Page 76 of Shattered & Returned

“Bravo!” he called, continuing his slow clap. “Well done.”

I winced. This wasn’t a performance.

“How did you find me, Sebastian?” I asked tersely, wary of his convenient appearance. “Did you follow me?”

“I didn’t. But I’ve been looking for you.” He offered his arm, all charm. “Call it luck. Now that I’ve found you, let’s celebrate.”

“Celebrate?”

We left my attackers behind, still contorting on the ground, their cries fading as we strolled away. I didn’t feel sorry for them. Didn’t apologize for showing the vicious side I’d never known I possessed.

Let it discourage more attacks.

Chapter

Twenty-Six

Bloom

Tabula Rasa

“Where are we going?” I asked.

Sebastian’s fingers closed around my wrist, not tight enough to hurt, just enough to guide. “You’ll see.”

I’d never ventured to this part of campus, the far west side. We slipped between two shop buildings into an alley where the moonlight couldn’t reach. Maybe that was the point.

When Sebastian led me down a set of worn stairs to a nondescript door, my skepticism prickled until I sensed the ward humming around it. My magic had sharpened sinceRavencrux helped me discover I was a Weaver. Could I weave a ward myself? A shield?

Whatever lay beyond that door pulsed with danger. My left eye twitched, a silent warning to turn back. If I were alone, I might have. If I weren’t still hollowed out by the image of Nero and Morrigan, Idefinitelywould have.

But sanity had abandoned me hours ago, incinerated by Ravencrux’s disloyalty. Tonight, for the first time, I welcomed danger.

“It’s dark,” I protested half-heartedly, out of habit. “Maybe we shouldn’t go in? It could be dangerous, you know.”

Sebastian let out a low, amused chuckle, showing his perfect white teeth. “You might not believe it, but you’re a wild card with a streak fiercer than anyone here.”

I doubted that. I’d never been one for recklessness—outside the pages of books, at least. Then my mind flickered to my first-day escapade with the forbidden professor. No one would guess it just by looking at me.Mom would roll over in her grave.I exhaled, shoving the shame aside. Not now.

“C’mon,” he urged. “You’ll enjoy this, Bloom. Trust me.”

With a resigned sigh, I followed him down. Each step carried me further from the girl I’d been before the academy. Homeschooled girl. Dutiful daughter. A nobody in a forgotten French town. Virgin who’d almost surrendered herself to a wicked professor who never wanted more than a conquest.

The door swung open, the ward dissolving. The bass hit first, rattling my ribs. Then the smell of sweat, alcohol, weed, and the metallic tang of magic clung to my throat. My lungs tightened in warning.

“You okay, Bloom?” Sebastian’s voice cut through the cacophony, golden eyes studying my face. “We can leave.” It sounded more like a challenge than concern.

“I’m fine,” I lied. If I could survive seeing Ravencrux with Morrigan, I could get through this. “Show me everything,” I added, relieved when my voice came out smoky.

Tabula Rasa.The name was etched on the door—blank slate.Freedom from rules.

Sebastian had brought me to an illegal underground club.

Sindy would’ve loved this. She adored anything dark and illicit, smuggling forbidden books under her bed. The club sprawled across three low-ceilinged rooms, the center one awash in wine-red and summer-blue hues, a rebellion against the academy’s gothic monotony.

Students clustered around makeshift bars, downing drinks and substances I couldn’t name. Others danced, bodies slick with sweat and desire. In my old life, I’d have been scandalized. But that was before I’d broken the cardinal rule and hooked up with a professor, and not just any professor but Nero Ravencrux,the devil.

Sebastian didn’t spare the crowd a glance as he steered me toward the far end, where a riot of shouts erupted. He hadn’t brought me here for the typical debauchery. I was utterly out of place anyway. Everyone would’ve seen it and eaten me alive if Sebastian hadn’t accompanied me.

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