Page 77 of Shattered & Returned

“The fighting ring,” he said, his sensual lips brushing the top of my ear. “Where magical gangs settle territorial disputes.”

My pulse spiked. Sindy had warned me about the gangs, and we always tried to steer clear of them. But now Sebastian was leading me toward those cutthroats. I wanted to slow down, turn around and flee, but my feet only quickened their pace after him.

The redhead murders still hung over me; if I was next, I might as well swim in the same waters as my hunter. This could be the perfect place to glean information. Sebastian had pinned the murders on Nero Ravencrux. Even though I wasn’t a big fanof said professor, I needed more than accusations to condemn him.

A circular arena dominated the space, surrounded by bloodthirsty spectators. Inside the ring, two students circled each other. The girl on the left wore sigil-etched leather. Her opponent, a boy with half his head shaved, twisted his fingers in complex patterns, leaving a trail of blue frost.

“Ice Pike versus Ember Fang,” Sebastian explained. “Fighting over the east wing study halls.”

They were fighting over a study hall?

“Is it allowed to have a territorial fight in the academy?” I asked. “And they’re using magic in an illegal ring!”

Sebastian’s smile carried a cruel edge. “Rules only matter if you’re caught.”

The girl lunged, her sigils flaring. Fire erupted from her fingertips. The boy countered with a shield of ice, steam hissing between them. The crowd roared.

“Drink?” Sebastian pressed a glass of amber liquid into my hand. I hadn’t seen him fetch it. From the bar? But then it was chaos all around, distracting.

I hesitated. Mom’s warnings echoed:“Good girls don’t drink with pretty boys who smile too easily.”

And I’d read about date rape in books. How those assholes tampered with drinks. Sebastian was definitely a bad boy type. He carried the vibe wherever he went. He didn’t know I was a potion master. I could smell drugs. If he’d tampered with it, I’d dump it down his throat and more.

I lifted the cup to my lips and sniffed at the contents, trying for subtlety but obviously failing, since Sebastian was staring at me with amusement on his curled lips.

“Trust issues, Bloom?” he purred. Even amid the crowds’ gleeful shouting, his voice reached me clearly. “If I’d wanted toharm you, I’d have done it already. You don’t need to fear me. I don’t hunt redheads.”

I studied him, but his expression gave nothing away.

“I can’t imagine what you’ve been through,” he added, his voice softening, “with a murderer on the loose, targeting you. But I’m here to help.”

A small breath of relief departed my lips. At least he didn’t know about Ravencrux and me and the true reason for my grim face.

“And I think you need a drink,” he said. “It’s just tequila. Women usually like it.”

I nodded my appreciation. “I do need a drink. Thank you.”

Now that I was sure the drink wasn’t drugged, I wanted it to dull my senses. I’d been planning to get some herbal potion drink from the mages’ café, but this would do. Tonight, I didn’t want to feel. Didn’t want to think.

I knocked back the shot in one movement, gasping as liquid fire scorched my throat and bloomed hot in my chest. My eyes watered, but I refused to cough.

“Another,” I demanded, the word raw in the back of my burning throat.

Sebastian quirked an eyebrow, but he obliged without comment.

The second shot went down smoother. The third made the room soften at the edges, my body lighter, my thoughts slower. The fourth transformed the brutal fight before me into something almost beautiful. Ice and fire dancing in violent harmony. Blue and amber magic entwined in battle.

Ice Pike crashed into the wall, blood streaming from his nose. I cheered with half the crowd, though I had no idea why. I was usually turned off by violence.

Booze worked wonders.

Even if Sebastian drugged me, I wouldn’t give a fuck. What was the worst that could happen? He’d bet on my recklessness and brought me here, but he hadn’t anticipated my self-destruction, now laid bare by Ravencrux’s betrayal. Why did I care so much? I didn’t want to feel anything. A few meaningless trysts shouldn’t have mattered.

“I never figured you for this scene.” Sebastian laughed, arm draped around my shoulders. “I’m positive that we can be friends.”

“Maybe,” I said, not recognizing my own voice, smoky and wild. “All my life, I was told to be a good girl, but being a good girl won’t keep me safe. Mom was wrong.”

And good girls didn’t do their professors.

---