Page 85 of The Stone Initiation
“Oh, midday at the omega house. It’ll be so much fun.” She clasped her hands together. “There’s this wonderful pasta place we always go to. You’ll love it.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“Fabulous. See you then.”
She headed back to her friends, taking the heat of attention with her.
“So that’s what it feels like to be an omega,” Ginia said. “All the attention. The male pheromones are thick.” She exhaled as if to blow them out of her nose.
Touron shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “I’m just going to…I need to…” He pushed his chair back and left.
“Say hi to Veronica,” Sharniza called after him.
Poor Touron. “Is it like this all the time?”
“No,” Palia said. “It’s just so close to the omega moon that the omegas are probably giving off a pretty potent scent right now.”
“Thank you,” I patted her shoulder.
“What for?” Palia asked.
“For not using the P word.”
She looked confused.
Ginia leaned in and whispered. “Pheromones…”
“Urgh.” I threw up my hands. “You ruined it.”
Chlobe and her friends grabbed their takeaway bags and left, and the atmosphere relaxed a fraction. The gargoyle behind the counter laid out some fresh scones.
My favorite. “Anyone for dessert?”
“No time,” Sharniza said. “History in fifteen.”
Dammit. Scones would have to wait.
CHAPTER37
Ithought I was done with sitting in a classroom listening to lectures when I’d turned eighteen. I’d opted not to go on to further education because I’d never seen myself as an academic, but two years later, here I was sitting in a lecture theatre listening to a beautiful woman talk in a melodious voice.
Not so bad after all.
Mistress Mirrowind made it clear at the start of the class that we could interrupt with questions as they occurred to us. Then she’d smiled and my heart had melted a little, and I was sure I wasn’t the only one enamored with the woman. There was a compelling aura about her, like you wouldn’t want to disappoint her in any way.
Part of me recognized this was weird, but I couldn’t summon the energy to care much for anything else but to listen and absorb the information she was imparting.
“Her hair…” Sharniza said softly. “It’s so shiny.”
“Look how small her feet are,” Palina whispered.
“I bet she tastes like cotton candy,” Touron said on a yearning breath.
Mirrowind looked up at us with a smile that told me she’d heard every word.
We all sighed in unison.
“The mageri were selective about who entered the city,” Mistress Mirrowind said, turning her attention to the rest of the class. “The house Dracul and the powerful Raventhorn bloodlines made a deal with the mageri, and they have their place in the city. The fae would not sign their contracts and so are trapped in the Evergreen within the mageri wards.”
