Page 50 of Hexmate

The guards exchanged a glance before the second one spoke. “Alright, but just you. The witch stays out here. For all we know, he might be involved.”

I felt Atlas’s body tense beside me, a low growl rumbling in his chest. “He’s with me,” he said, his voice leaving no room for argument.

For a moment, I thought the guards might challenge him, but something in Atlas’s demeanor must have made them think twice. With a reluctant nod, the guards stepped aside, allowing us to enter the room. The air inside was thick with the scent of blood and antiseptic. Karrick lay motionless on the bed, his muscular frame dwarfing the narrow hospital cot. Bandages covered much of his torso and one side of his face. An IV drip snaked into his arm, delivering what I assumed were pain medications and fluids.

Atlas rushed to Karrick’s side, his golden eyes wide with concern. “Karrick,” he said softly, placing a hand on his friend’s uninjured shoulder. “Can you hear me?”

But Karrick didn’t reply. He just laid there motionless, his eyes firmly shut. It surprised me he was still in his beast form through. Most of the monster races had a human form that they used to blend in with the rest of the world. But Karrick was covered in dark brown fur from head to toe, his pointed ears were out, and two large tusks jutted from his lower jaw. I’d never seen any of the Beastkin walk around like that on campus before.

“He can’t hear you,” a soft voice said behind us.

Both Atlas and I turned to see a woman step into the room wearing a nurses uniform. She was petite, blonde, and had an air of timidity about her.

“Why not?” Atlas growled. “What’s wrong with him?”

“He’s lost a lot of blood for one thing,” she replied, checking the IV bag and machines hooked up to Karrick to read his vitals.

It occurred to me that the infirmary must have been specially enchanted to allow technology to work within its walls. Outside the building, none of those machines would function. But here they seemed to work just fine. I was glad of that.

“And for another, he’s been cursed.”

“Cursed?” I asked before Atlas could reply. “But… that kind of magic is forbidden on campus.”

“That’s true,” she nodded. “And why there’s so much security presence around this. The dean himself was here earlier along with the top three members of the academy board. It was only because of them that we could figure out the curse.”

Atlas’s eyes narrowed, his jaw clenching. “What kind of curse?”

The nurse hesitated, glancing between us. “I’m not sure I should-”

“Tell us,” Atlas growled, his patience clearly wearing thin.

She sighed, relenting. “It’s a binding curse. It’s locked him in his beast form and rendered him unconscious. We can’t wake him or shift him back to human form. If he stays like this for too long… he’ll die.”

I felt a chill run down my spine. Such a curse was not only forbidden, but incredibly complex. It would take a powerful witch to cast something like that.

Atlas turned back to Karrick, his hand still resting on his friend’s shoulder. “Who did this?” he asked, his voice low and dangerous.

“We don’t know,” a gruff voice replied. We all turned to see a tall vampire step into the room, a badge with the symbol of the Elder Council displayed proudly on his chest. “He was found alone, and there were no witnesses. The security team is investigating, but there are no leads so far.” His gaze landed on me, giving me a good hard look. “All we know is that the culprit is a witch. There’s no other explanation for such powerful magic.”

I felt Atlas tense beside me, his grip on my hand tightening protectively. The vampire’s accusatory gaze made my skin crawl, but I forced myself to meet his eyes steadily.

“Not all witches are capable of such dark magic,” I said, keeping my voice calm. “And those who are, wouldn’t risk using it on campus. The consequences would be severe.”

The vampire’s eyes narrowed. “Perhaps. But desperate times can drive people to desperate measures. The tensions between witches and other factions have been rising lately. This could be the spark that ignites a much larger conflict.”

Atlas growled low in his throat. “Are you suggesting this was some kind of political move? Karrick isn’t even involved in faction politics. He’s just a student, like the rest of us.”

“Sometimes, Mr. Faolan, it’s not about who the victim is, but what they represent,” the vampire replied coolly. His gaze flickered between Atlas and me, a faint smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. “Speaking of representation, I’m curious about your... relationship with this witch.” He stepped forward, his nose twitching as he sniffed the air. “The two of you are clearly involved. That’s rather unusual, wouldn’t you agree?”

Atlas tensed beside me, his golden eyes flashing dangerously. “My personal relationships are none of your concern,” he growled, taking a protective step in front of me. “We’re here for Karrick. Focus on finding who did this to him.”

The vampire’s smirk widened, revealing the tips of his fangs. “Oh, but it may be very relevant to our investigation. A werewolf and a witch, breaking centuries of tradition? That’s bound to ruffle some feathers. Perhaps someone wanted to send a message.”

I felt my blood run cold at the implication. Could our relationship have somehow led to this attack on Karrick? The guilt and fear must have shown on my face, because Atlas squeezed my hand reassuringly.

“That’s ridiculous,” Atlas snarled. “Karrick has nothing to do with us. This is just a pathetic attempt to stir up more conflict between factions. Besides, there are lots of other students in non-traditional relationships here. It’s college for fuck’s sake.”

The vampire opened his mouth to retort but was cut off by a commotion in the hallway. Suddenly, the door burst open and atall, imposing man strode in. His silver hair and piercing golden eyes immediately marked him as a powerful alpha werewolf. His presence made the room feel suddenly much smaller.

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