Page 65 of A Curse So Cruel
“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 tuneis 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.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
~ Shade ~
My eyes are heavy as I pry them open, and I wince, lifting a hand to my throbbing head. I feel stiff, like my muscles have been frozen in the same position for too long, and my throat is so dry I can hardly swallow. I groan.Gosh, I feel like death.Wait…Memories crash into me, and my brain scrambles to make sense of them.The knife. There was a knife. Holy crap, am I actually dead?My hands fly to my belly, and I frantically search for the wound, remembering the warmth of my blood seeping through my fingers…
“Easy cub,”a low, calming voice rumbles soothingly into my ear.“You’re all right now.”
Shadowsgently wind around my arms, stopping my panicked movements, and I have to blink a few times before I spot him across the room. Thane sits shrouded in shadow, and his massive armchair looks more like a throne as moonlight from the window to our right bounces off the dark velvet.
The professor watches me carefully, his intense gaze never straying from my face.
I wiggle against my restraints, trying to dislodge the shadows, but they only tighten around my wrists and arms. “What is this?” I whisper.