Page 12 of Feral
Not once, but twice.
Once could be dismissed as an accident, but twice was a pattern she didn’t want to set in.
After their close encounter in the dressing room, she’d decided to take an extra dose of suppressant just to be safe. It obviously wasn’t a high enough dosage to deal with him.
Of far more concern was the fact that she still had three rings with no one to wear them. The closer she drew to having to make a choice, the more tempting Axel became. Not simply because she already lusted after him, but because he was familiar. As cruel as he could be, she knew his limitations. She knew all the dark, ugly sides of him. Every hollow of his soul where the worst of him resided.
Maybe he was the devil, but at least she knew him.
She shook the thought off, determined to just focus on getting through the day. An hour-long steaming hot shower didn’t leave her feeling rid of Axel’s scent, but it would have to do. She got dressed in one of the outfits she’d bought the day before and left her dorm to head to the Headmaster’s office. There were still a couple of hours before class, and she needed to get her new uniforms.
Hopefully she’d be out early enough to avoid running into any other students.
It was bad enough that she’d started out as the school pariah, but now that the toms were looking at her like she was fresh meat, what was once unsettling was now infuriating.
When she arrived outside the administrative offices, she found that the door was still locked. There was no light underneath the door either, so she assumed the secretary hadn’t even arrived yet.
Sighing, she leaned back against the wall to wait.
It didn’t take long before her peace was interrupted, and of course it wasn’t one of the Academy staff members. She recognized Brad immediately. And how could she not? His shitty behavior and overpowering scent had made quite the impression.
If there was one thing she was looking forward to about being out of heat more than any other, it was the reduced sensory sensitivity.
The fact that it made the males she was already attracted to even more tantalizing was more of an issue.
“Well, if it isn’t the Empress,” he sneered, sauntering toward her with a malevolent look in his eyes. Ella had expected him to lash out at her the moment she’d found out Axel had beaten him up on her behalf, which was yet another reason she wasn’t interested in his “help.”
Hell, he was almost more dangerous as a friend than as an enemy.
When had she started thinking about him like that?
“What’s the matter? Hoping to get your nose snapped back into place?” she taunted, folding her arms. She refused to show any sign of fear, especially now that she was alone.
Axel was right about one thing. The old Ella just instinctively rolled over and submitted in hopes of being left alone, but that had never worked out for her. Taking on Marissa and the relative peace it had afforded her since then, even if it was only because they were all afraid of her now, was absolutely worth it.
His eyes narrowed angrily and he came to a stop much too close for comfort. She could smell his overdone cologne, which somehow wasn’t an improvement on his natural scent. “Your boyfriend’s not here, is he?” he challenged, putting an arm on the wall above her. It was a position she’d found herself in with Axel more times than she could count, and it was the first time she realized that as intimidating as he could be, she’d never truly been scared of him. There was always more excitement in their heated encounters than anything else, but Brad was different.
He set off some alarm deep within her that made her want to second guess her new strategy of standing her ground. She wanted to turn and run instead. Just the thought of him touching her made her skin crawl and her blood boil.
Not that she’d make it very far. Standing firm was the best option now, as far as she could see it. Meeting his gaze was difficult, not because he had the same powerful energy that Axel and Sterling possessed, but because they were full of the echoes of his filthy thoughts and she felt like the contact was contaminating her.
“Careful, Brad,” she said, lowering her voice. “I’m going to be in a position to make your lifeveryunpleasant soon.”
The threat seemed to take him by surprise as much as it did her. She hadn’t even realized what she was saying until the words were out of her mouth, but it felt good. If everyone was going to envy and hate her for the position, she might as well enjoy some of the benefits.
“Think you’re a clever little kitty, don’t ya?” he taunted, grabbing her face in his hand. His grip was hard enough that she was sure it was going to leave bruises in the shape of his fingertips and she couldn’t strain away without feeling in danger of breaking her neck. The physical advantage was definitely on his side. “Your title can’t protect you from everything. Not if I mark you to teach you some manners.”
Fear and revulsion accompanied the adrenaline rushing through her veins. A forced mating mark was among the worst crimes a shifter could commit, and for good reason. There was no separating mates who’d been bound together that way, even if it was nonconsensual. In the less civilized days of their kind, it was a cruel tactic that had been used on more than one occasion to secure a claim to power. It seemed toms hadn’t changed all that much even if their laws had.
“Is there a problem here, Mr. Long?”
The familiar voice was low and dangerous, but it filled Ella with relief all the same. The moment Brad turned around, she broke away from his grasp and ran to Sterling’s side.
Sterling placed a hand protectively on Ella’s back, but his gaze remained fixed on Brad, cold and unblinking.
“N-no,” the tom stammered, taking a step back.
“That’s strange,” Sterling said, letting his hand fall away from Ella’s back as he walked toward his student. His posture was casual and free, but Brad was more tense than he’d ever been. “Because this is the second time I’ve found you harassing Ms. Doe. Care to explain yourself?” He waited pointedly as the color drained from Brad’s face. “What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?”
