Gabriella Poole - Divided Souls (Darke Academy)

her vision as they chatted, focusing on the spirit nestling within the girl’s chest. A mildly powerful aura with an element of wickedness, or

perhaps just mischief. Cassie let her attention fall on each Few member in turn as she relaxed and chatted. They were as she remembered

them. The strong and the weak; the bad and the genuinely good. The spirits were as usual clustered according to their characters, and the

more timid ones were gravitating to the protection of the more powerful. One of the strongest of them all, however, was still nowhere to be

seen. That made her even more curious. Ranjit could be stand-offish, but even if he hadn’t kept his own appointment with her, Cassie did

half expect him to impose his presence on the start-of-term party: mark his territory, so to speak.

‘Has Ranjit been by?’ she asked Ayeesha casually.

‘No.’ Ayeesha blinked, as though she’d only just realised. ‘No, he hasn’t. I assume he’s coming along later, though?’

Cassie shrugged. ‘I dunno.’

‘Oh! Oh, I see. So, you’re not … I wasn’t sure if—’

‘No. We’re not.’

Ayeesha’s face fell. ‘I’m sorry about that, Cassie. I really am. You and he were—’

‘Yes,’ interrupted Cassie. ‘But it’s over. Totally over.’ And she wasn’t going to spend another second fretting about Ranjit’s tomfoolery.

Ayeesha hesitated, and then smiled apologetically. ‘OK. Sorry, of course. Look, why don’t you come over and talk to Yusuf and India?

They’re always good value.’

Cassie wasn’t sure she agreed. The two older Few students seemed a little distant – Yusuf clearly thought the world of himself, and he

had a predatory soulmate in India. They were too busy discussing their latest romantic conquests to include Cassie much in their

conversation, but they were pretty funny at the same time, and at least they weren’t openly hostile like Mikhail and Sara. She could feel

those glares burning a hole between her shoulder blades, though from the English girl it was understandable, given the lashing Cassie had

given her last term, when the unusual ‘ability’ she possessed first reared its invisible head.

Still, Cassie wasn’t thinking about the past, and she definitely wasn’t planning to give any more thought to the likes of Sara, or indeed

Ranjit bloody Singh. No. She was having fun. She was enjoying being single. And ready to tingle, as Isabella might say.

So heaven only knew why she couldn’t keep her eyes off the carved door. Heaven knew why she kept aching for it to open, for a familiar

beautiful figure to appear, and smile, and walk up to her, and apologise, damn it! What was he playing at, anyway? She’d never been stood

up for a meeting she hadn’t even requested before, and it really wasn’t flattering.

Speaking of which …

When the door finally did swing open, it wasn’t the figure she was expecting, but it was a welcome one nonetheless. Richard. If anyone

at this soirée was going to make her feel better, it was probably going to be him, she thought, with only a hint of grudging. As he headed

towards her, elegantly swerving past other Few members, a glass miraculously in each hand, she was ambushed by a huge sense of

gratitude.

‘Hey, Cassie,’ he said, eyeing her with an appreciative grin. ‘Enjoying the party? Would you like me to get the knives out of your back so

you can sit down?’

Laughing, she took the drink he proffered. ‘Cheers, mate. I think can manage them.’

‘I don’t doubt it, Ms Bell.’ Richard glanced over her shoulder. ‘Sara and her posse are livid. It’s fantastic.’ He leaned a little closer. ‘Of

course, we could get them talking some more …’

‘You have so got to stop that. You could lead a girl on, you know.’ She attempted a sarcastic smile, but found herself taking a step back,

still a little alarmed by the attraction she was feeling towards him. And the way his shirt skimmed over the muscles in his chest …

‘Really?’ Richard asked innocently – or was it hopefully? Cassie flushed a little.

‘Well, to be honest, I didn’t think I was really your type. I was under the impression that maybe you were, uh, playing more for the other

team …?’

He laughed. ‘Ah. I’ve got a theory on that actually: before my induction into our esteemed little gang here, I was strictly het. I reckon it’s

just my pesky spirit who likes to play away – I assure you that I’m most certainly on your team. Or I’d like to be,’ he added, raising his

eyebrows.

Cassie gaped at him for a moment, and then couldn’t help bursting out laughing as well. ‘You’re joking.’

‘I’m not.’

‘Isn’t that a bit … inconvenient?’

‘Oh, I don’t know. I’ve always thought of myself as a bit of a try-sexual anyway, so hey, why not? Best of both worlds, that’s how I look

at it.’ A mischievous smile spread across his lips.