Page 30 of Wicked Chains
"About your position here at Serpentine Academy." She leans forward slightly. "My sister may have led you to believe certain things about your importance, your role. Your freedoms."
"Your sister tried to drain my magic and threatened to kill me," I say flatly. "So I'm not sure what 'freedoms' you're referring to."
Helena laughs. "Oh, I see. You think Victoria was harsh? You think she was the villain of your little story?" Her smile fades. "My sister has always been soft-hearted. Too concerned with appearances, with doing things the 'proper' way."
I barely stop myself from laughing out loud. Victoria Wickersly, soft-hearted? The woman was about to have me executed. But I bite my tongue, watching Helena carefully.
"You will find," Helena continues, "that I am not so easily manipulated. I do not share my sister's weaknesses."
Hank twitches in my pocket, and I silently will him to stay still. "I wasn't trying to manipulate anyone," I say. "I just wanted to be left alone."
Her eyes narrow. "Let me be perfectly clear, Miss Smith. Your magic belongs to the Blood Moon Coven, of which I am now a prominent member. You are here for the good of our coven, nothing more."
My stomach tenses. "How is that any different from me belonging to the Crescent Moon Coven? I never wanted any of this."
Helena's laugh is ugly and humorless. "Want? Your wants are irrelevant. Your needs, however—food, shelter… safety—those depend very much on your usefulness." She taps a staccato rhythm on her desk with one long, red-lacquered nail. "And any insubordination will be punished. Severely."
"Are you threatening me?"
"I'm informing you of your new reality," Helena replies coolly. "The comfort of your stay at Serpentine Academy will depend entirely on your cooperation. Cross me, and I will make your existence here a living nightmare." She leans forward, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I will keep you alive, Miss Smith. The Coven requires it. But I promise you will wish you were dead."
The nervous twitching in my stomach turns into painful knots. Victoria was bad enough, but Helena is something else entirely. At least Victoria maintained a veneer of professionalism, of academic purpose. Helena seems to revel in her cruelty and wants to wear it like a badge of honor.
Before I can respond, the door behind me swings open without a knock. I don't need to turn to know who it is. I feel it.
"Helena," Ash's voice is low. "I thought we agreed you would inform me of any meetings with Miss Smith."
I glance over my shoulder to see Ash striding into the room like he owns it, his green eyes cold and calculating. He doesn't look at me, his gaze is fixed on Helena.
"I wasn't aware I needed your permission to speak with a student, Ash," Helena replies, her tone icy. "As headmistress?—"
"As a figurehead," Ash corrects smoothly. "Let's not pretend, Helena. We both know who's really in charge." He finally turns those emerald eyes on me. "What has our dear headmistress been telling you, Rose?"
I hesitate, caught between them, unsure whose wrath I'd rather face. "Just clarifying my position here," I say carefully.
"Is that so?" Ash moves to stand beside my chair, and Hank shifts uncomfortably in my pocket.
"I was merely explaining to Miss Smith that her continued comfort depends on her cooperation," Helena says. "That insubordination will not be tolerated."
Ash's expression darkens. "She's mine to break, not yours."
The words hang in the air, and I feel like I've been slapped. Not because of the sentiment—I already know Ash thinks he owns me—but because of the sudden realization that washes over me. I'm caught in a power struggle between Ash and Helena. And as much as I hate to admit it, I might be safer under Ash's obsession than Helena's cruel ambition.
At least Ash sees me as something valuable, something worth preserving, even if it's just as a tool or a possession. Helena looks at me like I'm nothing more than a means to an end, a resource to be drained and discarded.
"I believe we had an understanding," Ash continues, his voice soft, but I pick up on the dangerous note it contains. "The Smith witch falls under my authority. The blood mark binds her to me, not you."
Helena's small eyes narrow to slits. "Need I remind you, Ash, that while you may control the Blood Moon Coven, I control this academy? And so long as Miss Smith is a student here, she is subject to my authority as headmistress."
I can sense Ash's displeasure with Helena, the way his body has gone rigid beside me. And Helena's rage at being undermined is written all over her face, in the tight line of her mouth, the grip she has on the pen she’s picked up.
I remain perfectly still, afraid that any movement might draw their attention back to me. This feels like watching two apexpredators size each other up, and I have no desire to become collateral damage in their fight for dominance.
After what feels like a year, Helena's mouth grimaces. "We will discuss this later," she says to Ash, then turns her gaze on me. "Get out of my sight, Miss Smith."
I don't need to be told twice. I rise from the chair, careful to keep my movements slow and non-threatening. Ash doesn't move from his spot, but his eyes follow me as I edge toward the door.
"Rose," he says, just as my hand touches the doorknob. "We'll continue our conversation from earlier. Soon."
