Page 22 of Bone Year

He stares at me like he’s seeing a ghost.

My eyes burn, but I blink hard, refusing to let the tears spill as Jace is suddenly here, arms wrapping around me, lifting me clean off the ground in a fierce, familiar hug. His warmth and sweet scent anchor me in a way nothing else here has managed to. He always smells so sweet, no matter how long he’s away from his parents’ bakery. I swear he still smells like cinnamon and sugar.

“Maelis, it’s really you.” He sets me back on my feet but doesn’t let go, hands sliding up to cup my face as his gaze drags over me. “How are you here? How is this possible?”

I shake my head, a breathless huff slipping out. “I have no idea, honestly.”

Movement in my peripheral pulls my attention, and I realize Lux and Ellavee have stopped a few steps away, openly watching us. Heat creeps into my cheeks.

“This is Lux,” I say quickly, gesturing between them. “And Ellavee. They’re bone years too.”

Jace gives them a distracted nod, eyes already drifting back to me like he’s afraid I might vanish if he looks away for too long.

“Come back to my dorm,” I add, clutching his sleeve. “We need to talk.”

We go back to my room, and I tell him everything.

“I can’t believe the headmaster said those things to you,” Jace says, lying beside me on the bed. “But more than that, I still can’t believe we’re both at Ashwell Academy.”

“I know,” I murmur. “Gods, I’m so thankful you’re here.”

I squeeze him tighter, my head resting on his chest, arm draped over his torso.

“Hey,” he says gently, “it looks like you already made friends.”

I scoff, “Lux seems nice enough. Ellavee…we barely had time to say two words to each other.”

He chuckles under his breath.

“I hope my mom and sister aren’t worried about me,” I add. “I didn’t get to say goodbye or pack. I didn’t get to explain anything.”

“That part’s strange, being taken so suddenly like that. Maybe they handled things differently because you’re human. My parents would have been pissed if I didn’t get to tell them where I was going and say goodbye.”

His hand trails slowly up and down my back, steady and warm, and I could fall asleep like this.

But I haven’t eaten much of anything today, and I promised Lux I’d go with her to the descent tonight. It’s some kind of party down in one of the basements, put on by blood and breath years to welcome the new students before classes start tomorrow.

I don’t much feel like going to a party in some creepy basement the night before I have to wake up early and take what will probably be some of the most demanding classes anyone has ever taken.

But I also don’t want to start my time here by not making friends.

It’s already going to be hard enough for me to fit in, given the obvious, so I’ll at least make an appearance and hopefully meet a few more people. It’s too much to think about, and I want to clear my mind, eyes fluttering closed.

Shit.

I jolt upright at the knock, the movement nearly tangling me in the blankets as Jace stirs beside me with a groan. For a second, I’m disoriented, heart thudding, then memory rushes back all at once. The orientation. Lux. The descent.

I glance at the dark window.

My eyes snap to the clock on the wall.

Half past nine.

“Oh no,” I mutter, scrambling out of bed and nearly tripping over my own feet as I cross the room and yank open the door.

Lux stands in the hallway, perfectly awake and infuriatingly put together, her gaze sweeping over me. I’m still wearing the sweater and pants I pulled on earlier, hair slightly mussed, face bare except for lip balm.

“Are you planning on going like that?” she asks.