The first thing I thought was that it was a strange way to sleep at two in the morning, but then I saw the blood leeching out around him. Reality clicked in place like puzzle pieces snapping together.Pop-pop-pop.
Four deep puncture wounds sat on his chest, a curtain of blood flowing down to his lap, then out and around him. A fifth wound lay right on the side of his ribs, a heavy hunting knife lay buried in his lung. Even from where I stood and with his head tilted down, I could just spot his sightless open eyes.
“Balthazar?” I said, my voice shaking as I stepped forward.
Then, as the light switch of decision snapped on, I understood what I was looking at. The scent of blood, the wounds….
I screamed and rushed toward him, panic roiling as I pulled him to my lap.
“No, no, no, no…” the word kept tumbling from my lips as I cupped Balthazar’s face, his cheek cold on my hand.
I mumbled a quick healing spell, the only one I could remember, but I either didn’t do it right, or it was too late to work. His eyes still stared down at the floor, unblinking, fully unfocused.
Unconsciously, I reached out and grasped the handle of the knife. I knew if hewasalive, it would kill him, but I had already come to the decision he was already gone. There was an infinitesimal chance that taking the knife out might fire off some nerves that could kickstart his heart enough for me to try and heal him. Gritting my teeth, I yanked the blade free.
The blade made an awful, sickening, sucking sound. Tears streamed down my face as I stared at the thick, ruby liquidrunning down the blade, over the hilt, and across my knuckles. Still warm.
“Veronica! What have you done?”
My head snapped up, my whole body shaking. Brooke and Virgil were staring at me in open-mouthed horror. It was only then that I realized what this looked like. I was in the dean’s quarters in the middle of the night, cradling his body, covered in blood, and clutching the murder weapon.
Holy fucking shit.I dropped the knife, letting it clatter to the floor.
“It’s not what you think,” I cried, quickly pulling myself out from under Balthazar.
“You stay rightthere,” Virgil shouted, pointing at me, then at Balthazar. “You killed him. I can’t believe you killed him. What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“I didn’t kill him! You have to listen. I came here a minute ago because Wendy?—”
“Did you kill her too?” Brooke gasped, putting a hand to her mouth.
“What? No, that’s not?—”
“Dear gods in heaven!”
Two of the professors stumbled into the room and fell to their knees beside Balthazar’s body. I looked on in horror as they scanned my body, taking in the blood smeared on my hands, arms, and chest.
“You stay right there. Don’t you move,” the older of the two men said warily as he stood.
Shit. This wasn’t good. No way they’d believe I didn’t do this. Horrified panic had my hands and arms shaking with adrenaline. If they took me in, I was as good as done. They’d have me sent to a witch’s penitentiary or maybe even executed. I needed to get out of here.
“You come here,” the professor said waving at me, the wariness having been replaced by a mixture of loathing and rage. “You come here,right now!”
“Be careful, Karmody,” the other said, eyeing me with suspicion. “She’s a shifter.”
I swung my hand behind me, summoning all the power I had and concentrating on a spell I’d been trying to learn the last month. Either I had a breakthrough, or my fear gave me more power and focus than I’d ever had in my life, because a transfer portal opened, exactly as I’d prayed it would.
There was no time to even think or wonder where the portal would spit me out. I jumped through, leaping an instant before the professor could grab hold of me. Right before the portal vanished, I heard Virgil screaming at me to come back and pay for what I’d done.
I fell to my knees, my head bowed, sobs racking my body. When an alarm blared behind me, I flinched and looked behind me.
“Oh, damn,” I hissed.
In my haste and with my lack of practice, I hadn’t been able to summon a portal away from the school. Instead, I’d dumped myself right outside the front door.
Scrambling to my feet, I rushed toward the trees, moving as fast as I could, while the alarm roared. I shifted into my wolf form and did the only thing I could do.
I ran.
