Spring Rain (The Witchling #4)(55)

“I don’t want to talk about it.” She spun away and strode towards Summer and the Square, unconcerned about Sanjay following her. Half a dozen feet from Summer, someone else appeared in her line of sight, and she froze.

Noah was on the Light campus. She had thought it was locked down, but clearly it wasn’t. He seemed to be waiting for her, too, and he almost looked … happy. The sexy, brooding water witchling had been her first kiss, her first snuggle, her first ever real crush – and ditched her. Complicated did not begin to describe Noah, and his beautiful, high cheekbones and the body that should’ve been modeling Calvin Klein underwear were emblazoned in her memory. He’d risked his life to save her – then vanished.

Biji’s agitation increased and kicked up a small windstorm she quickly suppressed. She was burning up from the inside and hated her body for its reaction to the guy who hadn’t spoken to her since the events of winter, except to call her last week and tell her he was alive. The short conversation ended with her hanging up on him. Part of her wondered if that was his plan: to run away so he didn’t have to let her down easy.

Selfish, stupid, sexy, kiss-worthy Noah. She clamped her lips together at the memory of their kiss and tore her eyes from his features to look at Summer.

“You’re, uh …” Summer patted the air, seeking the right word. “Frazzled.” She glanced at Sanjay and offered her hand. “I’m Summer.”

“Sanjay. I thought I’d drop by and see Amber while I was here. She was always my favorite teacher.”

“Mine, too.”

Biji’s attention shifted again, this time in surprise that Noah was actually approaching her. There was something different about the Dark boy, something she couldn’t pinpoint. Dawn’s younger brother wouldn’t stop looking at her and held her gaze as he stopped a short distance from her.

Too startled and infuriated to speak, Biji stared at him, aware of Sanjay’s discomfort and Summer’s nervous shifting. She stared up into Noah’s gorgeous blue eyes.

“Um, Sanjay, this is Noah. Noah, Sanjay,” Summer said awkwardly. “You’re both … witchlings.” She drifted off and nudged Biji.

“You must be the fiancé,” Noah said and looked away finally to offer his hand to Sanjay.

“And you’re …” Sanjay prodded.

“Nobody,” Biji snapped.

Noah didn’t appear fazed. His cool water magick was reaching out to her, and she pushed it away angrily with her air, ready to hurl him into the forest.

The thick silence that fell made even Biji overly aware the two men were sizing one another up. She had never fancied being fought over by men and didn’t like either of the two near her for them to bother.

Except she did like Noah. Her anger said no, but her heart was doing somersaults.

“I can take you to see Amber,” Summer said.

“Um. Sure.” Sanjay replied with absolutely no enthusiasm. “Talk later, Biji?”

She waved him off.

The two of them moved away, and Biji crossed her arms. Noah shifted closer. The tension between them was tight, hot and more than a little uncomfortable. She struggled with emotions she had repressed during the months between December and now, the fear she’d experienced watching Noah in action, the desire she’d experienced in his arms. There was no place in her world for a man like Noah, even if she didn’t want Sanjay either.

“What do you want?” she demanded quietly.

“To ask you out.”

Her mouth dropped open. “Craziness must run in your family!”

Noah flashed a small smile, his gaze riveted to hers. “A few things changed while I was away.”

“Yeah, you’re bald!” she snapped. “Why would I care? It’s not like we had a moment or anything.”

He studied her. “Didn’t we?”

“No.”

“Okay,” he murmured. “Then you won’t be interested in knowing this.” He tugged his amulet from beneath his sweater and let it fall back to his chest.

He was Light.

Biji stared at the brilliant, pale blue crystal glowing in the middle of his dark sweater. “How is that possible?”

“Come grab coffee with me and I’ll tell you.”

Her face grew warm while her heart took off. In addition to her anger, she’d been almost relieved he disappeared when he did, because he left her too conflicted to know what to do. She would never date a Dark student, no matter how many years she’d drooled over Decker. After seeing Noah hurt people in winter, no part of her could cope with the idea of being with him. It went against everything she believed in, the Light, her rationale.

Everything, but her heart.

“I have school,” she whispered. “Whatever this is … no. Just no, Noah.” She started away, unable to comprehend how he was Light. It had to be a trick of some kind.

“Morgan did it,” he called after her. “She has the ability to burn Dark out of a witchling. I let her torch me. Thought it’d give me a shot with you. A very painful one.”

She stopped.

“I walked through fire to get here, Biji. One cup of coffee.”

Was she scared or exhilarated by the romantic notion of him doing this for her? Biji didn’t know for certain and stood indecisively for a moment. “I have a fiancé, Noah.”