Page 47 of Demon Found

This plan needs to work. I’m sosofar from forgiving Zephyr. But he’s so bloody hangdog I can’t doubt he’s genuinely sorry. To willingly use the slave bond compulsion, that takes guts. Idon’tforgive him, but a little part of me grudgingly respects him for making that call.

Sitting outside the dean’s office is torture. Naeve shifts beside me, stretching her legs out and letting out a loud sigh. Patting her shoulder, I stare at the back of the secretary’s head. I swear to all things holy and unholy if we don’t get seen in the next two minutes I’m barging in there. That assholeknowswe’re waiting. We have a damn appointment.

The ornate doors to the dean’s office finally swing open, and a red-tinged light spills out.

“Smith and Haliai, enter.”

I jump up, dragging Naeve into the office with me. She’s embarrassed, like she’s somehow at fault. It couldn’t be further from the truth. Hunter needs to pay. He will pay, just as soon as we find the slimy feeder.

It doesn’t take long for Naeve’s sorry story to spill out. There’s not much to tell.

“You understand it’s your word against his? Hunter is from a family of high moral standing.” The dean steeples his fingers and peers at us.

Naeve’s lip trembles.

“It’s not.” I shoot Naeve a reassuring smile. “There are witnesses. Call Hewie Ugo.”

“He’s your friend. Or as close to friends as that boy has. That won’t hold much sway.”

“Then call on Chano Maverik. He’s as far from a friend to the Cuelebre’s and their associates as you can get.”

The dean nods curtly. “Ifhe will make a statement, then we can proceed.” He faces Naeve. “I don’t disbelieve you. The problem is the proof, and the backlash.”

Naeve manages a watery smile but my snort strains the silence. He just implied he doesn’t like the fallout when an influential student does something this heinous. How the hell did he get his damn job?

The dean rises from his chair, peering over his ridiculous glasses at me. Naeve starts to stand beside me, and I tug her firmly back down. We are not bloody leaving until this is all resolved.

“We have another issue.”

Dean Emrick glances deliberately at the clock. “Not today, girls.”

Before I can stop myself, my hands slam down on the dean’s desk, flames already skimming over my skin. I lean in as close as I can and push as much power into my voice as possible.

“Today, sir. The SupeZ getting into the academy—it’s out of control.”

The dean sinks slowly back into his chair, brows knitted.

Shit, it worked.

Chapter Twenty-four: Lorelei

DeanEmrickisbeyonduseless. I should have known. All we achieved was getting the whole academy put into lockdown. Everyone has to stay in their dorms after dark. Like that is going to stop SupeZ. He’s as ineffectual as a dirty dishcloth.

Worse, Naeve brought up Frank’s bloody finger and rather than help me, the idiot seems to think I commissioned the damn thing. His reasoning? It came in a pretty package and so itmustbe a gift. He’s decided it’s my revenge for how Frank treated me. If I had a chance at revenge, it would be more than just a finger in a box. Didn’t really serve my case to tell him that though. Dammit, why didn’t Naeve just keep her mouth shut?

A week on and the asshole is now accusingusof making Hunter vanish. No one’s seen Hunter, and the asshat dean has put two and two together and made five. Just because I’m from Venez, andapparentlyI cut bits of people off for fun, I’m the prime suspect. It’s complete cerberus shit.

I half hope the filthy feeder never shows up again. Then again, I can’t exact revenge if he doesn’t show his pretty little face. I want to unpretty it. If karma hasn’t already got him, I fucking will. I may as well live up to the dean’s opinion of me.

I plod through the maze of lecture theaters to my Potions lab. Not that class is actually on. I need to corner Professor Allegra. Alice. She might not remember me, might not want to remember me for some reason. But I know her, and I know her talent. She’s what we need to get on top of SupeZ. Dammit, she was already working on drug antidotes when I met her as a gawky work experience kid.

I hesitate before knocking. She was the first young successful Venez woman I met. She was my heroine. I wanted so badly to be like her, to be her. I thought we’d formed a friendship. As much as any late twenties academic can have with a dirty sixteen-year-old brat. But I guess I was just one in a line of kids she had to entertain for a few days.

Before I can doubt myself more, I hammer on the door.

“Come.”

I step into Alice’s lab and a waft of chlorine hits me. She always was fanatical about cleanliness. Alice herself is perched on a lab stool, a stack of papers lined up neatly beside her. She taps one perfect nail on the desk in irritation.

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