Page 90 of Forbidden Magic
Cole pulls on my shirt, stretching the neckline, and pushes my bra strap past the bend in my shoulder.
I’ve got half a mind to let him lead me in a dark corner and let him have his Fae prince way with me. With everything going on, I would have plausible deniability, but I know I wouldn’t see it the same way if the role were reversed. Whatever is happening, he’s not in control.
Suddenly, he falls down on his back, and I jump in surprise.
Oz and his three sidekicks from the Magisterium enter the room. Their force field shimmers in and out of view as it holds Cole down. The Prince thrashes and curses.
Miss Eillis steps over him, opens his mouth and dumps a red liquid down his throat. Immediately, he stops resisting, and his body relaxes against the ground.
“It’s done,” she says, and the agents back off. “Let’s find the others.”
Cole grabs his head with both hands and groans. “Ow. What happened?”
Eillis and Oz hurry out, leaving just one agent behind.
I help Cole up. “Don’t you remember?”
His limbs are shaky as hell. “It’s like a fuzzy dream.” His mouth struggles with the choppy words, and his dazed stare bounces around like he doesn’t quite know who I am or how he got here.
When his eyes focus on our joined hands, he suddenly pulls away.
He doesn’t mention our deal, and I wonder if it stands even though he forgot about it. Is the magic still there?
Do I really owe Cole my virginity? Or was the phrasing dubious enough to save me?
The Magisterium agent leads Cole out of Summer Hall, and I follow, stunned. A crowd has formed out front, another five or so agents holding people away from my dorm. I find Allie and Olson in the mayhem and hurry toward them.
My sister hugs me tight. “When they said there’d been an attack, I thought…” Her eyes widen at the bloody spots on my neck and my chafed arms, but it’s the scars she can’t see that bother me the most.
“I’m okay.”
Trent, Cole, Blane, and Bailey walk with their heads down to the main office under the watchful eyes of Professor Oz and Miss Eillis.
“Looks like a few immortals are going to miss their finals…” Olson says with a dark laugh.
Something eerie lingers in his body language, in the evil curl of his mouth, and in the “just desserts” tone of his voice…
It gnaws at me, and I jerk around to face him. My blood runs at the satisfied smirk curling his lips.
Without thought, I push the warlock square in the chest. “You did this? We almost got killed!”
He shakes me off and stands tall. “Hey, I had to do something. They were going to send us home and brush this whole thing under the rug. Act like we were the ones falling behind, not being constantly bullied and attacked by those beasts.”
“And what did this stunt prove?”
“That we can survive anything. And that their killer instincts that they hold in such high regard are actually their biggest liability.” There’s no remorse on his face. Only righteous anger.
“You’re insane.”
He shakes his head from side to side. “Wake up, Jules. They’re never going to give us equality. We have to take it. The end justifies the means.”
“You targeted immortals that have a direct link to me. Why?” My troubled boyfriend, my nemesis, and my house mates. That can’t be a coincidence.
He shrugs. “Bad luck, I’m afraid. They were all in detention together.”
I can’t shake the feeling that this was targeted at me, somehow. Olson must have had help. If he wasn’t the one who wanted to hurt me, who was? “Why was Trent in detention?” I ask, still trying to piece out the puzzle.
“Something to do with missing curfew last night. I heard he didn’t return until dawn.”
