“I recall someone once telling me that my stubbornness might one day be an asset?” I reminded him.
A small smile bled through Casimir’s irritation. “I believe I also said it might be the death of you. Now I’m wondering if your stubbornness won’t end up killing me, too.”
Later that evening,I followed through on my resolve to conceal the truth as best I could when a sleepy Gwen inquired about my whereabouts the previous night. If only I had been studying all night instead of sneaking around with Casimir, hunting for hidden ciphers. I’d also sheepishly confessed that Casimir and I were attending the Jewel Ball together, but amidst Gwen’s screams and squeals of joy, I’m not sure she heard me say that we were only going as friends. No, allies, I corrected. I inquired about Gwen’s date, and to my surprise, she stifled a shrill giggle that was so distinctly Gwen-ish that my face immediately broke into a grin.
“Well?” I prompted, sitting up on my bed.
“I asked Neha Iyer if she’d consider going to the ball,” she began, blushing furiously. “And she said yes!”
“I’m so happy for you, Gwen!” I gushed.
Gwen beamed. “She writes poetry for the university’s literary journal, you know,” she sighed dreamily.
“And has she written you many love sonnets?” I asked, giving her a knowing smirk.
“Speaking of romance,” she evaded, “are you ever going to tell me what you two were really doing last night?”
The smirk slid from my lips at once. Not wanting anyone else, particularly Gwen, to discover the runic brand on my arm, I’d put on one of my mother’s ugliest silver bracelets to conceal the worst of it. I twisted the thick band around my arm, allowing the cool metal to soothe the burning irritation.
“Nothing to tell,” I lied smoothly. “We were studying for a…special project.” At the look on Gwen’s face, I acquiesced. “Well…we did sneak into the Labyrinth after closing,” I admitted.
Gwen rolled her eyes in exasperation. “You snuck into the library to study? Gods, Arden…I swear.” She rubbed her temples in frustration. “You are aware that Ouverham is not a religious institution, right? You’re not in training to take your vows.”
I glowered at the implication that I was a nun.
“Come on,” she whined, plopping herself on the foot of my bed and clasping her hands over my feet, as though determined to make me see reason. “My love life is drier than the Sahara, at least until the ball on Friday.” She made a face. “Can’t you give me just a teeny morsel of salaciousness? Tell me you at least made out during all those hours of studying…”
“I—Well,” I began, my cheeks going hot. Gwen understood the implications of my embarrassment at once.
“No fucking way!” She squealed so loudly that our neighbors banged against our wall in irritation.
“Where!? When!? How did it happen?” Gwen demanded, practically bouncing off the bed with excitement.
In the face of Gwen’s unbridled joy, I allowed myself one small smile before launching into my explanation. “Okay, okay,” I said, and Gwen squeezed my feet tighter. “If you stop cutting off my circulation, I’ll tell you about it. Christ, you’re like a wound-up gerbil sometimes.”
Gwen grinned at the mild insult and released my toes, savoring her victory.
As I stumbled over the details of the kiss in the Labyrinth, something cold hardened in my chest. Gwen didn’t know about the dark machinations happening inside the school, nor that I was entangled with mythic, vengeful Daemons capable of torture and worse. Knowing any of these things would’ve wiped the grin off her gleeful face, but I had vowed never to reveal these secrets to anyone. I needed Gwen to believe that the worst of my crimes was having a casual college fling with a mysterious boy I liked.
“So?” she pressed, her hazel eyes wide as saucers. “How was it?”
My face grew hot. “It was…” I couldn’t find words to describe it. How could I explain that I was utterly bewitched by him?
How could I explain that a single glance into his amber eyes was enough to drown me, how the barest touch could set my skin ablaze? It wasn’t normal to be affected so much by another person. It wasn’t rational. And it scared me that I felt this way while I couldn’t taste his lies, because how could I ever truly know him?
I began in earnest. “Being with him feels like… like leaping off a cliff without knowing what’s at the bottom,” I said as my gaze collided with hers. “It’s the most terrifying thing, Gwen, but I’ve never felt more alive than when I’m with him.”
Gwen stared at me, and I instantly regretted the vulnerability in my confession. Her expression was suddenly serious. “Arden, I think you might be falling for him. Like, for real, falling. I just…” She hesitated. “I hope you’re being careful with your heart. It’s been through a lot recently.” A hollow laugh escaped my throat. Yes, my poor, withered heart had been through a lot, but she was more resilient than perhaps I gave her credit for.
“You were over the moon about the possibility of my being with Casimir, and now you’re trying to talk me out of it?”
Gwen shrugged, smiling in spite of herself. “I’m your best friend, I get to be protective of you.”
I snorted. “Fine. But yes, to answer your question…” I went red again, “The kissing is quite good. And as for being careful…” I grimaced. How much could I tell her? I didn’t want her to think I was some love-crazed fool. “I’m keeping my guard up.”
“Okay, just not too high up,” she said.
I flattened her with a look. “Which is it, Gwen? One minute you’re telling me to be careful, and the next?—”