Page 10

Mondays freaking suck.

And this one is going to be the worst of them all.

My necklace, the one thing I had to keep myself hidden, is long gone, and now here I am, getting ready for classes in my true skin.

My curiomancer skin.

Runes and all on full display for the entire academy to see. To fear. To look at me in disgust and remember the decree that I should be dead. But hopefully, they’ll remember that I’m now protected. And if they don’t remember, well, I’m sure the two big scary badasses next door will remind them.

Not that I think it’ll stop the cruel whispers I know are coming my way, but maybe they’ll think twice before making a move.

The hot water rushing over my skin is a welcome reprieve from the cold bed I woke up in this morning. My mates left last night, wanting me to get a good night’s rest before returning to classes today. But that was a joke. I haven’t really slept all that well the past couple of nights. Not that they know it.

It was the first time I’ve truly been alone since the gala, and I hated every minute of it. My mind kept replaying the entire gala, from the moment we pulled up and I watched all the supernaturals flash across the screen—minus one—to the second we entered the limo and drove away from my own slice of fresh hell.

Part of me hoped this was one long ass nightmare, and when I woke up this morning, it would be Friday again, the day of the gala. But that seems to be all I've been doing lately. Hoping that this was all a nightmare. That I’d wake up. It just hasn’t happened. And it won’t. Because this is real life.

Just like it was when I hoped becoming a supernatural was a nightmare to wake up from.

But I’m just delusional, and this is my new normal.

After shutting off the water and climbing out, I wrap a fluffy towel around myself, letting the excess run rivulets down my flesh. Condensation clings to the mirror in front of me, obscuring the new features I’ve slowly gotten used to looking at. Tilting my head, I look at the blurred figure gazing back at me, wondering when she’ll finally get her shit together. As much as I like to pretend, I, in fact, do not have my shit together.

I’m a gods-damned mess.

My magic seems to react to my negative thoughts, zipping around my body like an uncontrollable firework wreaking havoc. A harsh gasp escapes my lips and my limbs tremble with every circuit my magic makes. Godsdamn. This isn’t pleasant.

Before my knees can go out, I latch onto the counter, white-knuckling the granite to keep me on my feet. My towel falls away from my body, but my eyes never leave the blurred image in the mirror.

The longer I stand here, the more the picture in front of me clears. White hair. Pink eyes. Black etchings covering my body. But the most prominent is the pink light zigzagging just beneath my flesh.

One second, it’s going crazy, then the next, it just stops right next to a rune on my stomach. One that I have no idea what it means, though by the design, a cloud, I have a small guess. And I could be totally wrong, but I can’t deny the innate desire to find out what it does.

I know I shouldn’t be testing runes here in my dorm room, but why would my magic point me there if it’s something destructive.

Fuck it. What Thaddeus and Headmaster Stonewell don’t know won’t hurt them, right?

Right! Here we go.

Blowing out a breath, I give my magic the small nudge it needs to take action. The pink glow resting under my skin brightens as it slips over the rune, the black turning bubblegum pink completely. I squeeze my eyes shut, almost afraid of what’s going to happen.

Don’t blow up. Don’t blow up, I think to myself over and over again.

For a moment, nothing happens. I peek one eye open, spying the rune on my stomach still glowing brightly. Must be a dud. I snort. Only I would have dud runes. About to call the whole experiment a wash, a light, warm breeze starts to blow, centering me in the middle of the mini cyclone. My wet hair lifts from its place plastered on my back and forehead as the small breeze picks up pace.

The temperature kicks up a few notches, almost feeling like the heat from a hairdryer. A strand of hair slaps me in the face, and I squeeze my eyes shut and cross my fingers, hoping this will end soon without disaster.

When it finally dies down, soft, tousled hair falls around my shoulders, and it’s then I realize what my magic wanted to show me. My air rune. Also now known as my full body dryer.

That was so freaking cool.

The condensation that clung to everything is gone, and even my once wet skin is now dry as a bone. And it all happened in less than two minutes.

Welp, I’ll be taking advantage of that rune more in the future.

Knowing I don’t have any time to dwell, I make my way to my closet, wondering what the heck I’m going to wear today. My wardrobe doesn’t consist of much more than hoodies and comfortable clothes, so it’s not like I have a whole lot of options to pick and choose from. Not that I mind. Comfortability is key, after all.

I’m even more thankful for it today, though. Without my necklace, I need something else as armor to protect myself from the other students.

Once dressed in my usual hoodie and leggings, I head out in the main area of my dorm room right as there’s a knock on the door. Tossing my head back, I release a long sigh, internally debating if I actually have to open the door.

The knock sounds once again, and with a groan, I go and open the door, not at all surprised to see my babysitters standing there. They make a move to step in, but I swiftly snag my backpack from the floor and push my way out, closing my door behind me in the process. A loud click echoes the quiet hallway as I lock my room up tight, only to proceed toward the stairs without uttering a word.

What is there to say? I know a normal good morning would be respectful, but I still have no clue what Bane did on Saturday, and my alarm bells haven’t stopped ringing in my head since.

Conversations and the laughter of the other students assaults my ears the moment I step out from the staircase into the main hall of the academy. Oh what I wouldn’t give to be so damn carefree like they are at this moment. But even I know that won’t happen any time soon, or maybe even ever again.

Almost like someone grabs a remote and hits the mute button, every sound ceases, and numerous eyes turn in my direction, stopping me in my tracks. Open hostility, disgust, a little curiosity, and outright hatred rests in their gazes the moment they see me. Rumbling growls and agitated hisses send me stumbling back into a hot body before ruby wings wrap around me, shielding me from those prying eyes.

“I got you, pinky,” Zane murmurs, bending to whisper in my ear. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

Before I can reply, a powerful aura crashes all around me, and whimpers and whines ring out in the hallway.

“What the fuck are you all looking at?” Bane booms, the deep tenor of his voice rattling the walls. “Get to wherever the fuck you’re going and mind your own damn business.”

Hasty footsteps answer his demand, but there’s no missing the furious whispers as everyone disappears. After a few minutes, that aura disperses like it was never there, and Zane pulls back his wings to reveal Bane crouched down in front of me.

“I don’t think I can do this,” I mutter, not trying to hide the tremble in my voice.

His deep, soulless eyes stare back at me, softening around the edges. “You can,” he says resolutely. “They’re all fucking sheep following the words of a mad councilman. Just keep your head up and keep being you. People will soon realize that you’re nothing like what he says.”

A harsh laugh escapes me. “You don’t even know me to be saying something like that. I could be just like he says.”

“Nah.” Bane shakes his head, his short hair ruffling. “I don’t believe that for a second.” He boops me on the nose, making my eyes cross. “If that was the case, you’d already be dead.” His hearty chuckle punctuates his words.

The mischievous twinkle in his dark orbs tells me he’s messing with me, but little does the demon know that he’s playing on my biggest fear.

Death.

“Come on. Let’s get you to breakfast before class starts,” Zane says, stepping out from behind me and holding his hand out in a flourish toward the dining hall.

As if on cue, my stomach rumbles, the sound rivaling Bane’s laughter.

* * *

The moment I cross over the threshold into the dining hall, all chatter stops. Eyes swing my way, and once again, I’m in the spotlight. Somewhere I never wanted to be. But here we are.

Bane and Zane step in behind me, their imposing statures and nightmare visages causing fear to waft around the space. I wrinkle my nose, but it does nothing to dispel the sour smell.

Zane takes point in front of me, his scarlet wings flaring wide and his tail twitching in agitation. After retucking his wings behind his back, he twists around and holds out his giant red palm toward me. “Trust me?” Earnest sincerity rests in his gaze, along with something else I can’t place.

I swallow hard, looking for a sign of deception. Anything that will tell me that I can’t trust him—them. But besides the incident in my dorm, they’ve done nothing to make me think that I can’t put at least a little bit of trust in them.

Yes, this is my second time in their presence, so they could still be deceiving me, but ehhh. Rather the enemy I know and all that junk.

My hand looks tiny in comparison to his large mitt as I place mine in his. It’s hot to the touch, his skin radiating an unnatural warmth that heats me from the inside out. My magic zips to my fingertips, sending a jolt through my body, but it disappears instantly, making me wonder if I imagined it.

Looking up, I see something flash across Zane’s face, something that looks suspiciously like awe, but even that’s gone before I can fully digest what it means. He seems to shake himself out of whatever thoughts he’s having and turns back toward the dining hall, easily maneuvering us through the tables until we reach the buffet line.

A low rumble emanates from behind me, causing the students in front of us to scatter, leaving the line blissfully empty. I raise a brow, glancing over my shoulder, but all Bane does is chuckle, the low, rumbling sound infusing my veins. He doesn’t care one bit that all he’s doing is ostracizing me more from those I share my classes with.

“They’re just sheep,” Bane mutters unrepentantly, shrugging his massive shoulders.

I sigh, shaking my head, then releasing Zane’s hand, I grab a plate and move down the buffet, throwing eggs, bacon, sausage, and hash browns on my plate. A Faeberry muffin calls my name from the selection of pastries, but I ignore it, heading for the coffee station next. The guys are still behind me every step of the way, their own plates overflowing with more food than I could eat in a week.

The dining hall is still shrouded in silence, eyes following my every move. But luckily, no one has said anything or started any issues. Yet. It’s bound to come. I know it will. I don’t know when. But every second, the tension seems to rise higher and higher. If it wasn’t for Zane and Bane, I know I’d never make it through breakfast unscathed.

A contented sigh leaves my lips with my first sip of coffee. It’s just how I love it. A little sugar, some creamer. And nice and steamy.

Oh, Mr. Tall, Dark, and Steamy, how I’ve missed you.

Armed with my tray in one hand and my cup in another, I turn toward the tables, finding exactly what I felt. All eyes on me. Something I’ll have to get used to. I’m a novelty. A rarity. Almost like the main attraction in a circus sideshow. Not that I’ve ever been to one to know. But I can imagine this is what they felt like.

Instead of paying them any attention, my eyes find my normal table. There, sitting alone, is Marion. My Mare-Bear. My best friend that I’ve done nothing but lie to since the moment I met her. Unlike everyone else, her gaze is focused on her plate, eating methodically, but there’s no missing the purse of her lips and tightness around her eyes.

Shit. This is going to hurt.

A quick glance over my shoulder reveals Zane and Bane standing patiently behind me, waiting for me to decide. It’s a no-brainer, though. I head straight over to the table Marion is, pointing to the empty one next to it for the guys to sit. They easily take the hint and sit down, leaving me to do what I need to. Beg. Grovel. Hope to hell that I haven’t killed the one true friendship I’ve ever had.

The chair squeaks when I bump it with my hip as I stop in front of the table, shifting from foot to foot, praying she’ll look up. That she’ll invite me to sit. But she doesn’t say a word. Her hand tightens around her fork, and that’s it. I nibble my lip in indecision. Should I just sit down? Should I go sit with Bane and Zane?

Fuck.

Finally, after what feels like forever, Marion lifts her gaze to mine, raising an impatient eyebrow. She waves her hand for me to take a seat, and I move quickly, dropping my tray on the table in my haste. Her lips twitch like she wants to laugh, but she miraculously holds it in. If it were before, she’d be cracking up, making fun of me.

I have to fix this.

“Are you going to stare at me or are you going to actually eat?” she grumbles, her knife scrapes across her plate, punctuating her words.

“I’m sorry,” I rasp, emotion thick in my throat. Her eyes dart to mine, then back to her breakfast. “I-I couldn’t say anything. They…they said it wasn’t safe. I wanted to tell you.” I sniffle, blinking back the pesky tears that decided to make an appearance. So much for not letting my emotions get the better of me. “I understand if you don’t want to be my friend anymore. Just know that I cherish our friendship, and I lied to keep you safe. I didn’t want anything to happen to you.”

A traitorous tear slips down my cheek, and I hastily wipe it away, hoping no one saw it. But even as I entertain the thought, I push it away. I’m sure everyone here hasn’t taken their eyes off me and caught my moment of weakness.

My stomach roils as Marion keeps silent, not even acknowledging my apology. Not that I actually expect her to. It’s just more wishful thinking that she’d forgive me so quickly. I pick up my fork to finally eat, but it quickly loses its appeal the longer I stare at it.

With a resigned sigh, I push my chair back, the legs squealing across the floor, and get up, collecting my tray and heading toward the trash. No surprise, my bodyguards are on my heels, their own trays left abandoned on the table instead of cleaning up their own mess.

The sound of a cell phone ringing cuts through the turmoil raging inside of me, Bane’s quiet murmurs washed away in the conversations slithering through the dining hall. It’s a short conversation, one that ends with him repocketing his phone. He looks over at Zane, and that seems to be all Zane needs to know what that call was about.

“We’ve been summoned to the headmaster’s office…” Zane mutters with a scowl. But before he can finish his sentence, the bell rings for the start of classes.

I blow out a breath and chuckle humorlessly, shaking my head. His summons only reiterates my previous thought.

Mondays freaking suck.