Page 29 of Alchemy of Souls

Now I’m frustrated. “Just because I didn’t come from a fancy Mage family doesn’t mean I can’t keep up.”

“You’re spent. Anyone would be,” he says bluntly. “You took the biggest exam of your life. Survived my uncle’s dogs and then flewthrough the night to another country. Not to mention we’ve spent the last three hours straight re-creating your spell. If you weren’t exhausted, I’d be the one callingyousuperhuman.”

Now I’m the one who’s surprised. Because I have no idea what to make of that. He’s kind and then he’s horrible. He’s thoughtful and then he’s rude.

When I don’t reply, he grabs his water from the coffee table and heads toward his bedroom. “Good night, Eloise Belrose,” he says over his shoulder.

“Good night, Grayson Stone,” I reply, and for the first time there’s not a hint of annoyance in it.

CHAPTER 17Grayson

12 DAYS TO GO

My alarm spell goes off at an ungodly hour and I swear into my pillow. But today of all days I need to get my butt out of bed. So, I drag myself from under the sheet, my white comforter bunched where I kicked it.

I rub my eyes with the heel of my hand and move to my open suitcase, which rests on the trunk at the end of my bed. I mutter a quick incantation to disband my illusion spell, and pluck my two cell phones from the hidden pocket.

The first is predictably filled with texts from Bas, Naomi, and Ivy.

Ivy:Tell me I didn’t just watch you leaving the dining hall with LABOR GIRL???

Naomi:Nearly threw up my dinner.

Bas:Meeting in N&I’s suite for some first night kickoff drinks. You coming or what?

Naomi:Hellllloooo???

Bas:Seriously, dude, where are you? No one even knows where your room is or who your roommate is in Alchemy Guild.

Ivy:Unless you have a single cause you’re so special and fancy???

Bas:Are you ghosting us? Can you hear me crying?

I type into my phone.

Me:Shit. Passed out. Count me in for the next one.

My uncle knows I have this phone. But he lets it slide because it’s magically protected. I paid a pretty penny for the same spell that protects his phone and the phones of all the other High Mages who don’t follow their own rules.

The other cell phone, though, he knows nothing about. And I plan to keep it that way.

I tuck both phones into my boots, casting another illusion spell to make them blend with my socks. Then I sneak out of our suite, careful not to wake Eloise.

I make quick work of the navigation spell, which leads me to the campus garage and my red Porsche. I drive down the giant tiered tree and don’t see anyone. Guardians don’t give a shit what we do unless we’re roaming the campus after hours. Too many secrets at the University and too much magic.

I take the familiar cobbled streets to a tree-shaped café on the edge of town that I spent more time in as a kid than my own house, pulling to a stop by the stone curb. Only instead of going straight in to scoop up one of Mrs. Kelly’s pastries, I pop my trunk, grabbing the backpack inside and use my wind spell to disappear into the forest on the opposite side of the road. At full-spell speed, it only takes me five minutes to reach the northernmost edge of thewards, and the red maple I practically lived in after my brother died.

The handholds are so familiar that I don’t have to think about them as I hoist my way up to a thick branch fifteen feet off the ground. I take five steps along the old bark and wait until I feel the unmistakable pop of passing through the wards. It’s a small tear, just large enough to admit a single person, and it’s thankfully far enough off the ground that the Guardians have never discovered it. Which is a damn good thing, because no matter what I’ve tried, I’ve never been able to replicate it.

Now that I’m outside the wards, I take my second cell out of my boot and turn it on.

Messages spring to life.

Sage:What the hell, Grayson?

Sage:Going dark is BS.

Sage:Tracked down your friend. Left a message for you. Did you get it?