Page 27 of Dead Wolf Falling (Bad Moon Academy 2)

Chapter 7

RAVEN

I wake with a start a few hours later, a soft whisper near my face making my heart skip a beat. Bea is kneeling in front of my cot, eyes wide with fear. I reach for her and lift the sheet, scooting over so she can climb in next to me. When she settles on her side, I smile at her.

“Good morning.”

“Morning,” she whispers. “What happened to Layla?”

Blowing out a breath, I brush my hair from my face. “Remember the bad spirit?”

She nods.

“The bad spirit took her and Morg. Layla’s tired, but she should be okay. Morg is gone.” I swallow around the lump in my throat.

Her brown eyes bounce between mine. “I don’t like her.”

“Me either, sweetie.” I smooth her hair, trying to think of something to say that will reassure her. I come up with nothing useful, so we lie in silence, staring at one another until the men begin to stir.

Layla is the last to rise, and she jolts up with a gasp, fisting the blanket in her hands and snapping her head back and forth. I leave Bea on the cot and go to the bed, climbing on and sitting next to her.

“It’s okay,” I say, squeezing her arm. “You’re okay.”

Her face screws up in confusion. “What’s going on?” she asks in a shaky voice.

“Well—”

“Basically, Jinx is going to feast on our souls unless we find a way to stop her.”

I glare at Brayden, who’s leaning against the desk.

He lifts a shoulder. “Better to rip the band-aid off.”

Shaking my head, I sigh. “He’s right. Jinx is dangerous, so until we figure out how to stop her, we should stay in groups.”

“You agreed to keep playing school,” Everett reminds me. “That means everyone else needs to play along too. I don’t trust her not to call foul if one of us decides not to keep up the charade.”

Layla scoffs. “I’mnotgoing to class on Monday and pretending like there’s not something trying to eat me.”

Draco steps to the edge of the bed, placing his palms on the mattress. “I understand some of what you’re feeling, but you don’t have a choice.”

Mmm. Moons he’s so hot when he’s angry.

Joan,I groan her name. It’s too early for her to be this thirsty. I haven’t even had coffee.

She opens her mouth to argue, but Carter clears his throat.

“What Draco is trying to say is that we need your help making sure Jinx doesn’t come for Raven. If we all play pretend, there’s less of a chance of Raven being attacked by the demon spirit.”

Layla presses her lips into a thin line and shoots her eyes to mine.

“I won’t ask you to pretend everything is okay, but I agree with the guys. We need to continue going to class to keep Jinx pacified so we can come up with a plan. If she thinks we’re listening and afraid, she’s less likely to suspect we’re up to something.”

“You’re insane,” she says, launching from the bed and running into the bathroom.

Placing my head in my hands, I release a hard breath.

Adler sits next to me, wrapping his arm around me. “We have a day to convince her.”

---