Chapter 29. Grayson
Grayson
The North Tower Lounge is a round room with velvet couches and moody sconce lighting that reminds me of a posh club. There’s a bar stocked with alcohol and mixers. And the students currently in it have the strongest magic in our year. Unfortunately, that also includes Adrien.
“I’m surprised to see you here, Grayson. Not trailing Eloise like a pathetic hound tonight?” Adrien says with an oily smile. “Or maybe you just did the gentlemanly thing and warded her into your room?”
I smile back, but it’s strained. What did Eloise tell him about me? “As it turns out, my relationship with Eloise is exactly none of your business.”
“Relationship?” Adrien laughs. “I give that a week. In fact, I’d be surprised if she didn’t change her mind in twenty-four hours flat.”
It’s not his words, but the scent of his smugness that pisses me off.
“Have at it, Adrien. Give it your best try. But don’t cry to me when you fail.”
“Oh, I doubt it’ll take my best,” he replies, and looks at his watch. “In fact, I wonder what she’s doing right now.”
My jaw tics and he salutes me, heading straight for the door. I half consider saying screw it and following him out, but Naomi calls my name from the bar.
As we make eye contact, she smiles and waves me over.
It’s not Adrien’s attraction to Eloise that I question, okay maybe a little, but it’s his interest in general. He always has an angle.
“How would you like to do that thing you do and whip us up some yummy drinks?” Naomi asks as I approach.
I step behind the bar. “You read my mind.”
I use my magic to mix two mango margaritas and hand one to Naomi where she sits on her bar stool.
“You always were surprisingly good with Labor spells,” Naomi says with a sly smile. “Maybe you missed your calling to be my maid.”
I laugh. “And you missed yours to be a prison warden.” I sip my handiwork, deciding I’m damn good at bartending.
She snorts. “Why, because I’m a bitch? Have you met my mother?”
“I don’t need to. I live with my uncle,” I say, leaning my elbows on the bar.
“Touché,” she says, raising her drink. “Do you think there’s any hope for us?”
“None,” I say, deciding this is as good an opening as any. “At least your mom talks to you, though.”
Naomi rolls her eyes. “Yeah, to tell me I’m not good enough. Bonding at its finest.”
I hesitate, because I catch a faint scent of worry. “Yeah, well, at least she keeps you in the loop. My uncle hasn’t said jack to me since he dragged me out of that auditorium.”
Naomi frowns. “Did he at least explain why he didn’t mark you Gifted?”
I shrug. “He said I was a disappointment to the family name. That he wasn’t surprised I screwed up,” I reply, knowing she’ll relate.
Naomi winces. “Have you tried to talk to him about it?”
“Not yet,” I say, rubbing my finger on the edge of the glass. “I need to let him cool down a bit, which is why I was interested in what your mom had to say about the raid. I’m going stir-crazy not knowing what’s going on.”
Naomi nods, considering me. Then she leans forward, her eyes flashing to the side to make sure no one is listening. I lean in with her.
“You cannot repeat this because my mom would absolutely kill me,” she says, and I nod conspiratorially. “But the Council suspects the raid was organized by someone with powerful magic.”
My heart kicks up in my chest and I raise both eyebrows.
“I know, right? Mom said they have a few leads but nothing solid yet. That they’re working on it, but that they’re even investigating Council members’ families. Can you imagine?” she says, keeping her voice low while I take a healthy sip of my drink.
“Did she say why?” I ask.
“Something about timing? That the person who helped them had to know the Chancellor’s schedule, and there are only a handful of people who could.”
Shit.
But I don’t get to ask more questions because Ivy bounces up to us. “Time to dance. Like now.”
Naomi looks at me. “Care to join?”
“Yesss, come dance with us, Gray Gray,” Ivy adds, who has clearly had too much to drink.
“Tempting,” I lie. “But I’m gonna crash soon. It’s been a shit week.”
“Maybe I’ll swing by your room later?” Naomi offers.
Despite the fact that I want more intel, there’s no chance I’m doing a late-night hangout with Naomi.
“Another night,” I say, and I scent her disappointment.
Naomi grabs her drink and I cross the room to Bas, who leaves his conversation to meet me by the door that leads to the roof. I quickly recap my conversation with Naomi.
“How stressed should we be?” he asks, but I don’t have an answer.
“The girls are going to see their families this weekend,” I say. “Let’s wait and see if there are any developments. I also need to try to meet up with our friend to see if she’s heard anything.”
Bas pushes back his hair, exhaling. “Your house?”
“Exactly. Which means I’ll need time to go there. I’ll need you to cover for me with the girls. Tell them I’m stressed about not being marked Gifted and that I’m trying to get in my uncle’s good graces.”
“Sure thing,” he says. “Although, I still don’t understand how Sage manages to meet you at your house of all places,” Bas says, and I grunt.
“I don’t, either,” I lie. The fewer people who know about the tear in the ward the safer everyone is.
But now I have another problem. Willow walks through the door with her friends and Ivy immediately waves her over. I can already picture how that conversation will go as she recounts seeing me and Eloise leaning into each other in the hall.
“I’m gonna want a full update,” Bas says.
“Deal,” I reply. “And speaking of covering for me,” I say, and clap Bas on the shoulder. “That’s my cue.”
Bas’s gaze flicks from me to Willow and the girls who are in full-blown conversation, gesticulating and periodically looking our way.
“What did you do?” he says like he can make twenty guesses, none of them good.
I smirk and hand him my glass. “You might need this drink.”
“Damn it, Grayson. You’re a bastard, you know that?” Bas says, but that’s where I call it quits and bail. Because I can already scent Naomi’s anger.