Page 82 of Dead Wolf Walking (Bad Moon Academy 1)
Grabbing as many snacks as we can carry, Morg and I head up to the theater. Her frown is gone, so I’m hoping my wanting to leave hersanctuarywon’t cause a rift. She was so excited to show me the library. I can understand being disappointed, so I’m not upset at her initial reaction; besides, she’s smiling and chatting now as though it’s not a big deal.
If the phantom makes me lose her as a friend, I’m going to be very upset.
Chapter 16
Raven
The next Friday, I’m waiting for Carter to arrive to teach me more about fae and demons when an ice gust of air rushes through the classroom. It’s been a week since I last saw anything ghostly, and the sudden brush of freezing cold fingers on my cheek makes me gasp. The phantom moves his touch to my wrist.
“You’ve been gone a while,” I say in an attempt to make him open up, to give me something. Anything. A memory sphere at the very least. He’s strong enough to.
The frigid caress trails from my forearm, up my biceps, across my shoulder which is mostly exposed thanks to the tank top I’m wearing, and finally rests at the base of my throat. The touch isn’t threatening, but it’s enough to make me uncomfortable. This phantom has the ability to physically restrain me.
He can hurt me if he wants to.
My breath fogs in front of me, misting in the chilly room.
When he trails his other hand across my cheek, I swallow.
“Do you have something to show me?” I whisper the question, hating how hard my heart is pounding and how I’m not exactly repulsed by the strange caresses.
I still say we bite his ass,Joan says, growling when the phantom crowds into my space and my back tingles from the cold.
The pencil on my desk lifts into the air, and I stare as one word is scratched across the blank page of my notebook.
Soon.
“Why not now?” I ask, imagining him caging me in his arms and leaning against me in order to write.
His touch vanishes in a cool rush of air and Carter breezes into the room, shooting me an apologetic smile.
“Sorry about that, Draco insisted on talking my ear off about your combat practice this morning.” He sets two mugs of coffee on his desk and pulls the strap of his bag over his head and tosses it down. “How’s that going, by the way?”
Grabbing the coffee, he places one in front of me and slides into the chair next to me before setting his mug down.
“It’s going.” My voice comes out weak, and I clear my throat. Picking up the pencil, I scribble over the word the phantom had scrawled and shut the notebook.
Carter searches my face. “Are you okay? You look a little pale.”
I nod. “Sorry, I’m fine, tired from practice is all.” Taking a drink of the bean brew and trying not to grimace at the acidic taste, I shoot him a megawatt smile. “See, nothing a little coffee can’t fix.”
“Did he do something to you? I swear I’ll have words with him; he never learns,” Carter bites out the words, and I shake my head when he starts to stand.
“No. Draco’s harmless.” Mostly.
“I’ll still kill him. It’s the least I can do for his manners.” He grins and sips his drink. “All joking aside, do you want to talk about whatever is bothering you?”
Lifting a shoulder, I pick at a nail. “It feels like I’ll never get to leave,” I confess. It’s not the reason for my unease at this moment, but itisbothering me.
Carter grimaces and stares into his coffee, eyes darkening as he thinks of how to respond. I tap my fingers on the table, waiting for some wise advice or a pep talk.
“I’d love to tell you you’re close, but I can’t promise you anything. All I know is eventually you’ll be able to leave, if only for a little while.”
“Only a little while?” I ask, voice rising in surprise. “What happened to living with the pack? Or a pack of my choosing? Morg told me there’s more than one pack.”
Carter scowls at the mention of my friend. “She’s filling your head with nonsense.” He shakes his head and sighs. “I’m tired of lying, Raven.”
Picking up the pencil, I start to tap it on my notebook and glare at him. “What have you been lying about?”
