Page 27

Confused, I looked over at Wilder. He was perched on his knees, still on the mattress, with the blankets lumped up in front of him for modesty or warmth.

A guy was sprawled on the floor between us, and the other between me and the door.

The third guy was now whimpering, mist by his mouth proving he was breathing hard, and I was pretty sure tears ran down his eyes as he shook his head.

It looked like he was begging Shadow not to hurt him.

"Wilder!" Torian yelled again.

"Let them in," I said, knowing it would end my hunt.

"You're naked!" Wilder reminded me.

"Don't care."

That was all Wilder needed. A glance released the layer of ice. Immediately, I heard the lock click, and Torian was shoving through it before the ice was all the way thawed. Bracken was right on his heels, an impressive sword in his hand.

And behind them came Keir and the girls, tromping over the ice that had fallen from the mostly thawed door. Keir immediately headed for me and Wilder. Aspen rushed in right after, slinging a hand out as she did something. I wasn't sure what. Rain came last, and stopped hard.

"What the hell?" I asked, whipping my head around to see everyone.

I hadn't exactly expected my romantic night with my boyfriend to end up this wild!

But while I looked, Torian secured one guy.

Bracken headed to the one still standing.

When I checked on the second guy I'd dropped, I found he was held down with ice, and beside him, Rain was looking at me - right about dick level - with a brow up.

"It's fucking cold!" I snapped.

So she flicked her hand.

Shadows sprang up around her fingers, beside me, and over by Wilder. The ones by me formed around my legs and hips, becoming shadow-pants. I could only guess Wilder was getting the same thing. Then she turned for the guy on the ground.

"Ms. Rhodes is coming," she warned me - well, us.

"We all got woken up," Torian explained, his voice that soothing calm I needed. "Aspen and I thought it would be a good idea to get teachers."

"And you were clearly right," Keir agreed.

Which was when Shadow finally stepped back, allowing Bracken to take over. Yet as Shadow moved, the sound of the guy's sobs leaked in, as if a sound-proof door had just been opened.

"Jevadu!" he whimpered, blubbering more that I couldn't make out. There was a whole litany of something that sounded almost like begging.

"What? Scared now?" I asked, moving toward him.

Torian pressed his palm into my chest, gently holding me back. "Hawke?" he asked.

"They wanted Wilder," I snarled, turning my eyes to his.

Spring green met my primal gaze without fear. "And they didn't get him. You did well, Hawke."

Which meant I needed to stand down. I'd guarded my boyfriend. My prince was pleased. I was done, so now I could relax - but my body didn't agree. The need to rip and tear was still there, humming in my mind. Hopefully, it was only in my mind and not visible to everyone in here!

"Fool," Bracken grumbled as he caught the guy's arm. "Why are you here? What did you think you were going to accomplish? Who were you after?!"

And the boy looked at him, then shook his head.

"Answer me!"

He tried, but our attacker's mouth just flopped open and closed like a fish. No sounds came out, yet the tears continued to stream down his cheeks. Even worse, his eyes were locked right on me.

"He's one of the fucking Silent!" Rain snarled, bending to the guy on the floor to shake him awake. "Hey. Fuckhead."

"This one's still alive too," Wilder said as he moved beside Keir to check on the one I'd drained.

Aspen just smiled at me. "How you feeling, Hawke?"

I gave her the only answer I could: a growl. She nodded like she was impressed, then looked down at the guy she was beside. Rain didn't even flinch, acting like my rage was the most normal thing in the world. It was Bracken who looked back at the sound I'd made.

"Wings," he reminded me. "Put them away, Hawke. Even better, someone close the door. Both!"

I grumbled and turned to the wall, trying to let the adrenaline fade a bit. Putting my wings away was easier said than done. I had to be calm to do it, in control, and right now, I felt like I was still protecting my man.

"Wilder?" I asked as I stared at the wall. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, babe," he said, understanding what I needed. "I don't think he really even touched me. You flew out of bed before I knew what was going on. I'm fine, Hawke. Completely fine. I didn't even have a chance to get scared."

Ok, that helped. Pulling in a deep breath, I forced my body to be calm. Breathing slowly, relaxing all my muscles, I demanded my mind calm down until I finally felt my heart rate slow.

And then I pulled in my wings. They were magical things, like the tail of a mermaid.

Both of our kinds had some control over the exposure of our inhuman traits, but that wasn't the same as complete.

It was more like trying not to blink. Sure, it might work sometimes, but other times the body had different ideas.

I'd just gotten them hidden when the door opened hard. "Why am I out of bed?!" Ms. Rhodes demanded, walking in without waiting for an invitation.

"It seems our students can't tell us," Bracken said, shifting so she could see the guy he held.

"Two more on the floor," Rain told her. "Hawke handled it."

"And I'm going to assume you heard something and came over here to check on it," Ms. Rhodes told me pointedly before looking at Torian. "Why didn't you gate?" Her eyes moved to Aspen next. "My curfew enchantments are not happy."

Torian pointed at Bracken. "Backup. I was in the hall, but if the door hadn't opened when it did, I was going to."

"We ran," Aspen said. "Our alert enchantments went off and woke us up. Rain took off, so I followed. Belly and leg, so them." She pointed at me and Wilder to prove who she meant.

That earned those two a confused look. "What enchantments?" Ms. Rhodes asked.

"Morrigan!" Jack cawed, proving he was here too. "Shadow!"

Ms. Rhodes just sighed. "I see." Then she sighed again. "Keir? Rain? Would you two help Bracken take these three down to my office?"

"And us?" Torian asked.

"You will make sure your sister gets back inside her room in one piece," Ms. Rhodes told him. "Wilder? Hawke? Clean this mess up."

"He's a jevadu!" the man Bracken was holding cried out. "He ate Buck!"

"He did not," Ms. Rhodes told him before I could respond. "Get them downstairs before we wake the entire hall."

Rain grabbed the arm of the guy she'd been assigned and heaved him up. Clearly, he was not completely unconscious, but he was dazed enough to stagger. Likely he was lost in a glamour. That was probably Wilder's doing, but I wasn't about to say anything.

Yet when Aspen opened the door for her, I could see people on the other side trying to peek in. At least three or four. Rain paused, looking back.

"Uh..." she said, sounding like she really didn't want to do this.

"Just go," Keir told her as he scooped his guy up and over his shoulder. Yeah, I'd drained that prick enough he'd need some time before he came to.

Then Bracken shoved his forward, holding both of the boy's biceps like he was a prisoner. "Walk, boy. We're going down to the office."

"Elevator," Keir suggested.

But the guy Bracken held saw the onlookers. "He's a jevadu!" he yelled at them. "Hawke Woods is a monster! He tried to eat us!"

Hearing everyone in the hall laugh? I hadn't expected that. And yet, they all acted like the prick was trying to punk them somehow. They thought his words were a joke, or an excuse to get out of trouble? I wasn't sure, but right now, I really didn't care.

Ms. Rhodes just reached over to clasp my shoulder. "You did good, Hawke. I'll handle this."

"No, he's really a jevadu!" the guy cried out, his voice fading as he was propelled up the hall. "He sucked Buck dry. He killed him!"

"He's not dead!" Keir yelled. "Just knocked out by Wilder's conjuration." And the crowd laughed again.

"I'm sorry," I told Ms. Rhodes. "I didn't have time to think. I know I shouldn't have -"

"No," she said, rubbing my shoulder gently. "You, Hawke, are fae. You belong here. Well, in your room, but we'll ignore that part. Let's call it the privilege of your position."

And I glanced down, feeling a smile taking over. "I'm not used to that."

"But you need to get used to it," she said, keeping her voice down. "Your title will protect you more than anything else. It will protect you even when your secrets are screamed down a hall. That's the power most fae want. They just confuse it for the kind that sparkles in green and white."

I nodded to show I understood. "And what's going to happen to them?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "I'm hoping to get some answers, but I'm not exactly expecting them either."

"No," Wilder agreed. "I think Rain's right. I think they're The Silent. They can't speak, and thus are silent, right?"

That made Ms. Rhodes' head snap up. "Shit. I didn't think of that. They might be two different groups!"

And she spun, hurrying after our attackers.