Page 34 of Stray
As the realization set in, Ella felt her stomach churn. She could hear the voices in the conference room growing louder, which meant they had probably come to a decision, whatever the hell it was they were trying to decide in the first place. She hastily typed out a reply.
“I don’t know what Brad is talking about. I’m not ‘fucking’ anyone.”
Not yet, at least. Now she knew the name of one of those creeps from the hall, so that was something. Why Axel had cared to defend her honor, however, was beyond her ability to fathom.
She immediately dismissed the assessment. He’d already made it clear he only wanted her now that she was of some practical use to him. He probably just wanted to defend his “claim.”
If word was getting out about her heat, though, that could only spell trouble.
Another text appeared on the screen, but before she could read it, the door opened. Ella quickly stashed her phone in the pocket of her blazer and stood as the headmaster came out, followed by Natalia, Emily, the doctor, and Sterling. Tessa was there, too, and Ella couldn’t hide her shock. Where had she come from?
“Don’t just sit there staring at me like I’m a ghost,” Tessa said in a lightly scolding tone, her eyes glimmering with amusement. “There’s another door in the hall.”
Ella felt like an idiot. At least now she knew the seemingly immortal priestess didn’t have the power of teleportation.
She glanced Sterling’s way, afraid to linger for too long. He was unreadable, as usual. Emily, on the other hand…
There was no mistaking the look on the woman’s face. Ella had seen it plenty of times before. She was embarrassed, and flustered at having been put in her place, just as she’d been the night Tessa came to dinner.
Ella found herself wondering how much of a shield her new status would really be now that the Matriarch’s ego had been bruised on her account.
The worst part was, Axel was sure to get a detailed account ofeverythingthat had transpired within that boardroom, plus his mother’s dramatizations, no matter how much Ella herself kept from him. Her phone kept buzzing, and she realized he was trying to call her, but she flipped it on silent and ignored it.
“What’s going on?” she asked before she lost the courage. It had been a long, exhausting day and it wasn’t even half over yet.
“This is a rather unusual predicament, so I called in some people more qualified to give a second opinion,” the headmaster said stiffly, refusing to look directly at her. He was a surprisingly demure fellow for someone in his position. A cheetah shifter, if rumor was to be believed.
“And of course, we wanted to get Emily’s explanation for how all this transpired,” Tessa said pointedly. There was no questioning the fact that it was a dig, and Emily’s glare turned icy in response.
“As I explained earlier, I assumed this matter would be taken care of when she visited the Academy,” Emily answered. “That’s how things were done in my day.”
“In your day, they were still using condoms made out of sheep intestines,” Tessa scoffed.
Ella pursed her lips to fight the temptation to burst out laughing, and judging from the looks on the doctor’s and Natalia’s faces, they were having the same problem.
“In any case, we’ve all come to the agreement that tradition can be bent slightly for the sake of practicality,” Natalia said, obviously trying to be the peacemaker. Ella could tell Emily was fuming nonetheless.
The older Empress turned to Ella, her expression softening with sympathy. If anyone understood the pressure she was under, it was Natalia, even though Ella doubted the refined woman had ever been the subject of such a scandal.
“Ella, dear, are you sure you want to stay here? Mr. Bryant and I were discussing the option of you coming to the family’s beach house. I’d be happy to stay with you. It’s quite remote, and well-guarded, so there’s no need to worry about safety.”
Ella felt her horror at the whole situation mingling with the fact that she was strangely touched by the Empress’ offer. She still couldn’t understand why Natalia was so kind to her. Her whole family, for that matter. And the fact that Mr. Bryant was the one who’d brought it up just made her more confident that he was unlike the others. Even the other members of the faculty.
The effect he exerted on her heart, among other things, was certainly novel enough.
“Thank you. I appreciate the offer more than I can say,” she answered, choosing her words carefully. She glanced Emily’s way, and for the moment, she seemed to have calmed down. If anything, she seemed almost as eager to leave the horribly awkward situation as Ella was. “But I’m already so far behind. I know there’s no hope of ever catching up if I leave now.”
“That brings me to my next question,” Natalia said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. It was obvious she was uncomfortable about whatever subject matter lay ahead of her, but she began to scan the crowd around her pointedly.
Ella wasn’t sure what she was getting at, but Sterling seemed to understand. He quickly sidestepped the others. “I believe this sort of thing should be left for the queens to sort out amongst themselves, gentlemen.”
Ella didn’t miss the fact that he took the long way around just to avoid brushing into her. It made her heart ache, which made her feel even more foolish.
He was just trying to be proper. She knew that, and yet, the idea that she disgusted him was constantly in the back of her mind, teasing and taunting.
Surely she had imagined the lust in his gaze before. Why on earth would he feel that way toward her? Not only was she his student, but a stray as well. The man was the epitome of good breeding, and even being the Empress wouldn’t be enough incentive to mix his prestigious line with such commonness.
“I couldn’t agree more,” the headmaster said, clearly relieved for the excuse to leave, even though it was his office. He seemed to realize that as he was halfway through the door. “Take your time. I’ll be in the cafe if you need me.”
