Page 62 of Stormbringer (Tracthesian Academy #1)

WAVE’S HEART POUNDED IN her ears, and she would have slumped to the ground, but Sinister reached out and grabbed her. His expression was tight and his eyes wide as he pulled her through the portal.

She wasn’t sure where she expected to land, but in a bed with a gorgeous, and naked, female wasn’t it. The woman’s eyes flared wide, and she gasped as Sinister followed her in.

“Sinister, what the ever-loving fuck?” the woman screeched.

Yeah, Wave would like to know that too, as soon as she could get her scrambled thoughts in order and settle her roiling stomach.

“I’m going to puke,” she whispered.

With the efficiency that belied her feminine frame, the woman hauled Wave’s head over the edge of the bed and pushed a trash can in front of her just in time. Wave retched what little she had in her system out.

“Ro, I don’t know what to do,” Sinister said.

“About what?” the woman, Ro, snapped back. “When I told you to literally go to hell, I didn’t expect that to mean for you to dump a random chick on top of me. How did you even know where I was?”

“She’s—I—fuck, Ro,” Sinister stammered.

When Wave lifted her head, the woman efficiently pushed a water bottle into her hand. She didn’t seem to mind that she was naked, but Wave still averted her eyes as she thankfully gulped down the water and rinsed her mouth.

“Well?” Ro demanded.

“There was an attack at the Academy,” Sinister began, but Ro cut him off.

“Is Zahir all right?”

“He will be,” Sinister quickly assured her. “Wayla helped to save him.”

Ro turned toward Wave and blinked. Some of her standoffishness melted away. “Are you Wayla?”

Wave nodded, not sure what to say. She had no idea what the hell was going on in here.

“So, what happened?” Ro wanted to know. Sinister jumped in again.

“It’s a mess. Full-blown battle on the neutral ground, there were casualties.”

“That still doesn’t explain the shivering creature in my bed, Sinister.”

“She’s—” once again, Sinister choked off.

Wave blinked. He knew.

He knew she was a siren.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Her eyes darted around, looking for an escape, but she couldn’t see a door anywhere. Frozen in place, she blinked at Sinister, waiting for the ax to fall.

“Spit it out, Sin,” Ro snapped, running out of patience.

“You could just kill me,” Wave whispered with a little hope.

Ro recoiled away from her, and Sinister flinched back.

“No! That’s not why—Wayla, you used heir apparent powers. There’s no way to hide that. They will come after you and turn over every corner of your life to figure out what happened back there. Neutral ground was violated.” Sinister looked pale and worried.

“But—”

Ro held up a hand and waited until Wave and Sinister both looked at her. She looked sadly at Wave, but then focused on Sinister. “If that’s true, then you need to take her to the Council Force immediately.”

“No!” Sinister roared, but Ro kept going.

“If it looks like she’s running, they will throw more resources after her. If she’s safely locked up, you have more options to guide their attention elsewhere. I assume she didn’t start the attack?”

“Of course she didn’t,” Sinister huffed. “I wouldn’t have brought her to you if—”

Ro rolled right over him. “Then you need to take her to them. I know there’s something else in play here,” she held her hand up to stop Wave from speaking, “and I don’t want to know what that is. In a crisis, controlling the narrative is imperative. The longer you stay off their radar, the more they want to know where you went and what you have to hide.”

What she said made sense to Wave on some level, but her head was hurting too much to think clearly. All the strain from before was creeping up on her already battered mind and body. There was no extra power floating in the air here, and her actual power levels were dangerously low. Even her siren side was depleted.

“They will find out what she is when the Council Force checks—”

“Too low, on everything,” Wave whispered. “Storm spirit.” She slurred the last out and then felt Sinister lift her. Her eyes were too heavy to open anymore.

“I don’t like this plan, but if Ro says…” he muttered. “I promise to get you out if things go wrong.”

“Just,” Wave had to focus and breathe in deep before finishing. “No chains. Don’t let them chain me. Hate. Chains.”

The last she heard was Ro’s furious growl before darkness took over.