Page 35 of Mortal Shift
She’d been a literal godsend, hanging out with me in the library for hours on end, digging through books with me, and generally making life at Darkveil almost bearable. It had been a tough week. Like, hell on earth tough, between Cole tormenting me at every given opportunity, Thaden and his creepy sister being out for my blood—literally, and the instructors trying to prove I didn’t belong, as if I hadn’t figured that out for myself. Suffice to say, when I busted through that gap in the wards, Ling was going to be theonlything I missed about Darkveil.
The cool air raised goosepimples on my arms and I rubbed my hands against them as I hurried on, then dropped them and reached into my pocket, fishing out the scrap of paper. A twinge of guilt gnawed at me as I looked down at the torn page because I was totally not the sort of person who ripped pages out of books. Normally. But my need had been greater. And anyway, they’d probably find some way to patch the gap after I escaped, so it wasn’t like it was going to be any use to anyone, anyway, right?
I flicked a glance across the monochrome lawns to the wall I could just make out a few hundred feet from me, and the broken tree beside it. That had to be the one the book had referenced. All I needed to do was slip behind it and I should find the seam in the wards. I’d still have to climb the wall, but when I’d been a kid there hadn’t been much in the way of money, so I’d made my own entertainment. Climbing wouldn’t be an issue.
I crushed the page back into my pocket and sucked in a deep breath of the cool night air. Tingles raced down my spine. This was it. I was getting out of here. And finally,finallyI could make sure my mom was safe, and get back to reality.
“Goodbye, Darkveil,” I muttered under my breath as I crossed to the wall. “Can’t say I’ll miss you.”
“Aw, come now, there must be something you’d miss.”
I jumped and whirled around, crashing straight into the chest of Davorin. I gasped and backed up a step into the wall.
“Where did you— What are you doing out here?”
“I don’t think I’ll be answering your questions, pet. But you can answer some of mine.”
He stared down at me, and I found myself unable to look away from his beautiful face, like a mouse admiring a cobra. I swallowed hard, and he let out a low rumble of amusement before his eyes turned to flint again.
“Tell me, pet, what areyoudoing out here this late at night?”
It was okay. I’d prepared a story, in case anyone had caught me. I just needed to remember it; something that was getting harder to do by the second.
“I needed some air,” I blurted. “Cole’s crowding me, and it’s so busy all the time in the academy, and—”
“Enough,” he cut across me, and my mouth snapped shut mid-lie.
“Tell the truth,” he commanded, his voice laced with compulsion. Shit. I hadn’t planned for that. I tried to lock my jaw but my mouth opened and words tumbled out.
“Escaping. I’m leaving Darkveil and I’m not coming back.”
“Oh, that’s not going to happen,” he said, and then his eyes narrowed. “How did you plan to get out?”
“The seam,” I said, mentally cussing my tongue and its inability to shut the hell up. “The gap in the wards. I found it in a book in the library. Ling helped me.”
“Ling?” His forehead wrinkled and I hoped I hadn’t just dropped my friend in it, but then he seemed to shake it off. “So you found out about the seam. Resourceful little mortal, aren’t you? But you’re not leaving. I’m having far too much fun playing with you.”
“This isn’t a game!”
“Everything is a game,” he corrected me. “You’re just not very good at it.”
“Well I’m done playing!”
“Too bad,” he purred. “Because I’m not. And since we’re out here, all alone, perhaps we should have a little fun.”
I tried to back away and found myself pinned against the wall. And there was no way I could scramble over it without a run up. I was trapped. A shiver ran through me and I was pretty sure it was nothing to do with the cool night air, and everything to do with the drop dead gorgeous asshole crowding in on my space, and not in a good way.
“Let me go,” I demanded. “Before someone misses me.”
His lips curved into a lazy smile. “Oh, I don’t think anyone will be missing you, pet. After all, itisthe middle of the night.”
“Leave me alone,” I said, hating the tremble in my voice. “Please.”
“Oh, you do beg so beautifully. But you know what would complete the picture?” He trailed his fingers over my cheek and I steeled myself, fighting the urge to flinch away from his touch. “You, on your knees.”
I shook my head, lips pressed together in a silent plea, but his smile just widened.
“Kneel,” he commanded, and the compulsion in his voice sent me crashing to my knees. He ran a hand through my hair. “Mm, much better.”
