Page 35 of Laid Bare

The guys part as the Pegasus moves forward, making his way toward me. I go to step back, but Bane’s hand keeps me rooted in place, allowing the animal to come straight to me. Before I can even attempt to move again, the pony nuzzles me, rubbing his big head against my stomach.

Warmth sears soul-deep from the single touch, my heart feeling whole now that he’s here.

He?

I peek underneath the Pegasus, sure the guys are watching me with various looks on their faces. A squeak leaves my lips when I find what I’m looking for, and I straighten, feeling my face flame.

Yep. Definitely a he.

Before I can question what I’m supposed to do with him, the bell rings, signaling the end of last period.

Shit.

Now what?

* * *

“Luka,” I groan, side-eyeing the still-tangible magic animal clip-clopping down the hallway in between us, “what the hell am I going to do with a pink pony?”

“Not a pony,” he mutters in exasperation, completely fed up with my whining over the pink monstrosity that’s followed us all the way here from the transmutation field. Not that I’d expect it to go anywhere else. But come on. People already stare wherever I go. Now they have all the more reason to mock me.

Bane huffs a quiet laugh from further behind us, not bothering whatsoever to hide his amusement at this new development.

Honestly, the pink pony wouldn’t be so bad if it was…smaller. More compact. Or ya know, something cooler like a damn dragon. But nope. That’s not my luck. I get a pony. And not just any pony. A freaking pink one.

Zane and Bane peel off, stopping at their dorm and going in, the slam of their door closing echoing in the hallway. The pony—which really needs a damn name instead of me calling it pony all the damn time—gives a disgruntled neigh at their departure but then stops out front of my dorm like he knows exactly where my room is. And being my magic, I guess he does. Even though, being magic, it shouldn’t be sentient.

All I know is that being a curiomancer is confusing as fuck.

Because this magic—my curiomancer magic—seems to be dead set on defying all the damn rules. That reminds me. Sometime soon I’ll have to crack open one of the books I brought back from my birth parents’ house. There’s bound to be a plethora of information no one else is privy to. No one but curiomancers. Also, this book Cassian will be sending over hopefully soon. Maybe it can tell me how the heck I ended up with a semi-real, full of attitude animal, instead of actually shifting into one.

Luka opens my door with a flourish, my mind skipping over the fact that he somehow has a key to my dorm. Not that it matters. That’s the least of my problems. But a thrill rushes through my veins at the thought of him sneaking in during the night to cuddle.

Or more than cuddle,my dirty ass mind whispers.

Yeah, I could totally get behind that idea.

My bag slides from my shoulder and drops to the ground beside the door with a muted thud the moment I enter. Luka lifts a brow at my dismissiveness but wisely doesn’t say a word as he closes and locks up behind me, his priority of my safety always at the forefront of his thoughts. My Pegasus clops around the room, huffing and sniffing everything in general proximity before he sets his sights on my comfy ass couch.

“Nope. Nuh uh.” I rush forward to stop him, but before I can, he hops his ass right up onto it, then lies down, closing his eyes like he doesn’t have a care in the world. And for a magic pony, he doesn’t. “Godsdammit.”

“Relax, goddess. It’s not like you have to clean up Pegasus shit.” Luka cracks up at his own joke, completely ignoring the daggers I’m shooting him with my eyes.

Stupid demi-god.

“What am I supposed to do with him, Luka? I can’t keep a freaking animal in my dorm room!” I swear this man just doesn’t seem to get how bad this situation truly is. “How the hell do I—” I wave my arms around, “—suck him back in. Put him back. I don’t know. Get rid of him.”

A distressed neigh emanates from the couch, making me flinch.Fuck. I drop my chin to my chest, completely deflating. Now I’ve broken my own pony’s heart.

Taking a deep breath to cool my frazzled nerves, I finally look up, locking with a pair of pink orbs that match my own. As much as I want to deny that I hurt him, there’s no missing the tightness around his eyes, the desolation in his gaze.

Relax, Bailey,I tell myself.This can’t bethatfreaking bad.

Luka remains silent, watching on as I traverse the room toward the couch, sitting in the open spot next to his head. I barely have a chance to plant my ass before my pony moves, settling his head on my lap and looking up at me with those puppy dog—pony—eyes.

“I’m sorry,” I murmur, brushing my fingers through his white-blond mane. “You’re just… you know… unexpected.” I grimace. Understatement of the century there. “You are cute, though, so you have that going for you.”

The Pegasus just stares at me, not making a sound. However, the same can’t be said for Luka. He thinks I don’t hear it, like he’s slick enough to hide it, but that fucker is chuckling under his breath at my misery. And if he keeps that shit up, he’s going to be one grumpy demi-god when I zap him in the ass with my lightning.

---