Page 27 of Buried Secret 295

“This brings me to the next problem.” He smiles like he has won. “Parents have already been calling about you, inquiring about the gossip about you and your species. We know very little about Midnight Beasts. The only one on record is also a Blackthorne; we know very little about him. So, I am thinking about the quarantine cabins. They are all available and might be more suitable since we know little about Midnight Beasts. We can get ahead of this now.”

“Wait a minute! You were saying something about her driving away a possible new roommate. Now you want her to live in the quarantine cabins where shifters go to have a heat or can’t control their animals?” Constantine is practically foaming at the mouth.

Dean Campbell smiles, saying, “I am not saying she will be in quarantine like the ones who cannot control their animals, but yes.”

I hold up my hand to stop Constantine from speaking. “I’ll take it on three conditions.” My arms cross because I know I will have to battle for this.

“You’re in no position to negotiate.”

“I feel like I’m being very accommodating, considering everything. Plus, it seems like this could cause some legal action. You and the others seem to have a vendetta against my beast. There are laws in place, you know.” My eyes narrowed on him. My brain flashed to all the ways I could kill him. Taking his fountain pen that sits at the edge of his desk and jamming it intohis eye is, so far, my favorite. Bashing his skull in with his name plaque comes in at a close second.

“Are you threatening me?” His nostrils flared with anger, yet I could feel his nervousness take root. His head beads with sweat.

“I have a feeling you have already been bought and paid for. We are simply talking.” I cross my legs and lean back into the chair. “We are negotiating. I get to change the cabin how I see fit, considering I will probably live there for the entirety of my tenure here. Then, I get to pick the cabin, and you knock off some dorm charges so some money can pay for Mr. Louis.”

Dean Campbell looks like he is about to swallow his tongue. Simon chimes in, “You could have people from the waiting list move into her current room. That would help with the financing.”

Constantine slaps the top of the desk, causing the Dean to jump. “Is that all, or is there more on the agenda to ruin my daughter’s time here? She has been through enough, and now she has to jump through hoops for you.”

“Yes. It’s all her words against the Ministry. There doesn’t seem to be any record of her existence in this anti-fae prison. Your daughter’s word doesn’t carry much weight against all of that. Then, when we try to get things sorted out, you all ran out of the meeting before things got settled,” Dean Campbell says condescendingly. He knows damn well that he is baiting Constantine.

Constantine’s hands slam on Dean Campbell’s desk. He leans over the desk and points his finger at me. “You damn well know there are statements out there! Marcus had her expunged from the records to help hide his part in this.”

Dean Campbell tilts his head to the side and narrows his eyes before leaning back in his chair. An air of confidence is now coming from him. “I know no such thing; however, I do know that the head of the ministry with a stellar record has beentrying to help his… wife’s indiscretion, even though it brings him shame. What could he be hiding?”

“He is corrupt, and you know it.” Constantine doesn’t even bother to hide his anger from me at this point.

Standing up, I grab Constantine’s hand and squeeze. We knew this would be a challenge; we didn’t have to prove anything. I could try to prove it, but of course, he would dispute everything I had to say. Instead, I call him the name that might get him to trust me. “Come on, Dad. Let’s go see these cabins because they sound lovely.” I lived in a cell. I could easily live in a cabin.

His anger disappears for a second, and he looks at me, slightly shocked. He isn’t stupid and knows I needed to shock his system. But he nods before he points once more at Dean Campbell. “Eat a bag of dicks, Campbell.”

Constantine flips him off before grabbing my hand. The next second, our feet are touching down on the grass at the edge of the woods. As I look into the distance, I see one of these cabins. My mind flashbacks to my run in my shifted form. I assumed these buildings spaced a mile from each other were bathroom changing stations for shifters. Staying in the small cabins is more like a punishment than anything else. Clearly, Dean Campbell is rolling out the red carpet for me. He is sending a message to me, which is, ‘Don’t get comfortable here.’

As I turn to Constantine to voice my inner thoughts, I see him stomping off, trying to cool down. I shrug, deciding to explore these shitholes rather than wait for him to calm himself. If I waited on him, it could be a while, and making one of these livable and spider-free is going to take a while. I am not the best at teleporting myself, but I give it my best shot and manage to teleport myself the short distances between each cabin. I am eager to find the right cabin, which has me taking advantage of my teleportation, causing my body to pop in and out, disappearing and appearing at all angles of each cabin. It makestravel much faster than walking around. I can see myself getting spoiled by this form of transportation. Yet, as I make my way between each cabin, each one is worse than before. As I reach the cabin on the campus’s edge, I know it’s the one. It will be a walk to class, but my nose has been susceptible since becoming a shifter. This one smells acceptable. There is a subtle smoky smell that lingers here in the air.

I walk in and spin around the place. Yes, I can see myself living here after we make some major upgrades. I step back outside and see a still annoyed Constantine, who stomps over to me. A smirk appears on my lips as I watch him glare at me before he wags his finger toward me. “I think it’s been too long, and people don’t properly fear me anymore. I am going to make sure they properly fear me.” He let out a growl, and I felt the Dean better have some good wards up at night.

I give him an unimpressed look and wave him off. “Get all Prince of Hell later. Right now, our mission is to fix up the fuck shack.”

He shakes his head before closing his eyes and takes a breath as he holds up his hand. “You’re not helping the anger levels. My daughter is going to live in a fuck shack.” Simon shows up a moment later, and Constantine glares his way. Snapping his fingers before pointing at him. “You were some help back there.”

Simon groans, shaking his head. “I have to pretend not to care! We lose all insider information if he knows I am siding with Salem. Plus, you two were doing a bang-up job. It’s a wonder his head didn’t explode.”

Constantine chuckles. “I would have paid extra if that had been the result. But come on! Salem didn’t deserve that or this place. He has given her two strikes already; it hasn’t been a week yet. It’s the first day of class!”

I turn towards them and give them an unimpressed look before motioning to the cabin. “Can you both be helpful?Constantine, can you get rid of all the furniture inside? I am not sleeping on that bed. Simon, can you put your magic to good use?” I motion to the room that has a small crater. “I don’t mind the moss, but can you make it less holey? Maybe fix the door?” I motion to the door in question, which looks like it had been kicked in at one point. I could make a small patio on the front and hang some fairy lights. The inside is just open, with a small closet and a bathroom. Beggars can’t be choosers.

“You have little faith. Let me make this shithole into a shithome.” The man rolls up his sleeves, and I swear it makes me slightly feral. What is happening to my body? My panties get somewhat wet from watching, but I shake that off when Constantine clears his throat. Every party has to have a pooper. My party pooper walked in, sucking the sexual tension right out of the doorless cabin.

Constantine holds up his finger to Simon and walks up to him. “She prefers the term fuck shack to shithole.” I slap my hand over my face; this will be a long night.

Chapter nineteen

We finally got thisplace ready last night, and I have to say I might like it better than the dorms. My queen-size bed fits nicely in here, and I have a loveseat and TV tray tables since the room is small. I also have a small refrigerator sitting beside white cabinets with a sink and toaster oven.

It’s not much, but it’s mine. More importantly, it has wards and protection spells so nobody can pop in unexpectedly. Constantine could, but that was non-negotiable. It was the same with Simon, but that’s because he installed them. I would prefer not to have anyone in my space. Dean Campbell might not know which shack I picked, but he knows where I am. He clearly works for Marcus; either he has been bought, or something is being held over his head.

I am sure he has spies that will check on the situation. Men don’t become Dean of the Academy without supporters andpower. Plus, the man has Marcus’ hand so far up his ass that he is talking through his mouth like a puppet. Nothing feels safe. I only have Constantine, Ember, and Simon on my side. I suspect Monica might haunt him from the dream world, or at least I hope so.

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