Page 87 of Savage Hope

“I’m not,” I state firmly, shaking my head. “I would regret allowing someone else power over me when they wanted to take it without my consent.”

“You may not have been the witch they were looking for,” she offers, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose again, and it’s my turn to scoff.

“That’s beside the point,” I grumble, leaning forward to plant my hands on her desk as I level my stare at hers. “Ask me. Ask me what happened.”

She shakes her head instantly, a slight pinch to her lips, one coiled with fear. “It’s not my place to question another coven, especially not the Renegades,” she insists, and I huff.

“Then it’s not your place to question me either.” I push off the desk and step back, desperate to put some much-needed space between us. For a Florentine, she has no idea what I’m talking about. The need to be free, the desire to be my own person, and the fight for the puppet strings to be forever removed from my limbs.

Now, she’s fully embraced in this new world, where other witches matter more than yourself based on a hierarchy I don’t understand, and no one seems willing to explain.

“Is there anything else, Professor?” I ask, hoping to draw the conversation to an end, and she sighs, shaking her head. I take it as my cue to get the hell out of here, darting for the door before she can change her mind.

I suck in a huge breath as I step out into the hallway, but it’s still stiff and rigid out here. Maybe I need to head outside for a second. I don’t see Bryony anywhere. She must have gone to the next class already, but I think I know which direction I’m going in now.

Hurrying outside, I let the cooler air wash over me, and I calm a little.

“Hey, fancy seeing you here.”

I spin to find Minnie bounding toward me. Her smile is as infectious as ever, and despite my racing pulse, I manage to smile back.

“Hey.”

“Are you okay?” she asks, and I nod, waving my hand dismissively. Her eyes crinkle a little as she assesses me but she doesn’t push any further. “Do you want to hang out tonight?”

I stare at her, her question catching me off guard. “Hang out?”

“Yeah, you know, watch a movie, have a picnic, people watch, gossip; all of the fun things,” she offers, and I nod along like it all makes sense.

“Sure?” It definitely comes out as a question, one word that does nothing to summarize the thoughts swirling in my head, but she doesn’t seem to mind.

“Perfect, I’ll meet you by the main building steps around seven, yeah?”

I nod, but she’s already squeezing my arm and darting off before I can respond.

She’s even more of a whirlwind than her brother, but the excitement at having some kind of plans tonight is enough to put a spring in my step and push the worries from moments earlier to the back of my mind.

There’s a soft smile on my face as I turn to re-enter the academy building, but a hand lands on my shoulder, the feel of someone’s breath breezes past my ear, and the world goes dark.

My nose crinklesat the trickling of water on my face. It takes me a moment to lift my hand, wiping away the trail down my cheek to no avail because another quickly replaces it. Frowning, I pry my eyes open, only to be greeted by darkness.

Darkness and rain.

The sound of the water hitting the ground around me is the only noise as I try to focus my eyes and figure out where I am. Running my tongue over my damp lip, I notice the hard ground beneath me and the stone wall behind me.

I’m propped up against the academy building, the forest off to my right, which has me assuming the quads are on the opposite side of me. Not that it really matters, though. What matters iswhyI’m here…I don’t understand.

Looking down the length of myself, I’m drenched from head to toe, the rain unrelenting as I scramble to my feet. I don’t know how long I’ve been out here, but it’s dark now, only the moon up high in the sky to guide me.

Wiping a hand down my face, I sigh before quickly recalling what Bryony said the last time this happened to me. I run myfingers over my neck, feeling nothing out of the ordinary before I turn my attention to my arms, but there’s nothing there either.

I slip my hands into my pockets, retrieving my cell phone from one and feeling the usual bite of my coin in the other. My eyes widen when I realize it’s almost eight thirty at night.

Holy crap. I’ve really lost a lot of time.

My stomach grumbles, reminding me that I’ve missed both lunch and dinner, but more than that, I was supposed to meet Minnie over an hour ago.

Rushing around the perimeter of the building, I confirm my whereabouts as the steps where I was supposed to meet her come into view. She’s not there though, not that I would expect her to be.

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