Page 62 of The Mist of Stars

His lips curl, revealing his teeth. “You’re a cruel girl.”

“I’mcruel?” I point at myself. “You’re possessing someone.”

“And we want to know why,” Aislin adds, flicking her wrists and causing sparks of silver magic to cascade to the floor.

“Even if I wanted to tell you, I couldn’t. I’ve been bound by a blood promise.” He smiles as our expressions crumble.

“If that’s the case, then you were lying about Stephan having you do this,” Aislin snaps.

“There’s a loophole.” His gaze snaps to me. “Gemma should know. Her mere existence is a loophole.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask, trying not to squirm.

Henry merely shrugs then turns around and sits down on the floor, right on top of the glass. “One thing about barrier spells is that they wear off quickly. So, I guess we’ll see who lasts longer.”

“We’ll torture you,” Aislin warns with her fists clenched.

“Like I care,” Henry replies with that stupid grin on his face. “I’m a demon—I can live through a little torture.” He laughs.

Aislin and I trade a look, both of our expressions revealing our thoughts.

If Henry is telling the truth—that he’s possessed by a demon—we’re so screwed.

19ALEX

“I miss the days when our most rebellious act was egging the next-door neighbors,” Laylen states as we hurry across the dark parking lot and head for the academy.

It’s late enough that the only people here should be security and a few professors who like to linger around after hours. I’ve heard rumors that a group of professors hang out to drink and smoke. But those could just be rumors.

“We got busted when we did that,” I remind him as I draw the hood of my jacket over my head.

Laylen does the same thing. “I know. And that proves my point—we suck at being sneaky.”

We reach the bottom of the stairs that lead to the castle’s entrance. Crickets are chirping in the distance, but that’s the only noise that dances through the night. A few lights on the upper floor pierce the darkness and offer a warning that people are still here.

“We were ten then; we’ve gotten better.” I jog up the stairs, and he rushes after me.

“Have we?” he asks as we stop in front of the double doors.

“I guess we’re about to find out.” Holding my breath, I gradually open the door to avoid making noise. “Remember,keep your head down. That way, if the cameras pick us up, our faces can’t be seen. I’ll try to get the footage erased, but it’s better to be on the safe side.”

He nods as I slip inside the building then grabs the door and hurries in before letting it close by itself.

Since almost every light is off, it’s hard to see as we make our way down the hallways. Nevertheless, we manage to get to the professor’s office without any mishaps. I’m not about to relax, though, especially when I go to pull the door open.

“Dammit, I forgot we locked it,” I mumble as I dig my pocketknife out of my pocket then crouch down in front of the lock and stick the blade in it.

“Can you pick it?” Laylen asks, standing stiffly beside me as he looks left and right.

“I don’t know.” I wiggle the knife around. “Turn on the flashlight on your phone. I can’t see.”

“If I do that, we’ll be spotted more easily.”

“It’s a risk we’re going to have to take.”

He curses me from under his breath as he snatches his phone from his jacket pocket. He shines the light on the lock and, within a few seconds, the door is open and we’re sneaking inside.

I shut the door behind us and lock it. Then, keeping my head low, I grab a chair and drag it over to the corner. I use that as a stool so that I can reach the security camera and disconnect it.

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