“Where…are we going?” Nix asked, feeling a weird sense of déjà vu.
Elle giggled. “Aw, Nix, you must not have gotten much sleep last night. We are going to the salon first, remember? They are going to dye your hair back to a pretty light—”
“I miss you as a blonde, Nix,” Adar said from the front of the car, smiling at her from the rearview mirror.
“Blonde,” Nix repeated, trying tothink. Gods, Adar was so handsome. So tall and lean. So royal-looking.A prince.
“Don’t you want to please me, Nix?” Adar’s velvety voice invisibly wrapped around her, cocooning her with the promise of turning her into something new. Something better. “Doesn’t it feel good to please me?”
Something about that question had Nix’s nails digging into her palm. Something about pleasing someone…
“You looked so good as a blonde,” Adar complimented her. “I just want you to feel beautiful tonight.”
“And we’re headed to a super nice salon. The dye will look gorgeous and natural.”
Nix blinked but slowly agreed, “Uh, okay.”
“Yay,” Elle squealed. “So, first we will do our hair. Then, lunch with dad. Then, makeup and nails. Then, we will head back to the academy to get dressed for the dance.”
“Um.” Nix breathed. Even her inhalations felt…different. “Okay.”
“I don’t want to stress you out, but I think, at lunch, Dad plans to ask you to switch your class schedule back,” Elle whispered to her. “It’s just that he has been receiving several complaints from the other cygnus families about how unfair it is for you to be in classes with other alphas. I hope you understand.”
“Of course, she does,” Adar said. “Nix is smart, and she knows to do what Dad says. Right, Nix?”
“After all, our family practicallyraisedyou,” Elle said. “You’d never disobey the man who saved you from those dragons that killed your parents.”
Something felt…wrong.
Nix dug her fingers into her hair, massaging her scalp.
“Aw, does your head hurt?” Elle tenderly touched the back of Nix’s neck. “Why don’t you take a nap while we drive to town? Just relax and sleep, okay?”
“I feel…weird.”
“Elle,” Adar said pointedly. Like he was directing her to do something.
Elle nodded and grabbed at Nix’s hand. “Sleep, Nix. You’ll feel better when you wake up.”
CHAPTER 21
After potions class with no Nix, Bael burst into the dean’s office. Ryker stepped in behind him, knowing there was nothing he could do when the incubus got worked up like this. Not that Ryker wanted to stop him. Ryker wanted to know where Nix was.Now.
“Where is she?” Bael snapped at Dean Felling.
“Mr. Obsidius, I was in the middle of a—”
“I’ll ask one more time.” Bael’s blade shone in the light of the office as he held it up, ready to throw it directly into the dean’s eye. “Where is she?”
“Blatantlythreatening me? If you think I will allow—”
“I would like to remind you, Dean Felling, that the people who gave you this power did so because they have money. Money. Like whathumansvalue. I, on the other hand, have the ability to sentence you to an eternity of torture.”
“Yes, well…” The dean sputtered as he tried to one-up the incubus. “I can expel you.”
Ryker growled at the threat.
Meanwhile, Bael grinned crazily, amused. “Send me back to Hell, and I’ll take you with me.”
