“Good luck with your competition,” I called after her before continuing on my way to the library. My heart was in my throat, wondering if Peter would be there. What did it mean if he wasn’t? Perhaps he’d thought on the matter and decided he’d be better equipped to sever our telecommunication on his own.
Given how spells typically went for me, I could hardly blame him.
It took a while for me to find the reading tower he mentioned. It was as far from the populated parts of the library as you could get. Most people occupied tables close to the entrance and check-out desk. Peter had managed to find a spot where he’d be guaranteed privacy, next to the shelves housing the older spell books that weren’t so commonly used anymore.
I was surprised to find that I didn’t hate it back here. In fact, there was a cosiness to the silence. I found Peter with his head buried in a book. The reading tower, as he called it, was a circular nook surrounded by windows, providing a view of the forest and the dark, starry night sky. It was actually very beautiful. Benches had been built into the walls below the windows, adorned with cushions and cosy throws for when the weather was cold.
Hey, I spoke softly in his mind, and he looked up.
Peter’s eyes traced my features as he briefly took me in. My breath caught, and I quickly tried to disguise the effect his attention had on me. His shirtsleeves were rolled up, and my eyes were drawn to his forearms. He was sporting some nasty bruises. Noticing where I was looking, he self-consciously pulled down his sleeves.
I cleared my throat. “I didn’t give you those, did I?” Sometimes, I didn’t know my own strength, though I thought I’d gone relatively easy on him when we sparred.
Peter frowned. “Don’t worry about it.”
I nodded, though I still felt bad. I needed to learn to be less forceful when sparring. I was so used to practicing with Grace, whose physical strength matched mine. “Do you still want my help?” I asked, motioning to the spell books piled up beside him.
His brow furrowed. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“You haven’t spoken to me all day.”
His gaze held mine. “You haven’t spoken to me either.”
I blew out a breath and stepped forward, taking a seat on the other side of the reading nook. “Sorry, I’m being weird. I’m just a little bit worried about what happened with the spell, and I guess I feel guilty for roping you into it. If I hadn’t, you wouldn’t have to be here right now spending your Friday night searching for answers.”
“Darya, I offered to help you. It was my own decision, so I can hardly blame you for the outcome.” He held out a book. “Here. Read through Chapter Twenty. I think there could be something in there that might help us.”
“Okay,” I said, taking the book and flipping to the chapter he indicated. “This is a great spot. I can’t believe more people don’t come here. I mean, I wasn’t even aware it existed, and I thought I knew every inch of this school.”
“There are lots of hidden gems,” Peter replied, his attention returning to the book on his lap. “You just have to take the time to look for them.”
“Do you come here a lot?”
His eyes flicked to mine momentarily, and for a second, he almost looked self-conscious. “On the days when I don’t have a shift at Indigo, yes.”
“I usually prefer to study at home.”
“I try to spend as little time at home as I can,” Peter said, then frowned, like he hadn’t meant to reveal that.
I stared at him curiously. “Why?”
He shifted in place. “My father doesn’t like me hanging about.”
My eyebrows rose slightly. “Why not?”
His frown deepened. “He said I’m getting so lanky that I make the place feel crowded.”
Well, that was kind of mean and exactly the sort of thing I expected a man like Peter Girard Senior to say to his son. “I thought being tall was considered a good thing?” I countered. “Personally, I’ve always been disappointed that I didn’t inherit my father’s height.”
“You’re hardly short.”
“Right, but if I were really tall, nobody would dare mess with me.”
“Nobody dares mess with you already, and after Mr Roe’s class the other day, I can certainly understand why.”
I grimaced, remembering his bruises. “I shouldn’t have gone so hard on you.”
“Yes, you should have. I need to toughen up. You were right. I can’t just rely on magic to save me all the time.”
“Well, I’m happy to keep partnering up with you during Weapons and Self-Defence. Kicking your butt is a surprising amount of fun.”
Peter’s lips twitched, and it felt like a victory. His next words killed the feeling. “I can’t. I normally partner with Sophia.”