Page 20 of Dead Wolf Falling (Bad Moon Academy 2)

Snapping its beak at his fingers, the bird dodges his hand and circles close to the ceiling, evading the other men as well.

The globe stops spinning, toppling over with the force of its abrupt stop. Another explosion rocks the building, and the bird drops mid flight. Falling to the floor with a thud. Everett scoops it up and grimaces.

“There’s no heartbeat.”

“Doesn’t mean it’s dead,” Carter says, grimacing. “Jinx is up to something.”

“Maybe I need to have a word with our little demon nemesis.” Brayden turns toward the door.

“Wait,” I say, stepping out of Adler’s hold and grabbing his arm. His body is cold, much like the chill I feel when the phantom touches me, and he cuts his gaze to where my skin rests against his. “What if she hurts you?”

His grin makes me regret the question immediately. “Scared for me, Little Red?”

With a scoff, I drop his arm and back away. “No—”

Two screams, both distinctly feminine, echo down the hallway.

Growls rise around me, and I release one of my own, not liking the situation one bit.

Where’s Morg?Joan asks.

I glance over my shoulder, realizing I haven’t seen her. Aside from Bea, Morris, and Layla, I haven’t seen any of the other students. Are they hurt? Does Jinx have them all?

I don’t know but something tells me we’re about to find out.

The screams ring out again, and I exchange a look with Brayden. His lips pull into a grim line.

“I think we all know what this means,” he says, opening the door and looking back at us. “Jinx wants to play.”

“I’ll stay with the child,” Adler says, sitting on the bed and holding the towel tight around his waist. Bea is curled into a ball on the bed, still terrified from the bird.

“Are you sure?” I ask. “The last time I left you alone. . .” I trail off, letting him fill in the rest.

He gives me a reassuring nod. “I can protect her and myself from this Jinx person now that I’m awake.”

“Okay. There are shirts in the dresser. They probably won’t fit, but we’ll get clothes for you in a bit.”

“I’ll be all right.”

I don’t like it, but we don’t exactly have time to argue because a pained cry fills the hallway. The other men crowd around me, and we move through the threshold. I glance at Adler one more time before Everett pulls the door shut.

“The screams are coming from the ballroom.” Draco pulls ahead of everyone and leads us to where Jinx is likely to be.

We reach the second-floor landing, all of us stopping in front of the velvet rope which sections off the west wing. Carter places his hand at the small of my back.

“To stay safe, we stay together.”

Brayden dips his head in agreement. “She’ll try to separate us at some point. Picking off the weakest link first.” His eyes flit to Carter, who bares his teeth at him. “Youarethe delta, are you not?”

“Yes,” Carter grits out between clenched teeth.

“Then you better make sure you’re not separated from the rest of us. It’s either you or the eagle, and no offense, my money is on the fae being stronger.”

Carter’s chest rumbles. I place my hand on it to calm him down.

“Now isn’t the time for a dick measuring contest.”

I wholeheartedly disagree,Joan says, pushing past the mental shield.

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