Blood Pledged (Arcane Arts Academy #3) - Elena Lawson Page 0,62
her hand between mine, squeezing until she lifted her green eyes. “If you’re genuinely curious, I’ll answer any questions you have for me, but don’t compare yourself. You, Harper, are one of a kind.”
“Then can I ask the same of you? To not compare yourself to my familiars?” She slid her free hand across my cheek and back into my hair. “This is weird enough for me already, and I know asking you to be okay with it is a lot, but—”
I pressed my lips to hers, cutting her off. She was right, it was a lot to ask, but I’d grown used to the idea ever since I witnessed their first real interaction with her. The familiar bond she wielded with the two Endurans was as unique as she was, which meant none of us had any idea how it would affect them.
“No buts,” I told her. “I said it earlier, didn’t I? I’m not going anywhere, and if standing beside you means I stand beside Cal and Adrian as well, then that’s what I’ll do. Especially if it means you’re that much safer.”
Harper inhaled and pulled away, nodding. “Take the journal with you tonight. Look it over and see what you can tell me about it. Please.” She glanced nervously at the door, and I knew she was worried about her roommate discovering me here. “You really do need to go, but I appreciate you coming to check on me. I needed it.”
“Anytime, Harper.”
Taking her face in my hands again, I kissed her until she was nearly gasping for breath. Her fingers grasped at my shirt as if she were preparing to rip it off of me. I would’ve let her, too, if we’d been at my place instead. I would’ve let her do just about anything to me as long as I was convinced she was safe. With practiced restraint, I eased back, dropping one last lingering kiss on her lips.
“I’ll let you know if I find anything.”
She caught herself reaching for me again and deliberately folded her hands together in her lap, giving me a sleepy smile. “Goodnight, Elias.”
Wrapping a ward around myself, I tucked the book under my arm and left. I didn’t drop the ward until I entered the empty hall just outside the library. The stacks, even late as it was, were still full of students prepping for the exams this week, so I continued on through and out the back. The comfort of my small abode beckoned and I stepped inside, welcomed home by my excited familiar and his playmate.
“Somehow, I should’ve known you’d stick around,” I said, setting the book down among the piles on my small dining table.
“I just wanted to make sure none of the other agents gave you grief after I got done with you,” Cecily explained as she lounged on the couch, boots propped up on the coffee table. Fallon and Thor, her husky familiar, were chasing each other around the living area. “Your student okay?”
I dropped down on the couch beside her and sighed. “Good as can be expected, given the situation. You know, people coming after her familiars and all. Can’t say I’d take it well if someone was trying to frame Fallon for something he didn’t do, either.”
Her aqua eyes practically glowed in the low light. “She seems strong. Hell, she wouldn’t even let Forsyth order her out of the interrogation room earlier, and he can cut an intimidating figure when he wants. He’s lucky he’s not one of mine or I’d have decked him for the comment he made.”
“What comment?” I asked warily.
“He told her he would personally see to it that her familiars were removed from the grounds.” Her lip curled and shoulders tensed. “The words weren’t as much of a problem as the threatening tone he used. Considering it looks to me like that’s exactly what someone is trying to do, it was just suspicious, is all.”
“You don’t think the Authorities have something to do with this, do you?”
She shook her head immediately. “It’s obviously happening here, someone who has access to the school and knows the wards. There are too many protocols in place for granting the Arcane Authorities permission to enter the grounds, unlike the students and teachers who are keyed to move freely back and forth.” Cecily gave me a serious side-eye. “That’s not saying someone couldn’t find a workaround. I’m neck-deep in the investigation now, so hopefully I’ll get some less biased answers for you both.”