Page 27 of Wicked Chains
"Drake's gone," I tell him."I don't know if he left on purpose or if something happened to him."
Hank hunkers down in my palm.
"I'm getting way too attached to you," I inform him, but I don't put him down. Instead, I carry him with me as I rummage through my drawers one-handed for something to wear.
I settle on my usual black jeans and a dark t-shirt under my black hoodie, in other words, the usual. As I pull my shirt over my head, I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I lookdifferent somehow. Catching feelings for a ghost does something to a person, I guess. And then there’s Soren and Lucien. I’m still processing how they both tried to protect me from Ash. Also how they both switched sides so easily.
"I need to figure out what the hell is going on around here," I say to Hank as I drag a brush through my hair.
Hank croaks his agreement.
"First stop, Professor Malric's office."
I set Hank down while I finish getting ready. He watches me with those unblinking eyes, occasionally hopping in place a little.
"I'll be back soon," I promise him. "Just going to talk to Soren. You stay here, okay?"
I make my way across campus, dodging students and faculty alike. The halls are filled with people pretending everything is normal, but it’s pretty hard to ignore the small changes, like the men patrolling the perimeter, ostensibly to make sure Victoria, or anyone still loyal to her, doesn’t try anything, or the Blood Moon banners that have replaced the Crescent Moon ones.
Soren's office is tucked away at the end of a long hallway. The door is halfway open, and I can see him inside, lounging at his desk, flipping through a book with obvious boredom. His shirt is half-undone, his hair is messy, and I feel heat in places I really shouldn’t.
I knock once, not waiting for an answer before pushing the door open wider.
"Well, well," he says, looking up with a slow smile that makes my stomach flip despite everything. "If it isn't Rose Smith, gracing me with her presence so early in the morning."
"We need to talk," I say, closing the door behind me.
He leans back in his chair, studying me with those pitch-black eyes. "I'm all ears."
"What's your angle, Soren?" I cross my arms, keeping my distance. "One minute you're fighting Ash, the next you're best buddies with the Blood Moon Coven."
He sighs dramatically. "We've already been through this, Rose. I work for whoever pays the bills."
"Bullshit." I move closer to his desk. "You were knocked unconscious protecting me from Ash. That's not the action of someone who doesn't care."
Silver, quick as lightning, flashes in his eyes. He stands, coming around the desk to lean against it, too close to me now, but he says nothing.
"Why are you really here? Why stay at the academy when you could go anywhere?"
He's quiet for a moment longer, then he speaks. "I'm old," he finally says. "Older than you can imagine. I've seen covens rise and fall, seen powers shift, watched the game play out a hundred different ways. The academy offers protection, resources. Things an incubus would normally have to hunt for."
"Protection from what?"
"From other demons, for one." His mouth twists. "My kind isn't exactly popular in certain circles. And the academy has the most extensive collection of forbidden texts this side of the Atlantic. Knowledge is power, Rose."
I'm not sure I believe him, but it's more than he's shared before. "And working with Ash? That's just convenient?"
"It's survival." He pushes off the desk, moving closer. "You think because I'm a demon I don't know what it's like to be hunted? To be a monster in a world that hates monsters?"
We're too close now. I can smell that scent that's uniquely his, brimstone and whiskey, danger and sex.
"And what about me?" I ask. "Where do I fit in your survival plan?"
His eyes flash silver again, longer this time. "You don't. You're the wild card I didn't count on."
His hand comes up, fingers hovering near my face without touching. "I can feel your desire, you know. It's what I feed on. What sustains me. And yours is..." he inhales deeply, "... potent."
My heart pounds in my chest, and I know that he can probably sense it, can feel my attraction to him despite everything.
