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.It was probably the earliest that she’d ever gone to school, but she and Nash had decided last night that the sooner they could start looking out for a virginal vessel who glowed with a bright but deadly beauty, the better.The plan was to grab some breakfast and get out of the house before her parents were up, since she had hardly been home all weekend, and right now she didn’t really feel like explaining—“You’re awake early.”Cassidy let out a groan as her mom poked her head out of the spare bedroom, which she had taken to using as a home office.So much for her plan to slip out of the house before anyone was up.“I’ve got some things to do before school with Nash,” she said in her most casual voice.“At seven thirty in the morning?” Her mom raised an eyebrow.“Pots and kettles, Mom,” Cassidy retorted as she glanced back into the spare bedroom at the desk, which was covered with documents and a laptop that was all fired up and displaying a spreadsheet on its screen.“No need to get so defensive, Cass.” A flash of hurt flashed across her mom’s face.Then she narrowed her shrewd eyes.“Why are you limping?”That would be the intense pain that comes from learning how to hold a sword and throw a knife for the last two days, Cassidy wanted to say, but instead she tightened her grip on the sports bag.“It’s no big deal.I just got hurt in PE.Volleyball.Anyway, I’d better get going.Nash will be here in a moment.”“Hey, not so fast.” Her mom held up her hand.“I hardly saw you over the weekend, and you never told me how the party was on Friday night.”Cassidy imagined that her mom was getting her confused with some other teenage daughter, since the number of times that the two of them had sat down and talked about parties was, er, never.However, her mom didn’t seem bothered when Cassidy didn’t answer and instead just smiled.“Thankfully, Reuben came around yesterday afternoon while you were out and told me all about it.”“He did what?” Cassidy exploded in fury before remembering her dad was still asleep.She lowered her voice.“What was he doing here?”“He came to see you, of course,” her mom said in surprise.“Apparently, he’d been trying to text you all weekend, and you hadn’t been replying.He was worried, Cass.He said you suddenly disappeared from the party and didn’t come back.”“Did he also tell you that the party got shut down by the police?” Cassidy retorted, while at the same time wondering if she would be allowed to use Thomas’s sword to inflict on Reuben slow, torturous pain.“So since the party was over, Nash and I left.Now I’ve got to go, but please don’t let Reuben think it’s okay to come around to the house, because it’s not.”For a moment it looked as if her mom was going to say something, but she finally just nodded her head and shrugged.“Fine, if you don’t want my help or advice, then I’ll keep it to myself.”If only.However, before she could reply, she heard Nash’s car pulling up, so she mumbled an annoyed good-bye and hurried outside.“Whoa.You look like you’ve just poured sour milk on your Frosted Flakes,” Nash said as Cassidy put her sports bag in the backseat and climbed in beside him.“What happened?”“Just the normal interfering-mother stuff.Apparently, Reuben came by yesterday, and now my mom thinks that he’s a lovely guy, which just proves how little she knows about anything.”“Ouch.” Nash pulled a face as he drove down the street.“But I think I have something that will make you feel better.” He nodded to indicate a brown paper bag in the backseat.Cassidy, who had been so annoyed with her mom that she’d forgotten to grab breakfast, reached for the bag, her stomach churning in anticipation.It probably wouldn’t be a doughnut, because Nash was too healthy for that, but perhaps it would be a bagel or a.bunch of parsley?Cassidy raised an eyebrow.“I’m sure there’s a reason for this, but I’m too tired and sore to figure out what it is.”“It’s for the amulet ritual that I was talking about with Thomas on Saturday.The one in the grimoire,” Nash elaborated, no doubt in case Cassidy got it confused with another amulet ritual.“I’ve figured out how to consecrate all the instruments, which means that we can try to do it tonight.Do you know what this will mean if it works?”“That parsley’s a very versatile herb?” Cassidy suggested in a dry voice.“That we will have a concrete way to prove that science and mysticism are linked,” Nash corrected in a stern voice as he pulled into the half-deserted parking lot.When they got out, Nash reached into the backseat to pick up her sports bag, his handsome face almost turning puce in protest as he tried to lift it.Then his eyes widened as Cassidy grinned and plucked it up like it was filled with feathers.“That’s incredible,” he said.“I know, right?” she agreed.“Yesterday afternoon I hardly even noticed I was wearing the mail, apart from how difficult it was to get it on by myself.But I seem to be getting stronger.However, instead of being pleased, Thomas merely retorted that it was lucky, since my fighting skills were that of a babe in arms,” she added, her face darkening.Nash, who had already heard all about the sword fighting, gave her a sympathetic look.“You know he’s just frustrated that he can’t be here to protect the Black Rose himself.”“Humph,” Cassidy snorted as her aching muscles howled in protest
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