I sensed her apprehension and nodded. “Of course I will.”
Later, I headed outside to meet Dorian for lunch. It was an unspoken routine for both of us lately.
He was already sitting on the bench, his face in his hands, as though the entire world rested on his shoulders. Most of the time, he had a smile on his face, but the death of his friend had to weigh down on him.
I hurried over to sit next to him, stretching my arm around his shoulder to comfort him.
He immediately straightened and made an effort to relax. “I’m all right.” He tried to smile, but his eyes were red. “Just tired.”
“Something going on?”
“There’s a meeting later with the pack. Not looking forward to it.”
“I saw Victor earlier. He doesn’t look good.”
He shrugged. “He’ll get over it.”
“Will you?”
He looked at me, and his expression softened. “I’m okay. I promise.”
I had known exactly what he would say even before he said it. Even though I was sure it was a lie, I still found it comforting.
“You’re so predictable,” I blurted, adding hurriedly when his eyes widened, “in a good way!”
“Is boring a good thing now?” He laughed, genuinely amused. “You’re cute in a good way.”
I pretended to kick his ankle. He grabbed my leg to stop me. His grip tightened, and then his face was next to mine. I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him.
He lifted me onto his lap and nuzzled my neck.
“Do you want to get expelled?” I teased, tapping him on the nose. “Bad dog.”
“Rude.” He bit my earlobe just short of hard, sending a delicious shiver down my spine.
Embarrassed by my reaction, I rubbed my ear. “Bully.”
Grinning, he set me down next to him, but he held my hand and drew on my palm with his thumb. “Amelia’s delighted with you, by the way. Her little apprentice proved herself worthy.”
I leaned against him and rested my head on his shoulder. “She gets very into the whole thing. Probably for the best. I was about to give up before the car crash happened.”
“You could give up.” He sounded wary. “Not push yourself anymore.”
Not again. I didn’t want to hear it. Not from him. Not from anyone. “And if something happens? To you or my parents? How would you feel about me if Perdita and Nathan died because I didn’t push myself?”
He let go of my hand and leaned back, rubbing the back of his head. “That’s unfair.”
“You wouldn’t like me anymore if I could have stopped it,” I persisted. “It’s easy to tell me I could stop, but what might happen next?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But what happens to you? You damn near collapsed after the car crash, and you did collapse after you saved Perdita. What happens to you next?”
I couldn’t answer that either, but if I could sense death, then surely I would sense my own.