Page 31 of Shattered Illusion

“You dumbass. I assigned her to your class. Shedoesbelong there.”

“She can’t fucking shift!” he booms, his anger filling the room like it’s a palpable thing.

“She’s new!” Jasper fires back, his ire matching that of Hudson’s. “Bailey, I need to see where you’re hurt, little one,” he says softer, sweeter almost. Like he’s a completely different person than the one facing Hudson.

When I don’t answer, those hands gather me into strong arms, pulling me into an equally strong chest. My fight instincts kick in again, not wanting Jasper’s touch right now. Not after the pain of Hudson’s. Not after they swore to protect me and failed miserably.

My body bucks in his thick arms, my wrist smarting with every move, but Jasper finally gets the hint and releases me, slowly placing my flailing feet on the ground. The moment I have stable footing, I back away from both giant men, almost cowering in the corner of the office.

“No one’s going to hurt you, little one.” Jasper raises his large hands in an attempt to placate me, making me flinch.

A hysterical, almost borderline crazy pants laugh rumbles through my chest. He’s fucking joking, right?

“Why the fuck are you pandering to this child, Jasper? Are you going to hold all of our new student’s hands? Maybe she should go back to the human sector where you found her.” God. I wish he would shut the hell up already.

“Hudson, she doesn’t belong in the human sector.”

“Could have fooled me,” he scoffs.

Jasper ignores Hudson’s comment, keeping his focus on me. “Bailey, do you remember when Axel said that I’ll let youknow when you need to take off your necklace.” I nod, not understanding where he’s going with this. “Now is one of those times.”

My eyes widen. He can’t be serious, right?

“He tried tokillme, Jasper.” Hudson snarls at my words. “Who’s to say he won’t turn me into the council or actually kill me this time?”

Pounding footsteps vibrate the floor as they eat up the space between Hudson and I, his wolfish face twisted in some semblance of a scowl. Jasper steps between us, his huge stone hand pressing against Hudson’s chest to stop his movement.

“Why would I go to the council? What the fuck did you do that the council would go after you?”

“She didn’t do anything, Hudson. It’s because of who, or should I say, what she is.” Jasper’s words don’t have any effect on Hudson. If anything, the lycan gets bigger, towering over the gargoyle headmaster. “Bailey?”

I shake my head, my white hair bouncing around my shoulders. He shouldn’t know. No matter what Jasper thinks, Hudson has already proven that he doesn’t deserve to know my secret.

Keeping my injured wrist cradled against my chest, I creep out of the corner, not liking such large supernaturals pinning me in. They follow my movement but don’t try to stop me. I’ll be the first to admit that it’s intimidating as all get out to have their unwavering focus solely on me.

When I make it to the middle of the room, the wingback chairs my own line of defense between me and the enraged lycan, I feel slightly better protected—even if he could crush those and me in one fell swoop.

“Bailey, I know you’re scared and have every right to be. But please, take off the necklace. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Fine. But if you find my corpse, you’ll know who to blame.” Jasper doesn’t reply, and for once, Hudson is blissfully silent. “I need your help, though. I think the asshole broke my wrist.”

A rumbling growl meets my declaration, but Jasper ignores him, eating up the distance I’ve put between us. “Can I see your wrist, little one?” My lips part in a whimper as I carefully unwrap my other hand from my wrist. Jasper grimaces at the black and blue, swollen mass that’s now my wrist, and his eyes turn molten as he eyes the still-bleeding puncture wounds. “Thank you. He will be reprimanded for this, I promise.”

I scoff. He’s already been warned once from what Thaddeus said. So I won’t hold my breath that anything will come of this.

Jasper is gentle as he pulls my hair over my shoulder, fingering the delicate clasp on the necklace that keeps my identity a secret. After undoing it, he draws it away from my flesh, holding it daintily between his thick fingers. A smile tilts his lips as he gazes down at me, and I just know the glamour has faded from my skin, revealing the real me.

He spins around, shielding me behind his broad back as he addresses Hudson once again. “This information does not leave this room. You will find yourself without a job and without a life if it does. Then your sister will be left unprotected because you chose to go against me.”

“Leave my sister the hell out of this,” Hudson snarls, stepping forward. “She didn’t fucking do anything…” he trails off, silent for a moment. “What is that?”

“What?”

“That…that smell.” A huffing sounds, like Hudson is taking a huge whiff of the air. Subtly, even though no one can see me, I sniff myself, hoping I don’t smell like shit. Not like I should care or anything. But still. It’s the principle of the matter. After a few inhales, I can confirm that it is, in fact, not me that he’s smelling. Thank goodness. “Move, Jasper.”

My body presses into Jasper’s back, seeking safety in his broad form. I knew this was a bad idea. But for some reason, whatever is happening with Hudson now seems like it’s worse. Jasper must not be one to understand simple body language as the asshole moves from in front of me, leaving me in the line of Hudson’s fire.

Hudson’s nostrils flare and his golden eyes widen as he takes me fully. In all of my curiomancer glory. All five-foot-two of me with white hair, bubblegum pink eyes, and the runes that he can see that aren’t covered by clothing.

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