I’ve used nullifiers on supernatural beings before, which drains their magic, but it only helped so much. Sure, it saved us against Mr. Vandozer back in the fall, but I still nearly died because it didn’t drain any of his natural strength. He was still a massive creature with claws and fangs.
A weakening potion would help with that issue.
Soon my neck starts aching and my stomach growls. I shut the book and heave a dramatic sigh. It’s already smack in the middle of lunch period, and I haven’t ingested anything other than a few sips of water.
I could order food to be delivered here—more perks of Elite life—but I prefer to have a change of scenery, so I order food ahead of time and then grab a book to eat lunch in the speakeasy.
There aren’t many students in the halls this time of day, but it is in the middle of lunch hour, so there are a few.
The most powerful and influential always head to the lunchroom to commingle, but there are several lower-level Elites who spend every spare hour studying and practicing to keep their rank and others who hide from the hierarchies, maybe just so they don’t expose their position within them.
Given these traditions, I’m surprised to find Auren sitting in the sunroom alone.
“Hey,” I mumble awkwardly when she looks up and stills.
“Hi,” she says. “I’m surprised to see you without a bodyguard.”
“Laithe is probably hiding around here somewhere.” I chuckle awkwardly. It occurs to me when Auren’s lips curve into a tense smile that perhaps I should be nervous being alone with her.
She’s one of the more powerful beings in this school, but she doesn’t strike me as a particularly dangerous supernatural anymore. One crack of my nullifier—strapped conveniently to my upper thigh next to my obsidian dagger—and she’d be more than possible to defeat, but she has actively tried to harm me in the past. I shift from foot to foot, fleeting anxiety shooting through me.
“I wouldn’t hurt you, you know.”
“I know.” Determination swells in my chest. “I wouldn’t let you.”
When her lips curl this time, it seems much more sincere.
“It’s just hard to know who to trust these days.”
“Right. Yeah, I get that. And I don’t exactly have the best track record.”
“True.” I smile. “I did want to thank you, though, officially. I don’t know what your motives were, but thank you for pushing to give me the list.”
“Oh. Yeah, I’m pretty sure the school would have rioted if I’d taken that list. And I figured you had more need of it.”
I narrow my eyes briefly. Was that a dig?
“I mean your friends. Lola and Janet should have access to Elite Hall. They gain the most by being on the list. If I were to choose people, it would have just been my brother and Mia, and they’re already in Elite Hall with all kinds of stupid benefits we don’t need or use. So, it made a lot of sense. Mrs. Bhatt was super into the idea, for whatever reason.”
I frown. “Mrs. Bhatt is weird.”
“Is she?”
“She hated me when she first came here. Now, it’s like I’m the teacher’s pet.” I absently rub the spot on my neck where Jarron’s bite barely lingers.
“Funny how fast things can change in the supernatural world. She’s probably trying to make it up to you if she didn’t treat you well before. If not, Jarron would make her regret that choice.”
I shrug. “She never did anything bad. She just seemed annoyed that I existed, like she thought I was the reason for all the demon heirs absences.”
Auren snorts. “And mine. One little human came in and took out all of the most powerful supernaturals in the school in a single semester. Epic.”
I shrug. “It wasn’t my fault.”
“No, but it was because of you all the same.”
My brow pinches. “All I did was exist.” And investigate the most powerful students in school, but that didn’t lead to much.
“You’re Jarron’s weakness. He was so unshakable before you. If Mrs. Bhatt had seen the change in him, she’d have known better than to treat you as anything less than royalty.”
