Page 21 of A Curse So Cruel (Fated Mates of Shadowbone Academy #1)

Chapter Fourteen

~ Knox ~

I rritation crawls through me, but I force myself not to pace as I wait in the forest for Raith to return.

Thane and Galen are silent, but undoubtedly, Thane already knows how on edge I am.

He watches my movements carefully, and there’s no point hiding anything from him. The man knows me better than anyone.

It feels like an infuriatingly long time before my twin brother finally comes back, stepping from a mass of shadows and into our shadow dome in the forest. A place where we can be sure no one else will overhear us.

There’s a moment when he peers at me, and I see a look of disgust in his eyes. Of betrayal. It’s been a while since he’s stared at me like that, and it stirs up the memories I’ll never be able to forget.

“How is she?” Galen drawls, drawing Raith’s attention to him. “You were gone for some time.”

“The roommate is watching over her,” Raith replies gruffly.

“Good. I do hope she makes it through the night,” Galen replies. “I’m quite looking forward to having her attend my class tomorrow.”

My brother scowls. “We shouldn’t be lettin’ the dreamcrawlers anywhere near her. And why did she pass out? I thought you’d replenished her?”

I don’t answer.

Thane cracks his knuckles, and Rinoc stands patiently beside him.

“I’m sure Knox has done what he can. She’s a student,” Thane reminds my brother. “We’ve already broken the rules by having Knox restore her energy. If she wants to live, then she’ll have to fight, even in her dreams.”

A hint of guilt stabs into me, but I extinguish it quickly. I tell myself the little human is nothing but trouble. That if she perishes because I didn’t replenish her energy as I agreed to, then it’s for the better.

“We’re connected to her. I know you feel it too,” Raith says gruffly. He directs the comment at all of us, but his gaze remains on me.

I still don’t answer. My brother knows what I felt all those years ago. What we both experienced. I won’t deny there’s something strange going on with this new student, but she’s not our mate. No matter what she thinks.

“She can’t be fated to us,” Thane answers when I don’t. “We all know that.”

Galen strokes his chin thoughtfully. “Yes, but then what is she?” He turns his gaze on me. “What did you feel when you assaulted her? She didn’t go down like the other students have in the past. You must have sensed something.”

I frown as I think of the small spark of power that emanated from the human.

When I pushed hard enough, harder than I’ve assaulted any student before, something…

pushed back. I study the men around me. When it was happening, I was sure one of them had interfered, even though it didn’t quite feel like their power.

But now I can’t be certain. Most new students are weak.

They’re unaccustomed to accessing shadow magic via their rings, and easily crumple under the force of my power.

But what I felt from that girl was a chaotic, wild, volatile form of shadow magic.

It was…foreign, and the thought makes me uneasy.

The idea that she could be a spy planted here by one of the dark beings floats through my head, and once again, I justify the fact that I didn’t replenish her.

“No,” I say simply. I decide not to bring my theory to the others just yet. Besides, after tonight, she won’t be a problem.

There’s a beat of silence, and then Galen’s lips twist. “I must say, she made quite the statement with her clothing choice.”

“It was fucking embarrassing,” I say coldly, even as my body warms and tightens automatically. To my annoyance, I find myself picturing the female in her skimpy outfit, feathers barely covering her skin.

“You say embarrassing, I say delicious,” Galen counters, his eyes sparkling as he no doubt pictures her in his mind as well.

“In any case, I guess there’s not much else to do but to see how she fares in the coming days and nights.

Best not to stay out here brooding. I have a class to teach in a matter of hours. ”

“Stay away from her,” I tell my brother. “Whatever you’re feeling, she isn’t our mate, and this human won’t be any use to the academy or the shadow realm if she can’t even survive a single night on her own.”

Raith scowls at me, and I glare back at him. We weren’t always like this. There was a time when my brother and I were closer than two babes still tied at birth, and the four of us had a bond that was stronger than time itself. But that was before I found her. Our real mate. And before I killed her.

“The prophecy hasn’t changed,” Thane rumbles. “And this new student doesn’t change anything, either. We stay the course.”

“We’ve been doing that for centuries, and nothing has happened,” Raith retorts. “For all we know, the oracle lied. How long are we goin’ to pretend we’re the heroes of this story? Every day the Xalgrith grow stronger.”

I think of the dark beings named the Xalgrith, and my mood sours.

“Which is why we shouldn’t be fighting,” Galen says smoothly. “This academy was built on that prophecy, and the Xalgrith haven’t taken over the realms yet, so we must be doing something right. Let’s not spend our night bickering. I, for one, have better things to do, so if you don’t mind.”

“For all we know, it’s a dark being who sent this girl here,” I point out, finally giving in and blurting my theory. “They want to weaken us.”

Thane frowns. “She has the tattoo.”

“It could be fabricated,” I reply.

Galen sighs heavily like a child who’s had his new toy taken away from him. “I suppose it could explain our strange bond with her. If she was sent here to mess with us.”

I go on. “Like I said earlier, everyone should keep away from her.”

Galen gives Raith a look, before turning back to me. “Now, that I can’t promise, but I will be sure to keep my senses alert around her. And if that’s all, I’ll be on my way. Raith, how about we go get a drink?”

My brother hesitates. I can tell he wants to continue arguing.

For years, there’s been a sort of peace between us.

Not forgiveness, but perhaps, understanding?

But this new student…she’s lifted old wounds and brought painful memories back to the surface.

I glower at the thought, because it’s exactly what a dark entity would want.

To weaken us from inside the academy. And if she’s not a spy, it changes nothing.

She’s upset our balance. If I could send her back to the human realm I would.

If only so we could all find that sense of false peace again.

But letting the dreamcrawlers take care of her is an even more effective solution.

Galen waves his hand, and a swarm of shadows gathers in front of him. Without another word, he steps into them.

Whatever Raith was about to say, he thinks better of it. “Comin’,” he mutters to Galen, and he spares Thane and me one last glance before disappearing into the shadows.