The Coven (Coven of Bones, #1)(27)

Nova moved to the kitchenette, grabbing four granola bars out of a jar on the counter. She tossed one to each of us. “We missed breakfast, so these will have to do.”

I tore open my package with my teeth, taking a massive bite. After the energy I’d expelled the night before, I needed more. I needed protein and food from the earth.

Nova smiled as she pulled the front door open, jerking to a halt when she found someone standing on the other side. Iban smiled somewhat shyly, running his free hand through his hair. “Headmaster Thorne thought you might need this, Willow,” he called over Nova’s shoulder.

I stepped forward, my brow furrowing as I took in the sight of the plate. An English muffin with eggs, Canadian bacon, and melted cheese was half wrapped in foil, and the plate was otherwise filled with fresh fruit, cherry tomatoes, and sliced cucumbers. I took it from him with a soft laugh, grabbing a grape and popping it into my mouth.

“That was thoughtful of him,” I forced myself to say as I chewed. It was considerate, suspiciously so, and I imagined the younger witches didn’t have any clue what a witch needed after that kind of offering to a source.

He might have been one of the only ones who did.

If any of them thought it odd that the headmaster had done something of that nature, they didn’t say it. The looks they silently exchanged communicated it clearly enough.

I stepped past Iban into the hall, pausing when I realized I hadn’t the first clue where I was supposed to go. I smiled sheepishly at him as I picked up my breakfast sandwich and took a bite.

“Where’s my first class?”

“Ah, I think Della may be the best to help you with that,” he answered, running a hand through his hair.

“Iban has no magic, Willow. What need would he have of classes meant to teach him such things?” Della asked. The words weren’t spoken cruelly, but Iban’s whole body flinched regardless.

“Then what are you doing at Hollow’s Grove?” I asked, my brow furrowing.

I hadn’t realized that those who made the Choice attended the school even after they’d given up their magic, but I should have realized it the night before.

“I serve the Coven in other ways,” he said, nodding down to the plate of food I held in my hands. “Besides, given my age, the best place for me is here now. I’m not going to find my mate anywhere else, am I?”

“You’re willingly looking for your mate? Aren’t you a little young?” I asked, my voice hitching. The thought of having children at our age was horrific to me. I’d barely even begun to live.

I hadn’t at all, if I were honest with myself.

“I gave up my magic in the hopes of finding a suitable match that the Covenant would approve of, and I could fall in love with. I’m not going to risk missing her,” he said, smiling.

I shoved a bite of melon in my mouth to buy time to push down the discomfort I felt over needing to answer. With the way he was staring at me, unease settled in my gut.

The Coven would approve of him as a match for me. He was a Green, keeping the bloodlines as pure as possible. While a witch only inherited the power from their mother, as the father was powerless by the time of conception, they still prioritized keeping the Houses pure when they could.

I had a feeling, with the closing of the school, they’d been forced to be less selective without fresh blood coming in every year for breeding. But neither of my parents were a Bray, nor were my grandparents, to my knowledge.

Beyond that, I didn’t know. I didn’t want to think about it.

I swallowed loudly, linking my arm through his. “Whoever she is, she’ll be a lucky woman,” I said, smiling as I took another bite. Iban’s cheeks heated, and I knew I would need to squash whatever this was sooner rather than later.

He’d given up his magic to have a family.

I didn’t intend to have one at all—even if I lived long enough.

It was far more likely that I would die trying to find my aunt’s bones—far more likely that Gray would drain me of blood and leave me to die when he discovered the truth of who I was.

I forced myself to smile through the stark reality, letting Della and the other girls lead us to our first class of the day. Iban seemed happy enough to go with us, so I let him walk beside me as I tried to gain a little of my strength back from my breakfast.

The faint hum of magic pulsed in my veins with each bite of fruit as the cycle of life rejuvenated me. I’d sacrificed, so now it did the same, but what was taken by force would never be as powerful as what was freely given.

I felt my eyes pulse with warmth as I looked up from my plate to the classroom my roommates led me into. Headmaster Thorne stood at the front of the room, a chalkboard behind him. He’d rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt and tossed his suit jacket over the back of the chair at the desk. His cold stare met mine as my escort guided me into the room, and I flushed as that knowing look dropped to the plate of food in my hands.

“Thank you,” I forced myself to murmur beneath my breath. I wasn’t sure if even his hearing was strong enough for that, but he smiled just slightly.

Iban stopped me by the door, spinning me subtly and smoothly until my back struck the stone of the wall just inside the classroom. I giggled as he leaned into my space just slightly, keeping a respectable enough distance. He didn’t crowd me, didn’t put an arm above my head or make me feel trapped. Guilt swelled in me as I did what I shouldn’t, using the opportunity he’d given me.