“Skel’s afraid of death?” I murmured, running my hand over the fabric of the soft sofa. “That actually makes a lot of sense.”
Hunter flinched, eyes widening as he reached out and drank a few gulps of his coffee. “I don’t know why I said that to you. I’ve never let anything slip about another student before.”
“I won’t tell anyone,” I promised, trying to ease his obvious anger at himself. “I actually tend to tell you things that I don’t tell anyone as well, and I don’t think it’s because you’re my counselor.”
“Just pretend you didn’t hear anything.” He set the coffee cup down, but it wasn’t a coffee smell that wafted over to me. It was caramel and…fae magic? “Since when do you use Grimshaw’s first name?”
“Oh, um, it just kind of slipped, and he said he was going to use my first name, too.” I glanced down again for a brief moment, and the ring was still white.
His jaw muscle ticked. “Oh.”
“Is that bad?”
“No, no.” He shook his head, dark blond locksthat fell from his bun swinging back and forth. “It’s good, I guess. It’s just odd. He’s been less than kind to you, right?”
I nodded, shifting again in my seat. “He and Dex popped into the closet when I was trying to activate my powers with the dolls. They triggered something in me. My powers almost went after them…I barely stopped it.” My voice dropped lower. “When I woke up, they’d taken me to Sunstone Revive. It helped.”
“What?” Anger laced his voice, and he went completely still. “You passed out alone with them?”
“They didn’t do anything to hurt me,” I supplied weakly, realizing only now that I said it out loud how angry I should’ve been.
“You weren’t angry?” His eyes burned with anger, but my ring was still white.
“Of course I was upset,” I told him. “Maybe they deserved a much harsher scolding from me for what they had done. But I also tried to eat their souls, so wouldn’t that make us even?”
“I’ll handle it,” he gritted out. “Why did they corner you like that?”
“Because I called Hemlock a drunk bastard,” I muttered bitterly, fidgeting with my ring.
His brows arched up in surprise before a deep chuckle left his lips. “That’s not entirely wrong.”
“No, it’s not.” A giggle flew from my lipsbefore I could bite it back, and I slapped a hand over my mouth.
“What caused that?” His knuckles were white, hands clenched in fists on top of his desk.
“Oh.” The amusement faded. “He called me a slut.”
“I’ll handle it,” he growled, eyes fluttering shut as he visibly battled his vengeance magic.
“I already did,” I murmured. “Apparently, the word bastard hits him where it hurts.”
“Not good enough.” He took a deep breath. “How’s feeding going? I had a talk with Ashenfell, and he assured me that you wouldn’t be around others. It was my idea for the dolls.”
“I like the concept.” Though, the dolls are creepy. “But I just can’t seem to get it right,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. “It's like there's a block I can't push through to get to my powers unless something else triggers them.”
“I’ve spoken with your father.” A reassuring smile touched the corners of his lips. “He’s worried about the dark magic issues with the council, but you’re still his priority. He plans to attend your next feeding class to help you through it. There’s no better way to learn how to eat souls than from another soul eater.”
My heart leaped at the thought of Daryl being there. I hadn’t been expecting him to be making visits to my classes, but it would be reallyhelpful with feeding. “Really? That would be great.”
His expression softened. “This is important, starlight. You need to feed, not just for your strength but for your overall health. I’m honestly completely floored how you survived as long as you did without it.”
“I’m scared.” The words tumbled out. “What if I can’t do it, evenwithDaryl there?”
Hunter stared at me for a long moment before exhaling a steady breath and pushing to his feet. He rounded his desk and came over to sit next to me on the sofa.
My heartbeat roared in my ears at his closeness, and I inhaled his sweet chocolate scent deeply. All of my nerves calmed with him so near, and I wanted to throw my arms around him and squeeze him tightly, but I knew that wasn’t something I should do.
“You’re not alone in this.” He placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. “We’ll get through it together. Feeding can be scary for any demon since our magic is so wild, but having the ability to kill when feeding is even scarier. It’s okay to feel that.”
