Page 98 of Echoes of the Banshee

I really should go running. I put my phone on the nightstand and climb back into the bed.

The alarm goes off again.

Thea taps my arm.

“Mavrik, we need to get to Combat.”

I grumble in my sleep. Her hair tickles my nose.

Oh shit. My eyes fly open. I have my arm wrapped around her, I’m out of the bed like I was electrocuted.

“I’m so sorry.” God. Its morning. I reach for my pants. Like she couldn’t feel it when she woke up.

“It’s fine,” she yawns. Standing and stretching. Her shirt pulls up. I spin around, grabbing my sweater. Try to think of anything else.

“Are you good? I need to run change,” I say like the lifeline it is.

“Yeah, I think so.” She sounds unsure.

“Give me ten minutes tops and I’ll be back.”

I’m out the door and running across campus. Why did I tell her I’d be back? She didn’t ask. Doesn’t care.

I change into fresh clothes that are almost identical to the ones I’m wearing. I pull them off and try again. Grab my water bottle and I’m on my way. I reach her dorm as she steps outside with Zair.

I freeze and let the shadows swallow me.

Idiot. What am I doing?

“We have to wait for Mavrik,” Thea says. She scans the area and then tilts her head. “There he is,” she calls while making a motion with her hand like come here. Can she see me? I step out and jog over.

“Morning.” We exchange greetings and head to Combat class. Thea’s magic is almost back to normal this morning. I’ve never seen a recovery time like that. Meltdowns usually leave a witch defenseless for more than a week.

After class we all walk together. Thea and Zair are chatting away like nothing happened. I’m such a third wheel. But we’re all going the same place, I can’t exactly peel off.

Zair stops me after we leave Thea at her dorm.

“Thea had a meltdown yesterday,” he whispers. “I don’t think it was a full meltdown because she seems fine today. Just keep an eye on her, if you can.”

She didn’t tell him?

“Okay.”

I take the coldest shower possible to make sure I don’t think of last night. I still fail but don’t give in.

“You can be hard all you want. Not happening,” I tell it as I struggle to zip my pants up.

Okay, talking to my penis is weirder than talking to my shadows. Let’s not do that again.

Drinking my protein shake, I bypass the cafeteria and head straight to calculus. And of course Thea is the first person to show up.

She slides into the seat beside me.

“Hey.” She smiles at me. “I want to thank you for last night.”

I nod, because I have no idea what else to say.

“You’re a good friend.”