mates forever, and he was still keeping it a secret he was a vigilante in disguise. I had to find out from Gabby he was more than he claimed to be.
He was also hiding the fact he knew we were fated mates. Ethan wasn’t stupid. Shifters knew when they bonded, and I damn well was certain he’d figured out we were destined to be together long before I did. But he’d played it off last semester like we didn’t have a magical bond, as if agreeing to be my mate was a last option, an arrangement of convenience instead of one of love.
It had to do with him hiding that he was the Phantom. But that he felt he couldn’t tell me something this crucial hurt. I didn’t know if he trusted me. But how could he, after what I did?
I squared my shoulders. What’s done is done. I had to forgive myself for my choices in the Contest. Feeling guilty about it wasn’t going to help me now. And it certainly wouldn’t stop Elijah and Gabby.
My dorm felt like a safe and familiar refuge from Gabby’s harsh stare. I tossed my books on the desk and flopped down on the four-poster bed in relief.
My stomach growled. I was hungry. I hadn’t eaten this morning, and class was in half an hour. There was no time to run to the cafeteria to grab something.
I changed into my uniform before I groaned and walked to the mini-fridge. I didn’t expect there to be anything inside except my plasma medication. I’d cleaned it out before break. But still, maybe there was a smoothie or something I’d forgotten about last semester that could ease the hunger pains.
When I opened the fridge door, my eyes widened. On the shelf was a gray striped box, wrapped with an intricate teal bow. Inside were four small tarts, frosted with powdered sugar.
It was those cherry pastries I liked, from my favorite bakery in Dolinska. How’d they get in here?
I feared they were deposited by Gabby. Maybe poisoned.
Then I noticed there was a tiny sticker on the side of the box that said the tarts were gluten free. A softness swelled over my chest. People with CVID often developed digestive issues. A rule of having an immune problem meant that if your immune system wasn’t working, that meant everything else went to shit, too.
Over break, I’d started breaking out in hives whenever I ate anything with wheat or gluten in it— that was before I’d begun throwing up. All my life I’d eaten bread, but now it had a tendency to make me sick. I’d changed my diet over break, so I avoided anything that wasn’t gluten-free (which sucked, because hardly anything in Malovia was).
I hadn’t told anyone yet, except my mom, because it was one more thing that made me different... not to mention made it inconvenient as hell for people to eat with me. But whoever had put these pastries here knew.
I decided I didn’t care if they were poisoned, because I was starving, and dove in. Heaven rose in my taste buds as I devoured the flaky crust. I hadn’t eaten anything resembling bread for weeks. Jelly splashed upon my tongue and gave a sweet, yet sour taste. I nearly cried with happiness. They were just the thing to perk my spirits up.
The cherry pastries were charmed with a cuteness illusion. The surrounding colors tinted to shades of pink and red. As I walked to class, I saw little hearts rise above the heads of students walking by, and pop, making squealing sounds. The air seemed fizzy and bubbling, like the world was dunked in a creamy soda. I felt like I was floating on air as I strolled through the hallways of the university. I wondered if this was what Odette felt like twenty-four seven.
The illusion instantly faded when I walked into Lady Korva’s classroom. She’d put a ward on it, to prevent any students from using spells to cheat. She was the only teacher that had done so. She didn’t trust her students. I didn’t even think she liked them.
Gabby and her clones, Morgan and Melissa, were at the front of the classroom heckling. I ignored them and went to my usual spot in the back.
My heart contracted when I saw Kiara. She had her nose buried in a book, and didn’t look up as I approached. Her black curls were wild around her head, only contained by a small headband, and her