Page 37 of Satanic Shadow

Something moves in the distance then, and I stop in my tracks.

“Dane?”

No response.

A hiss of a snake comes from behind, but as I gasp and spin towards the sound, there’s nothing there.

I gulp down my fear. I should be asleep or heading to my bed, not hunting down Dane Dalton of all people. This could potentially be a prank he’s pulling, where I step into the class and he and his friends do something to me.

I think I’ll slap him if he’s messing with me.

My nerves catch fire as another hiss sounds, further down the corridor, straight towards door nine. I want to turn and run, to get away from the potential threat, but I don’t. My feet move without thinking, the clicks of my heels filling the still silence of the corridor.

I’m a little scared, but I’m also intrigued to keep going.

It’s like something is drawing me in. Like I’m being lassoed down the corridor. The candelabra is heavy, and my bicep burns, but instead of placing it down, I tighten my grip on it.

My unsteady breaths echo through the pin-dropping quietness. A chill creeps up my arms, coldness encasing me, and the faint sound of a piano playing has me stopping outside C102.

I push the door open, and a box sitting on the professor’s desk glows brighter than the candles in my grasp. It rattles on the desk, but the only noise that comes is the keys of the piano.

Around the edges of the box, a bright glow of a white light beams through. Then the box rattles hard. A slam. No—more of a smack against a skull. The thud of someone’s head hitting a hard surface. Again and again.Crack. Crack. Crack.

The closer I get, the more my heart races. I’m terrified but can’t stop my hand reaching out for the lock.

“Mortal.”

I nearly drop the candelabra as Dane appears in the doorway, holding his side, black blood oozing between his fingers.

“Do not open that, or we’re all dead.”

I step towards him, away from the screeching screams. “What happened to you?”

He doesn’t shove me away as I close the distance and take in his appearance. I set the candles aside, their glow highlighting the side of his face. A fresh bruise sits on his cheek.

“I’m fine. I just need assistance.” The words are shaky, and his voice is off.

Dark liquid drips from his nose.

A lick of rage has my teeth gritting together. The words, seethed, are out before I can stop them. “Who did this to you?”

“It’s amusing that you think you can do something I’m incapable of.” He gestures to the doorway. “And you’re in the wrong room.”

“I heard something,” is all I reply as I follow the Prince of Darkness, leaving the candles behind.

Dane doesn’t reply to me, but I keep right behind him, looking around us for the hissing snake or the singing killer. The closeness—I’m nearly stepping on the back of his shoes—is unnecessary, considering I’m not actually scared.

Yet here I am.

We reach C109, and before he opens the door, he glances over his shoulder. “I needed someone with no powers. Don’t think I’m bringing you here for a repeat of what happened the other night.”

I hum. “And here I thought you were surprising me with roses and chocolates.”

He rolls his eyes, holding his side as his blood drips down his pants.

Screw him—he can lick his own wound.

He opens the door to reveal numerous weapons sitting in the middle of the room and scattered across the floor. The place is destroyed.