Page 28 of Unshaken

Sasha is low on the magical totem pole, but what she lacks in brains she definitely makes up for in her body. Her tits are perfection, ass tight and round, and not painful to look at. She isn’t gorgeous, per se, but how would I truly know from the mound of makeup she puts on her face. Sasha is my fiancée for her name alone, not someone I would choose for myself.No,I lose my train of thought.

My eyes raise quickly, my brothers and Micah gone, I sigh because now I have to fucking pretend. I look down at Sasha’s perfect dental work, nothing out of place, but the lights are definitely not on. I hate my mother even more for this, especially now. That’s why I need Micah fucking Jones out of my life, so I can retreat back into darkness and be the son my mother wants me to be. Micah is a distraction I don’t need. I need my brothers back on my side. I feel like I have to sleep with one eye open for my miscalculation on Monday, but I have no doubt that what I have planned next will make them come after me hard. We have no qualms about hurting each other, my mother didn’t raise us to care. We are triplets, we should be as thick as thieves. For Ty and Trys it comes easily. I’ve always been the odd man out.

“Rodykins!” Sasha shakes me gently. I look down, focusing on her once more, I throw in a little smile for good measure. She looks at me with concern in her eyes, looking over her shoulder at where my eyes have been trained far too long for her liking. “I asked you a question, I’ve been looking for you. I didn’t see you at lunch. We usually eat together,” she continues listing all the things I haven’t shown up to do with her all this week. I want to shrug and say yeah, I’ve been a little busy stalking the new girl, who I just so happen to be Tethered to. I rub at my chest without realizing it and cause Sasha to gasp.

“Are you hurt?” Sasha asks, and before she can say more, I am moving down the hall towards our next class. I stop. Looking over my shoulder, I see her mouth is a perfect O. The look of utter shock on Sasha’s face makes me want to laugh. I guess she can’t believe I walked away without her. I play the dutiful fiancé, walking back to her and grab her fingers with my mine. Lifting them to my lips, I lock eyes with her as I kiss the back of her hand, and my chest aches. A sharp pain, from where I bite down on the inside of my cheek helps me ignore it, giving Sasha my full attention. She melts. She will forget all about me completely disregarding her and walking away from her like she’s shit on my shoe.

“Look, baby, I’ve got a lot on my mind. You know my mother has put a lot on my plate. I would never forget you. You know that, right?” I kiss her hand again, and my stomach turns. It growls loud, and a wave of nausea washes over me.What the fuck?

“You OK, Rodykins?”She reaches up to touch my face and I pull away slightly, pulling her behind me as if we are going to be late. Well, in actuality, we are. I am a Larrieux, so that shit doesn’t matter but I need to escape her prying eyes. Ugh, and all the questions, and I wish for once that she would call me Rodyn.

“I’m fine. Let’s get to class,” I say, pulling her along. Her too high heels make a heavy clunking sound, as if she never really learned how to walk properly in heels, even though it’s her shoe of choice.

“Don’t you want to skip it? I thought we could . . . well, you know.” She strokes my arm again, and it makes my skin crawl. I cringe. Well, that is definitely new, as well as the sickness I felt when I kissed her hand. Is this the Tether? Should I even go to class? I stop walking just as we reach the side door to the outside pavilion where our Combat class is held. I search for an excuse to get rid of Sasha, and at first, I can’t find one lie to tell, then it hits me.

“You know, Sasha, I almost forgot, I have a meeting with my mother just now. I better not be late. Can you tell Professor Maverick for me?” I let go of her hand and she frowns, as if she is thinking way too hard about what I just said, then smiles.

“OK, Rodykins, you don’t want to be late. You know how your mother can be.” She rises to her tiptoes and kisses my cheek; bile rises in my throat from her touch. I try my best to hold it together, I offer her a smile and wave her off with a promise to make it up to her tonight. I watch her leave and my chest aches from the need to find Micah, it’s stronger than ever. I feel full of nervous energy. I don’t understand what’s happening to me. Pulling myself away from the door I force myself to turn and seek some answers.

I need the library now. If these reactions to Sasha are permanent, then I am royally fucked.

* * *

The library door opens with a bang, causing everyone in the room to look up at me, including the librarian. Ms. Fields, with her big round glasses hanging from a chain around her neck, which are swinging furiously while she quickly makes her way over to me. I am sure I am going to get the whisper shout of the century for disturbing everyone. When I say everyone, I would say the ten people I can see darting around the first floor of the room, and three sitting at various tables with stacks of books covering their faces.

The library is a massive circular building on the opposite side of Lux Hall. It has twenty-five floors that stretch towards the sky. To anyone approaching Lux Hall you wouldn’t think this place exists by looks alone. The library has been magically concealed to blend in with the rest of the architecture so that the towering addition doesn’t stand out like a sore thumb. It is deceptive, like our own little secret from the outside world. At least, that’s what my brothers and I would say about it when we were growing up.

Each floor is round as well, with a central staircase that climbs all the way up to the observation deck on the roof. The most impressive part is the double elevators at the center of the building that allow speedier access to each floor. Once you get to your floor the elevator doors open and a bridge extends magically so that the students can walk across to access the floor as well. Looking up, it is a sight to behold, the sea of books feels like it extends for miles. On every floor there are various study areas, where students can look into specific subjects and study in peace. Some floors can’t be accessed unless your Anchor key allows you entry. Those books are for students with more powerful magic. It’s also a way to hide the more nefarious research if one wants to come up with a way to incapacitate their enemy.

HellNight Academy is nothing but thorough in ways to corrupt each and every student. You are encouraged to crush the weak. Any student can challenge you to a duel, and if they win, they take what’s yours: possessions, and your magical status. And never look back. Your life here means nothing if you can’t climb up the ranks and make yourself a top dog. If you don’t, you die. Or you manage to survive at the bottom of the hierarchy and then months later you die. That’s the way the outside world works, and that’s what we are preparing for by attending this school. Of course, I don’t truly believe that. They’re my mother’s words, not mine.

“Mr. Larrieux, I know your mother taught you better than that. This is not a barn, you can’t just stomp in here like a Dragon, banging my door around.” Ms. Field places her glasses on the tip of her nose as she glowers at me. I hold my hands up in surrender, the sooner I can get somewhere to read the better.

“My sincere apologies, I was eager to get in here to study, that’s all.” I give her the kilowatt smile and see her warm to me instantly. Works like a charm.

“Very well. I know how you boys love to read,” she says with a fond smile. My brothers and I love this place, reading was a way to escape, the only time we got to be ourselves without the demands our mother placed on us all the time.

“Can I help you?” Ms. Fields asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“Yes. I am looking for books on Soul Tethers. Do you know what floor they’re on, off the top of your head?” I smile playfully, because of course she knows. This is her domain.

“Wow, it’s a rare subject matter, but it seems that is the topic of choice this week,” she says as if she’s trying to piece together the meaning of it all. This is interesting news, which means Micah, possibly even my brothers, have come to read up on the this as well.

“Really? I’m surprised. I wanted to learn more about it because I think maybe Sasha—”

She gasps. “No. Miss Monroe?” She looks surprised and leans into whisper. “You think she could be your Soul Tether?” I don’t answer, my mouth glues shut on the lie I can’t force pass my lips. Of course, she takes that as a yes.

“How wonderful, Mr. Larrieux!” she whispers shouts, covering her mouth with her hands to hide her excitement and her rising voice.

“Please, keep this between us, that’s why I’m here. I want to know for sure.” I make a key turning in a lock gesture with my fingers to my lips, twisting it as if to secure my secret.

“I will not speak a word of it. Now, you want the fifteenth floor, secure access room, row eight, stack five. With your power level your Anchor key will grant you access. Let me know if you need anything.” She offers me a thumbs up and hurries back to her desk, shushing a student as she went.

I turn and walk over to the set of elevators in the center of the room. Once inside I press the floor I need and blow out a breath. It surprises me that I couldn’t even lie about Sasha being my Tether. I went to say the words, and they stuck in the back of my throat. I need answers and a way out. Now.

The elevator doors open soundlessly, and I pick up the pace, crossing over the bridge that extends out from the elevator to the actual floor so that I am not seen. All I need is for one of Sasha’s friends to report that they saw me here and then I would get the “Rodykins! You were in the library. Why? What? With whom business.” Ugh. Sasha might not be the smartest, but she is a true bloodhound. Especially when it comes to me. The thought of her snooping or being near me makes my skin crawl.This is not fucking happening. I feel like I am unravelling. I’m not used to my life being thrown out of balance. I sigh. When I think about it, her friends are all brainless puppets and I doubt they’ve ever been in this part of the building. I choose to not spend a second more thinking about Sasha and her friends and continue through the rows and stacks of books.

I find the special access room easily, the shiny red metal of my Anchor glows brightly as I turn the lock to allow myself in. The door closes behind me with a soft click and the world outside ceases to exist as I stand in silence. Now that I’m alone I take my time as I count the rows, taking in various books. The smell of leather and old paper is bliss to my senses as I am transported to a time when I would hide away alone and read about places beyond my mother’s brand of crazy. As I turn the corner, I find the stack I’m looking for is completely empty. I can tell there aren’t many books on the subject from the empty space in front of me. You can’t remove books from special access from the library, so who has the books? I loosen my tie in frustration, turning in a circle, the desperation is building to a fever pitch as I try to figure out what the hell I’m going to do.

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