Peering out of my room, the hallway was empty, so I speed-walked as fast as I could to the bathroom with only a moderate levelof panic. The monster attack had my head a mess, as I wondered if I hadn’t imagined the alien in the lake after all.
I’d explained away the first monster encounter easily enough—a hallucination caused by a lack of oxygen. But now with thissecond one...? There was a pattern here, especially when both were accompanied by a sense of danger tracing down my spine.But how did it all tie in to my stalker vibes as I walked through the halls? Was there a student—or professor, couldn’t discountthem—gunning to kill me? Waiting for opportunities as I walked around the school?
Could it be Logan...? Or Noah...?
One of his friends had already beat me half to death, so it stood to reason that the other could try as well. I hadn’t madeany enemies that I was aware of, having only punched one witch, who was no longer a student here.
But there was a threat out there.
By the time I finished showering, the tremble in my limbs had eased under the hottest water I could stand, but I was no closerto an answer. Dressed in pj’s with my wet hair wrapped in a towel, I raced through the hall. No one jumped out at me, andmy heart only calmed when I was once again safe inside my room.
Putting my bag away and tossing the dirty uniform into the wash bags that we dropped outside our doors to be laundered oncea week, I crawled into bed and let myself fall apart. My chest shook as I drew in a ragged breath, and even as I attemptedto cry, to ease the ache in my throat, no tears came. I was beyond tears, trapped in a moment of terror, as that attack flashedbefore my eyes.
Part of me knew I needed to tell someone—my dad, siblings, or Mom for example, but I had no doubt that a single mention of another attack and they’d pull me from school. As far as I was aware, I was the only onealmost dyingon the regular at Weatherstone.
I should leave.I knew that with every part of my being, and yet... I hated to let those bastards win. Weatherstone felt like home, andthe education was second to none. I mean, Defensive Spells had saved my life tonight.
As exhaustion wrapped around my brain and dragged me into sleep, I decided not to mention anything until I could do more research.I’d never heard of any magic that could create monsters. I needed to know more. We might exist in a world of magic, but therewere no mythical creatures, dark or other.
Knowledge was my power here, and I would be proactive rather than reactive.
I also needed to whip up another defensive spell.
That shit had really come in handy.
Chapter 21
The next few days I was jumpy but managed to keep it together for my friends. I got through my classes in a daze, trying tofigure out who hated me enough to dabble in dark magic and create monsters.
Logan was the obvious choice, and later that evening when I was racing through the hall to shower, he stepped into FlorenceHall and we almost collided. He caught me with ease, before I lost my footing and toiletries. “Precious,” he said, voice asmooth rumble. “Why are you sprinting like you’re being chased?” He looked over my head as if checking for a pursuer, butclearly there was none. I was just a hot mess seeing shadows and monsters everywhere.
“You don’t already know?” I choked out, because he was far too close, and I was far too frazzled to hide my usual reactionto his presence and magic. His touch confused and destroyed me in equal measures, and maybe I was actually losing my mind.
His brow wrinkled as he shook his head. “You’re just as fucking weird as you were as a child. You’re making less sense thanusual, Paisley. Are you injured? Did you hit your head?”
I’d show him who was weird. “No, I didn’t hit my head. I don’t have to injure myself when there’s someone else out there ensuringit happens. Now, if you’ll excuse me...”
I tried to wrench myself free, but his grip tightened.“Who?” he asked, in a softly dangerous tone. “Who injured you?”
This guy did my head in. “I don’t know, Logan,” I replied. “I mean, last time it was your bestest buddy, so maybe this timeit’s you. Or... your other friend.”
No change in expression. “Walter was taken care of long ago, and if Noah wanted to hurt you, you’d be in much less—” he eyedthe long expanse of leg exposed by my shorts “—pristine condition. So, I repeat, Precious, who the fuck hurt you?”
The way he saidWalter was taken care ofsettled uneasily in my chest. “You got rid of Walter? Did he end up in prison?”
His eyes twinkled, and I could have sworn he was amused. “No, he’s missing. No one has seen him in weeks. Answer my question,Paisley.”
Missing.That wasn’t good when I felt a stalker on my ass. Was it possible for him to sneak into the grounds somehow and try to takeme out for good this time? Or was he sending the monsters through the barrier?
“No one hurt me,” I said, desperate for Logan to let me go. Or pull me closer.Fuck.I was such a mess. “Can you let me go...?”
For a moment, it didn’t seem he was going to release me, but then he relaxed his grip and stepped aside. I scampered awaybefore he could say another word, and forced myself not to look back, even as I felt the burn of his gaze on me.
Tomorrow, no matter what classes I had, I’d find time to research the magic required to create monsters. And find out if ithad to be a spellcaster.
After that night I did nothing except go to classes, see my friends, and live in the library. I had all but exhausted the supply of dark magic books, and had a ton of theories about howthe monsters were being created, though nothing concrete. It didn’t take a spellcaster per se, but it did take a dark warlock or witch to be able to bring nightmares to life.
In a text on the history of dark magic, I’d found an obscure paragraph that suggested there was a way to draw beasts fromone of the planes that none of the affinities could touch. Which should eliminate Logan as a suspect, but the part aboutgoing darkwas the key. If you dabbled in magics you shouldn’t, you touched energy you shouldn’t.
