He glanced at the empty coffee pot and frowned. “What is all the shouting about?”
“Montana has lost her mind. She’s going to get herself killed battling her fandler in front of the Council.” Clay set his untouched coffee on the counter and stormed out of the room in true fire elemental fashion, even though he was my air elemental, joining the other one pouting on the couch.
Bryan stole the cup and took a drink, sighing as he stared at it. After several seconds of silent contemplation, he said, “Leo, would you mind if I had a minute alone with our girl?”
“Take all the time you need to talk her out of this.” He left the kitchen.
I watched him leave before returning my attention to Bryan. “You do realize they can all hear us, right?”
“I realize that.” He didn’t say anything more, which both baffled and annoyed me.
“If you think you’re going to talk me out of this, don’t waste your breath.”
“I’m not going to.”
I nodded, unsure whether he meant he wasn’t going to waste his breath, or he wasn’t going to try. I guess, either way, the end result was the same. “Good. I’m doing this.”
“I know.”
“And you can’t stop me.”
“I know,” he repeated.
Okay, I had no idea where he planned to go with this, which only frustrated me more. “Then why did you want to talk to me alone?”
“I never said anything about talking.” He leaned in, capturing my lips with his and kissing me so tenderly, it physically hurt when he broke the kiss. He studied me, tilting his head, that hazel gaze holding mine. “You sure you know what you’re doing?”
Not even a little, but I lied through my smile as I said, “Absolutely.”
“We’ll be there to support you.”
“And to jump the guy if he gets out of control,” Clay yelled from the living room.
I drew in a deep breath. “Then what are we waiting for?”
TO MY SHOCK and tremendous relief, Stace was in the 3C building when I entered. I didn’t care that she was my professor. I didn’t care that it would look weird if anyone walked in on us. I only cared that my friend, my mentor, wasn’t dead.
I ran into her arms and hugged her so tight, I might have cracked her petite ribs. She hugged me back just as fiercely. When we pulled back, she wiped at her eyes and brushed her hands over her dark bun. I wiped my hands on my skirt and laughed nervously. It was the first time we’d really shown that level of emotion for each other.
“Thank you, sweetie.”
Hearing her call me that made me smile. My mom used to call me that. “For?”
“For saving my life.” She hugged me again.
“Wow.” I laughed after the embrace and wiped my palms again, not knowing what else to do with my hands. “A whole lot of hugging going on.”
We stood there in awkward silence, all the things I’d been dying to tell her battling to be the first thing out of my mouth. I hadn’t realized how much I’d relied on being able to talk to her until I no longer had the option.
I swept my hair behind my ear and sat on the corner of her desk. “How are you feeling?”
“Like you want to ask me something else,” she fired back, giving me that knowing look that always cut through my bullshit. “What’s on your mind?”
There was no time to dance around the question, so I just blurted it out. “Did you know the Council brought Spencer in to spy on me?”
“What?” She shook her head slowly, the act causing her discomfort judging by the cringe. “That can’t be true. They would have told me.”
“No, they should have told you. Big diff. And it gets better. He’s working with Alec—who didn’t die last year after all, so fun fact there—and is with Jess to convince her to turn dark to be with Jules. Oh, and he’s using some sort of dark magic spell to enchant everyone so no one sees him for what he really is.”
“And what is that?”
I blinked at her as if she’d just asked me how to tie her shoes. “Dark.”
The way she regarded me, squared tiny shoulders, narrowed gaze with pinpoint precision, pursed lips in disapproval, had me regretting saying anything. I thought she’d be the one person to totally support me on this. Now I saw that was a mistake.
I stood, backing away. “You know what, forget I said anything. I’m just in this crazy headspace right now.” I rotated my finger around the side of my head in illustration.
“Katy, wait.”
“I really have to go.”
“No, you really don’t. You’re just choosing to shut down instead of hearing anyone else’s point of view. God forbid it be different from your own.”
Ouch. “I’m not shutting down.”
“Where do you have to go? You’re my TA for a class that starts in ten minutes. You’re exactly where you need to be.” Dammit. With a groan, I shuffled back to her when she waved for me. “Now, how about you let me tell you why I reacted that way. I met with the Council this morning after Syd released me from the infirmary to tell them who attacked me.” She rested that dark gaze on me. “It was Spencer.”
“What?” I had my suspicion after seeing him at the patrol last night, but having her confirm it… Just when I thought I couldn’t hate him more. Once I recovered from the news, I asked, “So they know he’s dark then, right?”
“They do. When Stephens sent a patrol here to the academy to retrieve him, he was gone.” She lowered her head. “I’m sorry for what he’s put you through and for the hand the Council had in it.” She
