Chapter 12
Poppy
AFTER CLASS, ARIC OFFERS TO walk me back to my dorm room. At first, I tell him it’s fine and I can do it myself. But he insists.
So that’s how we end up navigating the crowded hallways side by side, me clinging to the strap of my bookbag while Aric carries our cake plate.
There’s enough left for the girls—and Juniper and Yuki—to each have a slice.
It’s become a bit of a ritual for them to try the leftovers from my cooking class, and they’ll be pretty happy about this one.
We make it out of the congested elective hallway and step into a wider corridor.
Aric takes up a good deal of space, and the other students flow around him as he walks, like he’s a boulder and they’re the stream.
It’s so different from walking alone, having to look out for everyone to make sure I don’t get bumped into or run over.
That’s happened more times than I care to count.
I’m just small and quiet enough to go unnoticed.
But I’m used to it. It’s been this way my whole life.
I’ll admit, it’s a nice change not having to worry about it for once.
As we reach the bottom of the north tower and start up the long, winding staircase, I say, “You did well with that spell today.”
Aric looks down at me, his tusks catching the golden light coming through the stained glass windows lining the exterior wall of the spiraling tower.
“You’re a good teacher.” He flashes me a charming smile, and my stomach flutters for the hundredth time since he stepped up to my table and asked if I wanted to be his partner.
I thought Aric saw me as a tool, or a means to an end—his way to improve his grades and make sure he doesn’t get kicked off the runeball team.
But when he smiles at me like that, it gets me confused.
Like maybe I’m not just useful to him. Maybe he actually .
. . enjoys my company. Maybe I’m important in some way.
No. Stop it. I almost physically shake my head to rid it of the silly thought. It’s just tutoring. That’s all. As if in response to the thought, my cheek tingles where Aric brushed it with his thumb in class.
“So,” Aric says as we climb the stairs, “have you thought about where we’re gonna host this ball?”
I tip my head at him. “I thought here. It’d be easiest.”
Aric hums. “Easy, yes. But memorable? I don’t know.” Then his hazel eyes light up. “Wait, the princess is your roommate, right?”
I nod slowly.
A smile takes over his face, accentuating his tusks. “What if we held the ball at Ravenscroft Castle?”
“The castle?”
I’ve been there before—for the Yuletide ball after our first semester here at Coven Crest. Alina invited all of us, and Mama brought her baked goods, and since then, the castle sometimes puts in big orders at the café, which is both good and tough since Mama already works so hard, especially with me gone during the academic year.
“Have you been?” Aric asks, echoing my thoughts.
“Yeah. Once.”
Aric’s eyes widen as he glances down at me. “Really? Was it awesome?”
He sounds full of childlike wonder, and it makes me smile. “Yeah. It’s amazing. And their ballroom is so beautiful.”
“So, you’ll ask her? The princess?” Aric says as we slow our climb up the spiral staircase and stop outside NT33. Raelan’s not here, so I’m assuming Alina isn’t either.
“I don’t want to inconvenience her . . .” I say, glancing away from Aric. His hazel gaze is making heat creep up my neck.
“I have a feeling the princess will say no if it’s too big an inconvenience. Right? She doesn’t seem like someone who’s pushed around too easily.”
He’s got a point. Between being the princess of Elarwyn and fated mate to a rare dragon shifter, she’s a force to be reckoned with.
I take a steadying breath, then nod. “Okay, I’ll ask her. But no promises.”
“Here.” Aric hands me the cake plate, and I try to ignore the tingles that go through me when our fingers brush. It almost seems like Aric felt something too, but he steps back from me quickly and clears his throat. “If I were you, I’d ask her after you feed her that cake.”
I glance down at the cake plate, not understanding. “Why? It’s not charmed.” I’d never do such a thing.
Starting to back down the stairs, Aric gives me another butterfly-inducing smile before saying, “Because you made it. That’s charm enough.”
My mouth opens, and there’s no stopping the burst of warmth that floods my face. “I . . . I . . .”
Aric is still smiling now as he lifts a hand and says, “Meet you in the library tomorrow? After breakfast?”
I’m still tongue-tied, so all I can do is nod.
And I’m still standing there a moment later, after Aric disappears, when Lyra pulls open the door and gasps.
“Is that what I think it is?” she asks.
With Aric’s spell over me broken, I turn and smile at her. “Apple-cinnamon cake. Thought you might want some.”
Lyra slings an arm over my shoulders and ushers me into our dorm room. “Right you are, Pops. You know me so well.”
“YES!” LYRA SAYS, HOLDING HER cake fork in the air. “We have to have it at the castle! That would be epic.”
The girls are all back from class, and we’re about to head down to the dining hall for dinner, but they insisted on each having a slice of cake first. Lyra and Maeve sit on the floor while Alina and I share a couch. Yuki is tucked between us, enjoying bites of Alina’s cake.
“When is it again?” Alina asks. “The blue moon?”
“It’s in December, the weekend after finals week.”
“So, it wouldn’t overlap with Yule.” Alina takes another bite and tips her head thoughtfully, her blue hair slipping over one shoulder.
“I don’t think we have anything going on at the castle that weekend.
I’ll write to Grandfather and ask. He’d probably love that. He’s always enjoyed throwing parties.”
“Your gramps is the best,” Lyra says while Juniper sits on her plate, mopping up the cake crumbs.
“Pretty sure you shouldn’t call His Majesty that,” Maeve mumbles, most of her attention on her cake. Her purple eyes flick up to meet mine. “This is amazing. You made this in class?”
I nod, and then for some reason, I add, “Aric helped. He’s pretty good at baking.”
Now three pairs of witch eyes turn toward me, followed by fox eyes, rat eyes, and snake eyes—even the spirit companions are staring at me. I fight the urge to shrink under their gazes.
“Yeah, he cooks at home pretty often,” Maeve says. “My mom and his dad are both terrible in the kitchen.” She tips her head at me. “Has he been okay during tutoring? He’s not wasting your time, is he?”
I shake my head so fast that my hair flutters in front of my eyes and I have to push it back. “No, not at all. I mean, we’ve only had one session so far. But we’re meeting up tomorrow morning too. After breakfast.”
Maeve narrows her eyes, and I pity anyone she looks at with actual venom in her stare. She can be terrifying when she wants to be. “Okay. But if he starts slacking, you promise you’ll tell me?”
I nod, but somehow, I don’t foresee that being a problem. I’ve not dreamt of it, anyway. “I promise.”
Lyra stretches, then pulls her explosion of red curls up into a bun on top of her head. “Can we go get second dinner now? I had Advanced Elemental Spellwork today, and it left me famished.”
Alina giggles. “Famished? That doesn’t sound like a Lyra word.”
Lyra shrugs as she pushes to her feet. “Cairn says it. ‘I planted an orchard of apple trees today. Now I’m famished.’ ”
“When are we going to get to meet him, by the way?” Alina asks.
We all start picking up our plates and pulling on our boots to head down to the dining hall.
“You’ve met him,” Lyra says.
“She means for real,” Maeve clarifies. Then she looks at me. “Could she bring him to the ball? Or is it students only?”
“Oh, um . . .” I try to remember if I’ve discussed that with Professor Silvermoon, but I don’t think I have. “I’m not sure. I’ll ask though.”
“Cairn at a ball,” Lyra says with a mischievous smile as she pets Juniper, who’s seated on her shoulder now. “He’d hate that. But I’ve never seen him dressed up, so I might need to drag him along anyway.”
“And then we can actually talk to him,” Maeve says.
“He’s not much of a talker.”
“So nothing like you, huh?”
“Ha, ha. Funny storm witch.”
Lyra and Maeve start down the stairs, but I pause beside Alina and reach out to put a hand on her arm. “Are you sure it’s okay? To ask His Majesty, I mean.”
“Ask him what?”
Raelan materializes behind me, making me let out a yelp of surprise. No matter how much time I spend around him, I can’t get used to his silent shifter movement.
He smiles. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”
Alina pulls our door closed and locks it. “I’m going to ask Grandfather about hosting the Blue Moon Ball at the castle.” Alina’s pale eyes find mine. “And I’m sure. Like I said, he loves parties. He’ll probably try to plan it himself if you’re not careful.”
The idea of the king helping us organize a student ball makes me smile, and a comforting warmth washes over me.
When I first came to Coven Crest, I was terrified I wouldn’t get along with my roommates.
Instead, I found my best friends. All the girls care for me and one another, and we’ve made our own little family within these castle walls.
And as Raelan ruffles my hair and Alina scolds him for it, I can’t help but laugh.
“Let’s go eat,” Alina says, slipping her arm through mine. “I’m famished.”