“I have tutoring on Saturday morning, so can we do it that night?” I asked. Having to get up early to meet with Mrs. Hedgings after spending the night in the forest didn’t sound at all fun.
“Perfect.” Hannah beamed and delegated who was in charge of what.
Sai put his arm over my shoulders. “I’m really glad you’re sticking with us.”
I turned enough to meet his eyes and smiled. “Me too.”
The soft look in his eyes made my stomach flip. It was so sweet and tender, and if we were alone, I’d think he wanted to kiss me.
A fork dropped onto a plate, pulling my attention to where Theo was glaring at Sai. He didn’t say a word, but I could feel the tension building. I didn’t want to be around when it snapped.
Chapter 24
Walking into my room had never felt so awkward. Normally, Natasha had her headphones on and ignored me. Tonight, the emerald barricade was missing, and she glanced up at me as I crossed to my bed.
“You’re out late.”
It wasn’t a question, just an observation, so I wasn’t sure how to respond or if one was even necessary. Yes, it was much later than I usually got in.
“I was having dessert with some friends.”
She made a humming sound and returned her focus to the textbook in her lap. I really, really wanted to bring up the pair-finding spell but decided my curiosity wasn’t worth the potential fallout. She would probably get mad at me for telling people. She didn’t tell me I couldn’t, and she knew how completely ignorant I was to the rules of this world. It was more her fault than mine.
There was something I wanted to ask her about since she was the only person I knew outside of my little group. Something I didn’t want getting back to any of them, even Hannah. For now, at least.
“Can I ask you a question?” I was taking the absence of her headphones as a sign she wasn’t too busy or focused.
Her eyes flicked to mine, and her perfectly arched brow raised a fraction of an inch. That was all the initiation I would receive.
I opened my mouth but stopped. Robert mentioned shifters could be small enough to sneak around and listen in on conversations. “How do you make sure no shifters are hiding in the room?”
Her brow rose higher. “The school wards against that. Shifters can change in their own rooms, but they can’t leave in that form.”
“But I saw some running around campus.” I didn’t tell her who they were.
She shrugged. “Outside is a different story. There’s a spell to reveal people that are trying to hide, but we don’t need to use it.”
That was comforting. “That wasn’t my real question.”
She rolled her eyes. “Please, take your time. I have nothing else to do.”
I really wanted to snap back at her but moved on.
“It has to do with the bond. You said people might not feel an instant connection or anything at all, so how do you know when you’ve found your pair?” I leaned against my bed and crossed my arms.
She tilted her head and ran her eyes up and down my body like she was searching for something. “Do you think you found yours?”
“I’m not sure. Probably not, but I’m curious how you would even tell.”
She kicked her legs over the side of her bed and lifted her chin until I felt like she was somehow looking down at me even though I was standing up. “Do you find yourself thinking about that person? Do you feel nervous or excited when you see them? A fluttering in your stomach?”
I nodded.
Her expression fell flat. “You have a crush, not a magical connection.”
Her tone was so condescending. I nearly had whiplash from her personality change. What the hell? Why was she being so mean?
I wasn’t going to give up that easily, not yet. “What about a sort of electricity when we touch?”