A Spell of Time (A Shade of Vampire #10)(29)

“I’m grounded,” I said, scowling.

“What did you do?”

“I got home too late.”

“How come?”

I looked down at my empty plate and fiddled with my fork. “I wanted to watch Micah turn. And then, well, things just got a bit out of hand. He gave me a ride on his back and… Anyway, my dad grounded me this weekend.”

“That’s a shame,” Griff said. “It’s a beautiful day on Sun Beach.”

I groaned. “Yeah, I bet. Well, don’t let me stop you. I’ve got homework to catch up on anyway.”

I stood up and began washing the dishes. Griff took the hint and got up too.

“Okay,” he said, patting me on the shoulder, “I’ll see you around then.”

“See you, Griff.”

As soon as he’d left the apartment, I sought out Ben in his room. He was lying on his stomach in bed, listening to music and doing algebra, still in his pajamas.

I placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled away one of his earbuds.

“I need you to do me a favor,” I said, bending down to his level.

“Hm?”

“Micah. I just need you to tell him that I’ve been grounded for the weekend, or he’ll think I’m rude for not showing up today. We’d agreed to meet on the beach this evening.”

“All right,” Ben grunted, replacing the earbud in his ear. “I’m going out later. I’ll let him know then.”

“Thanks,” I said, ruffling his hair and leaving the room.

I finished tidying up the kitchen, then headed to my own bedroom where I proceeded to finish the homework that was due in on Monday. It was late afternoon by the time I’d finished a particularly grueling set of calculus exercises.

I flopped back on my bed, only to sit up a moment later on hearing a knock at my door.

“Come in,” I said.

My mother appeared in the doorway.

“Hi, Rose,” she said, sitting on the bed next to me and brushing a hand over my arm. “Dad told me you’ve made friends with Micah.”

“Yeah,” I mumbled, wanting nothing more than to just take a nap.

“He seems a friendly, talkative type.”

“It’s not like I’ve known him for more than an afternoon,” I said, frowning at her.

I found it odd that she’d come to talk to me about Micah when he was barely more than an acquaintance. I sensed that my mom had detected I had felt something for Caleb, though I was thankful she’d never expressed her thoughts to me, saving me from embarrassment. Perhaps now she was happy I’d made friends with another guy.

I was relieved when she changed the subject.

“We’re going out. Your father and I have a meeting with the Novalics. We’ll probably be back late. I just wanted to warn you not to try to go out while we’re away. Grandpa’s agreed to stay here on Dad’s request—so don’t bother.”

Although it hurt that my father didn’t trust me, I could hardly blame him. I’d given him little reason to trust me of late.

“I don’t plan to,” I said curtly. “I still have more homework to finish anyway.”

“Okay, honey,” she said, brushing her fingers through my hair and kissing my forehead.

I watched her leave the room, then reverted my attention back to calculus. I was finding it hard to concentrate. My thoughts drifted to Sun Beach, and how much I wanted to join the others in bathing. I managed to eventually finish up my math homework, even though it took twice as long as it should have.

I tucked my homework back into my bag and made my way to the music room. I was bursting for some creative output after all the left-brain work I’d been subjected to. On the way, I checked Ben’s room. He’d left already, perhaps hours ago, and had likely been enjoying the sun all this time.

I walked over to the bookshelf in the corner and began sifting through music sheets. I settled on one and sat down at the piano. Smoothing the paper out on the music stand, I began to play.

I’d barely gotten halfway through the piece when a thump came from the opposite end of the room. I stood up in time to see Micah crawling through the semi-open window, his broad shoulders squeezing through the gap.

“Micah!” I hissed. “How on earth…?” I hurried over to him and stared out of the window. Just looking downward made my stomach flip. “Don’t tell me you climbed all the way up here.”

Twigs were caught in his hair. He breathed heavily as he looked down at me, a smirk forming on his lips. “Your brother told me that you’ve been… grounded? I think that’s the word he used.”

Before he could utter another word, I rushed to the music room’s entrance and pulled the door shut.

“You need to be quiet. My grandfather is here. He might have heard you already.”

Micah’s amused expression didn’t leave his face as he walked around the room, surveying our instruments. He stopped at the grand piano, running his fingers along the keys.

“I’ve never touched one of these before,” he said. “You play?”

“Yes,” I replied with a sigh. “Look, Micah, you shouldn’t be here. I’ll be allowed out again after the weekend. I can see you then.”

He wet his lower lip, a spark of mischief in his eyes. “I just think it’s an awfully nice day to be grounded.”