Page 28 of Laid Bare

Quick as lightning, Zane goes from standing in front of me to his hand wrapped around the kid’s throat, slamming him into the wall at his back. An audible crack and the whimper the guy emits shuts down all talk, their terrified stares now watching in fear as the demon puts the kid in his place.

“What was that?” Zane asks, his voice rumbling in a low, dangerous growl.

Instead of answering, the guy balls his fists and fights, doing anything he can to try and get Zane to release the hold on his neck. But it’s nothing but a futile effort. Zane’s tail whips out, wrapping around his prey’s wrists, locking him in place.

All of the kid’s bravado seems to drain away when he finally figures out just how fucked he is. The front of his jeans darkens, and the heavy smell of piss seems to permeate the hall, telling every single person here exactly what’s happened.

He’s peed himself in fear.

It’s laughable, and I have more than enough reason to laugh, but his insidious threat of rape still slithers through my ears.

“Come on, Bailey,” Bane murmurs, stepping in front of me and shielding me from the sight of whatever violence Zane might unleash. “Let me get you and Professor Winterton to the containment room, and then I’ll come back and deal with this.”

I look up at Bane’s words, wide-eyed, seeing my own trembling reflection in his dark orbs. His eyes soften, and he takes a page out of Zane’s playbook, holding out his hand for me.

Without second-guessing it, I lace our fingers together, putting my trust in him without asking. It’s now painfully clear why I need bodyguards. If they weren’t here, I’d hate to see just how much worse it’d be.

Thaddeus has been quiet throughout it all, but the way his jaw clenches and the frost slowly crawling up his arms, he’s not unaffected by what’s being said. But with him being a professor, he has to remain neutral if he wants to keep his job, and I can’t fault him for that.

I breathe a sigh of relief that moment the door to the containment room closes behind us, my mind so lost in turmoil, I didn’t even realize we were already here. The harsh wards slide over my skin with ease now, the previous resistance the first time I came in here gone.

My bag thumps to the floor as it slides off my arm, not caring where it falls. The tension and stress from the hallway slowly ebbs away, allowing me to take the first deep breath I’ve been dying for all day.

“Sunshine?”

I spin around and stumble back, wondering when Thaddeus got so close without me hearing him.

Hurt flashes in his eyes—there and gone with a single blink of his blue eyes. He raises his hands in a placating manner, taking a swift step back and putting much-needed distance between us.

I don’t know if it’s just my mood or the aftereffects from the confrontation in the hall, but gods, I really don’t want anyone near me for a moment. I open my mouth to tell him that, to apologize, to do something, but he seems to already know what’s going on in my head.

“It’s alright, Bailey.” Sincerity shines in those frosty orbs. “That was a lot just now. So let’s take your mind off it by running through some of your runes.” He flashes a disarming smile, but something about it feels fake. Forced even.

I don’t even know.

But he’s right. Working on my magic and going over some of my runes will take my mind off all the bullshit of the morning.

Tossing him a small, grateful smile, I tread to the middle of the containment room and close my eyes, connecting with my magic. Like always, it’s right there, ready and waiting. It wraps around my heart in a comforting gesture, warming me from the inside out.

“Fire,” Thaddeus murmurs, his voice a low whisper.

My hand raises in front of me as I nudge my magic, sending it to the flame rune on my shoulder. The brand on my skin heats, the pink glow hidden underneath my large hoodie. With a pop, a bubblegum pink flame bursts forth from my fingers, lighting up the room. It flickers back and forth, casting mine and Thaddeus’ shadows on the wall, but doesn’t spiral out of control like I expected it to with my shifting emotions.

“Good,” Thaddeus hums, leaning back against the wall. “Amp.”

My lips curl up when my flame dies, only for a pink glow to encase my neck as my magic zips from my shoulder to the amplifier rune around my neck. This is one rune my hoodie hasn’t been able to hide, not unless I want to start wearing turtlenecks. I may not be that into fashion and whatnot, but even I know that turtlenecks are social suicide.

Heat infuses itself into my vocal cords, but then something bubbles up my throat before I can stop it. A loud belch, amplified by my activated rune, rattles the walls, sounding more like a passing semi-truck than a simple burp. My cheeks burn and mortification infuses every molecule of my being the second the sound cuts out.

Ground, swallow me whole, please.

My eyes dart all over the room, looking for somewhere to hide for the rest of this class, but I’m not so lucky. There are only four walls and one door.

Thaddeus still hasn’t said a word, and it’s starting to worry me. But I knew I shouldn’t have worried. When I finally glance at him, the damn Smurf doubles over, clutching his stomach as he cackles heartily. Tears drip from his eyes, the salty water crystallizing before it can fall from his face.

“That…” he wheezes, “oh my gods.” He cackles again. “That was hilarious.”

Stupid blue Smurf needs to shut the hell up.

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