Page 56 of Of Bone and Ash

“Andrei! Move now!” I command, adding a whip of dominance to my words, making Andrei flinch as he jumps to his feet and bolts toward Dimitri, who is currently snickering like a school girl watching the show in front of him.

“Jesus!” Teos complains, jumping to his feet and glaring after Andrei as he moves away from him. He steps toward Fina, who shakes the Angel off, her sword falling from her grasp and disappearing, making everyone around her look slightly less terrified.

Before Teos can reach her, I grab him by the collar of his shirt, tug him back and shake my head. “You touch her, and I kill you,” I warn, making him laugh and look up at me, amusement clear on his face.

“Damn, you two are so much alike. It’s kinda crazy. You realize that’s what she was just saying to your Dragon buddy?” Teos laughs, not caring in the least that I have him by the scruff of the neck.

“No one gets to kill him but me,” Fina snarls, stomping over and shoving me in the chest, grabbing Teos and tugging him protectively behind her. My blood boils as the damn kid smirks like a cat who got the cream, his arms winding around Fina’s waist as his chin rests on her shoulder while she glares up at me.

“Awe. That's so sweet, Babe,” he laughs, squeezing her tight before pecking her on the cheek. “Tell the mean Dragon to leave us alone.” Fina glares over her shoulder at Teos.

“Shut up!” she hisses, shrugging him off her as Boris walks over.

“No students are allowed at an active crime scene. You two need to go back. The headmistress is asking all students to return to their dorms until the campus can be swept for any threats,” he says softly, reaching out to put a comforting hand on Serafina’s shoulder, then thinking better of it when he sees my expression.

“Yeah. Sure,” she agrees much faster than I thought she would, grabbing Teos’ hand and looking at Atlas, who gives her a small shake of the head. When her eyes narrow and she crosses her arms, he sighs and rolls his eyes, giving the smallest of nods.

Fuck, what are they up to now?

“I was just about to go grab some lunch. Teos?” she offers, nodding toward the dining hall. I watch the kid blink a few times, like his head just imploded, and grind my teeth together when he nods dumbly.

“Me?” he asks in a squeaky voice, pointing to his chest. Fina gives him an exasperated look as she nods.

“Yes. Is there anyone else here with the name Teos?” she asks between clenched teeth.

“No! That’s me. Right. Lunch. Cool! Let's go!” he chirps as he grabs her hand and practically yanks her towards the school.

“I’ll kill him,” I snarl under my breath, moving to follow after them as Boris jumps in front of me.

“Nope. I need you here to help with this,” he says, thumbing over his shoulder at Ambrose and Atlas. “That victim isn’t a student, and we need to figure out what the hell happened.” I clench my fists at my sides as I watch my Draga Mea walk away from me again, holding my breath and waiting... Praying that she looks back at me at least once. When she reaches the gates of the stadium, my shoulders roll in, and I curse, running a hand across the rough facial hair covering my chin. Looking away, I kick the toe of my boot against the ground, hopelessness filling me as I try to figure out what to do. I look up once more, knowing I’m only hurting myself more by watching her disappear. Just as she’s about to turn around the bend of the pathway leading back to the school, Fina peeks over her shoulder, our eyes clashing for a moment, making my heart stall in my chest before she disappears from view. The relief that crashes through my body makes me lightheaded.

“Yeah. Okay,” I tell Boris, taking a deep breath before I turn back to the dead girl, gesturing for Andrei to cover her up. “Dimitri, Kingston. Fly the perimeter of the campus. See if there are any signs of Demonic activity. Lewis, find out the girl's name so we can find next of kin,” I instruct as I move around the clearing, ensuring everything is done correctly. Once the girl has been moved and the field emptied of everyone but my team, Boris, and Atlas, I set my guys on collecting whatever evidence we can find here before I move to stand at Atlas’ side.

“What are you up to?” I ask under my breath, leaning down and resting my hand on the arm of his wheelchair.

“What do you mean?” he asks, his face the picture of innocence.

“Don’t pull that shit with me,” I grind out, looking back in the direction Fina disappeared. “I’m playing by your rules here, but those twenty-four hours are about up. Then everything is fair game. What is Fina doing? She left way too easily, but she checked in with you before she left,” I accuse.

Atlas studies me a moment, then nods at the dead girl, now respectably covered. “No blood in her body,” he says, and I nod, brow furrowing as I look at him. “Where is it?” he asks, and I shake my head, not understanding. “The girl is dead; there is no blood. Even a Blood Mage would leave a drop or two at a murder scene,” he points out, and I curse, standing to my full height.

“Fina’s going to find the murder scene?” I ask, panic racing through me. “Are you fucking insane?” I mentally start calculating how long it’s been since she left and curse when I realize it’s had to have been at least thirty or more minutes. She’s long off school grounds by now.

“She was going to go whether I said no or not. Trust me. I would rather she didn’t, but now that you know…” He trails off with a smile. “Maybe she can have a little backup.” Atlas smirks, knowing I’m not going to let his sister walk around looking for a Demonic murder scene, and he won’t be the bad guy for ratting her out.

“You should’ve said something before now!” I snarl. He moves to say something, but I’m already sprinting after her, waving off Boris’ shouts as I run toward the school.

TWENTY-FIVE

Serafina

“Uh, Bella? The dining hall is that way,” Teos mutters, pointing toward the big building on the far side of the campus. His hand tightens on mine, and I try to ignore the weird butterflies that erupt in my belly at the gesture. Releasing his hand, I nod as I keep walking when he stops.

“Yes, I know,” I agree, moving farther down the path and past the turn-off that brings us to the center of the school. There is a brief pause before he sighs and jogs the few steps to catch up.

“So, no lunch?” he asks, the words coming out as more of a whine.

“After. I need to find something first. I’ll meet you back here in an hour or two,” I tell him, moving off the path and onto the grass, walking behind the dorm building and toward the forest. I hear Teos stall, his steps frozen on the pathway as he looks at the forest ahead and instantly starts shaking his head.

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