Page 97 of Bedeviled

I hold on for dear life as it streaks across the grass, nearly taking out a witch walking across campus.

“Sorry!” I shout over my shoulder.

My broom lifts higher and higher as it flies past buildings and toward the Everwoods. By the time it reaches the tree line, I’ve risen just above the tops of them. I stare down at the tips of the evergreens, and when I pass a particularly tall one, I’m almost bold enough to stretch my arm out and touch it. I want to recapture the feeling of wonder I had the first time I did this, the joy that I could hardly contain.

Instead, I’m a ball of nerves, sure I’m going to fall off again.

I arc over the sea of trees, the misty, late autumn air whipping through my hair. To my left I can see the soft glow of lights from Beldame Library, and far ahead in the distance, I can catch sight of the domed roof of the Lunar Observatory. But it’s the cold, stone cemetery nestled amongst the dark trees that snags my attention.

My broom slows as we get close, lowering itself to the ground between headstones before it comes to a complete stop.

I hop off, setting the broom against a grave marker shaped like an obelisk.

The place is unnervingly silent, except for… are those sobs?

I move between graves, heading for the larger crypts toward the back of the cemetery as I follow the sound.

“Sybil?” I call.

I strain my ears, but the sobs have died away.

A forlorn screech has me glancing upward. Perched atop a nearby crypt is a barn owl. But not just any barn owl.

“Merlin,” I whisper.

Sybil’s familiar.

“Selene?” The voice that calls out my name is hoarse, deep.

Then, silent as a fucking ghost, Sybil crashes into me from Goddess knows where.

I yelp as her arms come around me, my own arms reflexively wrapping around her. Her clothes are damp, though through them, her skin feels hot.

“Sybil?” I say as she buries her face in my shoulder.

Full-body sobs shake her form as she clutches me close.

“Hey—hey there, it’s okay,” I say, petting her hair gently, my concern for her rising.

Her grip on me tightens. “I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry,” she says, emotion thickening her words. “I should never have asked you to come here.”

I smooth her hair back. “Of course you should’ve. I’m your best friend.”

“No,” she insists, disentangling herself and shaking her head. “I was selfish.” She backs away, hugging herself. “And this is wrong,” she says, her body trembling. “It’s not safe for you here while it’s a full moon.”

I glance over her shaking form. It’s freezing outside, and she wears only a thin T-shirt and drawstring shorts—damp ones.

“I’m not leaving you in this state,” I say, growing more alarmed with every passing second.

“Here.” I press a hand to my chest. “Cover my body in armor. Let no object pierce my flesh,” I incant in Sarmatian. My orange magic rolls over my body, settling onto my skin and then sinking in. “I warded myself. Does that make you feel better?”

Sybil’s eyes glisten, and she rolls her lips together and nods, a bit too quickly. “But you promise me you’ll leave if I shift?”

I hesitate. “Is that what you want me to do?”

She exhales a shaky breath. “Of course that’s what I want you to do,” she says, her voice breaking.

“Okay,” I agree softly as a massive shiver racks her body. I try not to show my alarm. “If that happens, I’ll leave.”