Page 40 of A Witch and Her Minotaur
She and my dad have always gotten along. I actually had a sneaking suspicion that he was going to miss her more thanhe’d miss me when we left for Coven Crest late this summer. And I was perfectly okay with that.
Taking up my quill, I dip the tip into the ink, then draw it slowly across the page.
I’M FEELING LIGHT AS A feather. I passed my exams, I finally wrote my father back to tell him my good news, and—potentially most exciting of all—I’m going to see Cairn tonight.
Like the last Samhain festival, I dress in all black, though this year, I opt for something a bit more risqué—though I tell myself it’snotbecause I want Cairn to see me in it.
The black dress reaches to just above my ankles, and it has slits up either side, all the way to my hips, where laces pulled taut reveal flashes of my pale skin beneath. The material is stretched tight across my breasts and wraps up and around my neck, where I’ve clasped a golden necklace. My shoulders and arms are bare, and Alina helps me dust them with a bit of glittering gold powder. I’d probably be cold tonight if not for my fire magic. Thankfully, it’ll keep me from needing to cover myself up in a sweater.
When Alina’s done making me sparkle, she puts the fluffy makeup brush back into my bag and crosses her arms, leveling me with a stern gaze. “Okay, what’s the occasion? And don’t tell me Samhain. This is on a whole other level, even for you.”
I’ve not told the girls about Cairn. I’m not sure anything will come out of it—even if that thought makes my stomach twist uncomfortably. When I’m sure there’s something totell, my roommates will be the first to know. Well, after Juniper.Sheknows everything, including the details about my first kiss with Cairn while the moonflowers bloomed.
“Do I need to have a reason for wanting to get dressed up?” I ask Alina while I reach around her to grab a stick of kohl from my bag. She moves to stand over my shoulder as I lean toward the mirror and smudge the black makeup across my eyelids.
“No, but it’s you. And I feel like you’re not telling me something.” Her lips pull into a frown, her forehead creasing.
With a smile, I turn to face her. “If there’s something to tell you, I promise I will. But for now...” I shrug and flash her a smile.
Her blue eyes widen. “So thereissomething going on!”
“What’s going on?” Poppy calls from the lower floor, where she and Maeve are waiting for us so we can all four go to the festival together.
“Lyra is keeping secrets from us,” Alina says as she starts down the stairs, leaving me to finish my makeup on my own.
On the end of my bed, Juniper says, “You’re not going to tell them?”
I double-check my reflection in the mirror, pleased with the way the dark kohl makes my red eyes pop, then turn to face Juniper. “Not yet. For now”—I glance over my shoulder and lower my voice—“it’s between you and me. So don’t tell Yuki or Isis either.”
Juniper twitches her whiskers with amusement. “Your secret is safe with me.”
Smiling, I kneel down and press a kiss to the top of her warm brown head. “Thank you.” As I straighten up, I tip my head at her. “You sure you don’t wanna come tonight? I can carry a bag for you.”
Juniper shakes her head. “No. Just promise to bring me back a caramel apple.”
My lips pull up into a smile. “I’ll bring you that and so much more. I promise.”
She squeaks in approval, and then I give her a scratch beneath the chin before grabbing my platform boots and heading down the stairs to join up with the others.
And deep in my chest, my heart pounds just a little bit faster with the knowledge that I’m going to see Cairn.
Chapter 21
Cairn
I MANAGE THE MEAD BOOTH every year, and I’m typically annoyed about it. The bonfire is too bright, the music is too loud, and mingling with drunk students and professors is very low on the list of things I enjoy doing in my free time.
This year is different though. Because this year, my gaze keeps tracing the crowd for a head of bouncy red curls, and my ears strain to hear her voice, her laugh. I know I shouldn’t allow myself these desires, but lately, I seem to be losing control over my fantasies. Between Lyra Wilder and the job at the conservatory, I feel like I’m spinning around and around beneath a starry sky, losing my balance and tumbling in the dark, unsure where I’m going to land.
But for some reason, I can’t quite bring myself to stop. Even if I really,reallyshould.
“Hello?” the witch in front of me says.
I snap to attention and try not to glare at her—but I’m not so sure I’m successful, because she flinches back a bit from my gaze.
“How many?” I ask.
“Two. How much will that be?”
