Page 39 of Magical Academy for Delinquents
“Never. Thought that was obvious.” When Evan wouldn’t let go, I let my wrists go limp. I couldn’t give into the urge to claw his face, so I shoved my anger down and thought about multiplication tables, though I really thought he’d look better with a few scars. Maybe of the Potts variety.
“That’s bullshit. You can’t hate me forever.”
“Well, it’s bullshit then. But there’s nothing you can do that can make me forgive you.”
“I think there is,” Evan’s blue eyes struck mine like a lightning bolt. He pulled me forward so that I leaned over, back arched like a cat, as he sat down on the ground, still holding my wrists. He stuck his legs out on either side of mine and locked my ankles in place. Then he leaned forward and said, “Pull on my hands. We have to stretch.”
My nostrils flared. But Lundy walked up behind him just then. And eyed me like he was just waiting for me to give him an excuse for extra punishment. I slowly turned my hands over and wrapped my hands around Evan’s wrists. I hadn’t touched him since my dad’s funeral. Not since the hug that had made me melt like chocolate, before I knew everything my dad had told me. Before dad’s ghost told me that Matthew’s accident had happened because Evan had drunkenly dared him that night, overconfident and stupid and reckless. I stared down at Evan, his dark hair and his perfect features, and saw the future I’d once wanted. I used to picture how our babies would look so often when I was a girl that I was shocked my ovaries hadn’t exploded. They’d felt like ticking time bombs. Every time I’d seen Evan, it had felt like I’d gotten one click closer to detonation.
Our eyes locked. And damn my body for betraying me, but I felt another click. That stupid chemical pull, that hormonal reaction, was still there. I’d programmed my stupid self to be attracted to Evan Weston. And apparently a decade of programming didn’t just disappear. Even in the light of terrible facts. Even if I wanted it to. Feelings I thought I’d let go of swirled in my chest like tie dye, mixing with the sadness and turning it into this twisted, messy vortex. I swallowed hard.
So did Evan.
His eyes shouted things at me. But he was smart enough to keep his damn mouth shut. Because if he’d opened it, I don’t know what I would have done. Something that got me kicked out of MAD, that was certain. I lowered my eyes to the dead grass and pulled up Grayson’s face in my mind.Goals. Focus on those,I told myself, ignoring the fast pulse beneath my fingertips. Anticipation hit me hard. Grayson hadn’t retaliated yet. I’d intercepted two more of his emails to spell writers on the dark web last night. I’d even pretended to respond as one of them. I couldn’t wait to see how that played out.
“What’s that look?” Evan whispered, as Lundy wandered over to another group of students.
“What look?” I still avoided eye contact.
“That’s your ‘I’ve been naughty’ look.”
“There’s no such thing as a look for that,” I scoffed.
“I’ve known you your whole life, Hales. I know your looks.”
I rolled my eyes and scoffed, dropping his wrists and sitting on the ground. “My turn.” Anything to turn the tables and get on to a new topic. Evan jumped up. But instead of grabbing my outstretched hands, he stepped behind me and pushed forward on my shoulders, kneading them. Dickwad. Trying to soften me up into forgiving him. It wasn’t gonna work. Still, I had to bite down on a moan. Huchmala was a bitch with her foil and she’d made me go through all kinds of ‘assaults’—as she so accurately called them—last night. I’d been overeager, emotional. And now my shoulders moaned in delight. Evan’s fingers trailed up my neck.
Dammit.I shoved my body down, bending in half over my legs, stretching to touch my toes, trying to get away from his fingers. I pictured Matthew’s face, that horrid vampire institution. I had work to do.
“Hayley—” Evan started to say.
Luckily, Lundy blew his whistle and it was time to run. I scooted forward in the dirt and stood, brushing off my ass and making my way toward Emelia. I jogged beside her, trying to shake off whatever had just happened with Evan. I needed to check in with Dad. I’d have to call out for him later today or tomorrow and hope he could come for a visit. I hoped his memory would be better than yesterday. Then we needed to discuss who he might know in the industry that could broker a deal for me. I could steal that serum and cure Matthew. But if I could find a lab or a scientist … find a buyer … then I’d be able to sell the serum to people who wanted to try the spell. I’d be able to use it to cure other vamps. I fell behind the pack as my thoughts grew focused and a slight mist started to fall. My skin grew soggy and I slowed further. We neared a bend in the path, and the people in front of me went around it. That’s when I realized I’d become dead last.
I slowed to a walk.
I heard voices through the trees, which made me slow further. Some instinct made me crouch. Even though it was mid-morning, and not dark at all, I felt the need to stay hidden. I backed up against a tree and opened my right hand, letting shadows drift across my body.
Two figures walked past, off the path, talking in low voices. They were careful not to step on any twigs or make a lot of noise, which made me wonder what they were doing. Once I thought that they wouldn’t notice, I followed along behind them and quickly realized they were some of the guards from the gate. They wore black uniforms with the idiotic Metamorphose butterfly stitched above their breast pockets.
“Fucking think they could just magic this shit up themselves,” one muttered.
“Could you fucking magic up a stone deer all by yourself?” the second scoffed, halting their progress. “This is good enough. We need to get back.”
“Headmaster don’t want it close to the path,” the first man protested. He turned, and in the dim light under the trees, I could see he was missing a tooth. “Don’t want the students to see.”
Didn’t want us to see what? I squinted at the stone deer for a second, before I realized what the fuck a stone deer might be used for. Why students might not want to see it. I swallowed hard and tried not to make a sound as I backed away through the trees. I heard a growl in the distance.
Dammit.
Instead of trying to run, I looked around at the trees, weighing my options. Fucking all bullshit pine trees! I sprinted up a rise as the two guards ran in the opposite direction, cursing.
“They weren’t supposed to let the damned things out yet! Amulet isn’t set to go off for five more minutes,” I heard one yell, before his voice faded away.
I spotted an oak and ran for it, heart stumbling. Damn motherfucking curiosity! I scrambled onto the lowest branch, scraping my hands so badly they bled. I hoped like hell that stone lions didn’t give a shit about blood. I glanced back at the stone deer, whose body still looked like stone, but whose eyes had started to glow red. I had no idea what its insides were like. I pulled myself up a second level of branches just as the earth started to tremble.
The stone deer blinked and then suddenly ran—right toward me.
“No, you fucker!” I cursed under my breath and latched onto the tree like a toddler latches onto his mom’s legs.Fucking fuck!
