Page 15 of Shadow Weaver
I let out a snort.
“But I’m not Baron.”
“But you were friends.”
His smile was sad. “For a while, yes. But it was always Lea that bound us. We were both in love with her, but Baron knew I couldn’t be with her. It was a complicated time, and once it was over, we drifted apart.”
“And what will happen to you now? What will happen when your family finds out you have a nightblood daughter?”
His smile was sad. “Nightblood and weaver,” he corrected. “You’re both, and I don’t know what that will mean. But I’ll deal with it when the time comes. For now, I want to get to know you.” He climbed down the stairs and looked up at me. “How about a walk outside?”
I had a whole week before term started, and now I knew exactly how I wanted to spend it.
Five
Istood by the ornate arch that led to the weaver wing and stared up at the carvings etched into the stone, noting the eggshell cracks that spread like a net across the surface of the gray rock.
How old was this place?
“You going to be okay?” Harmon asked.
I made a face. “I hope so. I mean, it’s just one class a week. How bad can it be?”
“And we leave for the fortress in a few hours,” Harmon reminded me.
My stomach bubbled with excitement and nerves. “Yeah. You guys best not leave without me.”
“Like hell. Thomas and I will be here to pick you up in a couple of hours.”
I gave him two thumbs up and a close-lipped smile before stepping through the arch. My wrists flared with sharp pain, a blinding light assaulted me, and then I was stepping into a circular room with a high domed ceiling. Shelves filled with vials and books lined the walls, and several desks with high-backed stools were clustered in the center of the room. Most of the desks were occupied by students who turned to stare at me, the intruder. I rubbed my wrists, which still tingled where the cuffs met my skin, and glared back at the cadets in the room.
Weavers.
The group from the foyer. The exact same fucking group.
Kill me now.
“How did you get in?” Kash asked. But his tone was more curious than annoyed.
Fiona touched his sleeve. “Maybe she came to finish what we started in the foyer the other day.”
I folded my arms across my chest. “As much as I’d like to rearrange your face, I’m afraid I’m here to study.” I strode up to the nearest desk and took a seat.
There was deathly silence, and then my desk shot away from me. It slid across the room and toppled over, landing with a clatter.
Fiona came to stand in front of me, not so close as to be within arm’s reach, but close enough for me to smell the jasmine that was her signature scent.
“I don’t know what you’re playing at,” she said. “But trust me, you do not want to get on my bad side.”
I arched a brow. “Bad side? Isn’t that like every side?”
“What are you doing here?” the heavy bangs girl asked. “You’re not a weaver.”
I offered her a tight smile across the room. “Unfortunately, that’s exactly what I am.”
There was a collective gasp, and then the room broke out in murmurs.
“You’re lying,” Fiona said.
