Grey turned to Jaya. The late-afternoon sun glimmered in her black hair like gold dust. “What’s going on?” he asked her as she gave him that confused look again before breaking eye contact, like her attention was gripped by a group of students in the distance. But if he had to guess, he’d say she couldn’t meet his eye. If she were anyone else, he wouldn’t care. He’d chalk it up to humans being humans. But Jaya was a Rao, which meant she was potentially… dangerous.

After a moment, meeting his eye again, Jaya said, “How do you feel about ditching class on the first day?”

Grey hesitated. “Why can’t you just tell me here?”

A small smile played at the corner of Jaya’s lips. “Are you afraid I might attempt to assassinate you, Lord Northcliffe?”

Something about the way she said it didn’t sound entirely like a joke. Grey crossed his arms and waited. Jaya shook her head. “It’s… a bit of a story,” she said, looking off into the distance. Turning back to him, she said, “Please. I’d feel better in private.”

On the one hand, he trusted Jaya Rao about as far as he could throw her (which actually might be pretty far, considering their size differential). On the other, he really wanted to know what this Rao heiress had to say. “Fine. Follow me.”

Jaya

What was he playing at? Why was he asking her why she was here? The first and most obvious reason: he was a sadistic, evil jerk, and he wanted to see her writhe in pain. But… that didn’t really fit with what she was seeing on his face. His expression was curious but guarded—not eager, not gloating. Which was throwing her a bit.

Obviously she wasn’t going to tell him she knew about his involvement. Whatever his angle was, she’d unearth it eventually.

A couple of silent miles away from the school now, they walked up a forested path together. Through spaces between the aspens and birches and blue spruces they went, Jaya inhaling the scent of pine and thin mountain air. She glanced at Grey more often than she would’ve liked, but it was impossible—frustratingly so—to gauge what he was thinking. His face, as always, remained as impassive as stone.

“This is beautiful,” she panted, looking around them at the secluded, hidden trail winding ever upward. “I’m surprised there isn’t anyone else here.”

“Not many people know about this path,” Grey said shortly. He was surprisingly nimble as he clambered over small stones and fallen logs in their path, his big feet steady, as if he’d had years of experience. Occasionally he’d stop and wait as Jaya labored to catch up with him, but he never offered her a chivalrous hand. She didn’t know whether to feel relieved or irritated.