Page 28 of Of Bone and Ash

Does she not realize the magic and power that Atlas possesses? He could take down this entire school with a simple spell if he wanted to. The hairs on my neck stand up as I feel a familiar magic seep into the air. Even through the door, I can feel the power of it, and I chuckle to myself, waiting to go in so I can hear what my brother is about to say.

“You will leave your biased feelings about Serafina out of this, or you will not be kept up to date on this situation,” Atlas whispers.

Whose biased feelings of me? I lean closer to the door, my ear pressed to the cool wood. Atlas’ voice is cool and collected, but I can hear the clipped note in his voice. Whoever that woman is, she just pissed him off.

“You can’t do that,” the woman hisses back, and I frown. Something about her voice sets me on edge. It sounds familiar. “I run this school and can have you removed from the staff. These killings are getting out of hand, and having that girl here will only make it worse.”

This time, another person laughs. It's deep and rumbles through the air. “Not even you can pull that off, Teagan. I would love to see you explain to Councilman Covington that you removed the man he assigned from the Fae Council to monitor this situation. Besides, I told you not to let students back this semester! This death is on your shoulders.” My blood runs cold when I hear the man say the woman's name, and my eyes slam shut.

“I should have dressed back up,” I mutter, resting my forehead against the door, wishing I had put on a full face of make-up as well.

“We already have someone here monitoring the situation! We don't need her here. I refuse to let her near my son again!” Teagan shouts back, and Atlas laughs.

“Yeah. And how is that going for you? Angels don't give a fuck about Fae, you know that. Their only focus is to ensure the balance of life isn't altered. They won't intervene unless the Demons try to take over this territory. They’ve never cared about Fae deaths,” Atlas snaps, and there is a pause. “And you know that it was an accident as much as I do. She never wanted to hurt Teos.”

“Teagan, save your personal problems for another time. We have another dead student,” the deep-voiced man grumbles. I puff out a breath and stand up straight, squaring my shoulders as I reach out and open the door, my emotionless mask firmly in place as I stride into the room.

Four sets of eyes flash to me as I walk in, moving toward Atlas where he sits behind his desk. I let my eyes scan over the group, moving from the massive beast of a man standing beside Atlas to the woman pacing in front of his desk. She glares at me, hands fisting at her sides as I look at her.

Yeah, she's not happy to see me again. Not that I blame her. The last time I saw her was in the hospital when I had almost killed her son.

Teagan Ramadan opens her mouth, no doubt to snarl something degrading at me, so I glance away, dismissing her presence and making the big guy next to my brother snort in amusement. I look to the final set of eyes in the room, the golden eyes locking with mine the moment I glance his way. Goosebumps race over my skin as I study the man—no, not a man—an Angel.

I would know one of their kind from a mile away. The way their magic gleams around them, highlighting their otherworldly beauty, which makes them look almost unnatural. One of my uncles is only half Angel, and he’s beautiful. This guy is stunning on an entirely different level. He is exceptionally tall, his broad shoulders taking up more room than an average Fae as he glares down his perfectly straight nose at me.

His long, wavy hair falls around his shoulders in golden waves, and his square jaw is so defined it looks like it's been carved by an artist. He's dressed in a pristine suit that reminds me of the ones Atlas wears: tan, perfectly pressed slacks, a white button-down shirt with the top two buttons undone, and a gold silk tie clutched in his hands…

Wait a fucking minute!

My eyes widen as I stare at the Angel, my blood boiling as I realize who this man is. No wonder I couldn't figure out what kind of Fae Professor Ambrose was earlier today. It’s because he’s not a Fae at all… but a damn Angel.

I shoot him a glare in return, keeping my chin held high as I feel a tingle of incredibly powerful magic brush against my mental shields. The warmth of the bright magic gliding over my void is like razor blades against my skin, making me shiver in delight as a surge of magic races down my spine at the painful feeling.

Fucking feathered prick is trying to get into my mind.

I almost laugh at that. If only this guy knew that the pain he’s trying to inflict helps me keep him out, not the other way around. With a flick of my wrist, I shove his magic away, more than used to dealing with Angelic magic as I reach where Atlas is now standing, hands spread wide on the desk in front of him for support.

From my peripheral, I see Professor Ambrose stand up straight, surprise etched on his beautiful face from me blocking then sending his magic back to him.

“Sit,” I whisper so only Atlas can hear, walking behind him and pressing a hand to his shoulder to get him to sit down. Atlas wanted our connection to each other kept from people at this university, and if he starts going overprotective brother on me, that will never happen. Atlas listens, his eyes still locked on the Angel, who is once again lounging against the wall in the shadows of the room. I can feel his gaze on me, heavy and all-consuming as I pat Atlas’ shoulder and then step to the opposite side that the big guy is on. I nod at him in greeting, taking in his appearance and relaxing when I notice the gold rings around hazel eyes.

Dragon Shifter.

The man smiles back at me, making the lines at the corners of his eyes deepen as he leans over Atlas and holds out a hand to me. “Boris, commander of the Balaur Patrol. And you must be the Councilman’s sister he sent to keep an eye on things?” the older Dragon Shifter asks, grin still firmly in place. I look at him from head to toe. The man is a mountain, standing at least seven feet tall. I can feel the strength of his animal side, the dominance that practically flows from every pore. The soft scent of pine and something musky drifts in the air, and I know this guy is an Alpha class shifter.

Atlas saves me from shaking the man's hand, reaching out and pushing it back toward Boris as I dip my head at him in respect, lessening the snub my brother just gave. Boris scowls down at Atlas, his warm eyes flicking between us before he tilts his head to the side, eyes lighting up as he smirks.

“Your mate?” he asks Atlas, just as my brother reaches out and drinks the amber liquid in the crystal glass in front of him. Atlas snorts, shooting brandy through his nose as he coughs and gasps for breath, just as something loud cracks from the other side of the room. But when I glance the Angel’s way, nothing seems out of place, and I frown. What the hell was that?

“W-what?” he asks, looking at Boris like he’s gone mad. It's hard to keep a straight face as I watch Atlas’ face flush. Oh, God! If only Boris knew he was my brother.

“Can we get back on topic here?” Teagan sneers, stepping back from Atlas’ desk to avoid getting sprayed with his drink. I look at the woman in front of me and frown.

“Teagan,” I murmur in greeting, glad that my voice comes out steadier than normal when I feel like I’m about to throw up. Teagen manages to look simultaneously upset at the lack of respect shown by using her first name in greeting and shocked at hearing my voice. Her eyes flick over my body, studying me with an intensity that unnerves me.

“Hmm, I told that brother of yours that you could talk. I’m glad you’ve finally decided to grow up and communicate,” she grinds out, making Atlas’ shoulders tense under my hand.

“Teagan, you can be respectful, or you can leave. I extended you an invitation since you are the current acting Headmaster of the university, but that can and will be rescinded if you cannot show my friend the respect she deserves.”

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