22. Chapter 21
Ivy woke early Friday morning, her mind unable to rest at the thought of their first exam later that day.
How many people would go missing? And of those, who wouldn’t come back?
She flopped on her back, her forest-green bedsheets shifting and tangling around her, and she stared out of the window next to the bed.
More leaves turned, and soon enough, they’d all fall to the ground as the chilly air settled in.
She stretched her arms above her head before she finally pushed the blankets back.
Her roommates—permanent and temporary—would likely still be sleeping, so she would need to be quiet.
She slid her feet into her slippers at the end of the bed and whispered good morning to Lou before opening her bedroom door.
She grabbed a glass from the cupboard, filled it with water, and took a large gulp. When she turned to rest against the counter, she noticed Ezra stretched out on the couch with his feet hanging over the armrest and one arm propped behind his head. She should look at his eye again.
She placed the cup on the counter before tiptoeing over to the couch.
If he were awake, he would’ve made some smart-ass comment when she came out of her room.
But she didn’t want to wake him yet. He needed rest to recover from what had happened yesterday.
When he came more into view, her breath caught in her throat.
At some point during the night, he’d taken his shirt off.
She followed the gentle cuts and curves of his muscular chest and torso that the blanket around his waist had exposed.
A small dusting of dark hair graced his skin, trailing down his stomach and beneath the covers.
She was mostly entranced by his arms. Not necessarily the muscle of his biceps, but what covered them.
Three-quarter sleeve tattoos covered each arm from his forearm to his shoulder.
On his left was what looked like a giant phoenix wing with flames and sparks twisting around the feathers, and it blended into various other smaller designs farther down his arm.
Most of the design on his right arm was hidden by the couch, but on the inside of his bicep was a name scrawled in beautiful cursive. Leondra.
“See something you like, Snapdragon?” Ezra mumbled, followed by a yawn.
She darted back to his face, where he was fully awake and staring right at her. Staring at her ogling him. God, he’d never leave their apartment thanks to his inflated ego.
“I didn’t take you for the sort to have tattoos,” she said, crossing her arms.
He smirked and sat up, showing that the sleeve on his right was of clouds, the moon, and different constellations. “Do they ruin the angelic perception you had of me?”
“Oh, please.” She snorted with laughter.
Angelic wasn’t the word she’d use to describe him.
Annoying. Irritating. Egotistical. Gorgeous.
Her eyes widened at that thought, and she cleared her throat.
“How’s your face?” It was significantly better after one day of healing, but it was still irritated and deeply bruised yesterday despite her best efforts.
He touched the wounded area gently and hissed. “Tender. But I’ll survive.” His eye socket and cheekbone were different shades of blue and purple. Though it was less irritated, and his eye was no longer blood-shot from the impact.
“I can help,” she said, stepping closer to him.
His shoulders straightened as his gaze flicked down her body then back to her face.
It was then she realized she’d come out in only her oversized sleep shirt, its design long since faded, and she took a small step back.
“One more round of healing, and it’ll be mostly gone. ”
“It’s alright,” he said, touching the spot again. “Besides, maybe the pain will prevent me from mouthing off.”
She rolled her eyes. “Somehow I doubt that.”
He laughed loudly, throwing his head back. Maeve’s door creaked open. Ivy glanced over her shoulder to see her friend shuffling out of her room, covering her mouth as she yawned and pulling at the tie of her purple bonnet.
“Morning,” Maeve muttered, pausing as she studied the two of them. “Your eye better today?”
“Yes, I won’t make us fail the first exam. Don’t worry,” Ezra said, shifting on the couch so he could get up.
“Good,” Maeve said. “Anyone need the bathroom before I get ready?”
“Oh, I want to brush my teeth first,” Ivy said.
When she stepped away from Ezra, her knee bumped against his and threw her off balance.
But before she toppled over, firm hands grabbed her waist, and warmth blossomed in her stomach.
She looked slowly to where he held her, and exhaled shakily as his thumb brushed over the bunched fabric of her shirt.
“Careful,” Ezra said, his voice low, when she turned her attention back to him.
She backed out of his grasp and cleared her throat. “I would’ve caught myself, thanks.”
He chuckled, bending to grab his shirt off the floor. “You’re welcome.”
She turned away from him again as he put his shirt back on and marched to the bathroom. When she passed Maeve, she could’ve sworn she heard her snicker. Once she was finished, she went directly to her bedroom, shutting the door behind her.
They walked to Arcania Hall in the afternoon, meeting Liam for lunch, for one last strategy talk before they were due for their exam at 1:30.
The dining hall—a wide room next to the auditorium that had at least a dozen rows of three long wooden tables and benches.
Its floors were scuffed, likely from pushing the furniture around and the amount of foot traffic.
There were a handful of students eating inside, but she noticed most were taking their food through the back door to eat outside on the lawn.
With the sun shining warmly through the windows, it was no wonder that people wanted to take in the warm weather while they could.
“Hey,” Liam called out from her right. She looked over to see him coming over from one of the tables. He, like the three of them, was also dressed in athletic wear in case the exam included a physical challenge.
When Liam approached, his head reeled back when he saw Ezra, who he hadn’t seen since their first team dinner on Tuesday. “Damn, mate, they must’ve hit you solid, yeah?”
Ezra sighed. “It’s a lot better, thanks to Ivy.”
“I still think you should’ve gone to the medical wing,” Ivy said. “I can’t heal a concussion.”
Ezra rolled his eyes, the same reaction she got almost every other time she brought it up.
Liam chuckled before pointing his thumb over his shoulder at the food stations on the opposite side of the room. “Should we eat outside today?”
“Yes,” Maeve groaned. “It’s too nice out not to. I wanna soak up the warm weather before it gets too cold.”
They grabbed a few different things for lunch before going back outside and picking a spot beneath a tree to sit. Maeve and Liam leaned into the sun, while Ivy grabbed a spot more in the shade to prevent any potential sunburns, and Ezra sat next to her.
“So we’re still on about this being more of a puzzle than a physical fight?” Liam asked, peeling apart his orange.
“I think so,” Maeve said, laying her back against the grass and closing her eyes. She had a vibrant purple scrunchie on her wrist, which matched the workout tee she wore. “My brothers said the other night on the phone that Intellect’s exams are always more logic-based.”
Ivy shrugged as she unwrapped her turkey sandwich. “Nature could make it a toss-up. When Ezra and I were in the maze at the beginning of the month, the magic caused the snapdragons to transform and become violent. I packed the last couple of restoration potions I had on hand just in case.”
“You should stick close to me then,” Ezra said before taking a bite of his sandwich.
Ivy’s brows crinkled. He’d been nice ever since she healed him the first time on Wednesday night.
For instance, getting her coffee every morning, walking with her to class yesterday, and even offering to go to the library with her to search for books on ciphers this weekend.
It was odd. And she couldn’t figure him out because just last week, he was trying his best to ignore her.
“Why?”
He finished chewing his bite before putting the sandwich back on its wrapper. “I have this theory that we use less of our magic when we’re casting together. If there’s only a couple of restoration potions, we should save them for Maeve and Liam if we can, don’t you think?”
“I guess you’re right.” But when a grin stretched across his face, she immediately regretted saying it. “For once.” She doubted her addition would do anything to deflate his ego.
Ezra laughed. “I’m sure that was extremely difficult for you to admit, Snapdragon.”
She grumbled under her breath and picked up her fork to stab a sliced strawberry from her fruit salad. They finished their lunches and spent the rest of the time talking about classes and relaxing in the sun. As one-thirty neared, they disposed of their trash and left for the exam hall.
This time they were on the third floor, though it was designed the same as the second.
Students crowded around the benches in the hall as they waited for their rooms to become free.
They went to the one near the ninth door, and only a few minutes passed before their door swung open.
Five students stepped out, two of them drenched, but were otherwise unscathed.
“Something to do with water, I guess,” Liam said.
Once the group had passed, the four of them stepped to the door. The inside of the room was the same as before—simple and empty—though she knew that wouldn’t be the case once they entered. “Ready?” Ivy asked, looking at each of them.