Page 60 of Ava: Part Three

Mr Hansson sat behind the dean’s huge desk, looking through some paperwork. He didn’t say anything even when the door closed behind the Council members. He looked like a regular human doing a tedious office job.

Until he looked up and showed all his darkness in those purple eyes.

“Oh, good! You're here,” Mr Hansson said. “Forgive me for pulling you out of your classes. An excellent academic career is important for all our future leaders. I won’t take up too much of your time.”

And then, the man stood and straightened his suit before he walked around the desk. Zeke pulled Ava to stand behind him even though he was outnumbered.

Mr Hansson noticed, and then a slow smile formed on his lips.

“I thought she rejected you,” he said. “Mate bonds are so ridiculously fickle. At least they are easy to break.”

He felt the cold seep into his bones, and his beast became more alert. No one was breaking his bond with Ava.

“Shall we go?” Mr Hansson said.

He didn’t know what the Head of the Council meant until he found himself standing quite a distance outside the academy’s massive main gates, right at the boundary to the forest. Right where the forest ran unchecked with no clear boundary. Ava gasped and moved closer to him. Their shock made his mental shield slip a little, and the dark magic immediately started probing.

Shadow growled in his head at the intrusion, even as they both worked to protect themselves again.

Mr Hansson was still standing in front of him, watching him, when he was fully protected again.

“Intriguing,” he said.

And then the Fae turned back to look down the road at the gates that stood proudly in the distance.

There was a reason no one was allowed outside the gates without a pass. If someone, student or staff, did not have the magical clearance, they wouldn’t make it far down the road. Unless they were a demon wolf. His last escape plan would have had him and Ava running down the main road to the end of the forest, but it had still been a long shot. The road was long, and he had never been in the forest for a long time.

He felt the magic of the forest start to press against him and looked back at the Council members. They didn’t look affected by the magic even though they were standing so close to it.

“Do you know why this campus is my favourite?” Mr Hansson started. “It’s not just because I send all the future leaders here. And it’s not just because the security is so impenetrable.”

He looked up at the forest—the impenetrable security—before he turned back to them.

“It’s because this forest has exceeded my expectations. It’s like having my eyes and ears constantly on the academy.”

And then the magic snapped in around him, gripping him like a vice.

Chapter 36

Avafelttheoddsensation of the magic around her as Mr Hansson talked. And behind her, she could sense the three Council members.

It was like everything was heightened out here.

The forest leading to the school had been her first introduction to the evil that surrounded her daily, but it felt more threatening here than around the school.

Almost as if what resided here was never meant to be seen.

She could sense it, whatever it was. Creatures like the ones she had seen? Or something much worse?

There were so many sounds, living things prowling the forest behind her. She heard a growl in the distance, and the hair rose on the back of her neck. Goosebumps rose on her arms under her blazer. Whatever that was was not something she had seen before. She didn’t dare to look back.

“Do you know why this campus is my favourite?” Mr Hansson continued. “It’s not just because I send all the future leaders here. And it’s not just because the security is so impenetrable.”

The way he said it made it seem as if even if she and Zeke had got this far, they would never have made it past whatever was in there. There was a whine and another growl from the forest.

More than one. There was more than one of those monsters.

She closed her eyes and let out a breath to focus. The protective magic wouldn’t work well if she and Zeke let their emotions get the better of them.

---