Page 42 of A Curse So Cruel (Fated Mates of Shadowbone Academy #1)
Chapter Twenty-Eight
~ Thane ~
“ Y ou weren’t supposed to touch her,” I grumble, crossing my arms as I stand there, staring down Galen and Raith. They grin broadly as they lounge on the couch across from me in our private living room, and it’s damn irritating.
Knox stands silently at the window, staring out at the forest like the girl remains out there, and we can still hear her cries of pleasure.
Damn it, Raith is an idiot. He’s lucky we heard her first and created a sound shield, otherwise the whole academy would know by now.
Galen isn’t much better, but at least he had the decency to do it behind closed doors.
Not that it’s against the rules to bed a student, but she’s already a target.
“Oh come now, Thane, we hardly deserve your look of disapproval,” Galen drawls, holding a glass of wine. “As I recall, you also played favorites during your class.”
I grind my jaw, remembering the feel of Shade’s ass against my palm... I’m not generally a hypocrite, but that was different. It’s not like I dragged her into the trees like I’d wanted to. I had restraint, unlike these fucks.
Galen rolls his eyes and sighs. “Sticking our heads in the metaphorical sand is not going to help us now. We need to acknowledge what she is. Then perhaps we can deal with it head on.” His eyes sparkle at the last part.
“And have some fuckin’ fun for once,” Raith adds, still grinning like an idiot.
I continue to grind my jaw. I tell myself my agitation isn’t because they’ve tasted her, and I haven’t. That it’s not because I can smell her scent all over them, and it’s driving me mad.
“We’d agreed to keep our distance,” Knox says coldly, finally turning to face the rest of us. “There’s no time for distractions right now.”
“Correction, you agreed to that,” Galen counters. “And I think it’s safe to say the little human is going to be a distraction whether we like it or not. I don’t know about you, but she’s pretty hard to ignore. And if you’d just have a taste you’d see?—”
“She’s not some fucking dish at a buffet,” I growl.
Galen’s eyes narrow like he’s insulted by my accusation. “I never said she was,” he replies, all humor gone from his voice. “I’m merely saying, that if you did, you wouldn’t be able to deny the truth that’s staring us in the face. She’s bloody well our?—”
“Mate?” Knox’s face is a mask of stone as he finishes Galen’s sentence. He turns his heavy gaze on Raith, and the tension in the room rises. “You know that’s impossible.”
Raith matches his brother’s glare, and the easy smile finally falls from his face. “Galen ain’t lyin’. I don’t know how, but Shade is ours.”
The room is silent for a long moment.
Fear flashes in Knox’s eyes before all emotion disappears from his expression. “If that’s true, then we have bigger problems than her simply being a distraction. If she is our mate, she has to go.”
Raith is on his feet in an instant, and I move in front of Knox a split second before Raith can get to him. “Steady,” I warn him, placing a hand on Raith’s heaving chest.
“You’d like that wouldn’t you?” Raith growls at Knox. “Solve the problem by gettin’ rid of her. Just like you murdered the last girl.”
Knox doesn’t flinch, but I know his brother’s words must have cut him.
“That’s not fair and you know it,” I rumble.
Raith curses, pivoting away and running a hand through his hair before turning back again. “I don’t know how, but we have a second chance , Knox. You might not believe me yet, but you will. For whatever reason, Lady Fate has sent us another mate.”
“No one has ever heard of such a thing,” Knox replies. “She could still be a spy planted here. And if she isn’t? Say that you’re right, and we have another chance, what would you have us do? Or have you forgotten how we got to this point in the first place?”
“I don’t fuckin’ know,” Raith admits. “But I’ll be damned if I let you repeat what happened the last time.”
Knox holds his gaze, neither of them backing down. “So you would choose her and damn the realms to darkness? And how long do you think your happily-ever-after would last?”
Raith doesn’t answer, and Knox lets out a low, dark chuckle that’s devoid of humor. “That’s what I thought. All these years you’ve spent hating me, but you would have done the same thing.”
“Fuck that. I would’ve found a way,” Raith retorts.
Galen drinks the rest of his wine and places his glass on the coffee table before lifting to his feet.
“Well, there’s no point dwelling on the past. What’s done is done, and it’s about time we all moved forward.
” Outside our room, a familiar haunting tune is floating through the corridor.
“Let us go to dinner, and we can discuss more about our little…predicament, after.”
“Dinner?” I frown. The four of us hardly attend the meals at the dining hall, but Galen’s face is eager like he’s been looking forward to this. As reluctant as I am to admit it, I think I have been, too.
“If we’re going, we don’t let the other students see we’re interested in her,” I say gruffly, heading for the door. “We’ll continue this discussion later.”
When I swing the door open, I’m immediately faced with one of the academy shadows.
He’s on the wall opposite me, and he waves his hands in frantic motions.
His little mouth moves like he’s trying to speak, but of course, I can’t make out any words.
With a frustrated look, he starts acting out a scene.
His shadow body morphs until there’s a small dagger in his hand. One which he drives into his chest…
Galen strolls up behind me. “Now, I don’t think I’ve ever seen your little friend this agitated.”
“Something’s wrong,” I mutter.
The shadow nods his head urgently, and he starts down the corridor, racing away from me.
I don’t hesitate. I can count on one hand the number of times the shadows have come to me like this, and I know better than to question them.
Without waiting for the others, I sprint after him, keeping pace as he sends me down one corridor after another.
Galen and the others come after me, not knowing what’s going on, but following anyway.
My power fills the air as I prepare for battle.
I only have a single sword at my side, but I’m not worried.
If the academy has been compromised, we’ll deal with it swiftly.
My creature, Rinoc, picks up on my energy, inquiring through our bond, but I keep him on standby. I’ll let you know if I need you.
When I reach the floor where the dorms are, dread settles in my gut. The shadow runs along the walls, and I prepare myself for it to veer toward her dorm, but it doesn’t. Instead, it leads me toward the washroom.
Relief sinks into me, but when I breathe in through my nose, my muscles tense.
The sharp coppery scent of blood permeates the air, and I know instantly who that blood belongs to.
Shade. The little human. My lips lift, baring my teeth as my protective instincts go wild.
I crash into the washroom, assessing the area quickly.
The floor is slick with her blood, and fury radiates through me when I spot her crumpled on the tiles.
Her eyes are closed, and her skin is deathly pale as she lays there motionless.
Blood spills from a wound on her stomach, and a low growl rips from me as I stride over and drop to my knees.
My shadows reach out, helping to lift her fragile body onto my lap without a second thought.
Water drips from her hair and coats her small, naked form.
Galen storms the room after me and drops down in front of her. Cursing, he lifts a hand and presses two fingers against her neck. “There’s a pulse,” he murmurs, brushing her damp hair away from her face. “She’s still with us.”
Raith’s shoulders rise and fall with anger when he sees her. “Who the fuck did this?”
Knox watches on. He doesn’t speak, but a cold fury clouds his dark eyes.
I try to contain my own anger as I lift Shade, rising to my feet. My power reaches out, forming a shadow pathway to our rooms. Before I can step onto the pathway, there’s a startled cry behind me. “Oh my god, Shade!”
The student, Kenzie, stands there with a horrified expression. “What the hell did you do to her?” she shouts, her voice shrill.
Raith rounds on the girl, grabbing her by the front of her shirt. “What did you see?” he asks gruffly.
“N-nothing! When she didn’t turn up for dinner on time, I came to find her. I figured she was probably just relaxing in our dorm. I didn’t think…” her trembling words trail off, and her eyes grow glassy with unshed tears.
Shade is light in my arms, and I know we don’t have time for this. “Find out who’s responsible,” I growl at Knox before stepping into the shadow pathway.