Page 29 of A Curse So Cruel
The room starts to spin, bile rising up my throat, and I only just manage to keep it down. I’m going to pass out, I’m sure of it. My vision stutters, everything going dark for a split second, and as the dining hall comes back into view a moment later, ice and fire burns through me.
The magic isn’t strong, but it pushes against Knox’s power. No one else would have noticed it, but it’s just enough to ease the pressure on my body. I’m not sure where the power is coming from, but I see a flicker of surprise on Knox’s face before he masks his shock, and his dark brows slam down again. This time when he sends more power rushing at me, that strange comforting sense of ice and fire is snuffed out, and the pain that crackles through my whole body is like fire is tearing through my fragile flesh. My scream is a horrible screeching, pained sound.
Seconds. The excruciating agony lasts only seconds. There’s a moment when I think I glimpse heart-stopping panic on Knox’s face, but I blink, and the expression is gone. The shadows restraining me abruptly disappear, and I fall hard to the table, gasping for breath as I crash against the plates.
Knox glares at me, the chiseled lines of his face filled with hatred, and my entire body hurts even though his power is no longer touching me. Galen, Raith, and Thane are all still staring at me, their features taut. My other mates all look as pissed off as Knox does.No, not mine. Not my mates.I say the words in my head, but they still don’t feel real. Better get used to it, Shade. You’re just a toy to them. A new student for them to play with.I never really believed it before, but now I do. If I’m not careful, I’ll never make it out of this place alive, or find out who I am. Or…who I used to be.
“Kenzie,” Knox snaps, his voice lethal.
My roommate forces her distressed gaze away from me, her eyes so round they look almost comical, and she jumps to her feet. She’s tapping her fingers against her thighs, and it’s obvious she wants to help me, but she knows she can’t.
“Y-yes, professor,” Kenzie says softly, her cheeks drained of color.
“I think our new student is tired after her journey here. Please take her back to her dorm.” He says it as if it’s a request, but it’s really an order. Then, like he’s done with me, Knox looks away dismissively and sits.
I would be angrier at him, if I had more energy. The black feathers from my strange bikini outfit are now strewn across the table, and half of Kenzie’s dinner is coating my right arm as I lie there.
Relief seeps into Kenzie’s expression, though she does her best to try and hide it. “Yes, professor. Of course, professor.”
She rushes to help me, pulling me from the table and letting me lean on her while my muscles protest at the movement. I keep my mouth shut as we stagger from the room, but all I can think about is how these four men who feel like my mates? Yeah, they might just be the ones who kill me.
Chapter Twelve
~ Shade ~
“Sorry,” I croak to Kenzie when we’re away from the dining hall and down two corridors.
“Don’t be,” she rushes out. “It’s my fault. I should have told you to wait until the signal.”
A dry laugh rasps from my throat, because the whole situation is still absurd.All over a chocolate bar.“I’m not going to like being here, am I?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Kenzie replies, giving me a small smile. “Something tells me no one’s going to mess with you when you’re hungry now. You know, the whole academy is going to be talking about this.”
“About how the new girl went to dinner half-naked and got her ass handed to her for eating a chocolate bar?” I reply dryly.
She shakes her head, her expression thoughtful. “No, about how Professor Knox didn’t break you.”
I arch a brow. “Have you seen me? I feel pretty broken.” Actually, it feels like someone has taken me apart piece by piece,and they’ve done a shitty job at putting me back together. I moan loudly. “I swear, every muscle aches, including muscles I didn’t even know I had.”
Kenzie abruptly stops walking and stares at me. “Is that all?”
I give her an incredulous look. “Girl, did I not just tell you I’m in pain?”
“And?”
“And what?”
Her lips twist to the side. “Exactly. Professor Knox was obviously out to make an example of you, and all you’re telling me is that your body hurts. I’ve seen him do the same thing to other students countless times, and they’ve all ended up worse than you.”
“Countless times? How sadistic is this guy?”
She gives me a look. “That’s not the point.”
When I continue to stare at her in confusion, she elaborates. “Every other student who’s received the same treatment from Professor Knox has passed out in seconds, and they’ve been out for days.Days, Shade. I felt his power in the room, and he wasn’t holding back.” She pauses. “Well, he was, but he was giving you the same treatment he’s given other students.” She stares at me then like she’s expecting to see something strange. “But here you are, telling me your body hurts.”
“Yes, and it hurtsa lot. Did I not mention that?” I grumble. “Right now, I feel like I could die.” But even as I say it, I know that’s not true. Sure, my muscles ache like anything, but I wouldn’t say I’m close to death.
She chuckles. “Well, if Professor Thane was here right now, he’d tell you that pain is good. It’s a sign you didn’t die. You should be focusing on that pain, and be grateful for it, because it’s that pain that will force you to become stronger.”