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Chapter

Twenty-Five

Bloom

Fire Ants

I returned to my chamber, an empty ache gnawing at my insides, my mind numb. The shock of Nero’s betrayal still gripped me with cold fingers. But was it truly betrayal when he’d never made any commitment? I shouldn’t have pursued this forbidden affair in the first place.

Cold logic did nothing to dull the pain and rage burning through me.

Sindy was in the shower—a small mercy. I couldn’t bear company, and my devastation would be written plainly on my face. Acting had never been my strength.

I ignored the elaborate gowns and grabbed the least offensive option: a high-collared black dress buttoned to the throat.

Ravencrux’s idea of simple. My closet had a few added tactical shirts and fitted leggings, but those were strictly for combat training.

The academy demanded tradition, insisting on upholding their excessive standards.

It was their school, and I was bound by their rules.

I shoved my feet into mid-heeled dress shoes and rushed out before Sindy finished her shower.

Resident students clustered beneath the grand staircase, their voices buzzing with nervous excitement.

Twilight spilled through the high windows, painting the black marble in streaks of pink and gold.

Fragments of conversation reached me—whispers about their formidable professor battling monsters beyond the wards.

Facts and rumors blended together into a tapestry of half-truths.

None seemed aware that their revered professor occupied the tower at this moment.

If they knew, they’d be letting out cheers.

These students worshipped him blindly. If they discovered his true nature—a seducer, a player, a murder suspect…

Would they even care, as long as he held power?

I pressed a hand to my chest, forcing down another wave of anger. Head down, I pushed through the tower’s heavy door and escaped into the evening air.

I walked without direction until the Obsidian Wilds loomed ahead. The realization jerked me to a stop, wrenching a growl from my throat. This cursed place where I’d first met Nero Ravencrux, where our doomed affair began. The last place I should be.

I turned sharply and strode the other way.

I had no destination, only the certainty that I couldn’t stay in that tower. The grounds lay eerily empty, everyone still distracted by the battle beyond the wards. A battle that had ended while the head of security celebrated by fucking his longtime lover in his penthouse.

The campus sprawled before me in gothic splendor—iron gates, obsidian towers piercing the horizon. Despite the ache in my chest, I savored the rare quiet, keeping my eyes fixed on the cobblestones as I wandered.

The Fae Copse woods rose ahead. Sindy and I usually skirted the edges—safer, she insisted. The magical gangs avoided the Wilds but gathered here, near the campus center.

Today, unusual silence reigned. I decided to cut through the woods. Birds chirped, and the undergrowth parted in worn paths. As I moved among the maples, a destination formed in my mind—Coven’s Brew Café run by the mage couple. They weren’t the nosy type and wouldn’t press me with questions.

I could order a cup of steaming tea, or perhaps a potion to ease this persistent ache in my chest.

I kept playing the scene in my head—Nero spreading Morrigan’s legs, sinking into her. It unraveled me. The uglier truth was that he’d never actually fucked me, not like anything he’d done with her.

I shook the thought away, bile clinging to my throat like smoke.

With my knowledge of herbs, I might even persuade the mages to let me brew something myself.

The academy’s witches hoarded their spells, hostile to outsiders.

Nothing grounded me like my garden back home, at the edge of that so-called cursed French forest. A fresh pang struck—Mom alone in that abandoned place, her grave untended.

I swallowed hard, forcing back despair. One more block to the café. I could sit by the window, either surrendering to misery or clawing my way out.

This fury, this humiliation, it was like trying to bottle lightning.

Three figures lunged from the shadows—classmates whose names I’d never learned. Two wielded bats; the third swung a spiked chain.

Shit. It was an ambush.

Fortunately, paranoia had made me prepare.

Since learning about the murdered redheads, I’d carried a fanny pack everywhere.

Even heartbroken, I wasn’t reckless. I’d started to piece together fragments—Mom’s paranoia, my kidnapping, the professors’ strange interest in me.

Everyone seemed to know something about my bloodline except me.

Caution wasn’t a flaw; it might save my life as the next redheaded target.

Whoever came for me would get a fight. I wouldn’t roll over.

Without proper tools for potions, I’d improvised. Fire ants mixed with sand waited in my pouch. The vicious creatures thrived in the dark forest but never stung me. They stayed docile in my hands—but not when released.

As the trio closed in, I plunged both hands into the pouch and hurled ants and sand at them.

The fire ants swarmed their faces instantly.

My attackers howled, clawing frantically at their skin as tiny mandibles delivered burning venom.

One dropped to his knees, the bat clattering against cobblestones as he slapped wildly at his neck.

Another spun in circles, screaming, ants crawling into his ears.

The third, slightly smarter, tried running but tripped over his own feet as the insects invaded his pants.

“Respect personal space, guys,” I said, voice steady despite my pounding heart.

I could’ve used my Weaver magic, but with potential eyes watching, I reserved that power for graver situations. Revealing my cards, especially my new abilities, to whoever hunted me would be suicide.

As my attackers writhed in agony, applause echoed against the stone buildings. Sebastian stepped from the shadow of a gothic structure hosting a row of storefronts.

“Bravo!” he called, continuing his slow clap. “Well done.”

I winced. This wasn’t a performance.

“How did you find me, Sebastian?” I asked tersely, wary of his convenient appearance. “Did you follow me?”

“I didn’t. But I’ve been looking for you.” He offered his arm, all charm. “Call it luck. Now that I’ve found you, let’s celebrate.”

“Celebrate?”

We left my attackers behind, still contorting on the ground, their cries fading as we strolled away. I didn’t feel sorry for them. Didn’t apologize for showing the vicious side I’d never known I possessed.

Let it discourage more attacks.