Nightworld Academy: Term One(Nightworld Academy #1)(48)

"No." I reach out and brush away the flour on her face with the back of my hand.

Maeve's mouth parts in surprise and her cheeks flush pink. I show her my fingers. "Flour."

"Oh." She swallows and laughs to herself. "Right."

Maeve's focus shifts to her laptop. "Can you check I have the locations right? I found the Transylvanian connection, which has totally freaked me out because I didn't realise that was real."

I stare as she continues to talk quickly, and the heat doesn't leave her cheeks. My chest tightens. Did Maeve like that I touched her? I'm crap at reading signals from girls, but I've seen how they react when I'm close to the ones who want to be with me. My mind fills with images I've held back. Touching and kissing Maeve. Holding and protecting her, the way I failed to do when she was attacked.

Her delicate fingers move across the keyboard and even in her shapeless blue jumper and leggings, I can picture the curves that distract me.

"Maeve."

She looks back at me and at this moment I wish to hell I hadn't invited anybody else to my hideaway today, because something clicks. Her eyes are open to me, and no longer guarded.

Someone lands on the sofa the other side of Maeve and the whole thing creaks. "Amelia's bloody bossy," says Ash. He slings an arm across the back of the sofa, centimetres away from Maeve’s shoulders, and shifts closer to read her laptop screen. "Why are you two working on a Saturday?"

"I'm helping Maeve with an assignment."

Ash ignores me and licks his thumb as he peers at Maeve's face. "You're covered in flour."

I can't see her expression as he rubs the flour away, but I can see his.

I have competition I could never hope to beat.





Chapter Twenty-Six





JAMIE



The heat from the fire fills the room with a cosiness not found in the academy's large classrooms. The dorm rooms have radiators that keep us warm, but nothing beats a crackling wood fire.

The baking smell still hangs in the air even though there's little left of Amelia's carrot cake, apart from crumbed plates and a small slice that Ash has his eye on. That guy can certainly shovel his food away. Shifters are lucky with their super-fast metabolisms, and they burn energy even when they sit still. You'll never find an overweight Gilgamesh kid.

Ash stretches and looks out of the window. "Aww. Amelia, make the rain stop."

"Don't be ridiculous. I can't stop the weather."

"Yet." I say.

She huffs at me. Amelia has little faith in herself, which doesn't help her.

"I need to go." Ash stands. "There's a team meeting this evening. Are you guys coming back now?"

Maeve stands and looks through the window, where the rain grows heavier and splatters across the glass. "I'll wait. My coat isn't waterproof, and I don't want a soaking."

"Same," I say.

Ash checks his phone. "Crap. I can't wait for the rain to stop. I’m already late. Are you sure?" Maeve nods. "Amelia?"

Amelia bites her lip and catches my eye. She cocks a brow and looks pointedly at Maeve. Pursing my lips, I shake my head at Amelia, whose reply is a sly smile. "I have a raincoat. I'll come with you, Ash."

Should I be annoyed or grateful to Amelia for leaving us alone? Is this an 'us alone' situation, or am I reading too much into this? Cool air blows into the room as Ash and Amelia leave, and the door clicks closed.

Maeve closes her laptop and places it on the coffee table, beside the plates. She's silent for a moment and the sound of splattering rain and wind invades the peace.

"I wanted to talk to you about something." Maeve pushes hair from her face and her brow puckers.

My stomach knots. This conversation could be either really good or really bad. "Sure."

She moves to sit on the rainbow-striped hessian rug close to the fire and draws her knees beneath her chin. When she doesn't speak again, I join Maeve and curl my legs beneath me as I face her.

Maeve stares into the flames in the fireplace that flicker as the fire runs out of fuel. "Remember when you touched me in Sofia's room, the time I tried to bring on a vision?"

"Yes."

"You sharpened the images in those moments. Can you help me again?"

I sigh. Not the reason I'd hoped she'd stayed with me for. "Yes, on one condition."

She flicks her fingernails against her teeth, and her back moves as she takes a deep breath. "Yes, Jamie. I saw something bad happen to you."

My hands shake and I tuck them beneath my legs. Instead of the relief I expected from hearing the truth, I'm terrified because her eyes are moist. "What did you see?"

"You were hurt." Her voice is barely audible.

"Badly?"

The corners of her mouth turn down. "I didn't see everything. I never do. But it’s okay, Jamie. I've stopped events happening before."

Maeve told me why she was expelled from her last school, which impressed and amused me. I've always known future-sighted witches exist, even though I only met one recently, but I haven't heard that they could change what they saw.

"That's why I need to know the reason I'm seeing Tessa. My visions mean something—an event I need to stop or is important. I really need a clearer picture of the man close to Tessa. That way I know who I'm looking for when I go to the party."