The campus guard was an older man with white hair and a belly that strained against his uniform, unlikely to be much use in a demon encounter. But the girl had told him they rarely saw demons on campus, so there was likely little reason for concern.
“Excuse me, sir,” Des said politely. “I was wondering if you know when Dean Blake will be returning from his travels.”
The guard, taking in Des’s armor and stance, straightened a little. “Good afternoon, Lieutenant. We don’t know when he’ll be back, no. He’s visiting an ill friend.”
Des stifled a growl. “And in the meantime, who is looking after Miss Blake?”
“Why, we are, of course.”
“What if she leaves campus?”
“Oh, that’s a rarity. She works away at all hours in her office in Easton Hall, even on weekends.”
“Is it normal for a student to have her own office?” Des asked.
The guard smiled with genuine fondness. “There’s nothing normal about Miss Blake, Lieutenant. Smart as a whip, she is. She came here when she was just seven years old, orphaned in a terrible carriage accident. Her uncle has raised her here ever since.”
Orphaned. He hadn’t expected that. He assumed her wealthy parents lived somewhere in Wisteria and she stayed with her uncle while she attended the university. And she may be book smart, but based on his experience, she had very little in the way of street smarts. “Do you know anything about the man who visited on Friday evening?”
The guard scratched his chin, thinking. “Can’t say I do. He said he was a friend of our groundskeeper, Mr. Morel. I believe Miss Blake invited him for dinner. But you don’t need to worry about Miss Blake, Lieutenant. We take good care of her. I’m off to make my rounds. You boys stay safe.”
Des thanked the man and wandered back into the trees across the street, where Gareth waited.
“Learn anything interesting?” Gareth asked.
“Of course not.”
“Daisy said you saved Miss Blake from a runaway carriage,” Gareth said after a few minutes, earning him a sharp look from Des.
“Why were you talking to Daisy?”
“She’s nice,” Gareth said with a shrug. “Not many of the other lieutenants will talk to us. It feels good to be treated like a person every now and then.”
Des grunted noncommittally. Daisy was too soft on the juniorlieutenants. That was why they all flocked to her, and why she’d been partnered with Jasper, who was almost as hard on people as Des.
“So you did save her?” Gareth pressed.
Demons take him, would the boy never learn to shut up? “Yes.”
“Daisy said we’re to keep an eye on her until the dean returns.”
“Blood and bones,” Des groaned. “Is there anything Daisy doesn’t tell you?”
Gareth ducked his head at Des’s tone. “That’s all she said.”
Des shifted against a tree, grateful the conversation was over.
“What was she like?”
“For fuck’s sake, Gareth. Why do you care? She’s a young woman. She’s short, and soft, and she spends all her time in her office, apparently.”
Gareth, far from being disappointed in this information, smiled moonily to himself. “She’s like the girls I went to school with before my parents died. They always smelled so good. Unlike the guards. We all smell bad.”
Fair enough. That was probably why Des found himself trying to recall the scent of her soap. Not lavender, he knew. It was something floral, but not rose or lilac. Something a little citrusy, almost verdant, but not quite...
He realized Gareth was staring at him and cleared his throat. “Yes. Well. She may not smell bad, but she’s a waste of my time.”
Gareth was about to respond when Des caught the scent of brimstone nearby, chasing away all thoughts of soap. He held up a closed fist to let Gareth know to be quiet.