Chapter 2

It was a quill.

Last month, Shadow picked out a quill at Meridian's Quills, a magic shop on Nocturne Avenue.

He sent a bunch of photos for me to choose.

I instantly loved a starlight quill made from a Shadow-mare tail feather.

Radiant, mysterious, and dangerous.

The owner told him about the rare mutant feather. It was the only one in the store.

Shadow bought it on the spot.

He said holding it felt like holding my hand.

I took a deep breath. I opened the chat.

[Baby, how is that starlight quill I picked for you?]

He replied instantly.

[I'm holding it right now grading papers. It's very smooth. Just like your skin. Why ask? Do you want me?]

I ignored his usual flirting.

He is using it right now!

Back in the library, Professor Leo was my prime suspect.

All I had to do was check his office. Look for that unique quill on his desk. Boom. Truth revealed!

I grabbed my unfinished Transfiguration essay as an excuse. Marched straight to his corridor.

I reached Leo's office. The door was cracked open.

I raised my hand to knock. Then I heard it. Wet, heavy sounds that made my face burn.

"Leo... stop, the door isn't even shut..." A breathy female voice. Followed by the rough rustle of clothing and sloppy kisses.

"Who cares? No one's coming." Leo. His normally upbeat voice was low. Hoarse. Thick with lust.

I peeked through the crack. Shock slammed into me.

Leo had a curvy witch pinned against his desk. Making out aggressively.

She was a professor here too!

I stood frozen in the hall. Mortified.

The charming, perfect professor. Hooking up right in his office...

But beneath the sheer awkwardness, relief washed over me.

Shadow was texting me seconds ago. Leo was busy screwing another professor.

The timing didn't match. I was wrong. Leo absolutely wasn't Shadow.

My heart finally settled.

Thank God. But this was too awkward.

Catching professors hooking up was a death wish. I needed to sneak away. Fast.

I spun around. My foot clipped a suit of armor in the hall.

Clang.

The noises inside stopped instantly.

"Who's out there?" Leo barked.

I froze. Busted.

The door swung open. Leo glared at me. He hastily fixed his rumpled collar. "Elara? What are you doing here?"

"P-Professor..." I swallowed hard. I held up my parchment. "Turning in my Transfiguration essay..."

The other professor stepped out.

She smoothed her robes. Walked past me. Rolled her eyes. Scoffed. Clicked away on her heels.

Leo cleared his throat. Back to his professional, charming self. "Come in."

I stepped inside. I wanted the floor to swallow me whole. I kept my eyes down. Pretended I saw nothing.

He wasn't Shadow. Just drop the essay and run.

Leo leaned against his severely messy desk. He grabbed my parchment. Tapped it hard with his wand.

"Turning your lab partner into a teacup. Is it really that hard? Your spell would turn him into a squirt-gun toad!" He snapped. He pointed out three fatal flaws in my work.

"Whatever. Rewrite it. On my desk tomorrow." Leo sighed. He waved me off.

"Yes, Professor. Bye!"

I turned to flee.

Then I turned. My eyes caught a corner of his trashed desk.

My breath hitched.

The relief from seconds ago? Gone. Ice flooded my veins.

Sitting right there. A quill.

Black Thestral feather. Catching the sunlight. Shimmering with tiny silver stars.

It hit me like a lightning bolt. I stood paralyzed. Blood roared in my ears.

The only one in the shop.

An exact match.

Leo noticed my stillness. He looked up. "What? Got a question?"

I dug my nails into my palms. Fought for every ounce of control.

I pointed at the desk. My voice came out incredibly dry.

"Professor. That quill... it's pretty unique. Where did you get it?"

Leo followed my gaze. He offered a soft, killer smile.

"Oh, this? Picked it up last month on Nocturne Avenue. At Meridian's Quills."

His words hit me like a sledgehammer. Crushing my chest.

The timeline matched. The location matched.

The one-of-a-kind item matched!

"Why?" Leo looked amused. "Want one for yourself?"

I stared at his handsome face. Then I stared at the desk. He was just grinding against another woman on it. Extreme nausea violently churned in my stomach.

"Nope. Just wondering. Bye, Professor."

I practically ran. Bursting out into the corridor, I gasped for air.

A sickening, twisted truth exploded in my brain.

Professor Leo was Shadow!

He was calling me 'baby' online.

Meanwhile, he was literally pinning another woman to a desk in real life!