Lock and Key (Nocturne Academy 1)

“Like I said—let’s go,” I said, slapping the tabletop with one hand and making the thick white china dishes rattle on the table. The I Scream didn’t serve anything on paper or plastic—even the strawberry milkshake I’d drunk had come in a tall, old-fashioned glass and had been topped with real whipped cream.

“I can’t right now,” Emma said regretfully. “I have to finish my shift.”

“And I have to put Allegra to bed before I can go anywhere,” Kaitlyn said apologetically. “Mr. and Mrs. Breedlove are already being really nice, letting me take time off in the middle of the day like this.”

“It’s better to go after it gets dark anyway,” Avery said, shrugging. “And Megan has to be back at school by midnight tonight anyway. So shall we say I’ll pick you all up around ten and we’ll head back to the Academy then?”

I was impatient to begin but I could see the sense of this plan. After all, if anyone was hanging around the campus and watching, it would be way easier to see a bunch of people who didn’t belong sneaking into the South Tower in the middle of the day. At night, there was much less chance of anyone noticing us.

“All right,” I said. “Ten it is.”

“Just see that you’re at your aunt’s house and not over at Griffin’s place when I come to get you,” Avery said waspishly.

I frowned. “Actually—” I broke off to yawn, surprising myself. But the excellent cheeseburger and milkshake I’d had were suddenly weighing on me. “Actually, I’m going to go home and take a nap,” I finished. “I, uh, didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.”

“What? Did you and Griffin stay up all night staring into each other’s eyes? Since he’s too proper to do anything ‘illegal?’” Emma asked, grinning at me.

Actually, that was closer to the truth than she probably thought. We had been talking—talking about everything and nothing—getting to know each other more intimately even though the most Griffin would do was hold me after our near-disastrous make-out session which had been stopped only by the black lock around his neck.

It occurred to me then, that I still hadn’t told my coven-mates about the key I wore and the lock that matched it. I thought about it now…but pushed the thought away. First because I wasn’t sure if the key would allow itself to be revealed. And second because they might want to know what Griffin had done to deserve to be locked up in constant pain and thirst for essentially the rest of his life.

I didn’t want to tell them the whole story—his awful memory of waking up beside the two dead Norm girls and being blamed for their murder. He hadn’t done that—I was sure of it. But I wasn’t sure I could convince my coven-mates of his innocence, and I didn’t want them to hate my boyfriend.

Wait—was boyfriend the right word for Griffin? I could feel his mark on me even now—a warm spot on my forehead that seemed to radiate love and protection. Somehow boyfriend didn’t seem like a strong enough term of affection—it didn’t feel like an accurate description of what he was to me.

Blood Knight, whispered a little voice in my head, but I still didn’t really know what that meant. What good was an ancient legend when it came to describing the most important and unique relationship of my life?

“Megan? Oh, Princess Latimer…”

Avery snapping his fingers under my nose made me realize that I’d drifted off, thinking of Griffin.

“Yup, she’s got it bad, all right,” Kaitlyn remarked, grinning. She seemed to be more approving of Griffin than Emma and Avery—maybe because he had helped her to get out of Coach Vasquez’s PE class from Hell.

“Sorry, guys,” I said and yawned again. “I’m just sleepy. And to answer your question, Emma, we were up all night talking,” I said primly. “Just talking.”

And being close…and looking into each other’s eyes. I knew it sounded stupid and hopelessly romantic but I couldn’t help it. The memory of Griffin’s strong arms around me…his cool, wintry scent…the way his voice went soft and low when he called me his “little witch”—all those things were hard to forget. I had never been in love before and just thinking of him made me feel tingly all over.

“Okay, she’s drifting off again,” Avery said, pulling me out of my thoughts. “Time to get her home so she can have some sweet dreams of her Nocturne Blood Knight before we break into the South Tower tonight.”

“Ha-ha, Avery—very funny,” I said, but I could feel my cheeks getting hot. He was right—my mind kept wandering back to Griffin. But at the same time, I wanted to find out about the mysterious prophecy and I also found myself curious about my ancestor, Corinne Latimer.