He righted the chair and took a seat, reaching for my sketch pad and opening it to this week’s webisode. When I joined him at the table, he pushed the pad in front of me. “How much time do you need to redo the message?”
WITHIN TWO HOURS, we had the new panels done and uploaded, courtesy of a guy who stepped outside the coffee house to make a call and left his laptop open on the table. No one saw me thanks to the crystal around my neck. By the time the guy returned, I’d already finished and helped myself to the bagel and untouched cup of glorious coffee. It’d been so long since I had the luxury of a fancy overpriced latte, I couldn’t help myself. I left enough money for him to buy another and then some. God, what I would have given to have seen the look on his face when he came back to find money instead of his order.
Shockingly enough, Bryan hadn’t lectured me on my lack of morals, which was very un-Bryan-like. That was more Clay’s style, especially when Bryan fist-bumped me for stealing a stranger’s breakfast.
Now here we stood inside the ruins at the academy, perfectly hidden by the necklace wrapped around both our necks. Bryan and I wiggled close, wrapped in each other’s arms to accommodate the leather strap encasing us. We both turned our heads toward the opening and pressed our faces cheek to cheek. Although we were technically fugitives and on the run, he’d still found the time to shave, his skin smooth as silk. I loved his musky scent, a cross between fresh air and a field full of fragrant grass.
I drew in a deep breath and whispered, “You smell amazing.”
“Well, I did shower today, so bonus points for me.”
Leaning in, I pressed my nose to his chest and inhaled sharply, suppressing the moan hovering at the edge of my lips. A noise froze us both. Was that a sigh?
I held my breath and listened for anything out of place. A voice. The clearing of a throat. Pounding footsteps growing louder as someone approached. Nothing stood out, so we waited.
“Are you sure she’ll show?”
No, I wasn’t sure. At all. I nodded anyway. “I warned her we were coming and needed to talk to her.”
“She’s never manifested to me before. Maybe I should wait outside.”
“We have to stay hidden. If we split up, only one of us can wear the crystal.” I adjusted so my voice wouldn’t be muffled by Bryan’s enormous chest. “Cressida? Are you here? Can you please show yourself? We really need your help.”
Open your eyes.
I perked up. “She’s here.”
“Where?” Bryan jerked his head back and forth as best he couldn’t without smacking into mine as I did the same.
This wasn’t working. I couldn’t move around with us restrained like this. Against Serenity’s clear instructions, I removed the necklace and tucked it into my front pocket.
“What are you doing? We’re going to get caught.” Bryan’s eyes were wide, rounded, as he shrank down as best he could at his size. He glanced around and quickly darted into the shadows before whispering fiercely, “Katy! Get over here. Someone is going to see you.”
I’d risk it. My conversation with Cressida took precedence over my anxiety of getting caught. Besides, it was cold, rainy, and a quarter mile from campus. No one would be out in this weather or that far from the main hall, not on a day like today. I hoped. “Cressida? We don’t have much time. Please, please, show yourself. I’m trying to build an army and can’t do that without you.”
Open your eyes.
Dammit. I didn’t have time for this. “Cressida, please!”
“Katy, keep your voice down.” Bryan’s disembodied voice echoed through the stone structure.
I thinned my lips as my frustration edged higher. Why wasn’t she manifesting? Didn’t she understand what was at stake here? Maybe I needed to take it up a notch, stop pleading with her as Katy to Cressida. Or witch to witch. I needed to make this about the prophecy. It always came back to that.
“I’m here as the prophecy and need to speak to the original prophecy. This is about saving our world. It’s going to take us joining forces for this to work.”
“Holy shit,” Bryan muttered, drawing my attention and sending me around. Cressida Clearwater stood at the opening facing the cliff overlooking the water, looking as regal as ever with her long flowing chestnut hair and kind hazel eyes. Her robes were exceptionally billowy thanks to the wind floating up from the waves below.
“Hello, Katy.” As she greeted me, she smiled warmly.
I fought the urge to run into her arms. She’d been there for me both during and after my mom had tried to discredit me and, when that hadn’t worked, tried to kill me. Several times. She’d been there to listen to me when Spencer Dalton had come to the academy to bind my powers, which backfired on him and magically enhanced me with a sixth element. She’d been there to help me realize it was perfectly acceptable not to choose one guy over the other.
She’d been there through it all.
“Cressida.” My voice cracked as emotions tightened my throat. I swallowed several times and had to look away to regroup.
“Bryan, please come out. Join us.”
Slowly, he sidestepped out of the shadows, one arm clasping the other at the elbow, his head slightly bowed. “Uh, hi?”
“Bryan Gunderson,” I said once I took his hand and dragged the scaredy-cat the rest of the way. “Meet Cressida Clearwater, the original prophecy.”
“We’ve met.” She folded her hands in front of her. “Haven’t we, Bryan?”
“Never like this, like actually seeing you.” He rubbed the back of his neck.
We’d have to push through the awkward intro and get to the meat of the reason why we’d risked
