Page 76 of Class Studies

Whether he meant to or not, Officer Keres threatened Ashe again. He couldn’t be the only thing keeping my Gentle Giant safe. I needed to control my transfers, so none of the men in my life took on my burden again.

Operation DUMP would work tonight. It had to. Once it did, I’d have a turtle made of my pure essence. My new pet would give me control, a way to truly explore my magic, and the independence I desperately needed.

My hand drifted to my socket. Phantom heat tickled my fingers as I remembered Tanwyn’s orange magic curling out of his tattoos at my touch. He’d told me most mages couldn’t touch a thought—the dog I pet the first day we met.

I couldn’t help but circle back to my theory: my socket was the answer to all of this. Why did it respond to Tanwyn?

“Keith?” I said, wrapping my fingers around the crystal at my neck.

I got a piece of paper and sketched the restricted section.

I love hearing my name coming out of your lips, Professor Garnet said through the crystal. I can’t wait until you scream it.

My core danced. “I’m locked in the restricted section. Explain its organization to me?”

Right down to business, Professor Garnet said. I like it. It’s organized by subject.…

I listened intently, filling in my sketch. In our first Metaphysics class, he told me to pay attention because I can learn more from what someone doesn’t say. As the patterns lined up, I identified the two sections of books he didn’t mention.

Even if it was dangerous and the professor didn’t want me to do it, I needed to know more about magic-technology fusion.

* * *

As promised, Alice brought me dinner hours later. “All dry foods.” She set down a tray on the table. “Even if you spill, it won’t hurt a book.”

I carefully consumed my meat pie and salad, praying I didn’t destroy anything like I did her hoodie. Although her friendship with Abe gave me a million questions I didn’t ask them, I solely focused on my research.

Another few hours flew by.

I rubbed my tired eyes. I slid down one of the bookshelves, before collapsing on my knees. My lower back ached. The Nest needed chairs.

You’ve done enough, Professor Garnet said through my charm, not for the first time. I know you already emailed Abe your new supply list. Call Alice to let you out, and I’ll come get you.

I rolled the charm across my collar bones and glanced at the time. “No. I’m taking a mental break. I’ve made progress on Harmley’s Theory and want to go over the Scavo blood treaties again.” It wasn’t quite a lie. I focused on a few different avenues of research this afternoon.

Do you want me to join you?

Yes, I wanted that. Sex would be the perfect break for my unhappily full brain. But, in less than an hour, I was planning on sneaking off to the alchemy lab alone, and this was the perfect alibi.

“No,” I said with a sigh. “You’ve got your work, and I know what I’m looking for.”

If you change your mind, the professor didn’t need to finish his sentence. You’re amazing, Aphy. I’ll see you soon.

I nodded and let my hand drop to the floor. After resting my eyes, I looked back at my notes. Abe’s Deltalab test required a lot more modification than I initially thought. Although still a liquid, blood wasn’t remotely similar to a potion.

Next, I looked into Summoners. Many of them published autobiographies that all started the same. As kids, they could see beings made of pure magic no one else could. The kid summoners made a deal with the one they first saw and spent their lives collecting contracts with more and more pure magic beings until they died. Only a few summoners survived to adulthood. If their first deal didn’t work out, the creature ate the kid’s magic and very life energy, leaving behind husks of dried flesh. Only about ten percent of summoners survived childhood.

I shivered, thankful Tanwyn was in the top percentage.

My reading didn’t turn up anything like my experience touching Tanwyn’s tattoos, which were definitely not real tattoos but physical representations of the creatures who lived in his magic.

I rubbed my lips together, wondering what it felt like to have monsters living in your magic. Unable to even picture it, I continued scanning my notes.

I only found a few patterns in the books I skimmed. Summoners were natural mages. All of them tended to be recluses. They often met an untimely end on the wrong side of the law.

For the first time, instead of worrying about my influence on someone else, I worried about Tanwyn’s influence on me. Would I go the same direction if I let him into my life? Or would I be strong enough to keep us both on the right path?

I snorted. The right path, I didn’t even know what that was.