“I don’t owe you shit,” Nyx interrupts the mutt, standing behind them and crossing her arms over her chest. “And I don’t needyou,” she glares daggers at me, which makes my chest tighten, “butting in.”
“Fucking Fate, how stupid can you be?” the mutt laughs, suddenly incredulous. “Bitch, you must have a death wish or something. It’s one thing to get on our bad side right now, but you gotta be a fucking idiot to piss him off, too.”
“Looks like you already have,” she nods towards me. The mutt sneers, but Felicity stops her before she can dig herself even further into a hole.
Or a grave.
“Shut up, Erin.” Felicity hisses.
“What?” she argues, “Everyone knows morata always have a screw loose-”
“Get. Out.” The dragon commands, deep voice sibilant with rage.
“We’re going,” Adrian quickly cuts in, putting his hands on their shoulders and steering them around me with a wide berth.
“Good luck bitch, hope he eats you,” Erin cackles before I lunge and snap my teeth at her, causing all three of them to stumble. I track them until they’re out of sight as they descenddown the marble staircase. Rustling picks up behind me and I turn to see Nyx gathering her backpack, intent on fleeing.
“Where are you going?” I ask, willing my voice to return to normal.
“Away,” she mutters, avoiding my eyes.
“You can—you can stay. If you want.” I barely resist fidgeting under her scrutiny.
“Listen—thanks for,” she waves her hand, gesturing vaguely to where the trio were standing moment earlier, “that. But I’m, good, really.”
“I’m sorry.”
“What?”
“I’m sorry for being a dick. Last week.” She crooks her eyebrow, waiting for me to continue. “I don’t—I’m not uh, good with people.”
“No, really? I’m shocked.” She deadpans, and I scoff, fighting back a small smile while the dragon laughs in my mind.
“They might be waiting to jump you.” I blurt, trying to convince her to stay. That makes her pause.
“God, what iswrongwith people here?"
“A lot.”
She scoffs, but I don’t miss the way her soft pink lips curl slightly. She bites the lower one and her eyes flick between me and the stairs in indecision, then her shoulders slump.
“Lead the way then, I guess.” Elation pierces my chest like a fucking arrow. She follows me through the stacks and when we get to my claimed corner, I pull out the chair for her this time.
“So… what was all that about?” I broach as we sit across from one another in awkward silence. She groans and tilts her head back, exposing her neck and fuck me sideways when the dragon sends me images of licking the long column of exposed flesh.
“Just… some bullshit. You know Professor Brandt?” I nod. Fucker’s crazy powerful. “He’s trying to figure out how to flipthe switch on whatever magic I might have and surprised me with Felicity and Adrian and two others tonight for up close demonstrations.” She shakes her head, taking a deep breath.
“And… you performed magic?” I prod, seeing how far I can push her.
“Apparently.” She shrugs.
“You don’t think so?”
“How the fuck am I supposed to know?”
“What did it feel like?”
She looks away, and for a moment I think she’s going to rightly tell me to go fuck myself. But then her eyes shutter and she starts speaking softly. “Felt like I was about to have a panic attack,” she pauses. “Like my heart was racing and there was this ringing in my ears. Then the lights went out.”
