“The gentleman tonight was one of your own townsfolk, temporarily magicked into service. As for the rest, my affairs are none of your concern. My point is this, Miss Price. David is an Oracle. He can never not be an Oracle. Perhaps your friendship has kept him more... average for the time being. But you’ll never be able to keep him from becoming what he is. A being whose sole purpose is to tell the future.”

I had the sleeves of my cardigan tugged over my hands, and I suddenly pushed them back with disgust. I was not going to be a sleeve-pulling weirdo. Sitting up straighter, I pushed my hair back over my shoulders and faced Alexander.

“I don’t want that, though,” I told him. “I want to protect David, not some freakish thing with glowing eyes who only speaks in riddles or prophecies.”

Alexander took a deep breath, nostrils flaring slightly. The music was off now, the scent of tea still heavy in the air.

Looking in my eyes, he smiled, the first genuine smile I think I’d ever seen from him. But it was sad, and his voice was low when he said, “Miss Price, they are one and the same.”

Chapter 24

Chapter 24

“HARPER!”

Sara’s sharp tone snapped me out of my thoughts, and when I blinked at her, she made a sweeping gesture with one hand.

“It’s your turn to walk.” Clipboard propped on her hip, bright fuchsia lips clenched, Sara did not seem like my biggest fan at the moment, and I shook myself slightly, stepping forward and completing the circuit around the stage as quickly as I could.

Which was apparently not what Sara wanted, since her lips somehow got even thinner. She twirled her glossy dark hair and said, “It’s not a race, Harper. And this is Miss Pine Grove, not Cotillion. You can remove the broom handle from your backside. Walk lightly. Float.” She demonstrated, but whatever she was doing looked a lot more like prancing than walking. Still, I nodded and murmured something about doing better next time.

But that only made Sara glare and announce that the pageant was practically here. “There are hardly any next times left, Harper!” she all but shrieked, and I had a sudden, satisfying vision of using my Paladin powers to boot her perky little butt all the way to the back of the auditorium.