Chapter 2
“I hatethat I only got one evening with you again, Grandfather,” I complained. I hugged his arm tightly in the back seat of his fancy car.
Grandfather patted my hand. “It’s because you’re too busy. Will you stay with me over the holidays?”
“If you can get my parents to agree. There’s no way that I can convince them.” For parents who weren’t particularly involved in my life, they had a weird obsession with me coming home for the holidays.
It’s not that I didn’t want to spend time with them. I just wanted to stay with Grandfather more.
“Maybe I can plan a large holiday gathering with both sides of the family,” Grandfather mused out loud. “I certainly have the space.”
“You’re brilliant! Send out invitations next week. Then they’ll have to accept, because nothing’s been planned yet. Not this far in advance!” I pressed a kiss to his wrinkled cheek.
His eyes crinkled in a smile as he beamed at me. “Don’t praise me yet, my dear. If they say yes, then we can celebrate.”
“When they say yes,” I corrected firmly. I hesitated a moment. “But if they do say no… Won’t you come for the holidays? Please?”
“I’ll consider it.” He looked out across the sea. “But I hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“You really need to mend this,” I gestured between him and a distant point, “rift between you and Papa. It’s not healthy.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Grandfather said in clipped tones.
I sighed. I’d never managed to get the reason for the estrangement out of Papa either. “You never come to Christmas at our place, not since Grandmother died. I know you’ve been invited. Instead, you hole up at Doyle Manor and, I don’t know… It just feels incredibly lonely.”
The car was silent for a long moment. I thought I’d stepped too far, and opened my mouth to apologize, but Grandfather spoke first.
“You used to come to the Manor for holidays when you were little. Nessa would go all out with the decorations. The foyer would almost feel crowded by the giant fir she’d have brought in. It was worth all the pain to see your face light up.” He sighed. “But you stopped coming after she’d died. I’d decorated, even though it was so hard to see all those decorations—”
Grandfather drew in a sharp, shaky breath and stared at the roof of the car, his eyes shining with unshed tears. His throat worked a couple times, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “It was a misunderstanding. Your parents thought it would be too difficult for me to host so soon after her passing, and I assumed that we would continue on with tradition since I hadn’t heard otherwise. I was a bitter old man and held onto resentment for far too long.” He laughed sadly. “This is why you’re my favorite, you know. You don’t pull any punches.”
“I’m your only grandchild. You can’t have favorites if I’m the only one,” I said, burying my face in his shoulder. “I’m sorry that happened.”
“It’s not your fault, my dear.” He rubbed my shoulder. “You were only a child.”
“Coming up on the dock,” the chauffeur said over his shoulder.
“Thank you, Kristopher,” Grandfather replied, sniffing a little. “Good to have a warning.”
I nodded and sat up, fixing my hair. I wiped under my eyes gently, getting rid of stray tears.
“Ready to meet your friend?” Grandfather asked, getting out of the car once it had stopped. “Hazel, wasn’t it? Or was it Willow?”
I giggled. “Hazel. She’s only been my roommate for three years.”
“I like to hear you laugh.”
I squeezed his hand as we walked to the dock from the parking lot. “She won’t be here. She had to meet with her thesis professor today before classes started. Something about her proposal. Hazel said she’d tell me all about it once I was settled in because it needed diagrams.”
Grandfather laughed. “Sounds like a lot.”
“She can be. But so am I.” I thought eagerly about my own thesis advisor. He’d been my Magical Nexus professor last year and hardly ever took students. I’d have him again this year, plus I’d be his teaching assistant for the lower level classes. I couldn’t wait to start. I hadn’t needed to submit a proposal for my thesis, the way Hazel had, but Professor Akhtar had assured me that he would help me develop it. He’d also cryptically hinted at the idea of traveling.
“Do you have your map?”
“Stored carefully along with everything else,” I said, patting my purse with all my shrunken belongings.
The ferry rang the bell, announcing its imminent departure, and I jumped.
“Golly, we must be running late! I’ll see you during the holidays, Grandfather!” I gave him a tight hug and kissed his cheek, running for the ferry in the next second.
“I’m only a mirror away!” he called after me.
I waved to let him know I’d heard him and stepped onto the ferry. The dock workers lifted the ramp away and the motors thrummed to life under my feet.
Not a moment too soon!
The water reflected the sunlight, blinding me, so I retreated under the canopy and found a seat near the front where I could watch for Northumberland Island. It was invisible until we had passed the barrier, but I couldn’t resist searching for it anyway. I didn’t bother looking for familiar faces amongst the other students; most of my friends traveled from the other ports on the UK side of the sea. I’d be seeing everyone soon.
The school popped into view at the same time as a surge of energy hit me; the added magical effect of being close to the nexus point under the school was potent. Every year, the bonus energy hits me upon arrival, like drinking a cup of coffee with six shots of espresso. The huge boost waned after a few days, settling into a normal pattern of studying, eating, and sleeping, but until that happened, I could get a lot more done than usual. It sure helped beat the homesickness.
Wellspring appeared as we moved around the south of the island, the docks busy with activity. I could see the carriages that would take us to the school in the distance, but once I saw a familiar figure on the dock, I had no attention for anything else.
Aiden had come to meet me! I was already excited to see him again.
I thought he would be arriving after me!
The minutes it took for the ferry to arrive at the dock felt interminable. They hadn’t even put the gangplank down before I jumped out onto the wooden boards. I only faltered for a second, getting my balance. Then I raced across the dock to leap into Aiden’s arms.
He caught me, not staggering under my weight in the slightest, his hands holding my thighs securely.
“God, I missed you!” I cried, peppering his face with kisses until I reached his mouth.
He caught my lips with his, drawing me back to him over and over again until I was dizzy with need. “Aiden…” I gasped, pulling away.
He grinned at me. “Something you want?”
“Some privacy.”
Aiden laughed and set me on my feet. “Well, we might be able to get one of the carriages all to ourselves. What do you think?”
“I think that if anyone else climbs on, they’re going to leave immediately,” I said, tugging him over to the line of students.
“Why is that?” Aiden asked, his tone a slow drawl.
“Because the instant you’re sitting down, I’m going to climb you like a tree.”
He growled low in his throat. “Looking forward to it.”
“Thought you might be.”
Fortunately, we didn’t scar any other students, and we got a carriage to ourselves. I sat on Aiden’s lap and we made out, fingers re-mapping our bodies.
“Can I touch you?” Aiden asked, his hands sliding under the hem of my skirt.
“Yes, please,” I begged.
His fingers danced across my wet panties, slipping underneath them at last to thrust deep inside me.
“You’re dripping for me,” Aiden rumbled in my ear. “Can’t wait to feel you around my cock again.”
“Later tonight, unfortunately,” I gasped, rocking my hips. “We’re too close to the school right now. Get me off, Aiden, please!”
“Your wish is my command,” he murmured, tilting his hand so that his palm could rub against my clit.
The jostling motion of the carriage was unpredictable, and my body loved it. I came with a cry, slumping onto Aiden’s broad shoulder.
He pulled his fingers from my body, cleaning them thoroughly with his tongue. “Mmm. I think I’m going to have to spend an entire hour between your thighs tonight just to appease my thirst for you. But that won’t be enough to satiate me. I’ll need to taste from you every night this week.”
“You’re funny. I suppose I can live with that.” I giggled and kissed him.
The carriage pulled to a stop and we climbed out. The statue of the school founder’s wife shone brightly in the sunlight. I gave her a wave and we headed into the school.
“Hey, I wondered where you’d gotten to this morning!”
We turned around on the top step of the school to see Bruce, Aiden’s roommate. He was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, and was very sweaty.
“Good morning!” I said brightly.
“Top of the morning to you,” he replied. To Aiden, he added, “I should’ve known that only your mate would drag you from your bed before noon when you didn’t have to be awake.”
Aiden chuckled and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Not all of us can be early risers like you. Up before the sun again?”
Bruce shrugged, a rueful smile on his face. “I’ve got a lot to do. I like the peace and quiet of the dawn.” Then he sobered. “Have you heard the news?”
“What news?” Aiden asked.
“No, I just got here,” I said.
“Ach, there’s no easy way to say it, but this morning when I left, I found a body on the steps, two below where you’re standing.” Bruce shook his head. “Scared the bejesus out of me, I can tell you that much.”
My jaw dropped. “What happened?”
“Nobody knows, but with Hazel missing, everyone’s pinning the blame on her.”
“Wait, Hazel? My Hazel?” I asked, even more confused. “The sweetheart who doesn’t like ripping plants out by their roots? She’s missing?”
“Unfortunately. Hate to be the bearer of bad news.” Bruce gave a little wave. “I’ve got to get a move on. Still got an hour left in my run. See you at lunch.”
We watched his figure until it was hidden by one of the castle wings.
“What the fuck?” Aiden said.
“My sentiments exactly.” I snapped my fingers and the heavy doors behind me opened. “I need to go see Professor Dunlop. There’s no way Hazel is responsible. We need to find her!”
“I’m coming with you.”
“Great.”
We tripped over a few first years coming out of the main office where all the other offices were located. Or rather, where the main entrance of the other offices were located. Their secondary entrances were on whatever floor they wanted them to be on.
Professor Dunlop was the Dean of Students, and was assigned specifically to our class of students, so we could travel up to the fourth floor to get to his secondary entrance, but why go to all that bother when we were already on the first floor?
There was a line of first years waiting to see him, but I jumped the line and knocked on his door.
“There’s someone in there,” said the first year at the front of the line with a scowl. “And you can’t just skip over us like that!”
I glared at her. “My roommate is missing and suspected for murder. I can skip any line I very well like.”
The door opened and an extremely short first year left, wiping tears from her eyes.
“Were we ever that young?” I asked Aiden in a hushed whisper.
“Yes.” Professor Dunlop appeared behind the girl. “Well? If you’re going to interrupt my job, at least come in and interrupt properly.”
I rolled my eyes at the frightened squeaks from the first years and followed the intimidatingly large man into his office. “Why do you enjoy scaring them so much?” I asked.
“Because it prevents them from barging in on me whenever they want,” he said with a sigh. “Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to work on you.” He leveled me with a fierce glower, his bushy gray eyebrows snapping together over his intense eyes.
I brushed his words away flippantly with one hand. “Of course not. I know what you were up to all summer with Grandfather.”
The glower lasted for a beat longer before he grinned. “I suppose that would make a difference. What can I do for you?”
“Why is Hazel a suspect in a murder, of all things?” I demanded.
The frown reappeared on his face. “I should start off by saying that I, personally, think that the accusation is ridiculous. Unfortunately, Headmistress Blackthorn doesn’t see things my way. She says she’s investigating where the evidence takes her.” He scoffed.
“Okay, what is the evidence?” I asked. It all sounded a little suspect. I exchanged a glance with Aiden, and was relieved to see that he seemed skeptical as well.
“Last night, Hazel and the victim were seen arguing in the main hall. It got very heated, apparently,” the professor said.
“Heated how, exactly? I can’t imagine Hazel threatening anyone.”
“She wasn’t the one threatening. The reports said that the victim was telling her to give him her thesis placement, or else he’d make her life a living hell.” Professor Dunlop scratched at his beard. “That was enough evidence to make the Headmistress think that she had motive to do away with him.”
“And opportunity, since Hazel was sleeping alone last night,” I murmured. “How was he killed?”
“Asphyxiation.”
I shuddered. “Not a pleasant way to go.”
“No, but fairly easy to clean up. No blood,” Aiden pointed out. “Easy to move the body.”
“Hazel couldn’t move a body,” I scoffed.
“What makes you think the body was moved?” the professor asked.
“Why would he be outside after hours? If he was killed before curfew, then other people would have seen something. If he was killed after curfew, then he would have been in the castle,” Aiden reasoned.
“Right. Because nobody ever breaks curfew,” Professor Dunlop drawled, the corner of his mouth ticking up in a smirk. “Incidentally, this student was on the Dragon Polo team, and he had been outside late to check up on his mount.”
Dragon Polo?I mouthed to myself, not familiar with the words, or at least, not put together.
“Thank you for your time, professor,” Aiden said, drawing me to my feet. “It’s nice to know you’re on our side.”
“You might find the Herbology professor, Calderwood, is also on your side,” the professor said mildly. “Send in the next student, please.”