Tarot Academy 4 - Sarah Piper Page 0,27

he asks.

“Just sleepy and a little sore.” I smile, barely stifling a yawn. “The good kind, I mean.”

“Yes, well… There’s one other thing we should probably get out in the open, just so there’s no misunderstanding.” He slides his hands into my hair, drawing me close. “I’m in love with you, my beautiful Star. I’ll never make you doubt it again.”

After a quick shower and a change of bedding, we fall into a deep sleep together. I don’t know how many hours pass, but when I open my eyes again, I’m still wrapped up in his strong embrace, my back against his chest, his face buried in my hair, my arms and thighs aching with a delicious burn.

But I’m no longer lying in the antique iron bed.

I’m underwater, cold and swift and full of blood.

And I can’t breathe.

Eleven

KIRIN

Nothing sobers up a drunken fool like a healthy dose of bad news, and by the time I finish filling Baz in on the details—including a new text from Cass about my sister’s disappearing act and everything Stevie and Carly discovered beneath the library—he’s cleaned up, coffeed up, and packed up, ready to follow me to the ends of the earth.

But for the moment, we’re only going as far as the library—a quick detour en route to the portal at Time Out of Mind. I need to get the laptops from my office and—as much as I hate the idea of breaking my own security protocols—Stevie’s research notebooks from the archives. Something tells me we’re going to be stuck in Red Sands Canyon for the long haul, and unfortunately, our work on the prophecies can’t wait.

“Fifteen minutes,” I tell Baz as we creep around the side of the massive building, doing our best to stick to the shadows. Given the ominous warnings in Casey’s note, we have to assume the library isn’t safe—especially if Phaines’s body is still in the basement. “If I’m not out by then, call the calvary.”

“I am the calvary, asshole. If you’re not out by then, I’m coming in after you.” Baz hikes his duffel bag up on his shoulder, shaking his head. “On second thought, fuck off. I’m not letting you go in there alone. Lead the way.”

“You need to stay out here and be my lookout.”

“What good will a lookout do if the bad guys are in there instead of out here?” He grabs the back of my head and gives me a shake. “Come on, genius. Think about it. Phaines’s body could still be inside. Which means Trello could be lurking around, or any of the other—how many is it now? A hundred?—enemies we’ve amassed this week. So stop trying to be a hero. We’re a team, brother.”

I let out a frustrated sigh, but he’s right. As much as I hate putting us both at risk, splitting up is a bad idea.

“Stay behind me,” I say. “And keep your mouth shut.”

Without another word, he follows me in through the door that leads into my office.

The moment we step inside, even before my eyes adjust to the darkness, I know something’s wrong. Something about the energy feels off. Baz must sense it too; behind me, I feel him tensing up for a fight.

Someone’s in here. Judging from the faint sound of breath, they’re hiding right behind my desk.

I turn to Baz and press my fingers to my lips, then call on my air magick, toppling a few books from the shelves, hoping for a direct hit.

As expected, the criminal reveals himself with a yelp, followed by a string of curses in a voice I’d recognized anywhere.

“Casey?” I flick on the lights just as she emerges from beneath the desk, rubbing her head. I barely have time to process the sight of her when the rest of the scene hits me—chairs tipped over. Drawers dumped and tossed on the floor. Papers scattered everywhere. The monitors are still on my desk, but my main computer tower and the two laptops are gone.

Anger burns through my gut, racing up my spine with a profound sense of betrayal. It fills me completely, hot and prickly, nearly choking off my air supply.

My own fucking sister. Even after everything we’ve been through, even after watching her wave a gun at my friends, even after Cass’s warning about her vanishing from Red Sands… I never thought she’d stoop this low.

The bookshelves rattle as the anger inside me spikes, sending a few more tomes toppling to the ground.

“Turn the lights off!” Casey shout-whispers, gesturing wildly