My heart slammed against my chest as adrenaline pumped through my veins. They kept a two person gap between each other as they walked around us, and if we could get past, we could make a run for it.
I glanced at Trixie, who had magic skittering all over her body and knew she wasn’t going to run. My fists tightened around the bags and frustration coiled in my gut. If only I could do something other than shift into a fox. Why didn’t I have any other powers?
Trixie had to protect us both all on her own, because I didn’t know how to protect myself.
No wonder Damien had been keeping an eye on me. I shouldn’t have left campus, and I shouldn’t have done it without letting him know.
One of the guys grabbed at Trixie again, but she zapped him, and another one reached for me, but she zapped him too without realizing the other guy was trying to get her again.
I pushed my feet to move around her and bared my teeth at the one in the jacket, who smirked.
“You’re spunky for a weak woman. I bet you’d be great in—” His hand made it centimeters away from my face when shadows exploded forward and sliced down his arm above the elbow.
Blood spurted from his arm, raining down on Trixie and me both. The warm liquid coated our uniforms and skin, and bile burned the back of my throat.
“She’s mine.” A menacing growl tore through the air as Damien walked out of the shadows behind him, and my knees trembled.
Thank the Fates he was here.
The guy screamed as blood continued to spurt from his missing limb, and the rest rushed over to their leader and brought him to his feet as he growled in agony.
“Where the fuck did you come from?” one of them growled at Damien.
Damien stood in front of Trixie and me as his horns burst through his skull as his tail speared out behind him. “I’ll be back for you fuckers.”
His shadows enveloped us both, and he brought us back to the academy and dropped us at our dorm in the shared area.
I gasped out as my knees buckled and drove into the floor. The bag of herbs in my arms dropped to my side.
“What happened?” Kian was next to me with his eyes wide and his glasses pushed to the top of his head. “Why are you covered in blood?”
Trixie stood next to me with a hand on her chest as she tried to breathe.
Damien was in his full demon form with his shadows slithering over his body as he towered over Trixie. “What the fuck were you thinking taking her off campus?”
“I didn’t think it mattered.” Trixie’s voice was tight, and she had tears welling up in her eyes. “I swear I didn’t think—”
“That’s the fucking point!” he roared, causing the lights in the room to flicker while his shadows bounced around mercilessly. “You weren’t thinking! Do you have any idea what those fuckers would’ve tried to do to you two?”
“I know, Damien, I’m sorry. I—”
“You were supposed to keep her safe!”
Tears trickled down Trixie’s cheeks, mixing with the blood as his shadows whipped around her.
“I know!” Her chin trembled as she held his gaze. “I messed up!”
I pushed myself off the floor and rushed in between them. “Damien, stop it!”
His eyes softened just a bit before another growl rumbled in his chest, and his shadows snaked around me. “You could’ve been killed,” he hissed. “Do you have any idea what they wanted to do to you? To youboth!”
Trixie sobbed behind me, and a growl rumbled in my chest. “Don’t yell at us! Don’t you think we knew we were in danger? You shouldn’t be so… so…mean!”
“Mean?” A dry chuckle escaped his lips as his shadows wrapped loosely around my neck, and I kept my gaze level with his. “Little bird, you haven’t seen me be mean.”
Damien wouldn’t hurt me.
“Damien!” Kian swatted at Damien’s shadows with glowing hands as he stepped between us. “What’s wrong with you? Someone needs to tell me what happened right now.”
