Page 41 of Radiant Shadows

Gram and Aunt Janette exchanged furtive glances.

Finally, Gram nodded. “Okay, but be back before sunset and make sure your location sharing is active on your phone.”

I nodded and offered a smile. “Okay. I will. And thank you guys. I won’t let you down.”

I hugged both of them before shouldering my bag and heading out the door. I had no idea what I was about to walk into, but I was expecting a goodbye. Not that it mattered now anyway. One of those doors was already closed.

Chapter 15

Arya

It was around noon when the aches and chills flared back up again, making it impossible to sleep any longer.

I scowled at the bottles sitting on my nightstand. I didn’t want to take more of that shit, but it was Saturday, and I didn’t want to spend the rest of the day in bed and miserable. I’d been holed up in my room for what felt like weeks—even though it was only about a day—and I needed to get out.

I sat up and grabbed a bottle of were remedy. Opening it, I stared at its contents, willing the vile liquid to somehow taste better. I took a deep breath and held it as I chugged it down as fast as I could. When I had it all down, I shuddered and stuck out my tongue as if exposing it to the air would remove the foul bitterness. Throwing the bottle to the side, I grabbed one of the mints and popped it in my mouth.

The flu-like symptoms cleared up almost immediately, just like the last time. At least the bad taste was worth it.

I threw on a t-shirt and jeans and pulled my hair into a low ponytail. Ashlyn had said she was going out today, and though I had refused the invitation to join her, I missed her company now. But I had been in no way fit for an outing. I still wasn’t.

I was just about to go to the dining hall for lunch when a soft knock sounded on the door. When I opened it, Tobias was standing on the other side. His eyes seemed to smolder as they took me in, and he winked, making my belly heat.

“Got any plans today?” he asked, an almost boyish uncertainty behind those honeyed eyes.

I had the sudden urge to pull Tobias into my room and close the door. Why would I need to leave the shelter of my cave if I had him to snuggle with? But then I remembered Ashlyn’s smartass comment about hibernating, and I was determined to prove that notion wrong. I did not need to hibernate.

I cleared my throat, hoping the heat blooming from my neck didn’t make me look guilty. “Nope. No plans.”

His sexy grin widened. “Good. Let’s grab some food, and then I want to show you something.”

I slipped my hand into his and closed the door as I let him usher me to the dining hall.

As we walked, I couldn’t help but smooth my hair with my free hand and try to catch a whiff of myself when I lifted my arm to fluff the back of it. Did I look like as much of a mess as I felt? Could he tell something was off about me? Did I smell different?

I spotted Cora and her posse chatting near the entrance as we approached, and my worries were immediately replaced with apprehension. They fell silent when they saw us, focusing all their energy into glaring at us.

Cora opened her mouth as if to say something but then closed it again, giving a faraway look. As her eyes began to uncross, she frowned and folded her arms, looking both uneasy and frustrated. I smiled and waved as smug satisfaction spread across my chest, wondering what kind of nightmare Cora had just lived through at the hand of her own cruelty. Karma really was a bitch.

“What wasthatabout,” Tobias asked.

I shrugged, holding his hand a little tighter. Celeste was the only person who knew about my little siren experiment on Cora—not even Cora remembered what happened—and I wanted to keep it that way. Being able to manipulate people like that was exhilarating, but also terrifying, and God only knew how bad things would get if that skill entered the rumor mill.

Tobias and I got food from the buffet line and sat down at our usual spot.

I took a bite of sausage and sighed. I was craving meat like nothing else and had loaded my plate with anything even closely resembling protein. Again, I silently thanked whoever had made that drink. The flavor was nearly gone, but I didn’t have to worry about nausea getting in the way of my voracious appetite.

I suddenly realized I must look like a huge slob, so I slowed my chewing and wiped my mouth with my napkin. “So, what did you want to show me?”

“It’s a surprise.” Tobias looked at my plate with a quizzical expression on his handsome face. “Are you on a special diet or something?”

I paused midchew. I wasn’t ready to tell him. Not now that everything was going so well. “Umm—”

“Dude! Who’s up for smashing some serious zombies?” Brett said, dropping into the seat next to Tobias. “Most of our clan should be online today. You in?”

My hackles rose at his sudden presence. Why did Brett always have to interrupt us? Why was he always trying to hog Tobias’s attention? And did he have to put on so much body spray?

“Maybe later. Arya and I already have something planned.” Tobias winked at me, then grabbed his own bite of sausage.

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