Page 37 of Do You Even Hex, Bro?
Kyle writhes on the ground, screaming and clutching the ragged stump where his arm used to be. Ryan and Rebecca rush to his side, their faces masks of horror and panic. Rebecca frantically traces sigils in the air, attempting some kind of healing spell while Ryan tries to stick Kyle's arm back on. Backwards.
Villeneuve turns away from the gruesome scene with chilling indifference. "You have precisely five minutes to leave campus before I have you escorted," he announces, his tone conversational. "There's a hospital about ten minutes away. You'd better get to it."
To my horror, small vines and tendrils of grass are already creeping over Kyle's arm, slowly reclaiming it for the earth. I have a feeling Villeneuve is responsible, though I can't fathom how or why.
Ryan and Rebecca give up on the arm and help Kyle to his feet, his face ashen from blood loss. They look terrified, both of the wolves and of Villeneuve.
I assume Villeneuve's ultimatum applies to me as well. I need to get the fuck out of here. Maybe with Kyle's arm torn off, I can get a head start on making it to Cadence's place before either groupcan track me down. I begin to back away, hoping they'll remain distracted by each other long enough for me to slip away.
"Not you," Villeneuve says without turning around. "Come with me."
I freeze in indecision. The professor radiates danger, but so do the wolves. So does Kyle, even bleeding and one-armed. Not nearly as much as any of these men, but he's still a threat to me in my weakened state.
Killian and Rowan immediately protest. "She's our mate," Killian snarls, having shifted back to human form. There's blood dripping from his mouth.Kyle'sblood. "She stays with us."
Villeneuve raises an eyebrow, unimpressed by their display. "Perhaps we should ask Ms. Cook who she would prefer to accompany while we sort out this... situation."
All eyes turn to me, and I've never felt more exposed. The wolves watch with hope plain on their faces despite the scars I know they got a good look at before I covered them with my hand. Evidently, Kyle's plan didn't work. At least not enough for them to decide they don't want me.
They're fucking insane.
"I want to go with him," I mutter, not meeting the wolves' eyes.
The bulky wolf lowers his head with a low, growling whine, ears flat against his skull. Micah's hopeful expression crumples. Rowan's face remains neutral, but his eyes darken with disappointment.
Killian looks the exact right combination of confused and frustrated for a man who's probably never been told no in his life.
For a moment, I almost reconsider. Villeneuve hardly seems benign. But then I remember what Killian just did to Kyle. The savage efficiency with which he tore off a man's arm. The bloodlust burning in his eyes. Whatever pull I feel, however "destined" this cruel joke of a match might be, I cannot—willnot—put myself at the mercy of wolves again.
Whatever Villeneuve is, whatever he wants, he's the devil I don't know. And right now, that's preferable to the devils I do.
"Come, then," Villeneuve says, extending an arm I don't take. "Let's leave these gentlemen to clean up."
I follow him across the lawn, feeling four pairs of eyes boring into me. The weight of their collective gaze makes my skin prickle, but I don't look back even as my own energy signature strains for them.
What the everlivingfuck.
Chapter
Eleven
SEAN
"Fuck, fuck,fuck!"
I slam my fist into the oak tree outside our house, bark splintering under my knuckles. The pain barely registers. Our mate—our fuckingmate—just walked away with Villeneuve. The most dangerous thing on campus. The bastard who's been fucking with our heads since we got here.
And we just let her go with him.
My wolf howls inside me, clawing to get out again. I've already burned through one shift tonight, and my bones ache from the double transformation, but the wolf doesn't care. It wants to chase. Hunt. Protect.
"We need to calm down," Rowan says, that infuriatingly reasonable tone making me want to punch him instead of the tree. "Following them now would only make things worse."
"Worse?" I spin around, vibrating with rage. "How the fuck could this be worse, man? Our mate just chose Villeneuve over us! She looked at us like we were monsters!"
"We are monsters," Rowan says flatly.
"Yeah, but not like that!"
