“Because you feel no pain.” Vitra arched a brow. “Yes, I understand why you thought you could best Miss Vayne, but a lack of pain doesn’t exempt you from death. In fact, it makes death more likely, because you lack the basic biological system that warns you just how hurt you are.”
“I know that. I’ve lived with the curse most of my life.”
“And yet you chose to ignore it.” Vitra exhaled sharply, as if he were done with this conversation. As if I were a child, not worth the effort of debate. As if my words—and I—were pointless.
Anger sparked behind my eyes, my nails biting into my palms. “I know exactly how much damage my body can take, with or without pain. Tamina lashed outafterthe bell. She broke the rules to try and break me. I was fine until then because I know my body, so back the fuck off.”
His tawny gaze brightened with anger before going dull and flat. A look that was clearly a dismissal. “Very well. I shall see you in class tomorrow. Bright and early.”
“Wait a second,” Darla said. “She needs to rest and?—”
“Actions have consequences,” he said coolly. “Miss Onyx’s injuries aren’t my problem.” He turned away. “Nine a.m. sharp. Be present or accept a failing grade.” He strode off, leaving me with a stunned Darla and a seething Drayven.
“Well,” Darla said. “I’ve never seen him behave that way before.”
“You mean he’s not always an asshole?”
“He’s never an asshole,” Darla said, looking perturbed.
“You’re not going,” Drayven said to me. “You need to rest. The poultice needs time to work. And without pain, you won’t know if the wound has reopened.”
“I thought you sealed it.”
“I helped it clot, but it could still break open. The poultice needs time to work. One failed class won’t matter.”
But it did to me. Failing a class meant having the return of my power delayed. “I’ll be fine. I want to go.”
He looked set to argue, but a rap on the door interrupted him, and Clary stuck her head into the room.
“Hey…” She slipped inside. “We were so worried. How are you feeling?”
“Like I have a boulder resting on my chest.”
“I’ll leave you to it.” Drayven ducked out before I could thank or reassure him any further.
“Get some rest and eat the food,” Darla said before following Drayven out.
The Unwoven scattered around my room.
“You look like shit,” Dori said.
“Thanks.”
“No pain, huh?” Benedict said.
“Not a twinge.”
Silence fell for several beats before Clary broke it. “I mean, when Drayven climbed the mesh and leapt into the arena to save you...” She clasped her hands to her chest with a dreamy sigh. “That was something.”
He’d scaled the barrier. Leapt in to save me from bleeding out because… Because he cared. He cared about me. I wasn’t sure how to feel about that. Attraction and banter were one thing, but emotions complicated everything. Drayven was a good guy, the kind of guy I could catch feelings for, and the fact that his touch seemed to bypass my curse was a bonus, but I wasn’t here for romance. I couldn’t allow it to distract me from my goal.
“You’ll need a new bra,” Dori said, biting back a smirk.
“And Tamina will need new pants,” Benedict said. “She almost shit herself when the Thropes descended on her.”
I flopped back against my pillows. “I wish I’d seen that.”
“What I don’t understand is why the Weave didn’t help you this time,” Benedict said. “It defended you before.”
