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.It would be nice to find her before I go into labour, but seeing as that could be any day now, I doubt it,” said Riley.Ari nodded dumbly and refocused her attention on her notes.Unfortunately, Riley was proving more of a distraction than a feasible study partner.The librarian, whose dangly legs and oversized thick spectacles, made her look like a praying mantis, had even looked up several times to berate them.Each time Ari would shush Riley, who would temporarily become quiet, until finding another reason to talk.“Does Lea know why it is taking so long to find Natalie?”“I’m not sure,” Ari said in a whisper, looking up from her neurology text book; truthfully, Ari hadn’t asked Lea about the progress of the tracking spell.Just then Riley’s phone buzzed loudly and she reached for it, while the library assistant glared at her.Riley snicked at this response, flicking her phone onto silent before waving the now harmless mobile in front of the insect-like woman and saying, “It’s ok, encase you haven’t noticed, but we’re the only ones here.”Ari felt her face rush with blood as she shrunk in her chair, while Riley read the text message she’d received.“Speak of the devil! Natalie just texted me,” said Riley, a grin spreading across her face.“What!” said Ari, failing at keeping her voice quiet.When the librarian glared at her, Ari added in a barely audible whisper, “What did she say? Why is she texting you?”“She wants me to meet up with her.She said that she’s with Clyde and she wants to speak with me.”“That’s great,” said Ari, closing her laptop and packing up her desk.“After that we can tell Lea to call of the search party.”“Um, Ari, I think it would be better if I went alone.I mean, I don’t want to overwhelm her.You know how much she freaked out the last time.” Ari’s face fell, and Riley added, “It’s a good sign that she is with Clyde, but I don’t think we should push her.You know, not too much too fast.”Ari nodded her head, slowly reopening her laptop as she said in a voice, far too hearty to belong to her, “No problems.”Ari was trying hard not to feel hurt or excluded.Being an orphan had made her no stranger to being alone.She had learnt the hard way that in order to protect herself, she needed to close her heart to the people who threatened to break it.But all of that had changed when she had met Ragon.He had welcomed her into his life, and the coven had become the closest thing to a family that she had ever known.Riley was now as much a part of that family as everyone else in the coven.The fact therefore, Riley was suggesting that it just be her and Clyde to meet Natalie, made Ari utterly jealous.With this anger in mind, a suspicious thought cross Ari’s mind.“How did Natalie get your number?” said Ari.“Hmm, what?” said Riley, packing up her things as she hummed tunelessly to herself.“Natalie.How does she know what your phone number is?”Riley looked at Ari knowingly, and Ari tried to force her face into a normal expression.“Clyde must have given it to her,” said Riley.“They are together.She probably told him that she wanted to speak with me and he gave her my number.”Ari looked up tentatively at Riley; that explanation did make perfect sense.“But why would Natalie go to Clyde?” Ari added, as if desperate to think of reason why she should be included.“Don’t you think that is a bit weird? Natalie did run out on us when she found out that we were hanging out with vampires.”“Maybe she has had time to think about? Or maybe she just saw him and asked if he knew where I was?” Riley suggested.“Yea, maybe.”“I’ll see you later, ok,” said Riley, reaching down over her large stomach so as to hug Ari.Ari watched her walk away, moving as fast as her swollen ankles would carry her.After that Ari tried to regain her concentration but couldn’t.Her mind was preoccupied, wondering what Riley, Natalie and Clyde would be talking about without her.Reluctantly she pulled her copy of Fudge, Wensy and Adam’s Neurology textbook back out of her bag, and begun resuming her search on the different types of Ataxia.It had been at least half an hour since Riley had left and Ari had only just managed to get back into her study, when a loud voice startled her from behind.“Where have you been? I have been calling and calling and you haven’t answered,” said Lea, racing over to where Ari was sitting and falling into the chair that Riley had previously occupied.The library assistant stood at this outright disruption and Ari held out her hands apologetically, afraid that this last straw might cause her to be thrown unceremoniously from the library.“Oh,” whispered Ari, recalling that she had lost her phone to Pip the previous night.“I lost my phone last night.”Lea’s face was anxious.Her red curly hair was slightly frazzled and her eyes were large and round.“What’s wrong?” asked Ari, trying to keep her voice down.“It’s Natalie-” said Lea, but before she couldn’t continue, Ari had interrupted her.“-oh, it’s ok.We don’t need you to find her anymore.She just messaged Riley and asked to meet with her.”“What?” Lea exclaimed, her eyes bulging from her head as she glanced nervously through the library window.“Ari I found Natalie this morning.My scribing spell worked and it said that she was in Latvia.That’s why I have been trying to call you.”At these words Ari’s stomach dropped.Latvia was the domain of the Ancients.Why would Riley be there? How could she be there? She had just messaged Riley… hadn’t she? Standing suddenly, Ari swayed on the spot then raced out of the library [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]