never heard anyone speak so passionately about history. For a moment, she imagined herself in a white sundress, wandering arm in arm with Mason through a graveyard dripping with Spanish moss, then blushed and shook her head slightly to dispel the ridiculous notion. She’d already tried to go down this road and knew it had a bold DO NOT ENTER sign on it.
“Seriously, though, why are you holed up here instead of out with your sisters?” he asked. “We might be the only people on the entire campus working right now.”
“I’m doing a little history project of my own,” she said, turning her computer screen toward Mason. “I’m tracking former Kappa sisters through the ages.” She figured a half-truth was safe enough.
“Ah, a favorite activity of mine.”
“Now, that does sound creepy.”
He laughed and leaned back in his chair. “Sorry, you’re right. I’ll just open my laptop here and we can spend the rest of the evening working in companionable silence. Unless you’d rather have some alone time?”
“No, I’d appreciate the company.” After all the chaos and anguish, she thought it would be nice to be around someone who wasn’t caught up in a magical kidnapping. She waited for him to continue the lighthearted banter, but his expression turned serious as he scrutinized her.
“Are you okay? You look a little . . .” He hesitated, clearly searching for the most diplomatic phrase. “Worn out.”
“I’m fine,” she said. “I just fell a little behind during rush and now I’m trying to catch up.”
“Are you sure there’s nothing else going on? You can talk to me, you know.”
She tried to imagine what it’d be like to confide in him, to have him listen quietly and sympathetically as she told him all about the ongoing nightmare of Tiffany’s disappearance and the hunt for the talisman. As a historian and a researcher, he might even be an asset. But talking to Mason about this wasn’t an option. Nothing would put the Ravens in greater danger than spilling their secrets to the outside world. “It’s nothing, I promise. I guess studying hard just doesn’t suit my delicate constitution,” Vivi said, forcing a smile.
“I didn’t mean it in a bad way,” Mason said quickly. “Sorry, I just thought you looked a little tired. But still beautiful.”
The moment the word escaped his mouth, Vivi could tell he regretted it. He turned slightly red and shook his head. “Okay, I’m clearly not doing a very good job with this ‘friend’ thing. I’ll leave you alone now.”
He stood and began to stuff his laptop into his messenger bag. “Mason, wait,” Vivi said, reaching for his arm. The word had landed on her skin like a butterfly she was afraid to touch lest it flutter away. No one except her mother had ever called her beautiful. “It’s fine. You don’t have to go.”
He paused, then lowered himself back into the chair with a sigh. “You’re sure I haven’t made you uncomfortable?”
“Just the opposite.” Without thinking, she placed her hand on his arm. “It was nice of you to say.”
“I cannot tell a lie,” he said in a mock-serious tone. Then he went quiet, his eyes locking with hers, and he leaned in slightly; she could see the flecks of gold in his eyes, his jet-black eyelashes, the tiny scar in his left eyebrow.
She should move. Lean away. But she stayed where she was, unable to breathe, unable to make her muscles shift so much as an inch. She shivered as he touched her cheek lightly with his hand and then leaned forward until his lips grazed hers.
A bolt of electricity shot through her, burning away all thoughts except how good his lips felt and how much she wanted to lean into his kiss.
But instead she pulled back. “Mason, we can’t do this. I’m sorry.” She couldn’t kiss her Big Sister’s ex-boyfriend, especially not when Scarlett was in such a bad place.
He sat back and let his head fall into his hands. “I know. You’re right, Vivi, I just wish . . .” He trailed off, then sat up and looked at her with a sad smile. He took a deep breath and said with forced cheer, “Okay, then. Back to work.” He glanced at her open laptop and frowned. “Hey, is it just me or does that girl look familiar?”
“What girl?” It took Vivi a second to find what he was looking at among all her open research tabs. In the corner of her screen was a color photo, faintly blurred.