Page 26 of Inked in Bloom
I smile back. “Thanks, Roxy.”
“No problem.” The pity in her voice isn’t hidden, but I take it. If you can’t accept pity in death, when else can you?
As soon as she walks off toward the kitchen, my mind rewinds to class and everything that got us here.
“I’m such an idiot.” The memories reel back farther to watching reality TV with an all too interested Sir Thumps-A-Lot. No wonder Jessica hated him. She sensed an impostor in our midst and was trying to warn me. Obviously, there’s no way I could have known, but it doesn’t change how clueless I feel. “I chased him down and he was immortal. He didn’t need me looking out for him. Now I’m dead.”
“Immortal,” Cherri clarifies.
I glower. “Potato, potato.”
“Have to make sure you two keep up your strength. Training will take a lot out of you, but I promise, it does get easier.” Roxy drops a few white teacups and a trivet on our table, coming back a minute later with a teapot and box of teas.
How will I show my face again tomorrow and sit through the rest of his classes? I can’t believe I was swooning over how attractive he was, apparently too distracted to wonder how he could be so astute about me. It had been weird he’d called me Dr. Tanner, but I’d assumed the professors received files with information on their students.
Someone with your intellect, who understands people as well as you do, my ass.
As much as I’m tempted to slap him the next time he glances in my general direction, I need to finish the course. The sooner I can get back to check on Beth, Richard, and everyone else, the better.
“Why do we need food?” I ask as Cherri shuffles throughthe satchels until she pulls out one and rips the paper off. “We aren’t alive.”
“You still have to fuel your magic,” Roxy says, voice stern. “Food, water, sunlight, soil…sex.”
“Shhh…” Cherri dunks her satchel into her teacup and slides the box of teas to me. “You’re going to scare her. Monroe’s been through enough today.”
I keep my head lowered and begin sifting through the blends, heat dappling my cheeks. Maybe they’d feel differently if they heard some of the audiobooks I listen to.
“We’ll table that for the next heart-to-heart. In the meantime…” Roxy grabs a chair and plops down, waving a lilac hand at one of her fellow servers to take her other tables. “What happened?”
“Turns out, Professor Briar is actually Monroe’s Thumps-A-Lot.” Cherri clamps her mouth shut, still entertained by the name. Roxy’s brows lift.
“SirThumps-A-Lot, thank you very much. And he was nevermine. I took care of him…as a bunny. Obviously, I didn’t know he was…”
“An immortal harbinger in his earthside form?” Roxy supplies, twirling a lock of her dark-green hair.
“Exactly.” I take a long sip of tea. The lavender and chamomile soothes my throat.
Roxy gets up the minute they deliver the treat tray. It’s stacked with little sandwiches, macarons of every hue, mini tarts, and ganache-filled truffles. My mouth waters. Hunger may be a mortal sensation, but I eagerly dig in.
When we’re done eating, I grab my teacup and Cherri’s, slipping them into the pockets of my jacket.
“What are you doing?”
“Don’t worry about it,” I reassure her, but she’s clearly mortified. “I’ll bring them back.”
“Fine,” she whisper-hisses, ushering me toward the front of the café. “But if Roxy asks, I didn’t see you do anything.”
“Deal.” I give her a nod of promise, and we wave at our roommate, slipping out the jingling door. “Ready to head back home?”
A few steps into our trek, the bell jingles again behind us.
Shit.
I lift my bare hands out of my pockets, holding them out in front of me. What kind of punishment do immortals get when they’re caught for theft?
“Meet me after my shift?” Roxy asks, blinking at my stance. “We’ll go out for a girls’ night. Kendrick has S.T.E.M. night at the Sprouts School. It’ll be fun.”
I inhale and shove my hands back into my pockets, acting as nonchalant as I can. “Maybe?—”
