Lights dimmed the moment the TV turned on.
Levi ran after her. He jumped onto the couch, sprawling out and placing an arm behind his head.
I moved to sit beside her, setting my bag on the floor, and reached for a silver-wrapped box.
“Here,” I said. Blythe squealed, jumping up from the pillows the moment I pulled it out.
She ripped open the wrapping immediately. “Wow. Oh—and it has a shell.” Her fingers traced over the vibrant stones on the silver bracelet.
“Your swimsuit reminded me of a mermaid, and buying a swimsuit was the first thing I spent my parents’ money on,” I said, a little awkward with the admission. It was a special moment to me, so I wanted her to have something special from me.
Blythe’s shoulders dropped and her voice pitched. “I was totally going for mermaid vibes. Thank you, this bracelet will match everything I have to wear, too.” She hugged me. “Even the beanie Levi got me.”
I laughed and fell back on the couch.
“Great minds,” said Levi, pointing between him and me from his spot, nearly buried in pillows.
A woman’s voice cut through our conversation from the kitchen. “Happy birthday. ”
A man with graying black hair, dark skin, and a big smile looked over at us as he used air magic to lift bowls of snacks. The snacks glided over to us in big, red bowls of popcorn and candy, without spilling, until placed on the square coffee table in front of us.
The woman walked into the living room, looking exactly like Blythe with shoulder-length hair, but her hair was dark with golden highlights.
“Make yourselves comfortable. Your brother will be back later tonight,” she said to us. “Oh Blythe, we are going to have company over, the Thornes and Rufeus Emerson. They’ll be here in a minute. I tried to reschedule, but those council members can be a little pushy when they want something. They use the importance of the Realm to get their way, and who could argue with that?”
Blythe slouched in her seat with disappointment. No one noticed how my mind started reeling. I pulled up a blanket, forcing my gaze forward. Panic coiled in my chest, making it hard to tell if I was acting normal, even while just sitting. Levi’s eyes met mine, a frown tugged at the corners of his mouth.
“I’m sorry, darling,” said her father. “They want to pay a lot of money for this deal we’ve been discussing. It will help us close on new property by adding in this other one to the discussion. These connections are important. But hey, I believe your classmates will be here to join you.”
“I understand,” Blythe said.
Her parents mumbled something to each other and started walking to the entryway.
Blythe said, “I mean, I’m an adult, it shouldn’t matter. It’s their house anyway. They are letting me stay here until I graduate, so I have somewhere to stay during the summers.”
“It’s okay to be upset,” I told her. It seemed like they worked a lot, and this clearly bothered her before.
She shrugged.
My whole body stiffened when a group of voices spilled in from across the kitchen, footsteps slowly grew closer. I was just watching them do some freak thing for magic yesterday. They were here.
“Hey, Ms. Valentine,” Caleb’s voice called through.
“Why don’t you two join our daughter for a movie?” Blythe’s father said to him while they all headed into the kitchen.
Levi’s head turned back, looking over his shoulder to try to see past the kitchen. From my spot, I found Trevor already walking our way with Caleb. They both looked pristine in pressed pants with dress shirts. Caleb’s shirt had the first couple buttons undone, he looked completely different than in the casual academy clothes I saw him in earlier today. I turned and nodded to Levi, confirming to him that Trevor was here.
Caleb threw his hands up. “What are the odds?” He gave me a wink. “They asked us to tag along, we’re headed to some educational meeting after. I’m sure it’ll be as fun as it sounds. Happy birthday, Breezy.”
“Oh wow, you’d think we’d grow out of using that name now that we’re all in the academy,” Blythe snorted.
Trevor chuckled, stepping into the living room. “I forgot about that one. ”
Glancing around, both Trevor and Caleb’s lips tipped up in the corners as if recalling a memory. Levi wasn’t smiling.
She sighed, whispering to me, “I lost control of my wind magic at Caleb’s sixteenth birthday… It was one time. ”
“Completely destroyed my cake, it was all over everyone,” Caleb said.
“It was an accident,” she squealed. “Your parents cleaned it up in two minutes anyway.”
“No worries, Breezy. It was my favorite birthday.” Caleb’s grin glinted with a mischievous spark.
We all curled up in different places on the couch with blankets, all staring at the TV playing a movie. Caleb sat beside me but wasn’t his normal flirty self. His fingers drummed on the couch behind me every few minutes and I’d feel him shift beside me. He smelled like the salty air near the ocean on a cold morning.
I couldn’t compare it to the comfortable and invigorating scent that was heavy on Nick’s shirt while falling asleep in it this morning. It was like he constantly spent time flipping through the leather-bound books of a library, but also like freshly rained on peppermint, reminding me of the comforts of reading in a garden.
Ever since Caleb got back from his dinner with Christina, he’d been noticeably distant, texting less. It wasn’t surprising. I understood that, I was distant too.
It was hard to look at him the same after knowing he went. I was also creating space after whatever was going on with me and Nick. I could feel Caleb’s eyes on me every time he’d turn to look at me. It made me wonder if he noticed the distance I created. I kept staring forward, shamelessly hogging an entire bowl of popcorn.
Trevor sat on the opposite end of the couch, beside Levi. He sat leaning forward, looking as uncomfortable as possible. Their knees were just barely touching. Trevor caught me looking at him, his eyes lingered on mine. He was nervous.
Voices got louder as their parents moved into the kitchen by the island. A voice drifted over, calm and quiet. I’d never forget it as one of the voices from the graveyard last night. Turning to look, it was Trevor’s father. Three people from yesterday evening were here now. With how close they were, hearing their voices, it suddenly felt like this was the last place I needed to be, but there was no way I was leaving my friends either. All I could focus on was the conversation not too far behind us.
“You know what?” Blythe’s mom’s voice caught my attention. “This is actually one of the older properties in a split agreement with Ares. I can call him up.”
I peeked back over my shoulder at the mention of Nick.
“Please do,” said Rufeus Emerson.
Caleb moved even closer, but I could barely focus on it.
“Hello, Ares dear,” said her mom. “I was going over a deal, and the historic apothecary house is nearby it. Yes. The council members are at my house now. I have the property lines with an old deed in front of me. Would you like to come take a look?” She glanced up at the council members with a disappointed look .
She continued, “We can leave it up for discussion. I know these older properties are important to you. We aren’t signing any papers today. Oh really? Actually, it would be good to get your eyes on this, it must be over two hundred years old. Okay, then.” I heard her voice change as she addressed the council members. “He’s heading over soon. Can I get you a drink? Go ahead and have a seat.”
They all took seats on the barstools around the spacious center island in the kitchen.
Blythe leaned over to me, whispering, “Sorry, Harper. I know how much he gets to you. He comes over sometimes to do deals, but he never stays long. I’ll ignore him with you.”
“It’s fine,” I said.
I definitely had to tell her, but then I wasn’t ready to tell anyone about what just happened. I felt like I could trust her, but everything had moved so fast. We both used shadows so easily to save ourselves, and she hated shadow magic. It felt like I could have told her about Nick in his hotel. But what would I even say?
After a few minutes of hearing them chat about real estate, I focused on the movie. Trevor had actually relaxed a little, leaning back into the sectional. He hadn’t relaxed enough to not have constantly been looking from the screen to the meeting happening behind us. Levi was no longer lying down. Instead, sitting up beside him. His leg shook nervously, still brushing Trevor’s. While Levi zeroed in on the screen, it didn’t look like he was really paying attention.
Caleb’s arm resting on the couch behind me pulled closer. His fingers hovered above my shoulder, nearly grazing my shirt. I went for another bowl of snacks, placing the popcorn between us, and setting the new snacks on my lap.
I glanced up at him. With him just showing up here with his parents, there hadn’t been the time to tell him his whole relationship with Christina was too complicated if it was as serious as I thought it was.
Plus, after what happened with Nick, I wasn’t sure I wanted to keep any fling going. That was all I would be to Caleb. I knew it wasn’t serious, it was a relief he never pushed it to be. Could I really blame him if he didn’t want to do what his parents wanted? After seeing what they were capable of, I was glad he wanted something different. At the same time, if he really wanted to not follow their plan, he might have gotten out of the dinner with her.
I wondered if Levi and Trevor were serious, if that meant that Levi knew anything about his father. I doubted it. If both Caleb and Trevor were getting ready to take up places on the council, would they be joining the secret group? It was then I remembered that Caleb told me how Trevor’s mother died in the fire. Did he know any of it? When I accidentally overheard him under the aura room, he talked about a meeting to sit in with the council. It sounded like he was getting ready to take up a spot for something more serious.
Caleb’s eyes searched mine as if he could have seen the way my thoughts turned dark. His full lips tugged down and he turned toward the movie.
Greetings called out behind us, the deep voice of Nickolas Ares followed. I turned to see him just entering. He was meticulously cleaned up. Not an ounce of him looked like he did after the graveyard, not like he had been up all night with me in his bed. Not like me, in the least sexy pajamas I had.
He wore a black sweater, rolled up to his forearms, revealing a silver watch on golden tan skin. It was only last night when his hands were on me, his mouth on my breasts.
Last time on his desk, he pretended it never happened, said it could never happen. While I knew it was temporary, his back-and-forth attitude was getting to me. If he liked me but didn’t want to be serious, he could have just said that instead of pushing me away and turning cold whenever I got a little bit close.
He stopped, noticing me there. For a brief second, his eyes lingered on me. My lips parted, taken aback by the weight of his gaze pinning me. It wasn’t a dismissal, he looked… scared? Then, he noticed Caleb’s arm resting behind me. His throat bobbed before his attention switched to the council members, shaking their hands without missing a step. The Valentines led everyone over to the kitchen island.
Blythe leaned forward. “I totally forgot about drinks.”
I knew exactly how she was feeling because she appeared to have been on a similar mission as me when I decided to try to eat most of the snacks. Trevor stood, eyes on the meeting in the kitchen.
“I’ll get some,” I said, shooting up and already walking over the pillows tossed to the ground.
“Are you sure?” she said, looking over at Nick.
I nodded. Curiosity was getting the better of me, seeing everyone from last night so crowded together.
Mr. Valentine smiled at me when I walked in. The focus of everyone in the kitchen could be felt on me .
“Grabbing drinks,” I said awkwardly.
“There’s a pitcher in the fridge,” Mr. Valentine said. “I’ll get you a tray.”
After grabbing a large pitcher of lemonade, I instantly found the cups through the glass cabinets. Pulling them down, I brought them over to the tray he set on the counter beside the Thornes.
A noticeable silence filled the air while I started pouring drinks.
“Oh, no. What happened to your arm, dear?” Camille Thorne asked.
Her voice, so sweet right now, was sharp, laced with hatred and determination yesterday. My mind completely blanked. Nick stared at me with a fire in his eyes.
He cleared his throat. “Practice went wrong.”
“Did an academy healer look at it?” Camille asked.
“I healed it,” Nick said.
I doubted they would have known exactly where one of them got me through the shadows, but the mark on my arm might have made me a little suspicious if they were looking for it. It had completely slipped my mind. Nick jumping in to cover me might have made it worse because they knew there were two of us there. I was already hoping they couldn’t have pinpointed us off of our builds. It was like he was jumping in the deep end with me, without hesitating. I hoped I was just being paranoid in the same way I kept looking over my shoulder at the academy.
My mouth snapped shut.
His face stayed completely neutral, bored even. “She’s a student of mine and is tutoring with me to catch up. One of our Tuesday lessons didn’t go as planned. She’s from the Unenchanted, as I’m sure you know.”
Camille said, “We have heard Ember and Devon’s child was attending this year. Wow, I can’t believe we didn’t recognize you.”
“Quite the resemblance,” Graham added, sounding just like a more mature version of Caleb.
My hands were shaking. I lowered them to my sides, leaving the tray on the counter. “Actually, um, where’s the restroom?”
“Down the hall, to the right. There’s a sign on the door.” Blythe’s mother gave me a warm smile.
“I’ll get these drinks to the crowd,” Mr. Valentine said.
“Thank you.” I quickly excused myself and rushed out of the room. I couldn’t talk to them about my parents, not without completely shaking in anger.
Once I made it out and down the hall, the realization settled in that I had no idea where the bathroom was. The hall was huge but I kept walking down, not wanting to head back.
After long minutes, I finally found the bathroom with a painted sign on it.
I stared in the mirror. Dark circles rimmed my eyes from the lack of sleep and probably from all the magic I used. “They don’t know. There’s no way they would know.” My blue eyes stared back at me. My lips shone bright red in contrast to the color drained from my face.
I was hiding in the bathroom. Scared. The thought of hiding from who might have killed my parents twisted like a knife in my gut .
My fingers ran through my straight black hair before being ready to head back out.
Nick stood in front of the door, closing the gap as soon as I opened it. I stopped, closing the door behind me.
His scent lingered heavy in the air. The scent I hadn’t been able to stop wanting more of, like a drug. Like a dangerous drug that would only be bad for me, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said.
“Are Blythe’s parents involved?”
He shook his head. “No, I’ve known them for years. I have no reason to think so. Did you know they would be here?” His eyes searched mine.
I gave him an incredulous look, and his face softened.
“I have to get back, it’s her birthday,” I said.
“Harper.”
I looked up at him.
He stepped closer, too close for him to be where someone could see us. His eyes locked onto mine, anchoring me in place. “I don’t like seeing you with him. His parents—”
“You don’t get a say, Mr. Hot and Cold.”
“I know.” His hand brushed my hair behind my ear, so carefully, without actually letting his skin touch mine.
Footsteps came around the corner. I frantically looked around, finding a tall frame and large shoulders. Caleb’s eyes narrowed with a dark look as he stared between me and the way Nick still stayed too close, not bothering to back up after being caught like this. Caleb shook his head, turning and heading back down the hall.
“I need you to be careful,” Nick whispered.
“I can take care of myself. I’ve mostly been doing it my whole life.” While only inches from me, I avoided the curious look I could feel.
“Have you?”
I wasn’t going to tell him it was only my uncle there for me. He did his best raising me, but there were times he really didn’t know how to raise a little girl on his own who lost everything. We had to figure it out together.
When I turned back to Nick, his dark eyes used to look so cold, so distant, but I realized how wrong I was. He lost his parents too, both of them, like I did.
“You being near them after they hunted us down was the last thing I expected to see. Please let me know if anyone bothers you, or anything out of the ordinary happens? Like this situation.”
“Why?”
“Harper, please?”
Behind that wall of coldness he held up, that pristine look and carelessness he showed everyone, there was hidden desperation.
“Okay.”
My gaze fell to his lips. He leaned down so close, I could feel his breath against me. My hand brushed the fabric of his sweater. As if he could feel that featherlight touch, his grip was suddenly on my hips, neither of us moved closer. His grip tightened on me and I wanted him to pull me closer, to stop whatever he was doing to push me away—but he would have to do it.
His gaze slipped to the bandage on my arm .
He released me. “I can’t.”
“Why?” I tried to not let my voice reflect how much it stung.
He didn’t say anything.
My shoulder bumped him out of the way. I marched away, hurrying back down the hall. I couldn’t keep myself from looking over my shoulder, past my draped hair.
His shoulders slouched and he looked down. Pain etched his face, but he stood firm, unwavering in his decision. It was almost like he reflected how his words made me feel. It didn’t seem to matter he could feel the spark like I could. He made my heart race, hurt, and feel safe at the same time. How long had he been like that, or was it just with me?
I shook my head and headed back to Blythe.
Ms. Valentine cleared her throat, looking behind me. “Mr. Ares, I know you’re busy, but would you like to stay for a drink?”
Nick glanced at me as I walked back through the kitchen. “Sure.”
“Oh, good. We can pick your brain about how our daughter is doing in her magic class,” her mom said.
Nick laughed deeply.
“Of course,” Camille added. “How is the new position at the academy going? Are you enjoying it?”
“Absolutely,” he replied.
The moment I sat, Blythe smiled at me. I curled up beside her and she threw a blanket over us, handing me another bowl of snacks. It was like she knew that was exactly what I needed.
The living room stayed silent while we watched a movie. I was too lost in thought to focus on it until the council members left. Caleb and Trevor headed out with them. Just moments later, Nick thanked the Valentines for having him over.
“Finally. Draw the lights! The real horror starts now,” said Blythe.
Levi laughed, rolling his eyes, and laid back down on the couch.