Wilder nodded. "Believe it or not, I miss having you around." He looked over. "You too, Jack."
"Jack!" he replied, bobbing his head in some weird bird way.
"So if you want to walk around with me," Wilder offered, "you can study, or watch a movie with us, or anything else. Maybe we can get lunch together?"
"Oh, is that like a date?" I teased.
This time, Wilder actually laughed. "Sure, but I'm going to be with my guy, and you can be with yours. Torian and Aspen can have a little time alone to talk it out."
"They need to talk to Liam," I grumbled. "He's a counselor, and here for a reason!"
"They are," he assured me. "Usually together. Sometimes apart, but Liam didn't give them any other option. Neither did Ms. Rhodes, not after Aspen missed class yesterday. She's now on a mandatory session every other week."
"Are you supposed to tell me that?" I asked.
He shrugged. "No one said I couldn't. I also think you need to know." Then he stood and offered me a hand. "Can I walk you home? To Keir's home, that is." One side of his mouth was lifted as he fought back a smile.
So I accepted it. "Yep. Are you gonna be cute with Hawke in front of me?"
"Probably. I mean, you're one of us, so it's not like I have anything to hide from you." He draped an arm over my shoulder and turned me for the door. "My boyfriend is simply trying not to cockblock me."
"Yeah, how does that work?" As we stepped into the hall, I lifted my arm just in time for Jack to land on it.
"Court!" Jack said.
But Wilder had stopped - yet his eyes weren't on the bird who followed me everywhere. They were onme."Rain?"
"What?" I asked. "I knew he'd be coming. Jack goes everywhere with me. I mean, unless that's a problem?"
"No, but you feel him, don't you?"
"Huh?" I was lost.
"When Jack's about to land, you know it. Not like you hear him, or have the timing down, or anything like that. You just know, so you brace, or offer an arm, right?"
"Yeah?" Was it weird?
"That means you feel him," he explained. "The magic inside you recognizes him as a part of you. Rain, that's..."
"Bad?" I guessed.
"No, it's fucking amazing," he assured me. "It means you're doing much better than anyone could've guessed. Bonds like that take years to mature."
"Jack-Rain," he grumbled from my shoulder. "Jack. Rain!"
"I was a little girl when I met him. Well, or so we think."
Jack just nodded, making a fuss of it.
"All you needed was magic," Wilder said. "Shit. No wonder you're so powerful." And he tugged me against his side again, but reached up to pet Jack's back as we walked. "Let me guess, you were about three when you first met him?"
"Yeah, about that? Why?"
He hummed in reply. "Oh, just a sneaking suspicion. Jack, you are definitely one very impressive crow."
"Jack," he agreed. "Court-Rain. Court-Jack."
"Sure, bud." But Wilder said it as if Jack's reply made as little sense to him as it did to me. "It's just nice to have you back, Rain. Or to be back, as the case may be."
