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“You hear what happened to that bitch fanger?”

The voices become more clear as they get closer.

“Fuck, she got what was coming to her, disgusting leech.”

The headmaster tightens his arm around me, and then he turns, pushing me into an alcove and pressing his body to mine.We will still be visible here, but less so. He braces his arm on the wall at my head, concealing us even more. To an onlooker, we look like a young couple making out against the wall.

My chest heaves in fury as they near.

“You hear what Brett said about it?” the first voice says as they get closer.

The other laughs. “Yeah, that guy’s a freak.”

My eyes widen, and I look up into the headmaster’s eyes, no longer Connor’s soft blue. He presses his body against mine, so close he is nearly crushing me against the wall as they pass. I can’t fucking breathe. What did Brett say? I thought he was my friend. Could he have been part of this?

“At least we know our pack is safe from the psycho…” The voices trail off as they get further away again.

The headmaster slams his fist against the wall so hard that it shakes behind me. He then closes his eyes, takes a breath, and corrects the glamor before moving away from me. I don’t move, my back still pressed to the wall and shaking with rage.

He takes my hand and pulls me against him as we start walking. He drops his voice to barely a whisper, sounding more dangerous than I’ve ever heard him. “I’ll speak with Gideon.” I glance up at him in a silent question, and he replies, “He’s extremely integrated with the shifters.”

I nod, and we continue toward my class, Brett’s possible betrayal sitting heavily on my shoulders. The headmaster squeezes my arm as we arrive, and when I’m safely inside my classroom, he hurries away.

Once again, I can barely concentrate on my lesson. Instead, I doodle in my notebook, trying to create a few strong defensive runes. I succeed, but I’m not sure any of them will work.

I consider the threeM’s, murder, malevolence, and malice. I tilt my head, studying my doodles. What if I am able to harnessone or all of them? A rune starts taking shape in my mind. It’s sharp, beautiful, terrifying, and devastating.

“Miss Tuatha De Daanan?” Professor Ambrose pulls me from my thoughts.

My head snaps up at the sound of my name, and I shift in my seat, seeing the entire class has turned to look at me. “Yes?”

“I think you need a moment to freshen up.”

I frown, and only then do I realize I’ve been crying. The tears come in silence, leaving large wet splotches on my paper, and I can feel the prickle of tears on my cheeks. I wipe my face on my sleeve and close my notebook before standing and grabbing my bag. Out in the corridor, I lean against the wall.

“What the fuck was that?” I whisper into the void.

I close my eyes and wrap my arms around myself, feeling another tear fall. Something brushes past me, and I freeze. It feels like a breeze, but I already know it’s not the stranger. I swallow, trying not to react, but then I feel that gaze on me. That awful, dark gaze I’ve not felt for months is suddenly back.

I take a deep breath and open my eyes before pushing off the wall. I walk down the corridor toward the bathroom. My skin prickles and heats where their gaze is locked on me, and I can feel them following me. Deciding it’s not a good idea to go into a room with only one way in or out, I adjust my course and head toward Connor’s class. My heart thunders as I walk, but I keep a normal pace, trying not to seem panicked or worried.

There’s a dark rumble of laughter from behind me, and the sound sends a terrified shiver down my spine. They seem to speed up, so I walk a little faster, whimpering as fear tingles through my extremities. I push into a run, and it matches my pace, chasing me through the corridors. They laugh again, this one even more maniacal than the last.

I burst into Connor’s class, my chest burning as I gulp down the air. The headmaster as Connor stands the second he seesme. He hurries to me and cups my cheeks. I shake my head, so overwhelmed with fear I can’t even talk.

“Excuse me, Professor Berkley,” he says without looking away from me.

The headmaster leads me from the class and back out into the corridor. I look around frantically, but I can’t feel them anymore.

“The headmaster. I need to see the headmaster,” I say, unsure if we’re still being watched.

He searches my eyes and then nods. Sliding his hand into mine, we walk to the headmaster’s office. He drops the glamour the second we’re in the safety of his office. It’s obviously heavily runed and locked down tighter than a fortress.

“Tell me,” he says, looking down at me. His silver gaze is so intense that it helps clear the fog of fear enough that I can think clearly.

“S-someone was following me.”

“Where?”