Page 59 of A Curse So Cruel
It's not surprising, really. I’m broken, and if Kenzie can’t find her creature, what hope do I have? Who the hell would want to bond with me? I’m a mess.
As time stretches on, I can’t help but ignore Raith’s instruction and go with the coaxing method. Especially because I feel ridiculous standing there, anyway.“Here beastie,”I call out with my mind.“I promise tummy rubs if you bond with me. And snacks. Wait. Would you eat snacks?”I think on that, realizing that I have zero idea how we’re supposed to take care of our shadow creatures. Are they mostly self-sufficient, or am I goingto have to get better at conjuring up food real quickly? And what about the poop situation when we’re indoors?
My thoughts run away from me, and I’m deep in a mental rabbit hole, thinking about animal care when I feel something. A strange, icy sensation tugs at my mind, and my ring warms on my finger. It doesn’t exactly feel right, but it doesn’t feel wrong either. Without thinking about what I’m doing, I open my eyes and peer up. High in the sky above, barely visible against the backdrop of gray clouds, is a single black blur that flies in a circle. It’s hard to make out the creature’s form, and all I know for sure is that it has black wings.
Is it a crow?That would make sense. Maybe it has something to do with my past and the black feathers on my outfits, but the animali is too far away to tell, and all of the shadow creatures seem to have some form of wings. I call out mentally, hoping the creature will come to me, but it doesn’t. It circles a few more times before disappearing into the clouds.
Kenzie still cheers, like I’ve just won something, and even Raith looks pleased.
Satine rolls her eyes. “Oh please, if that’s her creature, she may as well not have one. It was tiny, just like her. What was it, a bird? How is that animali going to help her in battle?” She laughs and the two girls at her sides join her.
“That’s a good sign,” Raith says, stepping closer behind me. He doesn’t touch me, though he looks like he wants to. “Must be a natural. I’m sure it won’t take long before you’re bonded.”
I beam at him, feeling good that I actually did something right for a change. Well, sort of.
Class ends soon after that, and the students break off, filtering through the exit.
Kenzie meets me on the sand, and we’re about to leave when Kazer steps in front of me, nudging me with his nose.
“Shade, not you,” he rumbles. “You’ll have an extra session tonight to help you catch up to the other students.”
I groan inwardly, and Kenzie gives me a sympathetic look.
“You go ahead,” I murmur to her. “I’ll see you at dinner.”
She looks annoyed that we’re being separated again, but she nods and follows the others through the exit. The moment she’s gone, a predatory grin stretches across Raith’s face.
Chapter Twenty-Six
~ Raith ~
That bastard.
I smell Galen on her the instant Shade enters the amphitheater. Her sweet, irresistible scent mixes with the smoky musk of Galen, and it makes my senses go crazy.How the fuck could he taste her without me?I hadn’t expected Galen to follow Knox’s orders, but I don’t remember receivin’ my damn invitation. Pair that with her new outfit, and it takes all my concentration to teach the class, and not simply get Kazer to whisk her away for me.
My creature prowls the sand, sensing my agitation as I dutifully act like a professor who has his shit together, but when lesson time is over, I stalk toward her. Giving her a wolfish grin, I send Kazer to guard the amphitheater entrance so we’re not interrupted by any uninvited guests.
When I reach her, there’s a pink blush across Shade’s cheeks, but she beams at me and digs into one of her pockets. Outstretching her hand, she holds a small object on her palm.
“Before you start nagging me to work on finding my creature again, Galen told me to give you this,” she says brightly, even as her pulse flutters at my proximity. “It’s a present. He says it’ll help fix a problem you’ve been dealing with.”
I eye the paperweight in the shape of a rock skeptically. Galen has even drawn a little smiley face onto the polished stone. The fucker is mockin’ me, but her words snag my attention.
“A present?”
She nods, though by now even she looks doubtfully at the small rock. Her hand lowers a little like she realizes Galen was messing with her, even though I don’t say it.
My gaze slides over her, and I appreciate the way the leather clings tight to her body in all the right places. I guess I can forgive him for not waitin’. Even if I make him pay for it later.
“The paperweight isn’t the present,” I rumble, though I still take the rock and pocket it just to put the poor girl out of her misery.
“I— But he said?—”
I smirk, giving her a look, and when she realizes what I mean, her expression flattens.
“He was talking about me, wasn’t he?” Despite her unimpressed tone, her pulse races even faster. I’m hopeful that it’s because of excitement, though fear will do just as well.
Her throat bobs. “He can’t just—” She stumbles over her words. “I mean, it’s not like I’m some kind of prize.”