Page 62 of Shadebound
Eris looked down quickly, cheeks flushing as she tugged on some of her inky hair.
“Traitor,” Maya muttered as she stabbed her spoon into her porridge.“You’re corrupting her. Eris was sweet until she met you. Now she’s going to turn sour,” she added, shooting Eris a wink that only made the smaller girl blush harder.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” I licked stray porridge from my thumb and leant back against the wall. “Heartache loves corruption. The darker the better.”
Jinx finally glanced at me as Maya snorted. “Awh, look at you having her back.”
“Always. Even if it’s sometimes from behind something fireproof.”
Jinx liked fire too much for her own good. The way it moved. The way it erased things with such permanence. To her, there was something poetic about that kind of destruction—about her affection for it. Dangerous, yes. But almost beautiful, the way she gravitated toward things that could burn everything down.
I was surprised she hated Alessandro. Not because I didn’t think he was an irritating fool, but because he was a walking fireball.
The pair would have got off to the destruction together as the rest of us more normal people hovered behind with a fire extinguisher and a heavy side eye.
“Coward,” Maya rolled her eyes as I tried not to grin at the mental image of Jinx with a packet of matches, eyes glittering like she was born to burn the world down.
“Strategist,” I countered with a final lick of my spoon as I glanced around my group to ensure everyone was okay.
Draven sat a few tables away, chuckling with the younger wolves. His cuff twinkled softly as he leant in toward them, gesturing as he spoke. His shoulders were relaxed, and he honestly looked unbothered about the day’s events so far. Nothing like Jinx, who watched him as if she hadn’t eaten in weeks and he was the only thing that mattered.
Her spoon barely moved through her bowl. She took one bite and then just kept staring.
“Psychopath,” Maya muttered again under her breath.
Jinx didn’t reply. She went deathly still, like every cell in her body had frozen mid-thought. If you weren’t watching closely, you’d have mistaken her for a corpse.
Then she spoke quietly. “I need to get to town. Or to somewhere with a phone or the chance to send a letter.” She lowered her voice even more. “With what happened with Tyler today, I think the dragons might try to come after me again. I want to be sure it happens after Draven has left, not before.”
Maya blinked.I didn’t blink at all. I’d expected this the second my deadly bundle of darkness walked through the gates. Plans had already been forming the moment I saw her. I’d already mapped half the route in my head. Already knew the best time, the best path, the way to cover it all up.
I was going to help her get Draven out of here, and I was going to make sure the only one who could get in trouble for it was me.
Then I was going to eat some dragons for dinner so they couldn’t lay their filthy hands on her again.
“Friday,” I said under my breath. “Hightower’s got some mandatory meeting, and the rest of the staff trail after her like ducklings. After lights-out, the cuffs always glitch. No tracking or anything for us.” I wiggled my eyebrows. “The older students usually use it as an excuse to blow off steam—bonfires, drinks, sneaking into the woods. For orgies and murder. The usual fare. But for you, it could be a perfect cover. A chance to slip into town.”
Jinx finally looked at me properly. Her grey eyes were clearer than usual, like storm clouds split with lightning.
I’d never wanted to be struck so much in my life.
Maya snorted, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “He is right, J. It works. Zayden has used it every month to party and run around like a weirdo under the moon.”
“Field research,” I replied. “Purely academic.”
Jinx didn’t smile, but something in her face eased. A flicker of something not-quite-soft as though she was thawing again.
“It really works?” she asked. “Hightower won’t know I’ve gone?”
I shook my head. “If you’re quiet. Then no. You’ll be able to get to town and send the letter.”
She nodded slowly, still thoughtful. Eris shifted beside her, reminding me she was actually a real person. Not just part of the décor.
“I know a guy in town,” she whispered. “He runs the local bar. Not the most trustworthy place, but... if anyone could help get a letter out, it’s him. He’s one of those people who get you anything you want, no questions asked.”
“I’ll come too,” Maya said, stabbing at her meal with unnecessary force. “I’m good at talking our way out of trouble. And I look amazing when I lie. I can back you both up if you need, you know, magic that works.”
“You look suspicious by default,” I told her. “And I’m happy to distract on campus. I’ll make everyone think you were here.”
