I triedto keep things light as we gathered up our things to head back to Widdershins, but the mood had shifted. Between my refusal to run away to Greece and my personal realization that this was our final moments together, there was a sort of pall that had settled over the room.
“Everything okay?” Teddy asked, catching me staring as he pulled on his hoodie.
I forced a smile. “Yeah, just tired. We didn’t exactly get much sleep.”
“I know,” he grinned, that boyish smile that made my heart ache. “Between the bar, Greece, and everything else, I think I managed what, three hours?”
“If that,” I agreed, pulling on my shoes. I didn’t have anything else to pack up since we’d run off so suddenly.
Teddy approached me then, his hands finding my waist as he pulled me close. “Thank you for this weekend. For showing me your home. For...everything.”
I allowed myself to lean into his touch one last time, memorizing the feeling of his hands on me, the scent of hotel shampoo in his hair, the warmth of his body against mine. “You’re welcome,” I said softly, fighting to keep my voice steady.
He pressed his lips to mine, and I kissed him back with all the emotion I couldn’t voice, trying to pour everything I felt into this final moment. When we broke apart, his eyes searched mine, a question forming there that I couldn’t let him ask.
“We should go,” I said quickly, stepping back. “Before your parents send out a search party.”
“Let them search,” he said, but he got into position anyway. “Ready for the teleportation spell?”
I nodded, swallowing hard. “Ready.”
Teddy began drawing the sigils on his palms again, the marks glowing with that same magical energy. I watched him work, committing every detail to memory. I loved the furrow of concentration between his brows, the way his lips moved silently as he prepared the spell, and the confidence in his movements.
I was going to miss him.
“Take my hands,” he instructed when he was ready.
I placed my palms against his, feeling the buzz of magic between us once more. The hotel room began to blur around the edges, that same sensation of being pulled in all directions washing over me. I kept my eyes on Teddy’s face until the very last moment, trying to burn his image into my mind.
When reality solidified again, we were standing in the middle of the standing stone circle just beyond the academy gates. It was evening, cold, and the sky was thick with clouds. I could smell the rain not far off and feel the slight tingle of a thunderstorm approaching in the distance.
I looked at Teddy, the emotion suddenly welling up inside me. For a moment I thought about telling him everything, about admitting how I actually felt. I wanted to spare his heart, to let him off the hook easily and tell him it wasn’t his fault that he’d never see me again. He was perfect, but I couldn’t bring myself to risk my life for a college romance that wouldn’t last. The perfect love a siren like me would need just didn’t exist.
So much I wanted to say. But instead, all I did was kiss him softly one last time.
“We should head back,” I said.
He nodded, his smile fading. “Yeah.”
But before I could walk away, the wrought-iron gates of the academy suddenly flew open. They were nearly ripped off the hinges from the force of the magic that threw them wide. And standing there, looking more furious than ever, were Teddy’s parents, Dean Thornfield, and a tall woman draped in long white robes.
“Theodore Voss!” his mother’s shrill voice cut through the evening air. “Where have you been? We’ve been searching everywhere for you!”
I froze in place, my heart hammering in my chest. This was not how I’d planned our goodbye, with Teddy’s parents bearing down on us like avenging angels.
“Mother, Father,” Teddy acknowledged stiffly beside me. “I was just?—”
“Silence!” his father roared, storming toward us with fury etched into every line of his face. “Two days! You’ve beenmissing for two days after that disgraceful scene at your swim meet!”
The woman in white robes stepped forward, her eyes fixed on me with an unsettling intensity. There was something about her that made my skin crawl, a power that felt ancient and dangerous. Her robe shifted and I caught a glimpse of white scales and icy blue eyes. I realized with a start that she must be one of the dragonkin on the Elder Council.
“This is the one,” she said, her voice eerily calm amid the tension. “I can sense it.”
Dean Thornfield moved toward us with measured steps, his expression grave. “Mr. Voss, Mr. Thalassos, I think we should discuss this situation in my office.”
“There’s nothing to discuss,” Teddy’s father spat. “This... creature has bewitched my son!”
I took an involuntary step backward. “I haven’t done anything to him.”