Luca gets to me first, pulling me hard against his chest, tucking his head down against my shoulder. But Jackson’s here too, at my side, taking my chin in his hands and turning it towards him.“Ariel,” Jackson whispers, desperate, “are you…all right?”Slowly I nod, staring at him, unable to do more
Rafe doesn’t respond, just looks up at Jesse. “Can you do anything? To…tell if he’s still in there?”“If who’s still in…where…” Alvez murmurs, raising a hand to his forehead and pressing it over his eyes like he has one hell of a headache.I watch, completely still in Jackson’s arms, as Jesse’s shad
Three hours later, everything has changed.We’re still in the room, having sent word to our professors that we’re all…indisposed for the day. But mom is sitting on a cushion on the floor with Rafe’s dark head in her lap, softly stroking her favorite’s hair as he lays on a series of soft blankets tha
“All right,” Tony says, smiling back, and then turning back towards the room, dropping Cora’s hand to follow Ben and Luca as they walk in.“Actually,” Cora says, watching Tony walk into the room as she swings the door shut. “We want you to come to class, not lunch. And since neither of you are enrol
Jackson and I look up at Tony at the same instant, realizing that we’ve made a mistake. Cora and Jesse grin, picking up on things instantly as they sit down next to each other on the armchairs.“I thought Ariel Sinclair was mated to Luca Grant,” Tony says, grinning at me and nodding to the door wher
“Nope,” my mom says, beaming around at all of us. “Cora and I are going to take over your magic class! Isn’t that great!? We’re going to be your new professors!”We all look around at her, our mouths open, because…How on earth is this ever going to work?Silence reigns in the room, even as mom beam
The rest of us burst into laughter as Jesse skitters like a wet cat, panting as he looks down at himself, soaked to the skin with freezing water.“Anyone else?” Cora asks, grinning around at the group of us. We all just keep laughing, shaking our heads no, I think all kind of thrilled at the change
“Well, what is that going to be?” Rafe asks, casting out a frustrated hand. “Nothing’s worked so far.”“Actually,” Cora murmurs, leaning forward and peering between us all. “I kind of…have a theory about that.”“Really?” Rafe asks, eager. “Well, what is it?”“Oh, we’ll discuss tomorrow,” Cora says w
“We won’t be here all the time.” A new voice surprises me and I turn, starting to cry in earnest when I see my dad come around one of the houses, Rafe at his side. “We have a country to run, after all.” He grins at me, opening an arm. “Dad,” I croak, shaking my head and tucking myself against his
“Come back here,” Neumann calls, pointing at the ground in front of him. Midnight appears again in the corner, dismissing her shadows, and dashes back over, smiling her delight. “Are you seriously encouraging this?” the Captain murmurs, shaking his head and heaving a big sigh. Neuman doesn’t rep
“If I’m dismissed from the Academy now,” I interrupt, holding up a hand and conjuring up my blue flames, which make him take a step back in surprise. “Then the military of Moon Valley loses the opportunity to train and make use of its most powerful weapon. Which, if you ask me, is far too much of a
“Ut-oh,” Jesse says, turning to grin at me. “Looks like the secrets out.” “You could look less cheerful about it,” I say, glaring at him even as I climb out of bed and move towards the door as Jackson pulls on his shirt. “It’s not your education at stake, after all.” “Nooo, don’t forbid me my gl
Marigold laughs a little but just nods. “Are we doing this?” Jesse says, glancing up at the clock that looms large over the entire station. “We don’t have a ton of time.” Jackson looks at me and arches a brow. I laugh and nod, grinning at our little party. “Let’s go!” The next morning I wake u
Marigold, perched high on Jackson’s arm, looks around the train station with wide eyes as she munches on a cookie. I bite my lip for a moment, watching her, anxious that she’ll be anxious. After all, her life has already involved so much change… “She’s fine,” Jackson murmurs, smirking down at me f
I can’t help it. I just get incredibly jealous. “Tell me,” Jackson urges, feeling the shift in my emotions, tightening his arms around me. “I just want to do that,” I say, laughing a little, shaking my head, feeling petulant. “It sounds so cool, and important, and…vivid. I want to do that work,
I scootch forward on the window seat, making room behind me. Jackson takes a moment to dip low, pressing a kiss to Marigold’s cheek and then to her hair, telling her how much he missed her and how glad he is to see her. The little girl laughs, beaming up at her father, and I can feel both of our hea
“Ariel,” my mom calls after me. “Please, come and talk to us –“ “It’s time for the meeting anyway, Ella,” dad murmurs. “She needs space to think and we don’t have any more time to talk.” As I head into the darkness of the hall Jackson’s voice appears in my mind, soft and apologetic. Do you wan