Every one of my senses sharpen instantly, and I whip around, prepared to tear through every single person in this crowd to get to her.
Then I hear the screams.
I follow, shoving past the crowd. Haide stands in the center of the hall, over a body crumpled on the ground, head twisted, eyes glassy.
“It was her!” someone spits, finger stabbing at Haide like ablade.
“She hated her!” another voice snarls.
“Look what you did!”
“What?” Haide throws her hands up, half laughing, half snapping. “You think I, what, strangled her in the middle of a crowd? That’s so boring.”
The boy nearest her surges forward, jaw tight with fury. “It was you.”
I step in before he can touch her, my presence slamming like a wall between them. “Don’t.” My voice cuts, sharper than steel.
The students recoil. Haide glances back at me, throat working, but I don’t let anyone close. Not one step.
This is fucking bad. A murderer right under our noses, on university grounds.
I close my eyes for a moment, linking with my brothers through our royal bloodline.
Another body.
The air warps a heartbeat later. Knight’s shadow. Vicente’s power. London’s scowl as the portal snaps open behind me with Creed the last to charge through.
He examines me before turning his attention to the body, studying the scene before taking in the chaos around us.
“A student,” Vicente rasps, kneeling by the body. His hand gently brushed the girl’s jaw. “Name?”
“Elena something,” someone whispers. “Fae. Argent born.”
Vicente is already pulling through threads of record. His magic cold and efficient. “Elena Darrow.” His gaze cuts to me. “And her roommate…” His jaw tenses.
My head jerks to Haide. “Really?”
Haide tips her head with a smirk, voice cutting through the tension. “Oh, what’s the verdict? You think I snapped her neck clean in front of all of you? Please. If I wanted her gone, you wouldn’t find a body.” She twirls her hand toward the crumpledgirl like she’s presenting a piece of bad theater. “There would be ash. Or teeth. Something to make it interesting.”
Gasps ripple through the students. A professor pushes forward. “Do you hear yourself? That is a life at your feet—”
Haide interrupts, laughter bright and edged. “Yes, Professor, I’m very observant. Thank you for the lesson.”
He takes a step closer. My body reacts before my mind does—A low hiss escapes me, dangerous, primal. My power flares and the professor freezes where he stands. “Think very carefully before your next move,” I warn.
His throat bobs, and wisely, he holds.
Vicente doesn’t so much as glance up at the commotion as he continues his examination of the body. His tone is a rasp, rough with certainty. “Cervical fracture. Snapped clean. Not magic or poison.Force.”
I look at Creed waiting for his verdict, but he only glares at Haide, a look I can’t decipher on his face. He’s probably digging around in her head for answers.
I kind of want to deck him for it. I don’t want anyone touching her, and that includes her mind. But he had a hard time reading London’s mind before she and Knight bonded, and it was due to her powers. I’ve got a feeling it’s the same with Haide.
Haide spreads her arms, mock-offended. “Oh, come on. If I were going to start murdering roommates, do you think I’d pick now? Middle of the hall, mid-panic, no theatrics at all? Where’s the fun?”
“London,” Vicente calls gently and then a barrier is thrown up around us, even Haide is stuck on the outside.
They can see us, but they can’t hear.
