Page 14 of Wicked Chains (Serpentine Academy #2)

Twelve

Rose

I wake up reaching for a ghost who isn't there.

The bed beside me is empty, and my fingers grasp at nothing but air, while the familiar ache of being on my own settles into my chest.

Last night feels like a dream, finding Drake, bringing him back, the way he touched me, held me, made me feel like maybe I wasn't alone in this mess after all.

But now I'm in my empty room, feeling like maybe none of it was real, though the soreness between my legs tells me it absolutely was.

My heart flutters just thinking about it. About him.

I need to be careful.

Letting anyone get so close won’t end well, for me, or for them.

Sunlight streams through the window, letting me know that it’s later than I thought. Classes start in less than an hour, and I have no idea what Drake's disappearance means. Would he just leave without telling me, after how we were together? I’d like to think he wouldn’t do that.

I close my eyes, trying to push away the fear that he's gone for good this time. Instead, I think about Hank, my unlikely little frog familiar. The one who helped me find Drake in the first place.

"Hank?" I say, concentrating on the connection I felt when I dismissed him yesterday. "I could use some company, buddy."

Nothing happens at first, and I feel kind of silly. Then a soft green glow appears on my nightstand, condensing into a small, bumpy shape that turns into my new familiar. Hank blinks up at me.

“Ribbit.”

"Hey, Hank!" I’m surprised by how genuinely happy I am to see him. "Sorry to bother you, but I didn't want to be alone."

Hank croaks softly and hops onto my hand. He seems equally happy to see me, which is weird because he's a frog, but I'll take the companionship where I can get it.

"Drake's gone," I tell him."I don't know if he left on purpose or if something happened to him."

Hank hunkers down in my palm.

"I'm getting way too attached to you," I inform him, but I don't put him down. Instead, I carry him with me as I rummage through my drawers one-handed for something to wear.

I settle on my usual black jeans and a dark t-shirt under my black hoodie, in other words, the usual.

As I pull my shirt over my head, I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

I look different somehow. Catching feelings for a ghost does something to a person, I guess.

And then there’s Soren and Lucien. I’m still processing how they both tried to protect me from Ash.

Also how they both switched sides so easily.

"I need to figure out what the hell is going on around here," I say to Hank as I drag a brush through my hair.

Hank croaks his agreement.

"First stop, Professor Malric's office."

I set Hank down while I finish getting ready. He watches me with those unblinking eyes, occasionally hopping in place a little.

"I'll be back soon," I promise him. "Just going to talk to Soren. You stay here, okay?"

I make my way across campus, dodging students and faculty alike.

The halls are filled with people pretending everything is normal, but it’s pretty hard to ignore the small changes, like the men patrolling the perimeter, ostensibly to make sure Victoria, or anyone still loyal to her, doesn’t try anything, or the Blood Moon banners that have replaced the Crescent Moon ones.

Soren's office is tucked away at the end of a long hallway. The door is halfway open, and I can see him inside, lounging at his desk, flipping through a book with obvious boredom. His shirt is half-undone, his hair is messy, and I feel heat in places I really shouldn’t.

I knock once, not waiting for an answer before pushing the door open wider.

"Well, well," he says, looking up with a slow smile that makes my stomach flip despite everything. "If it isn't Rose Smith, gracing me with her presence so early in the morning."

"We need to talk," I say, closing the door behind me.

He leans back in his chair, studying me with those pitch-black eyes. "I'm all ears."

"What's your angle, Soren?" I cross my arms, keeping my distance. "One minute you're fighting Ash, the next you're best buddies with the Blood Moon Coven."

He sighs dramatically. "We've already been through this, Rose. I work for whoever pays the bills."

"Bullshit." I move closer to his desk. "You were knocked unconscious protecting me from Ash. That's not the action of someone who doesn't care."

Silver, quick as lightning, flashes in his eyes. He stands, coming around the desk to lean against it, too close to me now, but he says nothing.

"Why are you really here? Why stay at the academy when you could go anywhere?"

He's quiet for a moment longer, then he speaks.

"I'm old," he finally says. "Older than you can imagine.

I've seen covens rise and fall, seen powers shift, watched the game play out a hundred different ways.

The academy offers protection, resources.

Things an incubus would normally have to hunt for. "

"Protection from what?"

"From other demons, for one." His mouth twists. "My kind isn't exactly popular in certain circles. And the academy has the most extensive collection of forbidden texts this side of the Atlantic. Knowledge is power, Rose."

I'm not sure I believe him, but it's more than he's shared before. "And working with Ash? That's just convenient?"

"It's survival." He pushes off the desk, moving closer. "You think because I'm a demon I don't know what it's like to be hunted? To be a monster in a world that hates monsters?"

We're too close now. I can smell that scent that's uniquely his, brimstone and whiskey, danger and sex.

"And what about me?" I ask. "Where do I fit in your survival plan?"

His eyes flash silver again, longer this time. "You don't. You're the wild card I didn't count on."

His hand comes up, fingers hovering near my face without touching. "I can feel your desire, you know. It's what I feed on. What sustains me. And yours is..." he inhales deeply, "... potent."

My heart pounds in my chest, and I know that he can probably sense it, can feel my attraction to him despite everything.

"So what's stopping you?" I challenge, tilting my chin up. "Why not just take what you want? You’re an incubus, right? That’s what you do, as you’ve let me know."

His eyes darken. "Because I want you to ask for it." His fingers finally touch my cheek, just barely. "I want to hear you say my name when you're ready to surrender everything to me."

I should step away. I should walk out the door and never look back. Instead, I find myself leaning into his touch, drawn to him despite everything I know about what he is.

Testing him.

Tempting him.

Then, abruptly, he pulls back, putting too much distance between us, and I blink at the suddenness. It feels like a rejection.

"You should go," he says. "Before this goes somewhere we'll both regret."

"Will we?" I ask. "Regret it?"

He turns away, smoothing his dark hair. "You're not ready for what I am, Rose. Not really. And I'm not in the business of hand-holding."

It stings.

I turn to leave, my hand on the doorknob.

"Rose," he calls after me. I look back to find his expression serious for once, the mockery gone. "Be careful around Ash. He wants more than just your magic."

I don't ask what he means. I'm not sure I want to know.