She turned to me. “I’m sure we’ll meet again, Briar.” She nodded to each of us then turned and walked away, leaving me dizzy with questions.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
My hands were shaking from the interaction with Lira, and Callan gently but swiftly guided me through the crowded central room of the gala.
We spotted Hollis engaged in conversation around the food table, a moss-tini in hand. He raised it to me in a mock toast. His eyes flicked to Callan for a moment, then he returned to his conversation. A moment later, Callan and I stepped through a curtain of moss.
I only glanced at the room enough to see that it was empty of other people before saying, “What was she talking about?”
Callan looked as if he was selecting his words carefully. “You knew finding you a field studies assignment would be… complicated, given your complex powers.”
“She made it sound like people were bidding over me.” My chest squeezed in dissent, and I realized I was getting a little taste of how Callan must feel all the time. “Sorry, I’m sounding selfish. It’s just… What did she mean that the board didn’t get the final say on my assignment? I thought they selected all of the assignments this year.”
Callan shook his head. “You are many things, local, but selfishis not one of them. My understanding is that Professor East was allowed to choose your field studies assignment.”
“Really?” I asked, calming slightly. “Did he get to choose anyone else’s?”
Callan averted his eyes. “Not that I’m aware of.”
Something about that didn’t sit right with me, but I had gotten an amazing assignment that was possibly going to help me undo the poisoning of my powers. I was the last person who should be questioning how the field studies had shaken out.
Callan spoke again. “Listen, I think we need to talk.”
My heart rate kicked up. “What about?”
“Not here,” Callan said, and I finally stopped to look around. We appeared to be in the moss conservatory’s library. The stacks filled the entire room, moss coating the sides of the shelves. Rounded couches made of green velvet scattered the area, perfect for settling in to read.
Callan snagged a moss blanket from one of the couches, but he didn’t sit. “This way.” He put his hand gently on the small of my back and ushered me through a curtain of moss I hadn’t noticed.
“Where are we going?” I asked as we walked down a narrow corridor lit on either side by moss-covered sconces.
“You’ll see.”
The sound of rushing water began to form around us, and my eyes widened as we stepped onto a thin bridge. One side of the bridge led to the back of a cave, and the other had a thin see-through wall that showed the most mesmerizing display I had ever seen.
“Are we… Are we inside the waterfall?”
Crinkles formed at the corner of Callan’s eyes as I dragged my gaze away from the shimmering stream to look at him. “We’re right behind it, yeah. This bridge connects to another part of the moss conservatory, but this is also a great place to come and think. Or talk without being overheard.”
I shivered as a whisper of water sprayed over the protective glass wall.
“Here.” Callan lifted the moss blanket and settled it around my shoulders.
I shivered again but this time at his proximity.
Now that we were standing here alone, inside awaterfall, the kiss that somehow felt like it had happened both moments ago and days ago was instantly crowding my thoughts. I cleared my throat and tucked it away, wanting him to take the lead on that conversation.
“So, what’s this about? Usually ‘we need to talk’ never ends well,” I said, trying to keep my voice playful despite the anxiety his words had sparked.
Callan took my hand. “A lot has happened today. And it has reminded me how much is at stake here.”
“Okay,” I said slowly, trying to anticipate what he might say next. I met his eyes then, which were dark, the muscles of his face tense. “What is it?” I asked, though I was beginning to feel that I already knew. It was written all over his face.
He skimmed a finger down my hair, which was loose and wavy around my shoulders, the moisture from the waterfall making it curl beyond its typical waves. He swallowed. “We need to talk about the kiss. It was… amazing. But…”
My heart fell. It was the word I had been expecting but was still dreading.
“As much as I tried to keep things… friendly between us all year, things have shifted. For me, at least, there’s no going back after… that. But”—he cleared his throat, as if taking a moment to gather his thought—“events of today reminded me why we agreed to keep things the way they were in the first place.” He said it softly, almost reluctantly.
