Page 63 of Savage Hope

If I have to walk these halls every day as a witch without a coven, then so be it.

If I have to shuffle through campus with my head dipped to avoid any further drama from the vampires, or Blaze, more precisely, then I will.

If I have to see the hot wolves every day without ever doing anything about it, count me in.

Florentine’s may have crippled me in comparison to most students here, but I can’t let that same suffocating feeling follow me to Trinity Falls Academy as well.

A twig snaps, popping my peaceful bubble as goosebumps skim over my skin. Adrenaline floods my veins, my entire body on high alert as I strain my ears, waiting to hear another sound. I don’t move, though. Not an inch. Fear locks me in place like it’s a chain around my ankles and wrists, binding me to the earth beneath me.

My panic is in overdrive, making my breaths wheeze as the thumping of boots hitting the ground causes the earth beneath me to rumble. A shadow casts over where I lay, my next breathlodging in my throat as I watch a figure drop to the ground, ignoring my existence as they sigh.

Too scared to move or breathe, I watch, completely captivated by the man looming only a few feet away. He leans back in the opposite corner of the hedges, head tilted back as he squeezes the bridge of his nose. His free hand curls around something in his lap, and when he slumps farther into the corner, knees bent as he drops his hand from his face, I realize who it is.

I’ve been caught in this little maze on one other occasion in the short time I’ve been here, and it’s just my luck that it’s the same guy both times. His dark hair is pulled back off his face and coiled into a messy knot at the back of his head, but I find myself wondering what the cropped hairs along the sides would feel like under my fingertips.

I roll my eyes at myself, irritated with my train of thought the second my bubble pops, wavering my resolve.

One: I’m alone in the dark with a man I don’t know. That’s not safe. Far from it.

Two: the second I see one of the hot wolves, who I swore off mere minutes ago, has me questioning the most ridiculous things.

Three: I should be focusing on how I’m supposed to get myself out of this damn situation.

Running my tongue over my bottom lip, worry burns in my throat as I watch him.

He has no idea I’m here.

He hasn’t lifted his gaze from his lap, staring at something, but his eyes don’t seem focused. Although, that could just be the shadows of the night playing tricks on me.

The scraping of paper jolts me, and I swiftly realize it’s some kind of pad in his grasp, a pencil too. He hums gently, the sound almost swept away by the gentle breeze, but I hear it.There’s something about it. It’s light, airy, and…familiar? No, definitely not. I wouldn’t have heard anything quite so charming at Florentine’s.

Shaking my head, I focus on my predicament instead of a sweet tune that isn’t going to help me survive.

He doesn’t look like he’s going to leave anytime soon, and as much as I could lie here forever, I don’t think it’s the best idea. Not when he could react badly. He seems calm enough now, and he didn’t try to cause me any harm the last time I was here, but that doesn’t mean I’m safe this time too…does it?

Before I can think of a better plan, I clear my throat. It’s soft, almost nonexistent, but the reaction that erupts from the man before me is electric.

He launches to his feet, his pen and pad clattering to the ground as his fists coil at his sides and his eyes shine bright in the darkness. They zone in on me without a moment’s pause as his chest heaves, watching my every move, or lack thereof, as I remain rooted to the spot.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you jump,” I breathe, pressing my back further into the grass beneath me, trying to make myself appear as small as possible.

“Jump? I almost shifted into the afterlife,” he blurts, staring down at me with wide eyes that soften just an inch. It’s only when I note his hands relax that I know I’m safe, or hope I am, at least.

“That’s…graphic?” I murmur, feeling my cheeks heat when I realize what I said, but he shrugs, relaxing a little more as his eyes dim.

“That’s me.”

He rolls his shoulders back, easing a little tension from his limbs before he drops back into the corner.

Pressing my lips together, I press my palms into the ground and sit up to lean back against the hedge behind me. I bend mylegs, wrapping my arms around them nervously as I stare across the distance, waiting for…something, anything.

“I’m Polaris,” I mutter, trying to soften the fact that I seem to be intruding on him even though I was here first.

His eyes meet mine, the corner of his mouth tilting up just an inch. “They missed a trick by not calling you Silver with the hair.”

A soft smile lingers on my lips, a response I have no control over. “Yeah, it’s a shame I don’t know whotheyare,” I grumble, dropping my gaze as irritation claws through me.

Why did I say that?

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