"Okay, good, 'cause right now I wanna watch him beat the crap out of the guys who kidnapped me."
Pascal might've been disappointed because Devereaux did not beat the crap out of them. Once they were sufficiently terrified, he dropped them from a decent way off the ground, but not high enough to seriously injure them beyond a sore bottom. Without a look back, they bolted to the carriage compartment.
"Go!" the burly man shouted to the driver. "Fuck the cargo,go!"
Pascal scoffed, crossing his arms. "Yeah, you better run!"
I frowned. Despite the men’s panic, the horses weren't moving. Where was the carriage driver?
"Ow!" Pascal yelped.
I turned just in time to see the weaselly carriage driver pluck off a strand of Pascal's hair before zipping back to his post.
"What the hell was that for?" Pascal asked, rubbing his head.
"I don't know," I said. "Is it worth chasing him?"
Devereaux growled, the sound like a deep hum inside of a porcelain pot. "It is up to you. I, for one, am simply glad to see you both safe and sound."
The carriage driver whipped the air, waking the horses. The carriage took off before Pascal could answer, but he didn't seem upset.
"Eh, it's just hair. It'll grow back. I hope... It would've been nice if he justaskedinstead of snatching it off my head."
"Pascal, they're kidnappers. I don't thinkniceis something they aspire to be."
"Good point." Pascal turned to Devereaux. "Anyway. Uh, hi. It's nice to finally meet you. Devereaux, right?"
"Yes, that is my name," Devereaux said, bowing his head. I realized with a flash of warm amusement that he was being shy. I took his hand and brought it towards Pascal.
"I know he looks different than you expected," I said to my friend, "but Devereaux is still the love of my life. I'm glad the two of you are finally meeting."
Pascal grinned. He didn't hesitate to shake Devereaux's hand. "Nice to meet ya."
Seeing Pascal's immediate and genuine acceptance, the last of Devereaux's shyness melted away.
"Likewise," Devereaux replied, his stone fangs curling into a smile. My heart fluttered. He was so handsome, even more so now than he was as a human. Maybe I just fell deeper in love with him every passing moment.
"Pascal," I asked, "what happened tonight?"
My friend's face darkened. "Headmaster. She sold me out. Literally."
"Argon did mention a bill of sale," Devereaux said grimly.
"Why?" I asked, horrified.
Pascal scoffed, looking angry enough to spit. "Why else? For money. And because she was pissed at you for defying her."
That was exactly what I didn't want to happen. I shook my head, swamped by guilt. "I'm sorry. I never meant for her to take it out on you."
"It's not your fault, Florian, it's all hers," Pascal grumbled. "Anyway, now what do we do? You don't have anywhere to live. I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume that I don't either. I doubt Headmaster's gonna welcome us back with open arms, and even if she did, I don't want to live under her anymore."
"I agree. But I promised the kids I'd be back."
Pascal frowned. "Yeah. I want to see them, too. They must be so scared and confused with both of us gone, and we know how Headmaster is with kids..."
I staved off the urge to shudder. Headmaster was about as comforting as a wet blanket.
"I can take you there," Devereaux offered. "With my new ability to fly, it should be a short journey."
