Chapter 33 #2
I’d be glad he isn’t laying into me, except putting all the blame on Salvatore doesn’t seem any fairer. “It isn’t—”
“I was careful,” Salvatore retorts before I can get more words out. “We only talked for a few minutes. I had magic up to deflect attention.”
Byron’s fingers tense against the sofa. The faintly clipped British inflection colors his voice. “Obviously not enough magic. Someone saw you. The rumor didn’t come out of nowhere.”
He’s pissed off at Salvatore too. I guess that’s not really a surprise considering how they’ve gotten along—or, not gotten along—so far.
Salvatore scowls. “I can’t help it if the dimwits in that place are nosy assholes. If they’d minded their own fucking business—”
Cole’s voice comes out in a snarl. “You should never have risked—”
Asher steps into the middle of the room with his hands held out. “Hey. Let’s stop with the accusations and focus on figuring out who started the rumor and what they actually know. Isn’t that the important part?”
A twinge of affection passes through my chest as I gather my words.
“I already know most of that. Cadance has been paying extra attention to me lately. I thought she was trying to butter me up, but it looks like she was just hoping to stumble on an opportunity to embarrass me. She must have followed me when I went to talk to Salvatore.”
“Just talk?” Cole says darkly.
I glare at him. “There wasn’t much else to see, even if she managed to peek through the concealing magic.
And I’ve spoken with one of my—of Other Elodie’s—other friends and to the headmaster, and neither of them sounded like they’d seen any proof.
They accepted it when I denied everything.
I think Cadance only caught a glimpse of us together and spun a story from that. ”
“That’s not going to stop everyone from gossiping about it for days,” Byron says with a scowl.
Cole jabs his finger at Salvatore. “You shouldn’t have been calling her over to ‘talk’ in the middle of a school day to begin with. I know you think the rules never apply to you, but when it comes to—”
“When it comes to what?” Salvatore interrupts, his voice laced with warning. “Taking care of our match? Making sure she’s all right? I wouldn’t have said a thing if you hadn’t laid into her like a scalder, again. I was looking after her because you couldn’t be bothered.”
Cole’s mouth snaps shut. Even Asher looks taken aback when his gaze shoots to his brother.
Byron’s tone turns even brusquer as he stares down our professor. “You did what? What did you say to her?”
Salvatore waves his hand through the air.
“She sparked his glim for him, and obviously everything went fine since we’re all still standing.
But instead of thanking her like anyone with half a brain would, he got mad at her for not handling it absolutely perfectly.
Convinced her she screwed up again. Just what she needed. ” His glare is hot enough to sear.
Byron’s gaze darts from me to Cole.
The professor’s hackles have come up, his shoulders tensing. “You have no idea how it was. You weren’t there.”
Salvatore takes a threatening step toward him, managing to look like he’s looming even though he’s a couple of inches shorter than Cole.
“I know she’s doing her fucking best, and that’s better than the rest of us have been managing most of the time since she got here.
I know it’s our job as her matches to help her, not beat her down for every tiny mistake. ”
“Cosgrave is right about that.” Byron moves to stand beside me, his gaze searching my face. “What did he say to you?”
I try to wave off his concern. “It wasn’t that big a deal. You know how intense awakening a glim is.”
“I know I didn’t start berating you about your technique.” He aims a glare of his own at Cole, and the overhead light flares with a spurt of extra electricity.
“All right,” Asher says, cutting through the argument. “Some people could have handled some things better. And hopefully they will in the future. Fighting about it doesn’t help Elodie.”
He looks so pained my heart wrenches.
This is my fault. It’s my fault these four men have been forced into a union, my fault they have to clash with each other when before they’d have kept their distance.
I’ve caused all this turmoil just by existing, by being their match.
“It helps if this void-head realizes he’s got to start treating her right,” Salvatore mutters.
Cole’s eyes flash, and I know we’re not accomplishing anything productive tonight. The longer I keep them together like this, the worse it’s going to get.
All I can do is give them permission to stay apart.
I step away from Byron, into the middle of the cramped room next to Asher.
“Everyone’s said what they need to. We’ll be extra careful at school to hide the connection between us, and the rumors should blow over.
There’s no disaster. Let’s focus on figuring out who this group that’s after me is and how Professor Jovak is mixed up with them. ”
The reminder of our larger enemy defuses some of Salvatore’s ferocity toward present company. He cracks his knuckles. “Right. That fucker’s not getting near you again.”
“There’s another intensive seminar tomorrow, but it sounds like this one’s a pretty straightforward session in the gym.
It’ll raise more questions if I suddenly drop out.
But you’ll be right there if he tries anything.
” I motion him and Byron toward the door.
“Now let’s get going before anyone notices us here. ”
I don’t look at Cole as I hustle past him, and he doesn’t call me back.
Fine. If he’s still annoyed about how the waking of his glim went down, so be it. I can’t turn back time to change my actions now.
Outside, the guys and I go our separate ways like before. I pull out my phone to summon a ride, but my thumb hesitates over the screen.
I told Dad I was going out to fix things. I feel like they’re only more broken.
“They’ll sort things out,” Imaginary Other Byron tries to reassure me from inside my head. “We did, didn’t we? And that was without Asher there to help keep the peace.”
That’s true, but it was also with a lot more room to breathe.
In my reality, Cole, Byron, and Salvatore had the space to get to know each other gradually, without the threat of a murderous conspiracy hanging over them. They never even knew I’d been in danger.
None of my imagined voices seems to have anything to say about that.
My jaw sets with a pang of resolve.
If we can just get the answers to end the threat hanging over me, these versions of my matches can back off from each other’s throats. We can ease into the union at the pace they need.
I started this, so I need to end it. Maybe I never should have imagined it could go otherwise.
I suck a breath deep into my lungs and tap in the address for Groove Garden.