Lock and Key (Nocturne Academy 1)

I opened my mouth to say that of course my plans hadn’t changed and I was still fully committed to my career path. But somehow the words wouldn’t come out. Because, I realized slowly, they weren’t true.

The last two days had changed everything for me and I now had no idea what the future held—but it probably wasn’t graduate school and a fast track to tenure at some Ivy League university somewhere.

“I…I don’t know,” I said at last, frowning at him and decided to change the subject. “Why did you get Kaitlyn out of gym and not me? I mean I…” I cleared my throat. “I have scars too.” Of course there weren’t nearly as bad as my friend’s but I still would rather have kept them hidden.

“So I noticed,” he murmured, arching an eyebrow at me. “And I would dearly love to hear where they came from. Why don’t you tell me?”

To my horror, I found that I was about to tell him—was about to blurt out the whole story about my mother dying and how I hadn’t known I was doing Blood magic and everything else—which would surely get me expelled from Nocturne Academy if the nosy Fae girls, who were glancing back at us and whispering, overheard any of it.

“Later,” Griffin added and I felt the compulsion to tell him everything suddenly and mercifully ease.

“How did you do that?” I demanded furiously, under my breath.

“Do what?” He gave me an innocent look.

“How did you make me need to tell you the truth just now?” I asked. And in fact, I realized, it wasn’t the first time I had been unable to lie or dissemble to him. Ever since last night I’d felt compelled to answer him truthfully, no matter what he asked me. “Does it have something to do with you marking me?” I asked suspiciously.

Griffin shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Well I don’t like it! Take it away!” I demanded.

He gave me an amused glance.

“Is lying so important to you then? Maybe you want a career as a politician instead of a professor, Megan.”

“No, I just…I need to be able to keep some things to myself,” I said, frowning. “It’s not fair that I have to tell you anything you ask!”

“To be fair, I am also bound to tell you the truth, if you ask me a direct question,” he responded. “Though since I marked you and not the other way around, I’m able to get around it a bit more than you are.”

So he had to tell me the truth too? So many questions flew to my lips that they nearly choked me. Griffin clearly saw the eagerness on my face because he frowned and shook his head.

“Later, my eager little witch. For now, I’ll answer the one question you asked before—why didn’t I get you out of gym class too.”

“Well? Why didn’t you?” I asked, frowning at him fiercely.

“Because it would have been seen by Sanchez as a sign of weakness—an acknowledgement that I couldn’t protect you during the times I am not with you,” Griffin explained. “As long as I make a show of walking you to and from classes, it proves you’re still under my protection and it lets him know I’m serious about your safety. But if I removed you from the class altogether, he would think it was because I wasn’t strong enough to punish him if he hurts you when I’m not there.” He bared his fangs in a frightening smile at Sanchez, who had twisted around to glare at us for a moment. “But don’t worry, little witch, I am fully capable.”

Seeing the bared fangs, Sanchez scowled once more but turned around and started talking to one of his cronies.

After that little display, I had to acknowledge I was grateful for Griffin’s protection—though to be honest, I still didn’t understand why he was protecting me. Was it our two necklaces, drawing us together? I couldn’t think of any other reason he would be interested enough to put himself out for me. It wasn’t like I was some gorgeous super model. I was just Megan Latimer—no big deal. Also I had the scars all up and down my arms and inner thighs to contend with. Those weren’t exactly attractive, though they weren’t disfiguring like poor Kaitlyn’s.

“Well…you could have at least gotten me out of dressing out,” I grumbled at last, still irritated and uncertain.

“So you could hide your scars?” He frowned as though he knew what I’d been thinking. “No.”

“Why not?” I demanded.

“Because they’re nothing to be ashamed of,” Griffin said firmly. “However they came about—whatever you did and why-ever you did it—they are part of you, Megan and you should wear them as a badge of honor. Just like you did in class yesterday,” he added. “I was very impressed by your courage, by the way. Sitting there with your head high and your shoulders straight while those two Fae bubble-heads went on and on about you. That takes a special kind of bravery which few possess.”