I sense the buzzing grow as she passes, then fade as she sits and scrunches the sheets in her hand. "Thanks."
"No problem."
I begin to leave the room. “Tobias,” she whispers. Please, no. Don’t pull me in. Warily, I turn back to her. “I’ll find a way to break the curse.”
The hope in her eyes silences my protest that her plan is impossible.
“Good night, Maeve.” I back out as quickly as I can before she says anything else.
There's no way I'll sleep anymore tonight.
Chapter Fifty-Two
ASH
Tobias should've brought Maeve to me last night, not taken her to his place. She needed to be away from all things witch and vampire. Maeve told me before that time away from mental magic and spells helps her; that the comfort and simplicity of time with me balances the intensity. Sure, I'd like to see into her mind and know what Maeve's thinking, but that's any guy's wish. Our intensity is more physical and sometimes that’s what Maeve needs.
She's pale this morning, stress and lack of sleep pulling her low. I hold onto my temper when we meet her at Tobias's and they tell us what happened, but Jamie loses his shit. This amuses me, considering he gets annoyed with Andrei doing the same. Tobias merely sits and takes his anger while I stand close to the door, uncomfortable with being in his space.
There's a blanket scrunched on the sofa. Did Tobias or Maeve sleep there? I've had my suspicions there's something physical between them, but at least he didn't take advantage last night.
He's across the room from her now.
"I don't care whether you saw something in the cellar or not," says Jamie tersely. "Take us there and I'll scry. If Maeve thinks there's something unusual, I believe her."
"I never said I didn’t believe her." Tobias keeps his even tone. "Whether by rumour or truth, Petrescu holds a secret. My concern is what the secret is and if we're prepared for what we'll face."
I rest my shoulder against the wall. "Fire, apparently. That's what Maeve saw in a past vision." Maeve continues her silence as she picks at her fingernails. "You can't still hear the heartbeat, can you?"
Biting her lip, she shakes her head. "I only hear the heartbeat in my dreams. Last night was the first time I heard the noise when I was awake."
"Something is down there," urges Jamie. "We need to find what or who. And how."
Tobias sinks back. "Maeve. I need you to write down every single vision you've had since you came to the academy. Every detail you can remember. Don't take part in any more practice with Sofia until we're on top of this."
"When can we go back down?" she whispers.
"Once Andrei is awake."
"That's all day!" I complain.
Tobias laughs. "The guy is a light sleeper and the hemia are safe if they stay inside. After last night, I expect to hear from him within the hour."
Maeve chews her fingernails harder and I pull them from her mouth. "Should we go for a walk? I think that might help. Get away from the buildings."
"Good idea," says Tobias.
I look to Jamie, who shrugs. I can practically hear his mind whirling. "I asked April to find me academy plans from her father. I hope she's managed."
"I'm still suspicious of her," says Maeve.
"Nah, she always does things for Jamie," I say with a smirk. "Doesn't she?"
He presses his lips together. "We've always helped each other."
"But if she's a smart girl, surely she'll want to know why you're looking." Maeve's distrust continues. I understand—she's coping with a lot and protecting herself.
"If need be, I'll tell her the assignment is for me," says Tobias.
Maeve moves the blanket and stands. She's wearing an oversize shirt that covers her perfect ass, and I see her shorts peeking out from beneath. Why is she in Tobias's shirt?
"Perhaps change, Maeve," says Tobias. "You only have your pyjama vest and shorts on under the shirt you borrowed to stay warm."
Bloody mind-reading vamps.
I meet Maeve half an hour later and we make our way across the playing fields. She's quiet, gripping my hand as she walks at a slow pace.
"Did you want to sleep instead?" I ask. "I didn’t think."
"No. I want to breathe."
The grass has grown longer, and daisies and dandelions spring through the grass. Turning her back on the academy, Maeve sits, pulling on my hand as she does.
"Thank you, Ash." Plucking a daisy from the ground, she begins to pick at the petals. "I couldn't cope with any more inside that place."
"We could head off campus, if you want?"
"No. As soon as Andrei is around, I want to go back to the cellar. I'm clearer-headed this time." Maeve's mouth turns down and I shuffle over to hug her. "Don't hug me too hard; I'll cry," she whispers.
"Maeve." I pull her against my chest. "I wish I could squeeze the pain out of you."
"I think if you squeezed me too hard, you’d do the opposite.” She looks up at me. “I remember watching you play rugby here on my first day. You were kind to me. You have such a big heart."
Chuckling, I pick at the grass beside us. "You mean I was friendly to the cute new girl? No ulterior motive at all."
"Maybe, but you were friendly, not sleazy." She gives me a small smile. "Unlike me, since I was checking you out on the rugby pitch."
"Heh." I kiss her nose, happy I’ve stopped her from crying.
We lapse into a comfortable silence as Maeve begins to make a chain from her daisies. "Time with you is less complicated," she says eventually. "I know you're not trying to read me—and won’t accidentally catch my thoughts."
"Yeah, I get that." I pick a flower and hand it to Maeve. "I'm always here if you want to escape the witches and vamps."
"Oh." Maeve looks up. "I don't want to escape them; I meant I like my time alone with you. Sometimes I forget you're not human."
"Neither are you."
"I'm aware," she says. "Because your powers aren't as obvious to me, I suppose."
"Yet."
I look at the tiny daisy between my thick fingers. How many delicate things could be destroyed by my strength? I heard Jamie's words the other day about Andrei's change, but mine isn't far now. I still obsessively check the scales on my back and sometimes imagine there're more. Maeve always reassures me that there aren't.
“You won't walk around as a dragon all the time," she says and nudges me. "You won't be obvious."
"I'll be stronger. I don't like that I'll be a dragon shifter, but at least I'm not a wolf or bear." I tap my head. "I’ll hold onto this Ash—I’ll be able to hang onto my mind unlike Clive and co. who are bear and wolf shifters. They're more primal."
Maeve pauses in her daisy threading. "I'm not sure I want to see you shifted."