Chapter 31 #2
I filled her in on Tamina and her empty threats while we ate, leaving out the part about Theo.
The blood spray from Tamina’s attack was proof enough that he’d gotten his comeuppance, and honestly, I didn’t want to dwell on it.
Best to shove it into the box in the back of my mind with all my personal horrors.
I quickly moved on to Sterling and his assholery. “And he’s moved the grading up to punish me.” I toyed with one of the crystals on her desk. Mandy knew about my history with the Damascus family. Facts that had been in my file. The Academy was nothing but thorough.
“That doesn’t sound ethical at all,” she said.
“Tell me about it.” I set the crystal down and flopped back into my chair.
“And how is the sleepwalking?”
“I had an episode a couple of nights ago. But yesterday, I remembered a little bit about my dream.”
“That’s good,” she said. “It might help us figure out why it’s happening.” She poured more tea into my cup then topped up her own.
I filled her in on the library incident. “Selina Evergreen is the name of the girl in my dream. She hid her journal.”
Mandy frowned. “That name doesn’t ring a bell. Meetings with me are mandatory for all students under eighteen, and all new students for at least six months. But then, I’ve only been here for three years, she must be an older student.”
“Yeah, we figured that.”
“And this journal…what was in it?”
“I think she was being bullied. I think something happened to her.”
Mandy sat forward in her seat. “Could I see it?”
“Sure.” I reached into my bag for the journal, rooting around for the book. Where was it? Shit. “It’s not in here.”
“Are you sure you packed it?”
“Positive. But it’s gone.”
And there was only one person who could have taken it.
Tamina.
* * *
Vitra’s gaze went immediately to the bruise on my face as I took my seat in class, but he didn’t say a word.
We’d barely spoken the past few weeks. Even though I’d seen him around the tower, our encounters had been brief and guarded on both sides.
But despite the distance, the chemistry between us was still there, flaring every time we spoke or looked at one another for too long.
Frankly, it was annoying as Fel.
Today was quiz and essay day, so the hour passed quickly. I’d done the reading, so answering the many questions on wood weavers and writing an essay about salamanders didn’t take long.
The fire-elementals were fascinating. Hailing from an elemental world occupied by beings called djinn.
Salamanders were distant cousins to creatures called efreet.
Not all salamanders were Horrors; some were benevolent, and both kinds occupied the forest. The only way to tell one from the other was if they attacked or not.
They also had a hierarchy of their own, and according to ancient lore, you could make pacts with the higher-level salamanders by giving certain offerings.
Vitra ended the session with a clap of his hands and instructions for us to drop our papers on his desk on the way out. “Please stay behind a moment, Miss Onyx.”
My stomach did a little flip that I studiously ignored. I needed to ask Vitra about Selina, so it was just as well he wanted to speak with me… But what did he want to speak with me about? My stomach quivered again. Dammit.
I waited in my seat while everyone filed out, noting a couple of side-eyes from some of the older female students. They probably thought there was something going on between me and Vitra.
The door closed behind the final student, and Vitra took his favored spot, leaning up against his desk, arms crossed. “How did you get the bruise, Ana?”
Of course, that’s what he wanted to talk about.
Like Fel was I telling him about Tamina. He’d made it clear what he thought about me going up against her. “Combat class.”
His jaw ticked. “Don’t lie to me. That bruise wasn’t there when you left for counseling this morning, and you don’t have combat today. So tell me, how did it get there?”
“I ran into a fist. I’m fine.” I shrugged.
The air was suddenly charged, pricking my skin. “Whose fist?” he bit out.
“It doesn’t matter.”
A strange tension in the air pressed against my skin for a beat before it vanished.
His eyes narrowed. “Then you won’t mind telling me who put it there.”
Dark skies, he was persistent. “Fine, one of Tamina’s cronies.”
“Which one?”
I threw up my hands. “I don’t know. Now, can we drop it?” I held his gaze steadily and arched a brow.
He smiled coolly. “Consider it dropped.”
Just like that? After he’d pushed so hard? Hard to believe, but I’d take the reprieve. I had more important things to worry about. “I actually wanted to ask you something. Do you know a Selina Evergreen?”
He shook his head. “No. Should I?”
“She was a student here. Maybe still is.”
He smiled wryly. “There are and have been many students here.”
“She was in Bramble at some point.”
He frowned. “I would remember her if she’d been in Bramble.”
“She definitely was.”
“Like I said, I would remember.”
“I found her journal.” I filled him in on what I’d read and my sleepwalking dreams.
He leaned back against his desk, arms crossed, his attention focused on me as he listened. I stumbled through my account, hyper aware of every moment his gaze dropped to my lips. The heat of that awareness coiled low in my belly, a far contrast to the cool, collected figure that he presented.
“Where is the journal now?” he asked once I’d finished speaking.
“I think Tamina or one of her goons took it. But I’m going to get it back.”
“No. You’re not. Leave it with me.”
Annoyance flared in my chest, because why did he have to be so… So helpful. “I can fight my own battles, Master Vitra.”
He blinked sharply before a small smile curled his lips. “I’m sure you can,” he said softly. “But you don’t always have to.”
I dropped my gaze to the floor, cheeks warm with an awareness of this male that I didn’t need or want.
“Get some rest,” he said, words coasting on a sigh. “You’ll need to be sharp for the grading.”
He was right. I was exhausted from the constant conflict, and I still had training tonight with Drayven, then the grading tomorrow… “You heard about the changes, huh?”
“I did. But I have faith that you won’t let these changes affect your performance.”
“What do you know about my performance?”
“I know that you stay back every class to work on the moves. I know that Mr. Thorn has been helping you prepare. I know that you want this, so I know enough.”
“Well, that’s not creepy at all.”
He’d been keeping tabs on me. Watching me? No contact over the past few weeks hadn’t meant he’d forgotten about me. Ah, my sexy naga stalker.
“It’s my job to watch you, Ana. I’m your mentor.”
His words were a cold reminder that he could never be more. “I should get going.”
I gathered my things and moved toward the exit.
“Anamaya…”
I glanced over my shoulder. He was standing a mere foot away. He’d moved so fast and silently that I hadn’t heard him.
I lifted my chin to drink him in, chest aching with an inexplicable longing that made me want to rub my face against his chest. “What?”
His gaze flicked to my white-knuckled grip on the door handle, his smile wry. “Good luck.”
I slipped from the room, taking his scent with me, eager to put distance between us. The man was dangerous, the way he made me feel was addictive.
Fate certainly had a cruel sense of humor.
* * *
The dining hall was filling up by the time I finished telling the others about my encounter with Tamina and how she’d threatened to hurt people I cared about.
Once again, I left out the part about Theo’s attack.
I wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. Probably never.
It had shaken me too much, and I couldn’t afford to be shaken while here.
“I told Tamina there wasn’t anyone I cared about here, but she’s seen us together a lot, so just…be careful, okay?”
“That’s bullshit,” Dori said. “She can’t touch us, not without breaking half a dozen treaties and contracts that exist between the covens and the Baobhan Sith houses.”
“Then what was she talking about?”
“No idea. Blowing smoke, no doubt,” Benedict said. “But it’s sweet that you care.”
“Even if you don’t want to,” Clary added.
I looked away, rubbing the back of my neck. “Am I that obvious?”
“Yep,” they said in unison.
I ran a hand down my face. “Look, I don’t do friendships.”
“Good,” Dori said, chewing her baguette. “Because this isn’t a friendship. It’s an alliance.”
I couldn’t help but grin at her attempt to make this easier on me.
For a moment, I entertained the possibility of simply going with it.
Of letting down my guard and letting them in, but then what?
They’d find out why I was truly here and either hate me or end up getting hurt trying to help me.
Which… Which was what I’d wanted from them to start with.
A few weeks ago, they hadn’t mattered, but now…
No, I couldn’t tell them the truth. I couldn’t risk them getting involved—getting hurt.
I’d have to do this myself. “Um, Clary, did you find anything in the student records?”
She blinked sharply, clearly confused. “Student records?”
“Yes. About Selina Evergreen?”
“Who?”
I turned to Dori and Benedict, but they looked just as confused as Clary.
“Seriously? Is this some kind of joke?”
“Ana, what are you talking about?” Dori asked.
A cold pit loomed in my belly. She looked and sounded deathly sincere.
I tried again. “The journal we found in the library yesterday? The one belonging to Selina Evergreen?” They stared blankly at me, and my stomach dropped. “You don’t remember?”
“Don’t remember what?” Clary said.
Something was very wrong here. I gathered my things. “I have to go. I’ll see you guys later.”
“Ana? Wait!”
But I couldn’t wait. A theory had taken root in my mind, and I needed to test it.
I found Vitra in his classroom, marking papers. He looked up with a frown as I entered. “Miss Onyx?”
“We spoke earlier, right?”
“Yes. About the bruise on your face.” His eyes narrowed. “Is there something else you wish to tell me about that encounter?”
“No, but…we talked about the journal belonging to Selina Evergreen, too.”
He canted his head quizzically. “Who?”
Ice trickled through my veins. “You don’t remember us talking about her?”
“Ana, are you feeling all right?” He made to stand, and I took a step back, blood thundering in my head. “Ana, what’s going on?”
If I explained it to him, would he even remember? No. Something was seriously off here. The Weave Watchers’ warning came back to me now. Much is hidden in memories lost, but eyes born of ancient power can see… Be watchful, be wary, be vigilant.
“Nothing. I… I have to go.” I ducked out of the room before he could stop me and headed for the main entrance, eager to get back to my room.
If I was going to figure this out, then I’d have to do it alone.