Page 90 of The Order of the Bitter Hunt

“Ah…” Her smile returns, and her eyes twinkle. “Exactly what I was hoping for.”

“Really?” Jun relaxes.

“Yes,” she says. “I have been attempting to end this Order business for years. I was working with a fellow teacher—a witch—but she’s no longer with us. Now, there are a few students who spied to share minimal information, but that’s all I have to work with this semester. They’ve both been eliminated after the first trial.”

“Is that where you heard about us?” I ask.

She nods. “They shared your names—and a few others.”

“Are we going to”—Jun scoffs—“I don’t know. Get in trouble?”

“I am the only faculty member who cares about what the Order is doing,” she says. “It’s the worst-kept secret in Strode.”

“Then how did I go so long without knowing about it?” I ask.

It’s embarrassing, considering my father’s role.

“You saw what you wanted to see. Sometimes, our mind chooses ignorance to keep ourselves safe. That is no longer an option for me, and I have a feeling it is not for you either.”

“It isn’t.”

“Then you have an ally in me.”

“And what can you tell us?” Jun asks. “We don’t understand what is going on, and we can’t give you information without something in return.”

“I don’t have many answers. All we’re told in the faculty is that the Order is important to keep the school safe. Everyone believes your father blindly, and no one dares question it.”

“My father is the one behind it?” I ask. “Truly?”

“He is. While your father did not begin the Order, he took it over many years ago. He was involved even before he moved to Castine.”

“And”—I swallow my fears—“do you think it’s connected to the murders?”

“That is hard to say. If it is, these murders have likely been going on longer than they’ve been reported. They’re getting sloppy now, and we must find out why.”

I look at Jun, and he gives me a soft nod.

“We will,” he says, turning to the professor. “Consider us your new allies. We’ll be your eyes and ears.”

“And in return,” she says, “I will do everything in my power to keep you safe. You’ll need it. I know you’re playing their silly games now, and it seems harmless, but don’t underestimate how dangerous this Order is.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Jun offers to walk me back to my dormitory, and I accept, our fingers linked as we meander through the courtyard. For once, we aren’t breaking curfew, and the energy around us feels soft. Our steps are light and slow as our feet crunch through the autumn leaves.

“We can trust her,” Jun says.

I don’t need to ask to know who he’s referring to. Professor Connolly.

“I know.”

He looks away, his cheeks turning pink. “She’s always been… like a mother to me, I guess.”

Seeing Jun flustered, especially about something so sweet, does something to me. And I hate that it does.

“Aw. Don’t be embarrassed.”

He rolls his eyes. “I’m not.”