Page 56 of Blood & Betrayals

I take another step back and cross my arms over my chest, preparing to be in trouble for the third time in two weeks. I want to care, but my body feels so broken, even as my magic simmers wildly.

Professor Draco looks at me and then at Alice. “Jim said to look out for you two.”

I try not to shrink beneath his golden stare. It is almost as bad as the headmaster’s. “Who’s Jim?” I ask.

Professor Draco looks at my bleeding leg and cheek, then at Alice, cradling her arm close to her torso. I’m not sure when she got hurt in the madness, but it was probably when she tackled a giant snow leopard into the wall. “The headmaster will not be happy about this.”

I look away and sigh. Another strike and another lecture from the headmaster would be a delight. Not a good start,Miss Tuatha De Daanan.His words from the cliff ring in my head, and it’s not like I can disagree.

“But since he is on sabbatical,” Professor Draco adds, “He has left me in charge of all school matters, including punishments.”

My gaze snaps up. Professor flicks his hand, and a blast of scorching heat blows my hair back and makes me flinch. When I open my eyes, I see the open portal beside him.

“Go,” he commands.

Alice and I peer through the portal, and I can see the infirmary on the other side.

“Now,” he insists, growing impatient.

We step through, and the portal closes behind us with another blast of heat. Flame portals? But shifters can’t summon portals like that. It is a high-level sorcerer ability.

The nurse lifts her head when the portal closes. She expertly finishes making the bed, but her gaze is on us. Her brows knit as her eyes find our injuries, and she assesses them. She standsup and straightens her gleaming white dress and hat. She walks toward us, her hand slightly outstretched and her palm glowing.

“I am Matron Dolly. Please lie down on the gurneys. Your wounds are not serious, but you both require some mending.”

I glance at Alice before lying on top of one of the beds. The starched cotton is rough against my skin, and there is a strong smell of disinfectant in the room. My leg throbs painfully, but nothing can distract me from the way my power is rioting within me. I turn inward, struggling to repair the walls around it.

Matron Dolly disappears into a side room and emerges with several bottles and dressings. Her hair is in a severe bun, pulled so tight her face looks pinched, and my head throbs in sympathy at the sight. She sets her supplies down on the table beside me before hovering her hand over my leg. It glows brightly, and her eyes go somewhat vacant, turning from solid purple to molten violet.

“A shifter?” Her voice is monotone, completely different from when she addressed us before.

I nod, but she doesn’t respond, still staring out into the distance. “Yes,” I confirm after another moment of weird silence. Alice is watching from the other bed, looking a little anxious about her upcoming examination. My leg tingles beneath her hand, the muscle and skin slowly knitting back together. She blinks, coming out of her trance, and smiles down at me, looking much more human.

“Shifter wounds can be tricky. Luckily, this one wasn’t poisonous. Much easier to heal.” She looks at the table and selects a bottle filled with neon green liquid. The narrow top has a label that reads:Do Not Ingest. She turns the bottle upside down several times, not quite shaking it, but disturbing the shimmering liquid. The pop that sounds as she pulls the stopper from the top is much lower than I expected. Carefully, she measures three drops into her small mortar before selectinga tub of seeds. She adds one small scoop into the bowl and then three spoonfuls of paste.

“This wouldn’t be something you could fully heal on your own at your level, though you have potential. You could be a great healer.”

Yeah, I don’t think so. Healers are sympathetic and kind. They don’t have the swirling darkness of the abyss within.

I look down at my wound. It is no longer gaping, but there are three angry red lines, the skin on either side still jagged and gruesome looking. Matron Dolly uses her pestle to mash up the concoction she made. I watch her closely, counting exactly how many times she mashes and twirls the pestle. I am always learning and preparing.

Matron Dolly then picks up a large white piece of cotton and smears the newly made paste on it before placing it on my leg. She waves her hand over my thigh, and a bandage wraps around it, covering the dressing. She decants the rest of the paste into a small tub and hands it to me.

“Apply the paste three times a day for four days, and it’ll be good as new.”

“Thank you.”

She nods and goes to Alice to tend the bite wound on her arm. She also gets a paste to take home, but hers is gray and nastier looking than mine. Apparently, it’s not one paste fits all.

Alice and I are saying goodbye to Matron Dolly when Professor Draco strides in. He nods to Matron Dolly, and she smiles before making herself scarce. He regards us both, crossing his arms over his chest. If his goal is to be as intimidating as Headmaster Emrys, he’s failing. That doesn’t mean he’s not scary in his own right, just in a different way. A different, sexy way.

“Well? Who would like to go first?” he asks. His voice is soft, though woven with anger.

“He’s a complete dick. And a bully.” I bristle, instantly furious.

“And who used magic first, Miss Tuatha De Daanan? You or him?”

“Me,” I say truthfully, refusing to back down.

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