Page 108 of Harnessed in Gold

“Fuck you!” she shouts back and slams the door.

Later, later, later, I repeat to myself as I race out into the chilly afternoon. I’ll fix everything later.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

I’mthe second to last to arrive at the cafe. It was a given Leo and Aaron would be there, and Topaz and Rime were probably already on campus and came running as soon as they got the message. Only Avery is left to tumble in after me, breathless and excited.

“Where is it?” she demands. “Did it look just like my sketch?” She’s in black shorts, boots, and fishnets, and her hair is now blue.

From his seat beside Leo, Aaron answers, “They look exactly like your drawing.”

“They?”

“There’s three of them.”

“They’re cellar windows,” Leo says. “Just below ground level. It took us so long to find them because they’re behind some laurel bushes.”

“And they’re here, in the library?” I ask, flushing when he turns to look directly at me.

“Yeah.” He points over his shoulder. “West side. Where the meeting rooms and offices are.”

“Wethinkthat’s the side they’re on,” Aaron clarifies.

Understanding, I nod. The library is huge, old, and sprawling.And when you’re standing in the middle of it, like we are, it’s difficult to visualize where you are relative to the outside.

Avery frowns. “So they’re where students aren’t allowed to go.”

Rime puffs his chest and grins. “Good thing we’re not students.”

My eyes sweep over the three fae. “So is the plan for you all to go invisible and check it out?”

“No,” Leo says firmly. “We need the psychics.”

Topaz scowls. “Why?”

“Because even if we’re able to find the room that has the windows, I doubt the macguffin is just sitting there on a table, waiting to be taken. It could be hidden anywhere. Who knows what we’d have to dig through or move to find it. One psychic message could narrow the search area significantly.”

“Because Betts will feel it.” Aaron looks up at me with a smile. “Like a metal detector.”

Avery laughs. “Like the hot and cold game.”

The blank looks on the faces of the fae have me giggling despite my nerves. A metal detector, yes, but one that absorbs every vibration it picks up.Harness, I remind myself.Pull it in. Pull it in. Pull it in.

Dragging noisy chairs up to the small cafe table, we all sit and outline a plan. First, find the west wing. The late afternoon sun and the compass on Aaron’s phone will help with that. Then Avery, Aaron, and I will wait while the fae, with their invisibility, go ahead of us to scope out the area. They’ll assess the space, the number of bystanders and gatekeepers, and the amount of locked doors we’ll need to get through. After that, we’ll regroup to plan our next steps based on the information they provide.

Fortunately, it’s a Thursday evening, a big party night at Brownhill. Even though the library is open until nine, there’s hardly anyone here.

As we rise to leave the cafe, Leo approaches me, eyes warm, smile intimate. If Rime lectured him for last night’s indiscretions, he doesn’t seem particularly chastened.

“Are you ready?” he asks, sliding my ponytailthrough his fingers.

I nod, wanting to lean into him, kiss him, feel his arms around me.

“You can do this,” he says softly. “Just remember to dissociate, then harness.”

“I’ve been chanting that to myself since I got Aaron’s message.”

He squeezes my hand. “I’ll be beside you the whole time.”