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Voices accompanied the light, but I couldn’t tell what Illyria and Kate were saying. It wasn’t a pleasant conversation, aggressive whispers. The door snicked shut, and I closed my lids, curious who had come out of the room. I lifted my head the barest inch to peek and saw a short white ponytail bobbing toward the door. Illyria. A glance at the clock showed 2:19AM, and my interest ratcheted up another notch. Where the hell was she going?
The suite door closed quickly after, and I hopped up from the couch like it was on fire. When I looked down at who I’d been laying on, I was shocked to see Ben. Why the hell had he moved over to sit by me? And why had he put my head in his lap?
A shudder went through me, and I couldn’t place the source of it. Ben didn’t disgust me or anything, but him touching me like this was discomforting. He knew I was with Darrio, so why would he put himself in such an intimate position with me?
Calm down, Thea, you’re blowing shit out of proportion.
I had to be. I’d bet River had kicked him off the couch for his bad breath and he’d taken Darrio’s vacated seat. In my sleepy state, I’d probably been the one to turn him into a human pillow.
It made sense.
But it still seemed… wrong.
That would have to wait, though, because I was about to play Nancy Drew. I hurried to my room and grabbed the first pair of shoes I could find before creeping out of the suite and closing the door softly behind me. I was at the entrance to the girls’ residence hall when I realized I’d left my phone.
Too late. I wasn’t going back. A peek over the banister showed Illyria heading for the back of the school. If I went back, I’d lose her.
Decision made, I moved as quickly as I could without making undue sound and followed Illyria to the back exit that let out into the meandering garden paths most of the students frequented when the weather was nice.
Thankfully, the door was on silent hinges as I opened it after her, careful to keep out of sight while I tried to gauge where she was headed. She hustled straight down the path to the edge of the wooded area, her white hair stark against the dark night.
I ignored the chilly breeze, cursing myself for forgetting not only my phone, but a damn jacket. Which, of course, meant I was going to catch a cold. At least that’s what Mom would have said. I could only thank the gods my hair was dry, or I’d be catching my death.
Which would mean I was catching myself, right? Or Remy.
The whole thing made my still foggy head hurt, so I returned my attention to being as silent as possible, avoiding the gravel path as much as I could in favor of the grass.
When she reached the edge of the woods, Illyria paused and turned back. I only just managed to duck behind a manicured shrub without being seen. At least, I didn’t think I’d been seen. I held my breath, waiting for her to scream obscenities and rush me. In truth, I kinda would have welcomed that. Our interactions thus far had been fueled by our powers. Maybe what we needed was a nice brawl to settle our differences.
The image of her bleeding from a broken nose and busted lip made me smile. Less than she deserved, but a promising start.
I peered around the edge of the bush, but she was out of sight. I couldn’t worry about stealth as I jogged to the tree I’d last seen her beside. I was going to lose her if I didn’t hurry, and I didn’t know these woods at all.
Turning her hair white was turning out to be fortuitous. It gleamed brightly against the deep blues and blacks of the nighttime forest, a shining beacon for me to follow. She was well ahead of me, but the distance covered the sounds of snapping twigs and rustling underbrush beneath my feet.
We walked for what felt like an hour before she finally stopped and I slipped behind a large tree trunk. Whatever shadiness she was up to, she was going to some pretty great lengths to hide it. Was this the first time she’d come out here? Or was she coming out here all the time while the rest of us were asleep?
She pulled out her phone—because she was clearly better at nighttime clandestine activities than I was—and tapped out something on the screen. A message to whoever she was meeting out here, most likely.
But who? And why?
A sick thought crossed my mind, and as much as I wanted to shove it away, it made my heart go cold in my chest.
What if it was Varon? They’d been together in the past, and of all people who he wouldn’t want me to see him talking to, she was at the top of that list. If they were planning some sort of revenge on me, coming out here would be the smartest thing to do, since I’d never know they were meeting.
Even as my imagination ran wild, I told myself to calm the fuck down. It was beyond unlikely, especially in light of the fact Varon and I were cool now. Plus, Varon didn’t seem like the type to pull that kind of shady shit. He’d had no qualms with showing me exactly how much he detested me before, why would he start now?
To catch you off guard. He knows what you can do, and he’s smart.
I shook off those negative thoughts. What was the point of them? There wasn’t one, other than to send me spiraling and second guessing things.
Long minutes passed while we waited in the forest, and Illyria was getting as impatient as I was. She paced back and forth, kicking bits of underbrush away with her hands planted on her hips.
When another set of footsteps joined hers, I panicked. They were coming from the same direction I had, which meant soon, whoever was meeting Illyria would spot me.
Shit!
I inched over until I was on the other side of the tree, careful to remain out of Illyria’s eye line. I couldn’t see who was coming to join her, so I’d have to wait until they spoke.
