Chapter 25
Twenty-Five
Elodie
I’m about to part ways with my friends for a morning class we don’t share when my phone chimes. I stop in the hallway to check it.
A text has come in from the official Luminary messaging account, informing me that Professor Raith expects to see me at his office at the beginning of lunch hour.
My pulse stutters. Cole and I didn’t exactly leave things on bad terms at the end of Saturday’s meeting, but I wouldn’t say we’d made peace either. What if he’s come up with some new horrible theory about me in the past two days of potential stewing?
What if he’s decided that my being responsible for his brother’s death in any reality, no matter how regretfully, makes me an enemy?
Cadance cocks her head. “What’s up, Elle?”
I summon a bland smile and a careless shrug. “I’ll be a little late meeting up with you all for lunch. Gotta check in on something for a class.”
I veer around the bend in the hall before they can ask any more questions.
After class, I approach the wing of teacher’s offices as reluctantly as Odysseus sailing off to wage war on Troy. The soles of my Mary Janes clack against the hardwood floor.
A group of 16th years breezes by, with an uncomfortably familiar head of dark hair in their midst. My gaze latches on to Grady Tadros for a second before I jerk it away with a chill down my back.
All my bottled questions tug at my chest for me to follow and see what he might say to his friends. But Aunt Daphne’s warning echoes through my mind.
“No investigating. No prying.”
She seemed so shaken when I insisted that Other Elodie had caught this mystery group’s attention. I haven’t heard from her since she took off two days ago.
Even Dad seems bewildered by her sudden departure, whatever excuse she gave him. He’s asked me more than once if she said anything about where she was going and why.
She knows this world and upper-crust lucent society far better than I do. If she’s that disturbed… I should probably give her a chance to tackle the problem before diving back in.
Unfortunately, that transferring of responsibilities doesn’t apply to my most hostile match.
As I reach the door to Cole’s office, I square my shoulders and lift my chin.
He asked for the truth. I gave him more than he could have bargained for.
If he’s upset about it now, well, I just have to face that. It’s not as if I can un-match with him.
I give the door a good, firm knock. I can’t read anything from the “Come in” that filters through.
When I ease inside, Cole is standing by his desk. The curtains are fully open, the bright sunlight only emphasizing the pallor of his chiseled features. The evergreen scent that lingers all through the space prickles into my nose, heightening my nerves.
“Miss Devine.” He nods in acknowledgment and swipes back the errant strands of chestnut hair that fall across his forehead with the movement. Picks up a pen from his desk, rotates it between his fingers, and sets it back down. “Elodie.”
The merciless Professor Raith is obviously flustered. Next thing you know, it’ll be raining frogs.
“You wanted to see me?” I venture.
He exhales roughly and glances at the door behind me as if to confirm it’s closed. As he beckons me closer, his mouth pulls into a grimace. “I probably should have spoken to you about this sooner, but I didn’t want to risk reaching out to you at home.”
He pauses and holds my gaze, looking so uncomfortable my own skin tightens.
“I’m sorry. From the moment you arrived here, I’ve been coming down on you even harder than I would have with your counterpart, it turns out with no good reason at all.
That can only have made the turmoil of the situation worse for you.
It’s certainly not how any match deserves to be treated. ”
A lump fills my throat, but I’m so keyed up in anticipation of his hostility that a tart remark pops from my mouth before I can catch it. “No one deserves to be treated like that.”
Cole winces. “Maybe not. Although I’m a little less concerned about fairness when it comes to your classmates who’ve had most of their lives skewed in the opposite direction.
You…” His forehead furrows, and his voice drops lower.
“Was I harsh with you in your original life? You said I didn’t approve of your friendship with Asher. ”
The thought pains him obviously enough that I don’t feel the need to rub it in. It wasn’t this Cole who glowered when he saw the two of us hanging out together and forbade his brother from letting me into their home.
My imagined other Cole speaks up after an awkward silence. “I should have apologized to you more. Better. He’s right. That’s what you deserved.”
I’m not going to throw accusations at the man I’ve inadvertently abandoned, especially when he was dealing with so much more at the time of our matching.
I make a noncommittal gesture with my hand.
“Before our match sparked… In class, you were about as hard on me as everyone else. No special treatment, no noticeable sympathy for my situation, but you didn’t single me out for criticism either.
As far as Asher goes, I think you worried I was going to drag his reputation down even farther.
Which wasn’t an unreasonable worry. Two pariahs hanging out together only amplifies their outsider-ness.
” My mouth quirks with a wry half-smile.
“Your disapproval bothered me less than it did Asher. He’s more of an idealist than I am. ”
Cole’s bark of laughter appears to startle him. A trace of a smile touches his own lips. “He’s definitely that. I suppose that’s why I tend to assume the worst of people’s intentions toward him—because he’s more likely to assume the best.”
The lump in my throat expands into an ache. “You were trying to protect him. With the way I was acting, you couldn’t have realized I was doing the same thing. I appreciate the apology, and you were definitely an ass, but I do get where you were coming from.”
Cole blinks, possibly torn between gratitude that I’m not being more vindictive and annoyance about the “ass” comment. He must settle on the former. “I hope we can go forward on better terms, then. Obviously I can’t completely alter my behavior in class while we’re keeping our bond quiet—”
“I don’t expect you to start fawning over me,” I say dryly. “The other version of you didn’t act that differently in class even when everyone did know.” Possibly because everyone knew. “I’ll settle for fifty percent less glaring and no further cheating accusations.”
“I think that should be achievable,” Cole mutters.
He rakes his hand through his hair and lets his gaze linger on me again.
The heat that flickers in his gaze sets off a corresponding current low in my belly.
“I should also apologize for losing control in here the other day. I— Nothing like that will happen again until all immediate threats are dealt with and we can work out how to remove you from my professional jurisdiction.”
I’m relaxed enough now to grin. “I didn’t mean to end up with your hand up my skirt, but I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it. You don’t have to feel guilty about that.”
Here comes the glower. “It was still completely inappropriate, especially considering our respective positions.”
“I don’t know; I think it made a lot of sense when I was bent over your lap.
” At Cole’s horrified yet heated reaction to my deliberate misunderstanding of his meaning, I have to laugh.
“Seriously, I don’t think you were really to blame.
There was something about the unsparked bond…
I’m guessing because I’d already sparked with other versions of the four of you…
Let’s just say it’s become increasingly clear that fate is a horny bitch. ”
Cole’s guffaw comes out in a sputter. “Well, now that we’re fully aware of the situation, we can control ourselves accordingly.”
He hesitates, but the intensity in his gaze shifts to a different sort of hunger. “We… were fully bonded in your old reality. You know what my glim is.”
Ah. I’m surprised he didn’t ask during my confession on Saturday, but I guess he was too thrown by the bigger picture.
Of course he’s been dying to know what shape his innate magic will take. He’s waited years longer than most lucents do.
I don’t think I can describe it any way that’ll do his power justice—and not sound as insane as what I’ve already told him.
“It’s difficult to explain. But I know how to set things up so no one will get hurt when we wake it up. You’ve got quite the power, as everyone would expect.”
Cole looks as if he’s tamping down the urge to push for more. “All right. Will it help us against your would-be murderers?”
“Not in figuring out who they are. So… no rush if you want to wait.” Especially if he wants to hold off on the other sorts of intimacies that’ll become much harder to resist once we’ve touched skin to skin. “Just let me know when you’re ready.”
“Right.” Another rough laugh slips from his mouth.
A flicker of my uneasiness over Daphne’s behavior passes through my mind.
“Speaking of would-be murderers, I talked more with my aunt, and she was very… distressed about what we’ve uncovered so far.
She insisted that we stop investigating until she’s had a chance to make some inquiries herself.
The way she reacted… I’m going to listen this once.
So you shouldn’t go chasing after that mystery woman during her Sunlite Plaza meeting this week. ”
Cole raises an eyebrow. “Elodie Devine obeying an authority figure. I wasn’t sure that was possible.” A shadow crosses his face. “Did your aunt say what concerned her so much?”
I shake my head. “Unfortunately, no. So I guess we’re playing it by ear.”
He takes a step toward me, putting him close enough that he can raise his gloved hand to my face. The graze of his fingertips down my temple and my cheek to my jaw makes my pulse flutter.
“We’ll get through this,” he says like an oath. “We’ll get through it and make this union work, no matter how insane it is.”
I swallow against a sudden swell of emotion. “Yeah, I think we will too.”
He pulls back before the urge to throw all stated good intentions to the wind gets any stronger. “You’d better go get your lunch.”
I tip my head in acknowledgment. “Thank you for the apology.”
I head out into the hall, my steps a little lighter. At least, until Cadance and Mia emerge into view at the far end of the hall.
As I reach them, Mia’s gaze flicks from me to the doors behind me. “Was that Professor Raith’s office you came out of?” She waggles her eyebrows teasingly. “You’ve been getting a lot of attention from Mr. Divination-Genius lately.”
I roll my eyes, but my posture must stiffen despite my attempt at playing it cool.
Cadance chuckles. “You don’t have to look so horrified. I mean, he is incredibly hot as well as talented. Too bad he hasn’t got much of a name, but I wouldn’t mind some recreational time with him.”
As if I wouldn’t already know that from the way she ogles him in class.
I keep my tone flat as we walk toward the cafeteria, wanting this topic to be done with as quickly as possible. “I’ll skip even that, thanks. Why’d you come looking for me anyway?”
Cadance taps her lips, ignoring my question. “I can’t figure out your type. But hey, why shouldn’t you be picky?”
Mia giggles and bumps her slim arm against mine. “We were just passing by and wondered what called you away. You had good timing.”
Or truly awful timing. I keep a polite smile pasted on my face, but inside my gut is churning.
Even if we’re laying low, just how long can my matches and I keep this immense secret hidden?