I offer him a smile. “I’m going away this weekend, but I promise I’ll think about everything you told me.”
He nods as he studies me, no doubt trying to figure out how sincere I am. The going away part is a bit of an exaggeration. I’ll only be twenty miles away in Asheville, and only for one night. But I’m telling the truth about the thinking part. Rime, Nàdar, Brier,andLeowill be on my mind all weekend. Whether I like it or not.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Yet again,I have a paper due in the morning that I’ve barely started. Seems to be my Thursday night routine. Butthis week I have a good excuse. Between Leo’s betrayal and all the information Rime dumped on me last night, I can’t think straight. It’s hard to do a literary analysis ofUtopiawhen my life right now is anything but ideal.
In the past twenty-four hours, I’ve pendulum swung so hard I’ve given myself motion sickness. One moment I’m ready to call Rime and tell him I’m in, the next I think I’m insane for even considering it. This morning I made a pros and cons list, like the rational person I’m not but should be.
It didn’t help.
I’m so agitated that the mere rustling of Liv’s textbook pages has me climbing the walls. With a sigh, I pack up my laptop and head off for the library, but absolutely not the third floor. Instead, I camp out in the Life Sciences section, in a carrel so well-hidden, even the dust mites can’t find me. The whole STEM wing was recently modernized, robbing it of all character and charm. The result: fewer people, fewer memories, and fewer daydreams to distract me. In less than twohours, I finish my essay, submit it, and start the trek back to my room.
Cold and tired, I speed up once Newberry is in sight, only to grind to a halt when someone calls my name. Fury and despair lock my knees. And my heart.
“Betts, wait!”
Foolishly, I glance over my shoulder, my eyes meeting Leo’s as he jogs toward me.
No. Just no. Move, legs! Go!
With a jerk, they give in to my will and I dash for my dorm. I’ve nearly made it to the steps when, out of absolutely nowhere, huge pine branches slam down onto the landing, blocking my way to the door. I gasp and stagger back, my stomach flipping when my feet catch nothing but air. Strong arms brace me and set me safely and solidly on the stairs.
Ruthlessly, I elbow my rescuer, forcing him to let me go.
“What the fuck?” I breathe, my eyes locked on the branches. They’re lush and healthy, and still connected to the tree. The tree that’s stood straight and proud alongside Newberry’s west entrance for probably longer than I’ve been alive. Only now it’s not straight, it’s bent, the whole thing bowing gracefully, like a dancer, over the stone stairway.
There’s no storm, no heavy machinery, no high winds. Nothing that could bend a tree?—
I whip around and glare at Leo. “What did you do?”
“Whatever I have to do to get you to talk to me.”
Seething, I shake my head. Isn’t it enough that he’s shaken up my whole life with his lies, that now he’s got to freak me out with his magic, too?
“Fix it,” I demand, like he’s a child who broke a toy, not a faerie who can call on trees.
“If you promise you won’t run away.”
“Fine.” But only because if he doesn’t fix the tree, someone is going to callcampus security.
Leo goes still for a moment, his eyes on the pine and his blinking long and slow. When he raises a hand and traces an arc in the air, I turn around quickly, just in time to watch the tree lift its branches off the steps and straighten to its full height. Like it’s a sentient being.
Holy shit.
But Leo doesn’t give me a chance to contemplate what I’ve just seen. He reaches for me. “Betts, please.”
I step out of his grasp. “Please, what? What do you want, Leo?”
He swallows, jaw tight. “You.”
Like an excited puppy, my stupid heart leaps in hope. No, down girl! I’m not falling for this. With one deep breath, I put up my walls. He’s not getting in again.
My snort is so abrasive, the little hairs on my neck stand up on end. “So this is the plan? Keep pretending you want me so I’ll give in and help you?”
“What? No.” He reaches for me again, then thinking better of it, snatches his hand back and curls it into a fist at his side. “Is that what you really think?”
“I don’t think; Iknow.”
