Page 180 of Echoes of the Banshee

Dylan’s smile spreads across his face, and I catch a glint of mischief in his eyes.

“We should mess with them.”

I shake my head, grinning. “Nah, they’re sweet.”

We fall into conversation about nothing. Dylan and I don’t get much quiet time like this, and it’s nice, refreshing, even. It feels different from the chaotic rush of everything that’s been happening. We share little stories about our lives, and for the first time in a while, I feel like I’m breathing a little easier.

Just as we finish our first cup of coffee, a knock sounds at the door. Dylan stands, stretching, and opens it to find Ollin, now human and holding a small cardboard tray of to-go cups.

“I figured you might want something stronger than whatever that sad Keurig spits out,” Ollin says with a crooked grin, handing the cups over like a peace offering. “Also, they found your phones in the warehouse.” He passes them back to us.

B and Zair finally wake up, and the sight of them dazed, confused, and realizing I’m no longer in bed with them makes me chuckle under my breath. B looks completely normal after a good night’s sleep, his magic spark restored.

After coffee, we head to my dorm, tension creeping in as we brace for any traps Anita might’ve left behind.

“What’s with the tallies?” Dylan asks, eyeing the marks on the wall. I’m three short. I’ll add them after they leave.

“How many times I’ve stopped myself from killing you,” I reply sweetly.

The search takes longer than expected. My room’s small, but apparently full of potential hiding spots. Dylan, of course, insists on being a menace.

“I should probably check the underwear drawer. You know, for toys,” he says with a wag of his eyebrows.

I ignore him and stand to add the missing tallies.

The guys all laugh.

B is going through my books and I get a little frantic as he starts flipping through the books on the bottom shelf.

“Seriously, Thea,” he asks. “How can you sleep with all these books on massacres.”

“It’s only one massacre,” I counter. “And it soothes me to picture killing the Ashgraves.”

Ollin snorts. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that so I don’t have to report you.”

Once the place has been thoroughly torn apart, the guys head out to sweep B’s room, leaving me to clean up the wreckage. I take my time. I’m surprised by how calm I feel, how not-tense I am, and I know exactly why. It’s because of whose arms I slept in last night. How broken am I that after just a few hours of peace I feel perfectly content?

When I walk into the library a short while later, I’m not surprised to see Zair already waiting. His eyes light up when he spots me, and he can’t hide the warmth in his smile.

“Should’ve known you wouldn’t go anywhere else,” he says, voice soft and teasing.

I spend the day digging deeper into soul magic. I’m trying not to let it show, but my little display at the warehouse terrified me. What am I? That was terrifying. I hope that B thinks he imagined it.

He and Dylan show up at our nook with lunch; looks like my secret spot is officially known now. Zair apologizes, but I get it. He needed somewhere to find me without drawing too much attention.

When Zair and Dylan go to look for a book, I can’t stop myself. I glance toward the doorway, my mind elsewhere. Wondering how Zair would feel if he knew I what I was. Wondering how Lazlo would feel.

I guess I understand now why I have a banshee for a mate.

“He said he’d wait,” B says quietly. I jerk my eyes to him, confused.

“I told him last night that I thought you weren’t the girl for him. And he said, ‘this isn’t a temporary thing.’” He shrugs a little, as if trying to downplay the weight of it. “I know Lazlo saved your life… but maybe you should give Zair a chance.”

His words hang heavy in the air, echoing in the back of my mind all day.

Not a temporary thing.

I don’t know what to do with that.