Page 36

36

PANDORA

I ronwood’s grating voice echoed through the ceremonial magic classroom. “Magic is not a tool to be wielded recklessly, nor a weapon to be brandished in petty squabbles. Those who treat this subject as a joke will find themselves woefully unprepared for the consequences of their ignorance once they graduate.”

I fought the urge to roll my eyes as he scanned the room, his gaze lingering on Bram and Skel. I could already hear Skel and Bram whispering under their breaths, their irritation palpable even before they started cussing.

“He’s a fucking idiot,” Skel muttered from the other side of Bram, his voice just low enough that only we could hear.

Jenni, seated next to me, sighed heavily. “Yeah, I don’t like him either.”

“No kidding. Firewood was the one who tried to kill Pandora,” Bram shot back, scooting closer to me. “It wasn’t a petty squabble. Bitch deserved to die for what she did.”

Ironwood stayed oblivious or maybe he was just indifferent to the growing hostility from us, and he turned his attention back to the class. “Now, I require a volunteer for today’s ceremonial demonstration. Gravesend, please come forward.”

My stomach twisted. I had no desire to be anywhere near Ironwood. “Does it have to be me?”

“If you’d like full marks in the class, yes. I need to know that you’re proficient in ceremonial magic. If you refuse, I’ll assume you don’t understand it.” He smiled casually, but there was a warning in his gaze. “Do you not understand the importance of creating an offensive protection ward with ceremonial magic, Gravesend?”

“I understand the need for it.” With an exhale, I rose from my seat, trying to ignore the way Skel and Bram tensed. I knew they didn’t want me around him either.

The moment I reached the front, Ironwood’s banana berry scent became suffocating.

Wrinkling my nose, I grabbed the crystal anyway and centered my magical essence. Before I could perform the ceremony, Ironwood stepped too close.

His breath fanned over my shoulder as he murmured instructions. “Relax your stance,” he murmured, hands suddenly coming around me from the back and resting on my wrists, adjusting the way I held the crystal in my palms.

My whole body went rigid. I could hear Skel’s knuckles cracking, and when I glanced back, Bram looked about ready to launch himself over the desk.

“The Fates do you think you’re doing?” Skel’s voice cut through the air, lethal and raw.

Bram shot to his feet beside him. “Get your hands off her. She knows how to hold a fucking crystal.”

Ironwood didn’t flinch. If anything, his tone was condescending. “Gentlemen, control your tempers. This is a classroom, not a battlefield. She isn’t holding the crystal correctly, otherwise I wouldn’t be adjusting her.”

Nausea swirled in my gut as I shrugged his hold off me and stepped forward.

Dex appeared before I could fully turn around, blocking my view of Ironwood.

“Why the fuck are you holding her wrists from behind?” he growled. “Your fucking chest was against her backside.”

“Stop making this into something inappropriate,” Ironwood replied smoothly, but his smug expression grated on my nerves. “I’m just doing my job.”

He was trying to make my mates look unreasonable for being upset—possessive and violent . But I could sense the raw desire and amusement from his soul. He was being inappropriate, and I wasn’t about to let him manipulate the situation in front of the class.

Though, I was pretty sure he slept with a lot of students, so they were probably already aware.

“You didn’t need to adjust my hold on the crystal from behind,” I said flatly, placing a hand on Dex’s back as I set the crystal on Ironwood’s desk. “It made me uncomfortable.”

Dex snarled, “Don’t try to reason with him. He knows what he was doing. We’re done here.”

“If you leave, Pandora’s going to fail?—”

“She’s not failing anything,” Bram growled dangerously as he and Skel came up beside me.

“You’re acting fucking predatory,” Skel insulted Ironwood before launching his fear magic at him. “Threatening my mate about her grade?”

“Not happening.” Dex shadow-traveled us out of the class before Ironwood could react.

The next thing I knew, we were standing in Hunter’s office.

Fester was there, sitting stiffly on the sofa across from Hunter’s desk, mid-session for his counseling.

“What happened?” Hunter asked, his voice dangerously low. His white gaze slicked over me as if looking for any sort of injury.

“Not that I’m arguing, but predatory? What did you see?” Bram asked Skel.

“His fear is teaching naked and soft in front of a class of hot reform students. So, predatory was so fucking right,” Skel muttered angrily, grabbing my wrist and tugging me close before peppering kisses all over the skin Ironwood touched.

“Disgusting asshole,” Bram muttered as he slid behind me, rubbing his chest over my back where Ironwood had stood.

Dex flicked his tail back and forth. “Ironwood touched Pandora. Got in her space to adjust her hands on a fucking crystal. Then, he tried to make us look bad when we called him out.”

“Ironwood?” Fester gasped.

Hunter’s expression darkened. The temperature in the room dropped as a wave of vengeance magic rippled off him. “He did what ?”

Dex nodded, his fists clenched at his sides. “He put his hands on her, Hunter. In front of the fucking class!”

“Not to mention he said I’d fail if we left,” I huffed.

Hunter exhaled slowly, his rage simmering through our matebond. “I’ll handle it. You know I won’t let him fuck with your grade over this. I’ll file a report with Verity today. Ironwood gets one last chance from us. If he touches her again—he dies.” His vow was sharp, sending another pulse of magic through the air. A chill zipped down my spine from it. “I don’t care how he does it. Fucking kill him if he does. I don’t care if I get into shit for it with him being a coworker. I’m doing the proper thing by reporting it to the headmistress now, but I won’t follow protocol next time.”

“Ironwood sleeps with a lot of the nobles. He slept with Nightwind and his whole group of friends…” Fester cleared his throat, and my eyebrows shot up in surprise. “For what it’s worth, I regret ever being involved with Dark Veil. I never wanted to hurt anyone.”

The room fell silent.

Bram and Skel both turned to him, their expressions a mirror of sheer exasperation.

“Not the time, Fester,” Dex snapped. “We’re plotting murder, okay?”

Fester swallowed hard. “Right. Not the time.”

I exhaled, rubbing my temples. “Everyone, just calm down. We’ll handle this, but I’d rather Hunter not get into trouble for killing the professor.”

“But who cares? We’ll just say he went missing,” Dex suggested.

“He is a menace,” Bram bit out.

“True. Who’s actually going to care if he dies?” Skel asked.

Nebula, who had been quiet until now, spoke from my bag. “Pandora’s right. You need to think, not react. We have more to worry about than a pervy professor. Hunter’s reporting him. Let’s focus on the real threat right now.”

Hunter’s jaw remained tight, but he gave a sharp nod. “Nebula’s right. But this isn’t over. Not by a long shot. Just wait until I get my hands on him.”

“Let Reed give him a message.” Bram smirked, looking up from his tablet. “I just told him what happened, and he said he’d pay Ironwood a visit tonight. Let’s see what that does. I told him about Ironwood’s fear, too.”

I furrowed my brows and pulled my tablet out to read through the messages.

Reed Nyx

Is Pandora okay? I felt disgust and irritation through our bond. She seems fine, but just wondering what happened.

Bram

She’s fine. Ironwood got touchy with her while trying to ‘adjust her stance’ in ceremonial magic. Skel found out he’s afraid of teaching to a class of hot reform kids while naked and non-erect, so if you wanted to give him a nightmare and a message to stay the fuck away from our mate, I think you should.

Reed Nyx

I’m on it.

I smiled, reading their messages in our group chat. “I love you guys.”

“We love you, too,” the four of them replied. I felt Reed’s protectiveness through our matebond.

We had a lot going on with the cult, but I loved that they wanted to take out any dangerous beings around us, even with being so overwhelmed with the state of our territory.

“Should I leave?” Fester got up and pointed awkwardly at the door.

“Yes, you’re dismissed,” Hunter told him, and I was wrapped in all of their arms before Fester shut the door behind him.