Page 60 of Of Bone and Ash

Pretending not to notice the grumpy look Teos sends me as he slowly lets his arm drop to his side, I keep walking, making sure I keep Teos and Adam in my field of vision at all times. “Because of my mom,” he answers as Adam steps to my other side. “She was called here as an assistant to the headmaster and took me with her after—” He waves his hand at me then himself. “Our debacle. I’ve been trying to talk her into leaving since the deaths at the school are growing. But she refuses to leave,” he sighs in frustration, running a hand through his black curls.

“The female death rate has climbed eighty-two percent in the last three years,” Adam mutters as he watches a pissed-off Neva who is stomping ahead of us and crosses his arms over his chest, bottom lip stuck out like a damn toddler. “He has a good reason for wanting to stay and protect his mom.”

“Why the hell does anyone come here?” I ask in confusion, pulling more of my magic forward, letting my eyes shift into those of my Reaper so I can see as the forest slowly grows darker and darker.

“Because some of us can't afford to go anywhere else. Silverwood is the only Fae University that we can attend on this continent. The one in France is almost impossible to get into. It would be cheaper to fly to Black Veil University than to pay for the tuition there. And the next best thing used to be Russia, but it was shut down when the Fae Council discovered they were using the students as test subjects,” Neva states, stopping as she looks around the forest and then back at me. “What should we be looking for?”

“Probably a dead body,” Adam muses, and I shake my head.

“Nope, we have that. We are looking for blood and a lot of it,” I tell them, my magic fanning out further, searching for anything that might lead us to the murder site. Adam looks a little green around the gills at that remark but nods as Teos shuffles on his feet next to me.

“My mom is going to kick our asses if she finds out we came in here,” he admits, and I shake my head.

“What is this? The Forbidden Forest from Harry Potter?” I ask, unamused. Spinning in a circle, my magic picks up momentum before moving to the left and twisting around a tree. I run after it, making Teos curse as he jogs to catch up.

“Basically,” he agrees, eyes wide as he tries to look around.

“Shift your eyes. Let your Phoenix out,” I command, not wanting him to trip. Something cold drifts over my skin, stealing my attention from Teos as I glance around. “Fuck, I should have left you guys at the school,” I whisper more to myself than him.

“Like I would have let you,” he scoffs, reaching for me as something moves in my peripheral.

“We’re not alone,” Neva hisses, her eyes glowing as she steps next to Adam.

“Demon?” Adam asks, and she frowns.

“I-I don't think so. Shit maybe? I can’t tell,” she grinds out as purple and neon green magic shine at her perfectly polished fingertips. The colors twirl around each other with small sparks of pink making an appearance. If I weren't worried about Teos and Adam’s safety, I would ask if I could get a closer look.

“Stay close,” I whisper just as something moves in front of us, tearing a girlish scream from Adam as a small gray bunny hops into view. Adam slaps his hand over his mouth, muffling the sound. After a moment of complete silence where all four of us stare at the tiny bunny, we all erupt into fits of laughter.

“Oh my God! Why was that so scary?” Adam asks, chuckling behind his hand that’s still clamped over his mouth as I wipe at the tears that have collected at the corner of my eyes. It’s been years since I've laughed like this, and it feels… good. So freaking good. Teos has doubled over in laughter, the joy on his face contagious as he looks at me, hazel eyes sparkling with mirth as I reach out and pull a small twig from the curls on top of his head.

Standing up, he grabs the twig from me, tossing it over his shoulder as his other hand wraps around mine, tugging me forward and to his side. I freeze when I feel soft pressure on the top of my head. Did he just kiss the top of my hair? The thought both excites me and fucking terrifies me.

God, this has been a weird day.

I suck in a deep breath, grinning over at Adam as Neva pats him gently on the back. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard a person make that sound before,” I tease, making him blush as I tug out of Teos’ arms, but stay next to him.

Adam laughs and drops his hand at his side, shrugging. “Sorry,” he laughs, stepping in front of me just as the shadows behind him shift. The brief scent of sulfur filling the air is the only warning I have as a man steps out of nowhere, directly behind Adam.

“Adam, move!” I shout, lunging forward, trying to shove him out of the way as red magic lights up the darkness around us. But before I can reach him, the entire forest shifts, the trees bowing unnaturally, and I’m thrown off my feet and away from my friends.

TWENTY-SEVEN

Serafina

Igrunt, then groan as my back slams against the cold dirt under me, my neck snapping back and colliding with the ground with a crack that echoes through my mind. My vision darkens as a kaleidoscope of colors bursts behind my closed eyes, my magic springing from me without bidding as red Demonic magic swarms around my body.

Opening my eyes, I look around me, noting how brightly lit the forest is and how damn quiet it’s become. Sitting up, I watch as my magic fights off the red magic with little thought, my heart rate picking up when I realize Teos isn't with me.

“No! No, Teos!” I yell, pushing myself up to my feet and spinning in a circle, my eyes scanning every shadow and tree with no luck! Adam and Neva have also disappeared, only adding to my worry as I grind my teeth together, looking around the forest for the man I saw moments before the world shifted and I lost my friends.

“Come out! I’m not playing this game,” I snarl, my hands lighting up with blue magic, surprising the hell out of me when there isn’t even a flicker of black. No Reaper magic, all Demon.

Well, shit. That’s new.

The surge of power comes with the caw of Morana as she bursts to life, her shiny black feathers reflecting the blue of my magic as she flies above.

“So impatient. That's not a good quality to have when one possesses the kind of magic you have at your disposal,” the man mocks, his deep voice echoing around me, making it impossible to tell where he’s at. “You’re a loose cannon; a situation that could cause deadly repercussions if you don't control that anger.”

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