Page 28 of The Fallen
My breathing stutters, his words barely sifting through the pain radiating through my body. With a hiss, he pulls his hand free of my body, and I sag against the wall. He gives a twist of hislips, a macabre version of a smile, before he backs away from me and disappears through the archway.
I collapse to the floor, curling into a ball as the sobs tear their way out of my chest as fast as I can draw air into my lungs. Why? What was the reason for that? I have never done anything to warrant that. I want a shower, but I also don’t want to move. My ass hurts so bad, and I swear I can feel wetness down there.
Oh, fuck, am I bleeding? How bad did he rip me open?
Echoing laughter makes me snap open my eyes. My heart pounding, I stare silently through the archway at the candle light flickering on the stone walls. I have to move, have to get out. There’s no telling what will happen to me if I stay here.
Slowly, I get my arms under myself and push into a sitting position. I’m shaking and sweating by the time I’m sitting up, I’m trying to keep my whimpers of pain from getting too loud. The seat of my pants is dam, but not soaked through. So, maybe it isn’t as bad as I think it is?
I roll to my knees and sluggishly get to my feet, using the wall. My ass feels like it’s on fire and every movement causes pulses of agony to radiate outward. Resting my forehead on the cool stone, I take deep breathes, trying desperately not to pass out. The pain isn’t so bad now, or maybe I’m just becoming numb to it.
Either way, I need to get out of here.
Taking another deep breath to steady my nerves, I shuffle closer to the archway, grimacing at the deep ache inside me. If I need to run, I’m going to be in trouble.
Reaching the archway, I glance out quickly, hoping there’s some hallway heading away from the summoning.
But, of course, I’m not that lucky.
The room I’m in is at the end of a short curving hallway. The only way out is to walk through the room currently being used for a summoning by who knows how many people.
More drunken laughter echoes to me as I edge out of the room. Hopefully, the laughter will drown out the sound of my pounding heart. Because it’s about the only other thing I can hear as I shakily make my way down the hall.
There has to be another way out of here. Or maybe something I can use as a weapon or a distraction. And while the pain is bearable right now, I doubt running is an option.
Blank, clutter-free stone stares back at me as I sweep my gaze around me. Figures. I continue to follow the gentle curve of the hallway, the flickering candlelight getting brighter until it washes the stone in a warm light.
“Dude, ya sure it’ll work?” a voice drawls. I recognize the guy that walked in on Jacob assaulting me.
I freeze as a dark chuckle reaches me, and my legs almost collapse from fear.
“The nerd wrote the spell, so it’ll work,” Jacob says smugly.
Who is he calling a nerd? And I didn’t write any spell for him. My heart rate kicks up a notch. Unless he somehow heard about my Advanced Summoning spell work.
But that’s ridiculous. The spell isn’t complete and the inaccuracies that my professor intentionally put into the spell makes it either a dud or outright dangerous to cast.
More importantly, how did he even get the spell? I highly doubt Ben would have let him into our dorms.
This isn’t making any sense. Jacob is a senior and isn’t even a summoner. Why is he messing around with my spell work? Though, it could be a prank. He’s a big enough asshole to do that, but it still doesn’t make sense to me. What’s he trying to accomplish?
I chew on my bottom lip as I try to make sense of everything. If he needs spellwork done, there are numerous students and even faculty who could help. That is, if what he’s doing is even legal under the terms of a summoning.
The cadence of whoever is doing the summoning shifts, lowering in tone until I can just about make out who’s doing it, but the scuff of shoes on stone striding toward me jolts me out of my thoughts.
“Better work. I can’t wait to get my dick into some hot action,” a nasally voice remarks, laughing as if the idea of potentially raping some unsuspecting entity is a joking matter. Hell, probably gives them the warm fuzzies to think about it.
“We’re out of beer. Do me a favor and make sure the nerd doesn’t get past you while I get more. Be a shame to have to chase him down,” Jacob says coldly.
I jerk at his words, my heart in my throat as he stares at me from the entrance. How the hell did he get this close without me hearing?
CHAPTER 3
Rough hands grab my arm and jerk me into the larger chamber. I trip over my own feet. Jacob keeps me upright until he drops me into a chair that’s the exact twin of the one I was tied to.
Without another word he turns and walks from of the room and I’m left staring with wide eyes at four other Academy students. Three of them are clearly drunk, judging by the loose-limbed way they’remilling around. Their eyes slide blankly around the room. There’s also the fact that at least four dozen empty beer cans litter every horizontal surface.
The summoner hesitates for only a moment before continuing and I can’t help but roll my eyes at who it is.
