Page 41 of Stealing Embers
What does this Nova girl have to be mad at me about? It’s not like I’m after her man. That’s laughable. The only thing I want to do with Steel is stay far away from him.
I tell them as much.
“Well, everyone knows you guys spent a night together. And in a veryverytight space.” Sterling wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.
“You mean the longest, most uncomfortable night of my life? There’s no way people are talking about that.”
“Once again I hate to agree with my brother—”
“That’s cold, man!”
“—but he’s right. As much as I’d like to tell you we are, this school isn’t above spreading petty gossip. We are part human, after all. You’d be surprised by what gets around. And Nova can get rather . . . territorial.”
“Yeah, that girl can be straight-up diabolical.”
I let out a low groan.
The last thing I need is an enemy. And Steel is not someone I’m willing to fight over. She can have him. In fact, I hope she will. If she keeps his attention off me, I won’t have to deal with him anymore.
“And here I thought you were all supposed to be the good guys.”
“Oh, we’re still the good guys,” Greyson says. “But no matter what fancy name they give this academy, it’s still high school.”
Chapter Twelve
Sable looks up from the paperwork in front of her when I shuffle into her office. Wearing a tailored cream blouse, she’s seated behind a sturdy mahogany desk. The midday sun shines through the window and haloes her head like a real angel. Her long straight hair brushes the desktop as she waits for me to settle.
Setting my borrowed messenger bag down, I take a seat in a leather chair across from her. Leaning forward, she steeples her hands.
“How has your first day of classes gone so far?”
Not knowing exactly how to answer, I purse my lips and fidget. “Good?”
“Is that an answer or a question?” Her light laugh sets me at ease and some of the tension in my back abates.
“A little bit of both, I guess. The classes have been good. I don’t think it’ll be too hard to catch up, even with my break this past year. Starting a new school has never been my favorite thing.”
Understatement of the century.
Sable nods as if she understands completely. “I’m glad your morning classes aren’t too overwhelming. And starting a new school must be hard. I hope the other students are welcoming.”
She stops talking and stares. There was a question buried in that statement.
“Oh, um, yeah. They’ve been very nice.”
“Good.” A smile overtakes her face. “As you might have already realized from your schedule, the first part of your day is rather conventional. All the normal classes similar to the ones at your other schools, I’m sure. For you and the other upper class students, the second half of the day will consist of training and learning about your skills. In your case, that will involve an hour a day with me while I catch you up on the history of our race and we try to uncover more about your angel-line.”
I nod. I noticed all this when I got my schedule early this morning and went over it with Ash. I have gym with her after tutoring with Sable. She said to be prepared for “weirdness,” whatever that means—apparently it isn’t a normal gym class.
I’m trying not to psych myself out.
“So.” Sable clasps her hands and stands. “Let me find something to start with.” Skirting her desk, she pauses in front of a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf. Her fingers dance over the spines as she searches. “Ah, here we go.”
Pulling out what has to be the largest book on the planet, she plops it in front of me and returns to her seat.
The leather on the book is dry and cracked. There are no words on the cover, but an intricate symbol of interlocking swirls and slashes lies in the middle. It reminds me of the book Ash was studying yesterday.
I brush my fingers over the embossed symbol and a spark pricks the tip of my index finger—like static electricity. Yanking my hand back, I rub my thumb over the pad of my finger.