Page 17 of Satanic Shadow

Kill me. Now.

Dane and I requested we be paired with other students for our classes but were denied. This is definitely aimed at me.

Her eyes stay on me as she moves across the hall, then she looks at her son. “Your partner will also be the only student permitted to be in your dorm room. On weekends, you will decide between the two whose room to sleep in together.”

Orsen whispers into Mel’s ear, and she elbows him in the ribs.

Mrs. Dalton goes on to explain the new rules around the castle.

One student is killed, and we all need to suffer like this? No, there’s more to this story. Something else must have happened for the teachers to go to such extreme lengths.

Mrs. Dalton then excuses us all, telling us to check the scroll hovering by the door on the way out.

Dane is walking behind me. I nearly trip up as he leans down to whisper in my ear, “I need to talk to you.”

“Then talk.”

“Not here,” he replies as we wait in line to exit the room.

Students have stopped to argue about their pairings, but no one is paying them any attention.

“Nope,” I respond. “Talk here or go away.”

He growls, and something warm slithers up my spine before disappearing. “Stop being difficult. I know you can feel me.”

“That sounds wrong.”

“I don’t care. It’s true.”

I continue to ignore the person who wants me dead. When I reach the door, I glance at the scroll, roll my eyes, and turn to Dane. “I’m going to slap your mother.”

He goes to retort but then sees the scroll. Our names are side by side. His teeth grind as he glances back at me.

I shake my head. “Deal with this.”

And I follow the twins out of the room, away from the glaring man with shadows pouring out of him, twirling around him like a tornado.

We’re screwed. I already knew who I was going to be paired with. But seeing our names again, I’m more than pissed off. He won’t be setting foot in my room, and we definitely won’t be sleeping in the same dorm on the weekends, and that’s a promise.

It’s getting out of hand now. Why do they keep partnering us up?

He mentioned his mother said it was important. But why? He even went as far as writing to the professor of human relations, asking her to change the pairing without informing his mother.

Denied.

7

Professor Mallory, who tells me to call him Valin, is circling me while I stand with my fists raised, my elbows tight against my ribs for protection.

“You are quite weak, little Seraphine.” He inspects my posture, flattening his hand on the small of my back. “Straighten your spine and try to relax.”

I don’t relax at all. He’s everywhere.

He lets me punch his side, but I might as well have punched a wall.

“Good, now use more power.” He smiles when I groan and laughs every time I hurt my fist. “Come on. Harder.”

I throw my fist.