I shook my head. “This is all your fault,” I mumbled.
“I know,” he said, then sighed. “Sorry. I’ll help you redo your notes for this class.”
And being reminded that my computer had been destroyed — and probably couldn’t be repaired in this world, another expense — was the last straw.
I burst into tears.
Rook shifted over and wrapped his arms around me.
He didn’t deserve to comfort me. I wanted to push him away but had no strength. And it felt good being held while I let my emotions drain out through my eyes.
“You have another class you need to get to?” Rook asked.
I shook my head. This was my only class today. Tomorrow, I had Elven Law in the morning and Water Magic in the afternoon.
“Take the time you need. I know all of this is… a bit much.”
That was an understatement.
“Oh, you think? A bit much? In one day I’ve been abducted, unwillingly bonded to a bat-shifter-vampire, forced to room with the traitor behind all of this shit, then humiliated in public by a horrible woman with a superiority complex. Oh, and my computer was trashed by dragon.”
I gave a mirthless breath of a laugh at that last bit. Of all the things I’d never thought I’d say:my computer was trashed by dragon, was high up there.
“Unwillingly bonded to who?” Rook asked.
Fuck! I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone about that!
“Nothing, forget it, I hate you,” I said, though it was getting harder and harder to loath this man the longer he held me. Especially with his smoky s’mores scent, which spoke to some deep place of peace and longing in my soul.
“I’d like to say it will get better, that things will get easier… but…”
“But this world is shit, full of shitty people doing shitty things!” I finished.
“In short, yeah.”
“You’re such a comfort,” I snarked, folding into him more as my soul swam in darkness.
My determination wavered. I’d pledged to make the best of this world and try to help the people here, but after one day I was already questioning all of that. Could I really stick it out for a whole semester here?
Longer?
Could I really make a difference? I wasn’t an elf, and they seemed to have all the power. Even professor Svokol, who’d seemed all-powerful yesterday, hadn’t stepped in when Saldrea had stomped on my face.
Also…
“What’s your connection to Svokol?” I asked, gruff. It had been clear during class that Rook was more than just a T.A. and connected to the other man somehow.
“He’s my master.”
Ah, right. He had amaster.
Time to get some clarity. “What does that even mean?What is he to you? Are you his slave or something?” I pushed away from Rook and stood suddenly. Filled with agitated energy, I paced across the front of the room while he spoke.
Rook sighed heavily. “The simple explanation for why I follow him is that he saved me from a life of military service and probably an early death in a place you’d likely call hell.”
Wow, okay, I hadn’t expected that.
“Hell? You have a hell here? And… you lived there?”
