Page 68 of Dead Wolf Falling (Bad Moon Academy 2)

“Brayden! What do we do?” Draco stops a foot away from where the ghosts circle.

His brother grimaces, glaring at the circling vultures then at Jinx. “I’ve had enough of this.” Then he steps into the swirling mass of spirits and stands in front of Alive Alice. A blast of murky gray light pierces his chest, and he shouts in pain. Another burst of light slams into Alice, and she falls back, landing against the edge of the staircase, a sickening crack filling the air.

“Brayden!” Draco shouts, trying to shove through the shadows, but he’s pushed back by an invisible force. He slams his fists into the spirits, like he can break through them, but it doesn’t work. His twin is still crying out in agony as his soul is sucked from his body.

“No!” Jinx screams, stumbling down the stairs. “Stop it!”

Her shouts do nothing to stop her creatures, if she can even control them, and soon Brayden collapses to the ground.

“What have you done!” Jinx scolds them, sweeping her hand in a violent gesture and making them disappear. Her fingers curl into a fist, and her chest heaves as she stares at Brayden’s lifeless body. “He was off limits.”

“What the hell?” Draco rushes her, but Jinx knocks him into the wall with a flick of her hand.

Alive Alice coughs, and Jinx spins, dropping to her knees and pressing her hands against her chest.

“You’re alive,” Jinx whispers. “Good.” She leans toward Alive Alice, hovering her lips above her mouth and puckers her lips, sucking air and drawing a pure white stream of essence out of Alive Alice. As soon as the stream vanishes into Jinx’s mouth, Alice’s body goes limp.

I’m thrown back into reality like someone tossing a bag of ice on the ground to break it apart. Air rushes from my lungs and my back arches off the mattress. Alice—the ghost of her—is still kneeling in front of me. Her head is tipped to the side, and her fingers hover near the edge of the bed. Grasping them, I tug her toward me, ignoring the creepy feeling which accompanies her semi-solid state, and hug her. Thankfully, there are currently no crawlers skittering around her body, and Alice’s form buzzes against my touch, like she’ll blink out if I squeeze her too tight.

Releasing her, I sit up and stare into her eyes. Something shifts in her gaze, like she’s made up her mind, and she flickers out of sight.

“Raven?” a soft voice whispers.

I glance at Bea lingering near the edge of her cot. She’s clasping her fingers together, and she shifts her weight between her feet, but it’s the haunted look in her eyes which has my heart squeezing in sympathy.

“Come on,” I say, lying down and scooting so she can take what little space remains.

As soon as I pat the mattress, she rushes over, making Howard shoot to his feet where he’s standing guard. She settles in under the thin sheet and blanket, and Howard dips his head at me, letting me know all is well. I wave at him then rest my head on the pillow. The cot is so narrow we’re almost pressed up against each other, but with Bea it doesn’t feel weird. It’s as natural as if she were my own sister. Not for the first time, I wish I’d had a real sibling. Being the only child is lonely. With her steady breathing, I finally find sleep.

“Raven.” Bea shakes me awake the next morning. “Something is wrong.”

Usually, I’m slow to shake off sleep, but the way her voice dips with fright has me sitting with a ram-rod straight spine in two seconds. I blink rapidly and swivel my head, searching the room. Shifters are floating above the ground, suspended in their sleep. Carter, Draco, and Everett are still in their beds, unaffected by whatever magic Jinx is using thanks to their bracelets. Brayden and Adler are floating above their cots, still sleeping.

“Bea, why aren’t you floating?” I eye her up and down. She’s fine, except for her blown pupils and the reek of fear curling around me.

“I don’t know,” she says. “I woke up when it started happening and grabbed you, then it stopped.”

The demon spirit can’t make you float?

I wish I knew why or how this demon stuff works, I tell Joan.

“Oh goodie, you’re awake!” Jinx struts into the room wearing six-inch platform heels, a slinky black dress, which is so at odds with her other outfit from the last time I saw her, and her long hair is loose and curled. “And your little friend here, curious how close you’ve gotten, don’t you think?” She slices her gaze toward Bea, who flinches and presses her face into the pillow like she can hide from the spirit if she tries hard enough.

There’s a second where I think perhaps Bea is like Morg and the other students Jinx placed about, a strategically crafted part of her, meant to get close and learn my weaknesses, but I shake the doubt off. Bea isn’t a spirit. I know Morg fooled me, but I know in the core of my being Bea is real. She’s not Jinx’s minion.

“What do you want?” I ask the demon, glaring at her.

“Can’t I come to visit without needing something?” She pouts her ruby-red painted lips.

When I scoff, she throws her hands into the air.

“Fine, you got me all figured out, don’t you?”

“Hardly,” I drawl. “I thought we had until the full moon.” Gesturing to the floating shifters, I shake my head. “This isn’t part of the deal we made.”

Jinx grins and walks closer; the clacking of her heels jolts the guys awake. “Hello, loves.” She blows them a kiss. “Miss me?”

A deep growl sounds and Draco shifts, landing in his wolf form, black coat almost as dark as the shadows in the library. The curtains are drawn and someone turned off the lamp on the librarian’s desk, so I can’t tell what time the clock reads or judge the time of day from the changing sky.

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