Page 32 of Rogue Witch

“I suppose because I thought she didn’t deserve to feel the brunt of your anger any sooner than necessary,” he replies without rancor.

“Keeping her away from The Academy would have kept her safe,” Raith says. “Then you wouldn’t have to worry about my anger.”

Matthias shrugs. “I’ll keep that in mind next time.” Raith’s eyes flash, and Matthias adds, “I, on the other hand, have no trouble dealing with your anger.”

Raith shoves to his feet. “Are we done here?”

“One more tidbit,” Matthias says. “Olympia went to the potionary.”

“She told us she was going,” Blade replies.

“What she didn’t tell you is that the chemistry book on Leilah’s desk is gone,” Matthias says.

“Gone?” I repeat.

Blade’s eyes widen. “Is Olympia certain?”

“The chemistry book had to be charmed,” Raith cuts in. “A concealment spell. Goddammit. How did we miss that? Who broke the spell?”

“Has Ciarah been there since the night I found her there?” Matthias asks.

“She must have returned the day she broke out of her room,” Raith replies.

Matthias laughs. “Broke out of her room?”

“After the attempt on her life, I locked her in her room,” Blade says. “A spell was the only way to keep her safe—or so we thought. One of my students got past my magic and freed her.”

“Maybe you are losing your touch,” Matthias says.

Blade scowls. “I caught her sneaking back into her room. I was so angry, I gave no thought to where she’d gone. Bloody hell, I didn’t care. Someone had tried to kill—” he broke off.

He must be envisioning what I was: Ciarah laying on Raith’s sofa, blood pouring from the wound in her belly, while I forced Raith to drink her blood.

“That bad?” Matthias asks.

I nod, half numb. “We almost lost her.”

Matthias releases a breath. “Well, we didn’t, and we should find out what the spell on the book was hiding—and perhaps what she’s hiding.”

“Do you think Miriam left the enchanted book for Leilah to find?” I ask.

“I don’t know,” Blade says. “But I suspect Olympia is wondering the same thing.”

“I told you, Ciarah is nothing but trouble,” Raith growls.

Matthias’s brows lift. “Since when did a little trouble frighten you?”

“Ciarah is a tsunami,” he shoots back.

“We need to search her room,” Blade says.

“Matthias leans forward. “If her grandmother managed to break into Hell, whatever Leilah is hiding, might be the key to, well, opening Pandora’s box.”

Chapter Fourteen

LEILAH

The tall, muscular, naked man staring at me is no Academy student. He shifted from wolf to man too effortlessly. He must be an instructor. The spattered blood on his chest and face makes him look as formidable as he did as a wolf.