Page 44 of Secrets and Shadows

He’s right. I’d never let him face something like this alone. “We’ll figure things out once I’m out of here, okay? I still don’t know how much longer they’re going to keep me in here and—”

Suddenly, the door slams open, and a tall woman with fiery red hair storms in. She spots Tony sitting next to me and her face clearly shows her disapproval. He stands up nervously, determined to stay by my side like he vowed a second ago, but he’s shaking like a leaf.

“What are you doing here?” the nurse, who I assume is in charge of my recovery, scolds him. “You know you need special permission to visit her, right? And I know for a fact you don’t have it, because I would’ve been the one to issue it.”

Tony shuffles past her, shooting me an apologetic look as he stammers, “I-I’m sorry. Simon said I could come see my friend…”

She shakes her finger at him. “Simon doesn’t make the rules here. I do. Now go, before I decide to report this.”

In a flash, Tony makes his escape, leaving me alone with the healer. So much for his brave streak. That lasted all of two seconds. I brace myself for a lecture, but instead, the nurse turns to me with a surprisingly calm expression.

“Now, let’s give you a thorough check-up to ensure you’re recovering properly, and then we can get you out of here,” she says.

I nod and push myself up into a sitting position, wincing at the pain that shoots through my side. The thought of leaving this place feels like a lifeline—exactly what I need right now.

Eighteen

VAUGHN

I can’t stop thinkingof every worst-case scenario imaginable. Every single one involves a certain pretty purple-streaked head of hair, now that she’s awake and recovering from her injury.

I’m relieved she’s okay and returning to classes—though I’d never admit it out loud to her—but I still feel uneasy. She’s coming back into an environment that seems hell-bent on despising her.

It’s been six days since she opened her eyes, and the whispers are spreading like wildfire through the academy. Rumors swirl around her, saying she might be the next Dual—fated to bring about the end of days.

It’s a scary idea that sends chills down my spine, but what haunts me the most right now is knowing that the students are actually afraid of her, making her a villain before she even has a chance to prove she isn’t. Fear can make people do dumb and dangerous things.

Lilith is trying so hard to fit in, to get back a sense of normalcy. She laughs when she should, puts on a brave face, but I can see through it. I know my little fox. Underneath all herfalse bravery is a shit ton of fear and uncertainty. It’s like she’s walking a tightrope, desperately trying not to fall.

Simon’s been keeping a close watch on her, which is good. After Lilith got injured on his watch, there’s no possible way he’ll let anything else happen to her. The remorse and guilt is riding him hard.

So with her safety taken care of, I can shift my focus to dealing with those who pose a threat within these cold, stone walls. Like the assholes with misplaced bravery who think they can threaten her. But even that brings its own set of challenges. The growing tension is making the academy feel like a pressure cooker about to explode.

I can’t shake the image of her lying injured in that bed from my mind, the realization that I could’ve done more. I should’ve been there, damn it.

So now I watch from a distance, waiting for the storm to break. I’ll be damned if I stand by and let the whole academy turn against her. I’m the only one she’s allowed to be in a lust-hate relationship with.

“But yeah, I plan on contacting my father to fill him in on what’s happening here,” one of the second-year students whispers to his friend, oblivious to me standing just behind them as they quicken their pace in the direction of wherever the fuck they are going.

“And if that doesn’t work?” his friend asks, and I can see the concern etched across his face. What a fool.

“I know a guy we can pay to handle it,” the first student replies confidently. “If the headmistress won’t do anything, someone has to. I’m not going to sit back and let the damn apocalypse happen.” He pauses, shrugging nonchalantly. “Our names might not go down in the history books, but we’ll know what we did for the realm. We’ll be silent heroes—”

Before he can finish his thought, I roll my eyes and grab him by his shoulder-length hair, twisting him until his face slams into the nearby wall with a sickening crack. Blood gushes from his broken nose and he cries out in pain, his friend’s eyes widening in shock at my surprise attack.Now, they’re fully aware.

“What’s your problem?” the first student growls– I think his name is Stuart, or Steve—S something—and he wipes the blood streaming from his nose with a rough swipe of his hand. I dodge his punch, amused by how quickly he seemed to recover.

Looks like he’s back in fighting shape.Hurray. Good for you man.

I watch him scramble to shield himself with defensive spells. But today, I’m not interested in using my own magic. No, today I want to feel the warmth of his blood on my hands. Grabbing him by the back of the head, I force him down and slam my knee into his face. The satisfying sound of his groans brings me a rush of joy, better even than a good drag on a cigarette, and I savor every moment.

His friend—who was never important enough for me to remember his name–finally snaps out of his ridiculous shock and charges at me, channeling magic into his fists for extra power.That’s right, come at me, big boy.

He lands a solid punch that sends me stumbling back, but I’m fast on my feet. I send him a fierce right hook to his cheek, and it sends him reeling. But he doesn’t get a moment to recover; I follow up with a powerful shot to his ribs, and I can feel the impact actually ripple through his body.

Take that fucker.

I want to hurt them both until they’re begging for mercy. But just as I’m about to deliver another blow, the headmistress’s sharp voice cuts through the bloodthirsty haze like a whip.“Enough!” Bennett commands, and we all stop as if she had used magic to make us.

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