Page 10 of Entwined

Most of the people who move in my family’s social circles don’t care about me. I don’t hold any power in the Hamilton family, so everyone follows my grandfather’s lead, treating me like a bargaining chip—one who’s expected to be silent and obedient.

A snide voice cuts through my self-pity. “...basically a pariah now.” The words are pitched low, like they’resharing a secret, but still loud enough that it carries over to me. “Look at her! She thinks she’s high and mighty because of her family, but she’s just ahuman. And not even a pretty one. She’s nothing.”

I don’t look, keeping my shoulders low and focusing on my food, even as irritation bubbles under my skin. I don’t recognize the voice, but the narrative they’re pushing has become commonplace since I returned. Which is fucking hilarious when I didn’t do anything wrong.

Last year, some psychic medium, Triston, was caught fucking one of the librarians—amarriedone—in the back corner of the library, and the entire student body had basically high-fived the asshole, cheering him on.

I wouldn’t be surprised if they’d given him a trophy.

And then there’s me. I get caught fucking another woman in my own bed, and hellfire rains down on me. Dizzy and I didn’t hurt anybody else. We were just seeking physical comfort in each other, in a release. But everybody is treating me like I’m a whore standing out on the streets.

“Did you hear about yesterday?” The whispers continue.

“Shutup, Tanya! If you-know-who knows you’re talking about?—”

There’s a loud scoff. “He doesn’t scare me. He dabbled in forbidden magic once, and now he follows after Connor like a dog on a leash. Maybe if he claims that slut, Connor will be a free man.”

There’s a bark of laughter before someone—a guy—says, “And you think he’d pick you, Tanya? He probably wants someone who’s had fewer bike rides, if you get my drift.”

“Fuck you, Terry!”

The idea of eating another bite has my stomach churning,so I stand abruptly, the metal legs of my chair scraping loudly against the floor and cutting the conversation at the table behind me off. I gather my belongings and tray, briefly considering turning around and confronting them, but there’s no point.

And too much to lose.

Instead, I walk away, dumping my tray and heading out of the dining hall, wishing I’d swallowed some painkillers before leaving my dorm this morning. I still have one more class before I can return and climb into my bed.

I’m halfway to the east wing of the castle when a clawed hand reaches out and snags my arms, nails digging in viciously and slicing through skin. I’m pulled into an empty classroom—one of the smaller ones with tables lined up in a semi-circle around the center podium.

That’s all I see before I’m thrown back against the stone wall, my head connecting with a viciousthudthat makes my vision swim with black spots. “What the…” I moan out, reaching up to clutch my head.

“Shut the fuck up,” a voice snarls back.

CHAPTER SIX

felicity

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” Two clawed hands land on my shoulders, sharpened points digging into my flesh through my sweatshirt. I’m shaken, my head colliding with the stone wall again. Sparks of white dot my vision, the world spinning wildly as I try to fight them off, fingernails scratching at wrists, drawing blood.

It’s not enough—they’re too strong, barely even noticing my efforts.

“What the hell…?” I whisper, just as there’s a flash of blond hair and sharp teeth snapping at the air right in front of my face. I inhale sharply, flinching back instinctively, letting out a cry of pain when my head connects with the wallagain.

I blink rapidly, trying to clear my eyes, but everything is blurry. I lift trembling fingers to the back of my head, the tips of them coming away with sticky wetness.

“I always forget how weak humans are. Why are they even interested in you?” She lets out a cruel, mockingchuckle. “You’re so weak. They’d break you before their dicks even got close.”

“Let me go,” I mutter, trying to shrug her off. She only tightens her grip, leaning in close enough that her breath fans over my face, making my stomach roil.

I blink again, her face finally coming into focus.Selena.She’s dressed similarly to yesterday, her midriff on display and thighs bared under a micro miniskirt. Her eyes are flashing between a muddy brown and a glowing, feral yellow.

“I’ll let you go when you give me what I want.” It’s a taunt as she flashes her incisors in an inhuman smile.

“Yeah, and what’s that? Me dead?” I retort drolly, desperately acting like I’m not seconds from passing out. “Shake me one more time. That should do it.”

She scoffs, muttering abouthumansunder her breath. “I know what happened yesterday.”

It takes me a second to figure out the underlying meaning of her words, but there was only one thing that happened yesterday. Still, I say, “What the fuck are you talking about?”