Page 74 of Underworld
My Virtues were all occupied and settled, so I couldn’t justify running myself ragged. I’d mentally checked in with them before going to bed. Hendrik was busy dealing with Dante—violently, from what I gathered through our connection. I didn’t even want to ask. When I was in the mood for their brand of passion, I’d join them one day, for now, I was glad that they could find comfort in one another, no matter what form that took.
Dante wouldn’t talk to me either, but our bond was stronger than it had been since my return. He would be okay, and after what my mother had said about him, I wondered if the long path of his healing had finally begun.
Strangely, because of Cole.
Because of me.
Kaito worked with Sonya’s mates to pick the five students who would accompany us on the journey into Luc’s territory. He seemed to enjoy the task as he evaluated the students who hadn’t sustained major injuries from the latest attack.
Logan worked with his wolves, and eagerly asked me if I was okay the moment I initiated our psychic connection. We hadn’t parted on the best of terms, but I told him I was just going through something. As always, he said he understood, and he didn’t press me for answers I wasn’t ready to give.
Always my loyal wolf.
Sighing, I turned over in bed, only to jolt when Yuri burst into the room and slammed the door.
“Ugh!” she groaned and flopped onto the bed beside me, making Olivia look up from her quiet studies at the table.
“What’s up, bloody cup?” Olivia asked, smirking.
“The most horrible thing ever!” the vampire exclaimed, flipping over.”
“Did you run into any Demonspawn?” I asked, worried that we hadn’t gotten rid of all of them.
She waved my concerns away. “No. What I had to deal with was way, way worse. I hadgym.”
“Sounds devastating,” I solemnly agreed.
“You have no idea!” she cried. “Uweka is a monster. He works us like dogs. Ihatehim. I hate him and I hate my life. He made us fight Hellhounds, Lily.” She flopped onto her side. “They bite, you know.”
“Uweka probably thought it was ironic,” Olivia offered, licking her finger before she turned the page in her oversized book, or grimoire, as she’d liked to correct me. She glanced up and smirked. “You tend to bite too, sometimes.”
Yuri frowned and propped herself up on her elbows. “Yeah but, I’m cute. Hellhounds? Not so cute.”
Olivia shrugged, going back to her studies. “Tell that to my finger.”
“Hey!” Yuri squealed. “That only happened one time, and you had already cut yourself on a broken cup! Not my fault your blood is tasty.”
I chuckled. “You’re both crazy.”
Yuri narrowed her eyes at me. “You know who’s crazy? Professor Uweka. He’s like some sort of ancient shaman and the Dean put him in charge of Immortal Gym Class.” She rubbed her shoulder then winced, although I couldn’t see a bruise. “He’s intense. Like seriously, I think I have TFSD.”
Olivia raised a brow. “I think you mean PTSD.”
Yuri shook her head. “No, I mean TFSD; Totally fucked and seriously done.”
Olivia rolled her eyes.
“Is it worse than shifter gym?” I asked, then my heart twisted remembering my uni-hare familiar had ventured into the Enchanted Forest and still hadn’t come back.
It was probably for the best.
Yuri nodded, oblivious of my distress. “Worse than all the smelly shifters you could put in this room combined. Only the Demis and vamps can eventakeImmortal Gym. It’s so intense, it could kill the mortal species. Like mages, for one.”
Gaping, I stared at her. “Wow. Thatisintense.”
“Yeah.” She hitched up a shoulder. “I was appalled when I saw some of the shit they go through. But the Dean pointed out that no vampire or Demi is going to be able to really learn all their abilities if they aren’t pushed to the limit. And now’s not the time for any of us to take it easy.”
That logic sounded a little too close to home, and supported Sonya’s argument that Cole had actually strengthened my Virtues, even if it hadn’t been pleasant.
