Page 12 of Escaping Hallow Hill Academy
“I wish that were true. I’m not your nothing, though, little Sekar. I’m your fucking mentor.”
The heat of his breath lingers against my flesh as he backs away. His boots echo against the cold stone. He leaves me there with a resounding click of the door.
And I’m left in the heavy darkness wondering just what kind of deal I’ve made with the Devil Krist.
Chapter Four
Imust have fallen asleep the moment Sialen left, because when I wake again, it’s with cold hands encircling my wrists. I never would have fallen asleep in a hostage situation, but the belladonna coursing through my body is making me weak in a way I haven’t been in a long time.
I keep my breathing even, listening intently with my eyes closed as the stupid fucker unties both my wrists and slowly lowers me to the ground. The footsteps are delicate, and so is the body pressing against mine. Female, then.
I have no qualms about murdering women. I’ve done it before plenty of times. Before I make any sudden movements, I assess the damage over my body. It seems like all my clothes are still intact, but I don’t feel shoes against my feet or the heavy weight of my sword at my side.
Those fucking bitch-ass motherfuckers!
When I find Krist, I am going to tear her limb from fucking limb. How dare she? Damios was a gift from my Holy Lady of Death. Only a Sekar can wield it to reap the souls of the damned for our offerings. That offense has earned her a slow, torturous death. But first, to deal with the bitch untying me.
When she is close enough, my body acts on instinct. My head snaps forward, striking her forehead. I’m on my feet in an instant, lashing out with a quick swipe of my legs. The thud and the startled cry let me know that she’s on the floor. I yank the itchy lace away from my face and look down at the cowering figure on the ground.
I’m more of a kill first, ask questions later kind of gal.
The heel of my foot comes crashing down against her face, and I have the satisfaction of hearing her nose crunch beneath the force of my blow. She cries out, holding her hands up to fend me off. Brutal sounds rip from her throat, and my gaze lingers on her long enough to see white steam begin to shoot out of her ears.
Literal steam.
There’s only one creature I know of that can do that.
Her eyes glare up at me, pupils splitting into thin slits, the irises of her eyes nearly consuming the whites with their brilliant red-gold color. She growls, and the exposed skin on her body ripples.
“You’re a fucking dragon!” Dragon shifters are about as rare as Sekar, and I just broke one’s nose. I’m confident and hopeful this moment will go down in history books once I kill her and lead her kind to extinction.
Good riddance, bitch.
Before I can continue my assault, she flings herself back against the floor, the back of her head cracking against the tile as she writhes and cries out. I blink at that. It looks like she’s fucking possessed as her whole body convulses. I look harder and note the gleaming collar around her neck. If it’s anything like mine, I know there’s something similar to belladonna injecting into her blood. What’s a dragon’s weakness?
I get my answer when the steam disappears, and her whole body starts shivering as if she’s cold. Her teeth begin chattering, and she hugs herself, rubbing her palms down her arms.
“What the fuck is that about?”
Her shivering doesn’t abate, but she gets up and pierces me with a glare. I jolt as I recognize her. The homewrecking blonde from the hallway covered in Gavin’s cum. Blood flows down her chattering lips, and she turns to spit it out against the brick floor.
“Fuck you!” she shrieks. “I just came in here to give you your fucking list. Not deal with this bullshit!”
A list? What list? There was something about a list, but I can’t think straight, and I’m not curious enough to ask it out loud and show my weakness. I smirk at her. “You can take your list,” I purr, “and shove it up your dragon hole.”
I take a step past her to make my way to the door when I feel the needles lining my throat stab out and pierce my skin, inches deep. Liquid flows inside me in a way I wish was perverted and sexy but instead is painful as fuck. I drop to my knees and bite the inside of my cheek. My muscles spasm as a fiery sensation works its way through my system, rendering me practically useless. I tremble on the ground just like she did, fighting hard to not shout out my pain. I bite down hard until I taste the coppery tang of my blood.
Once my body stops shaking, the spasms become merely pins and needles over my skin. Little bursts of shock that make me tremble everywhere. I groan as I push myself up. My chest heaves with my heavy intakes of breath, and I try to gather my bearings once again.
My eyes meet the blonde’s, and she snarls at me. “That’s what happens when we get out of line or try to use our powers without permission, fool.” She reaches into the pocket of her long skirt and tosses a crumpled piece of paper at me. “There’s your fucking list. You’re supposed to meet with Marcen so he can give you weapons for your death watch.”
My fingers grasp for the paper, but I don’t open it and don’t look down at the scrawl there. “Death watch?” I demand. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
She groans as she stands up on shaking legs. Her pale skin looks like a light shade of blood now, like she’s frosting all over. “S-s-stupid fuck. Everyone who comes here has to prove themselves. You’re no exception. You’re supposed to go k-k-kill everyone on that list to prove your loyalty to the headmistress and our Academy.”
I open the list then and look down at the five names total. They mean nothing to me; I don’t even fucking recognize them. “Will I get to go outside?”
She makes it to the door but doesn’t stop. “If you’re thinking of escaping, you won’t get very far with that new collar anchoring you down.” Those are her parting words as she walks away.
