Page 102 of The Last De Loughrey Dynasty

“You might be right there, mate.” He turned his wrist to look at the expensive watch. “We should keep going. Betty’s break ends in seven minutes, and she usually comes back inside five minutes before that to sneak one of those biscuits into her own pockets.”

I laughed as I pushed off the wall. “You’re such a freak, Jess.”

Jesse took the tissue bag and winked at me. “I prefer to be called a genius, but whatever works for you.”

We hurried back into the dining hall and down the corridors towards the boys’ dorms when Kane suddenly jogged down the stairs. I grabbed Jesse’s shirt at the back and pulled him against the wall with me so our professor couldn’t see us. He dropped the food in the process and cursed quietly.

“You nitwit.”

“Hush.”

I kicked the biscuits down the hall so Kane wouldn’t catch us spying on him.

Our professor looked around at the sound but quickly exited the building, and I spun around to look outside the massive windows that brought light into the corridors.

I watched as Kane stripped off his black trench coat and threw it in the back of his car before he sat down in the driver’s seat and drove off. I grabbed Jesse’s arm and pulled him with me.

“We have to follow him.”

“Oh sure, we’ll just run behind his car. In case you forgot about that, but we don’t have a car, and neither of us can drive, Archie.”

I didn’t turn to look at him as I dragged him outside and pulled my phone out of my blazer.

“No, but I own a horse, and I put a GPS tracker on the bottom of his car a month ago.”

Jesse’s jaw dropped, and he huffed a laugh. “Let’s playSpy Kidsthen,” he said, clapping me on the shoulder before we jogged towards the stables.

I opened the tracking app on my phone and watched the pulsing red dot moving north. I frowned at the direction he took.

“What if he’s just driving to buy new chalk to throw at us or something?” Jesse asked, stroking Ebony’s fur, who calmed at his touch.

I pulled up my phone and showed him where our professor was heading. He gaped at the screen. “But that’s a dead end. The only place out there is the graveyard.”

Nodding, I slid my phone back inside my blazer and led Ebony out of her box, saddling her on autopilot as I listened to Jesse rambling.

“What if he performs some kind of ritual there? Oh, great heavens, what if he tries to raise the dead? Are we going to have to fight in the apocalypse? I’m not made to eat beans out of a can, Archie. I live for fresh hot cheese pizza,” he panicked, walking up and down in front of me.

“Stop running around the stables like a field mouse. You’re making the horses nervous.”

He stopped, turning to look at me. “Sorry.” My friend was quiet for several seconds before he started again. “No, actually, I’m not. Far from it. I’m panicking here, brother. Have you seen Asher Kane? That man is a giant. He could easily kill us with his bare hands. I’m too fragile to take it up with him. Bloody hell, I’m too young to die.”

“Take your glasses off and give them to me,” I commanded, not bearing to hear him whine for another minute.

“Why?” he asked.

“Just do it.” I held my hand towards him, and he took his golden glasses off, folding them before he placed them in my hand, where I let them gently slide into my breast pocket and grabbed the bucket of water that stood by the stool to throw it at him. Jesse closed his eyes and brushed his hands over his face to get his hair out of his eyes.

“Better?” I asked, placing the bucket down and climbing onto Ebony, holding my hand with his glasses out for him to take.

“You’re a pillock, you know that?” He roughly put his glasses on and took my hand to help him up on the saddle.

I shrugged. “Tell me something new.”

Leaving the stables open, I slowly led Ebony out of the gates of Aquila. I knew Amberley would take her horse out in around ten minutes, and the horses were secured, so I didn’t fear anything by leaving them open.

Jesse held on to me as we made our way down the hills through the woods to where the old graveyard was located. When we arrived at our destination, Kane’s car was already parked next to the gates. I led Ebony into the woods and secured her to one of the trees to prevent her from being seen by him.

We hid behind the bushes where Doe and I had watched the bride and groom’s spirits a few months ago.

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