Page 96 of The Forbidden Note

He shrieks in pain. Anger glittering in his eyes, he comes at me like a whirlwind. I brace myself, prepared to be slammed into the ground.

A hand suddenly grabs Hall’s shoulder and wrenches him off me. Before his body even hits the stone, he’s being slammed in the face.

His body drops like a sack of sand.

My eyes widen and I peer through the darkness. A tall boy in a hoodie climbs on top of Hall and punches him.

Over and over again.

After the third punch, Hall stops responding.

But the attacker doesn’t quit.

I hear the sickening crunch of bones splitting.

That’s when I move.

Grabbing a hoodie-clad arm, I yell, “Enough!”

Slowly, the boy turns to look at me. The side of his face is splattered in blood. The stark red is a brutal contrast against blue eyes swimming in the darkness of dusk.

“Zane?” I gasp.

He lifts those blood spattered hands to my face. He’s breathing hard, but the fingers that cup my cheeks are tender.

“Are you okay?” he growls.

I meet those sky blue eyes and realise that I am not okay. Not even remotely.

Because in this moment, my student…

My step-brother…

My biggest danger…

Made my heart skip a beat.

CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE

ZANE

I would have killed Theodore Hall if she hadn’t wrenched me off him.

He would be dead at my feet.

I’d be a murderer.

And I wouldn’t even be sorry.

Because he hurt her.

He put his hands on her.

So why the hell should he be breathing air?

It’s scary.

Not my thoughts.