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.
I reached up, brushing a stray strand of hair away from his temple as his green eyes darkened in response. He leaned his head into the touch. “You’re playing with fire,” he said with a grin, his teeth shining and perfectly straight.
“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about,” I said, fighting back a smile of my own. The fact that he saw through me settled some of my guilt.
He hummed, placing his hand above my head now that I’d made the first move to touch him. “Soon enough, you’ll realize that the Vessel isn’t a possibility for you,” he said, leaning in to whisper the words so softly I knew he was aware of our audience. I smiled up at the cooperative, playful man. “Maybe then you’ll see me the way you seem inclined to pretend you do.”
The smile drifted off my face slowly, leaving me to gape up at him as the meaning of the words struck me in the chest.
Iban leaned in, touching his lips to my cheek sweetly. “Enjoy your games, Willow, but just know I play to win.”
14
GRAY
She surprised me, taking the seat next to Margot in the front row. She smiled at the sullen woman, keeping her distance and not crowding her—giving her space that most didn’t afford to the Reds.
Willow picked up a grape, popping it into her mouth and chewing slowly as she held my gaze. I’d never in my life thought that a woman could even make eating feel like a sultry game, but knowing she hadn’t rejected the food I’d sent for her soothed some of the irritation at seeing her flirt with the Bray boy.
She was the worst kind of danger, a temptation that would push me to do stupid, foolish things just to get my cock wet. Because that’s all it could be. With my true body and heart locked in the pits of Hell, I had no interest in anything more.