Page 35 of Demon Hunger
“Gallivanting, huh?”
“This isn’t funny. I didn’t tell anyone. Again. But next time, I won’t spare you Mom’s wrath.”
“I promise to be careful,” I said in a stern tone.
“You’d better.”
“I love you, Dani.”
There was silence on the other side. I’d never been the expressive kind, but I was finding out ways to make up for the many years during which pride ruled my actions.
“I love you too, sis.”
My heart felt warm as I disconnected the call.
Drevan smiled fondly. “You have a great family.”
“I don’t know aboutgreat, but we love and support each other.”
When a group of students entered the common room, Drevan rose from the couch. “Very well, Ms. Sunder. Those are the defensive moves you should focus on,” he said, putting on his professor’s voice.
Drevan left the common room, dragging his feet and looking reluctant. He’d been making an effort to spend more time with me, though I was worried the students would start noticing a teacher paying too much attention to one of his students. That wouldn’t bode well.
As he walked out, Jenna crossed his path and greeted him with aProfessor Veneresand a quick nod. When she spotted me sitting near the crackling fireplace, she gave a little hop and hurried to sit next to me. She glanced around the room, marking all of those present.
“What was Drevan doing here?”
I shrugged. “I was talking to my sister, and he showed up.”
“Not such a good idea.” Her blue eyes stared pointedly at the group of students sitting in the corner. “People might start talking.”
“I know. I was just thinking that. I guess I’ll have to talk to him about it.”
“He should know better.”
“Right?”
We both rolled our eyes, though I couldn’t deny I was enjoying Drevan’s company more than I should.
“So… how are you feeling today?” Jenna asked.
It had been five days since I left the infirmary, a dozen since Jophiel’s attack, and despite the nightmares, I’d been getting back into the groove of my student responsibilities little by little. It seemed I couldn’t catch a break. I was always behind on my classes, scrambling and cramming to make up for the lost time.
Jenna, Benjamin, and Sage were helping me by letting me borrow their notes and studying with me. In our free time, they also went with me to The Fray room to practice the new sword moves and summoning techniques Drevan taught them while I was out. The class moved at an accelerated pace, and it was easy to lose the thread. Physical activity was especially hard on me. Schizonevima had taken a toll on my body—not only my mind. I got tired quickly and required much more rest to recover.
Expecting those symptoms, Dani had left behind several remedies. They tasted like sweaty socks, but they helped build up my strength when I felt it was waning. If only she’d anticipated the nightmares and had left me something for that.
I shrugged one shoulder. “I feel about the same.”
Jenna frowned. “Are you still up for visiting Kody later?”
“Sure. That shouldn’t be too bad.”
We exchanged a glance that practically screamed what I was leaving unsaid… that it shouldn’t be too badifJophiel didn’t show up to try to murder us again.
After lunch, we headed to our next class: History of Demon Hunting. Today, Professor Fennix would be discussing Konrad Striker, which was, of course, a topic of great interest to me. I had borrowed a more accurate biography from Preston, but with everything that was going on, I’d had no chance to read it. Of course, Professor Fennix would not talk about the fact that Striker had been a demon—this information wasn’t shared with first-year students—but maybe she would talk about the prophecy that supposedly involved me.
In the past, history had never managed to fascinate me in the least, but with Professor Fennix, I was starting to realize that the problem wasn’t with the material but the source. She was an amazing teacher, had a sharp sense of humor that made everyone laugh, and if that wasn’t enough for some of her students, her grace and beauty sure had many of them entranced every time she lectured.
