Chapter 43
Forty-Three
Rose
The exam was brutal, but I crushed it. Two hours of magical theory questions that would have reduced me to tears a few months ago, but now?
I practically breezed through them. Okay, maybe not breezed, there was definitely sweat involved, but I knew my stuff.
I’m exhausted but triumphant as I trudge back to my dorm, ready to go to bed and not move for approximately the next century.
I reach my door, but it swings open, unlocked, and I freeze, my brain trying to process what I’m seeing. Or rather, what I’m not seeing.
My room is empty.
All my stuff is gone. It’s like I never existed here at all.
“What the fuck?” I step inside, spinning around as if my stuff might be hiding in a corner. But there’s nothing. Just an empty box of a room.
The panic hits me in a rush. I drop my backpack and rush to check the closet. Empty. The bathroom. Empty.
“Hank?” I call out. His terrarium that sat on my desk is gone too. “HANK?”
Oh hell. Did Victoria decide to get rid of me after all? Did someone else with a grudge decide to make me disappear, starting with my stuff?
I spin around again, ready to run and find Lucien or Ash or anyone who might know what the hell is going on, when a figure appears in my doorway.
Drake.
He’s leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching me with those beautiful blue eyes. He’s wearing that smile that makes him look like an innocent boy and a dangerous man at the same time.
“What do you know, ghost boy?” He’s no ghost anymore though. He’s solidly in the world now as a flesh and blood human. “Where’s all my stuff? Where’s Hank?”
He uncrosses his arms and holds out one hand to me. “Follow me.”
“Fine.” I take his hand. “But if this turns out to be some kind of prank, I’m going to be seriously pissed.”
“Not a prank,” he assures me, giving my hand a squeeze. “Come on. We’re wasting valuable time.”
Drake leads me out of my room and through the dormitory halls. But instead of heading toward the main building or any of the familiar parts of campus, he turns down a corridor I’ve never been down before. The walls here are paneled in rich, dark wood, the effect being very old-money.
“Where are we going?” I ask as we pass a series of stained glass windows depicting dragons, unicorns and mermaids.
“You’ll see.”
We climb a staircase that seems to go on forever, then pass through an arched doorway into what feels like an entirely different building.
The air here smells less like an institutional school and more like a really nice hotel, or maybe a Nordstrom.
My experience with high-end anything is pretty limited.
“Seriously, Drake, where the hell are we? I didn’t even know this part of the academy existed.”
“Most students don’t,” he says, leading me around another corner. “It was faculty housing originally, back when I was a student. Then it became coven quarters for visiting dignitaries. Now it’s... well, you’ll see.”
We pass through another set of doors and into a quieter hallway with only four doors, widely spaced. The carpet underfoot is plush, muffling our footsteps.
“This is reserved for very important people.”
“And we’re here because?”
Drake stops in front of the last door at the end of the hall. It’s made of heavy wood, ornately carved with intertwining serpents. There’s no doorknob, just a metal plate where one should be.
“We’re here,” Drake says, dropping my hand, “because this is yours.”
I stare at him. “Mine? What are you talking about?”
He gestures to the metal plate. “Place your hand there.”
I sigh, then place my palm flat against the metal, and feel the magic instantly.
The door swings open, and I step inside.
The room—no, it’s more than a room, it’s a suite—is massive, easily five times the size of my old dorm.
It has tall windows draped in rich emerald velvet, plush couches, polished wood everything, and vase upon vase of red roses.
But what really catches my attention are the three men standing in the center of the room, looking at me like three cats who ate a shit ton of canaries.
Drake moves past me to join the others, and suddenly I’m facing all four of them standing together without arguing with each other, which is almost as surprising as the room itself.
Ash steps forward, looking more relaxed than I’ve ever seen him. “This is yours. A new room. A new beginning.”
I look around again, taking in details I missed at first glance. The space is divided into distinct areas, with a study nook and a mahogany desk, a sitting area, a breakfast table by the windows, and a private bathroom through an arched doorway.
“Mine?” I repeat stupidly.
“Consider it a reward,” Ash continues, “not just for acing your exam, but for everything else. Breaking the blood contract. Changing Serpentine Academy. Changing us.”
I step further into the room, my fingers trailing over the back of a velvet armchair. “This is insane. You guys did all this for me?”
Soren grins. “We each contributed in our own way.”
Can’t wait to find out what that means. “Of course you did.” A smile tugs at my lips as I wander around, taking everything in.
The bookshelves catch my eye first, they’re floor-to-ceiling and already filled with books.
Some I recognize from my old dorm, but many are new.
Old books on natural magic, romance, horror (had enough of that for a bit), mysteries, and classics.
I pull one out, turning to Lucien with raised eyebrows.
“I noticed your reading habits,” he says, not a hint of apology in his voice.
“Creepy, but thoughtful.” I slide the book back into place, moving on.
The elegant chaise lounge positioned near the windows is unmistakably Lucien’s contribution.
“This is old, isn’t it?” I ask, running my hand over the smooth fabric.
“1763,” Lucien confirms. “Acquired from Paris. I thought it might be a comfortable place for you to read.”
“Or for other activities,” Soren adds with a suggestive eyebrow wiggle.
I roll my eyes, but can’t deny the image of Lucien and me on that chaise sends a pleasant chill down my spine.
The artwork hanging on the walls is definitely Soren’s doing. Beautiful, sensual pieces that manage to be both tasteful and completely inappropriate for a school setting. One particularly striking oil depicts intertwined bodies in a way that’s somehow both erotic and oddly sweet.
“Really, Soren?” I gesture to the artwork.
He shrugs, unrepentant. “Beauty should be celebrated, little witch, as should the pleasures of the flesh. Besides, it’s your private space. No stuffy academy rules apply here.”
I move toward a partially hidden area where gauzy curtains hang from a canopy frame. Beyond them, I spot what looks like hooks embedded in the ceiling and subtle attachments on the walls. My face heats as I recognize what they’re for.
“That would be my contribution,” Ash says from directly behind me. “For when you feel like surrendering control.”
I swallow hard, unable to form a coherent response as images of exactly what might happen in that space flash through my mind.
A familiar “Ribbit!” saves me from having to reply. I spin around.
“Hank!”
My frog familiar sits in the most elaborate terrarium I’ve ever seen, built seamlessly into one of the bookshelves. It’s a miniature wetland paradise, complete with live plants, a perfect little pond, and even what appears to be a tiny hammock.
“We didn’t forget about Hank,” Drake says, smiling at my obvious delight. “He deserves an upgrade too.”
I bend down to peer into the terrarium. “Look at your fancy new digs.” Hank croaks happily, hopping up onto a perfectly positioned rock to stare back at me.
Finally, I turn my attention to what I’ve been purposely avoiding looking at directly—the bed.
It dominates one end of the room, a massive thing with a carved headboard, draped in silk and velvet in deep emerald green.
The same green as the dress Lucien picked for the ball. The same green as Ash’s eyes.
It’s enormous. Ridiculously, extravagantly huge. Clearly designed to fit five people comfortably.
The implication isn’t subtle.
I turn slowly to face all four of them. For once in my life, I’m speechless.
“So,” Soren breaks the silence, “what do you think? Is it to your liking? Or should we have gone with the pink frills and unicorn motif I originally suggested?”
I laugh. “It’s completely over-the-top and absolutely insane, but perfect.” I take a deep breath. “Just like all of you.”
They exchange glances, some silent communication passing between them, and I realize that they’ve been planning this together, working together, for me.
“You know,” I say, moving toward them with deliberate steps, “this fancy new room definitely deserves a proper housewarming.”
Drake’s eyes widen. Lucien’s lips curve into a smile. Soren looks positively gleeful. And Ash, well he just looks downright dangerous right now.
“What exactly did you have in mind?” Ash asks, his voice husky.
I stop directly in front of them, looking from one to the next. “Well, there’s this ridiculously huge bed that seems to be begging for attention. Would be a shame to waste it.”
“Indeed it would,” Lucien agrees.
I glance back at the bed, then at the four men watching me with naked want in their eyes. “So are we just going to stand here staring at each other, or are you guys going to help me break in my new room?”