Page 12 of Class Studies
Saffron grinned.
“You did that on purpose.” I scowled, though my heart fluttered.
Saffron winked and took the potion back before chugging the rest in one gulp. The swelling on his face instantly receded. Nurse Norah gave us a final check over before pushing us out of her medical wing with a knowing smile.
Saffron and I walked side by side down the hall. Instead of rushing out in front of me, he took my hand, like he had so many times in Metaphysics, and tugged me toward my tower. Butterflies buzzed in my stomach. I fought the urge to stick my tongue out at one of the cameras. Saffron put his happiness aside to look good for the Institutes’ stupid judgmental system. Now that he didn’t need to, he chose me. I wrinkled my nose, unsure if that was actually a good thing for either of us or not.
“Do you think the Aptitudes are a score?” I tugged on my braid.
Saffron glanced at one of the dark domes. “I’ve no idea. All I know; if you don’t know the rules to a game, you can’t be expected to play, much less win.”
I bobbed my head and squeezed his hands. “I know you said you’ve destroyed your score, and I, ah. Well, I’m pretty sure mine can’t get any lower.” I frowned. “Everyone already hates me, so instead of judging you, I’ll welcome you to the club?”
Saffron scowled. “Shitty club, Aphy.”
I frowned. Beryl would have laughed. Our steps rang in the quiet halls.
“Is Ashe staying over tonight?” Saffron asked once we hit my stairs.
I looked over at his too-casual question.
“I don’t know,” I answered, explaining what had happened in the MA’s meeting. “I think Ashe needs to prove I’m not controlling him somehow. Or at least that’s my hope.”
Worry ate at my stomach. I studied the steps as they spiraled up. Even if I wasn’t bending Ashe to my will with magic, the stupid ‘L’ word popped into my brain. Maybe he needed to prove it to both of us.
Saffron grunted. “You trust him.”
“I do,” I said, hardly believing my words.
Saffron scowled, but he pulled me into his side. “If you trust him, I’ll trust him for now. But I don’t want you left alone. I’ll take his place on your couch.”
My heart fluttered, though anxiety weighed down its flight. He might not want me left alone, but he needed the protection as much as I did. If the student body thought he’d built something to take away their magic, it was no wonder he’d crashed down the social ladder.
I snaked my arm around the Institute’s fallen prince, claiming another victim. Of my evil or the Institute’s making, I still didn’t know.
Chapter 3
I woke up the following day to a text from Professor Garnet asking me to meet him in the library. My new schedule excused me from Practical Magic Application but kept the rest of my remedial classes the same.
Ashe hadn’t appeared during the night, and Saffron still snored on the couch. As I descended the metal spiral staircase, the rattling woke the Greek God with a start.
We locked gazes, and I looked away first, slipping into the washroom. Although we’d hooked up many times, inviting him to sleep at my side felt too intimate. Too fast. There was way too much between us for anything to be that simple.
Unlike Ashe, trying to leave my tower with Saffron did not run like clockwork. I’d no idea the Greek God was so bad in the mornings, though I could have guessed based on his extra grumpy demeanor when he’d been my liaison. He took an ungodly amount of time in the shower and became frustrated when he couldn’t figure out my coffee machine. Eventually, I abandoned him to his single-minded need to figure it out.
I hadn’t made it two flights down before my door slammed shut, and Saffron raced to catch up. He slowed and matched my pace. “What’s the point of having an espresso machine in your room if you don’t use it?”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s not my job to make coffee while you use up all the hot water in the shower.”
Saffron growled. “It’s unlimited hot water.”
“That’s not the point.” I fisted my braid and wagged the end of it at him. “Ashe didn’t have any problems with the machine.”
Saffron scowled but shut up. We walked the rest of the way in silence. Instead of leading me to my usual spot in the library, we came to a halt directly in the center of the book-filled two-story ballroom. A metal spiral staircase wound up, leading to a mesh cage hanging from the ceiling.
I vaguely remembered Alice pointing out the restricted section my first day, but I’d never even thought to investigate. How was I so good at following rules yet so bad at the same time?
Damon, my master’s name, whispered in my thoughts. I shoved it down.