Page 124 of Dancing with Vipers and Shadows

Ruthless. Unforgiving. Destructive.

Tiny shocks of my magic begin to buzz at my fingertips, and I can feel the rise of rage beginning to consume me.

My girl is fully wrapped by Ophira, and despite the obvious move to protect her master, as Blair mentioned, it’s obvious Ophelia won’t be able to survive the protective measure.

Snakes may wrap around their babes in the form of protection in the fae realms, but you never witness the wrap around their eggs.

Eggs are fragile.

With just enough pressure, that layer of fragility will crack and destroy the space of protection that promotes their children’s growth. In this case, Ophelia is an egg with a fragile exterior of skin and bone.

Wrap around it tight enough, and she’ll break.

It’s only seconds now, and I notice how Alaric, Azrael’s brother, launches into the air with a spear in his hand. His gaze is nothing like Azrael’s. The sheer intensity of murderous intent is so sinister to witness, it makes my stomach flip in disgust.

This is the man who betrayed his own brother to get ahead.

Deep down, I feel as though there’s something deeper brewing that none of us knows about. I

“It’s too late…” I hear Blair’s whimpering voice, but I can’t look away.

We watch in complete silence as the rushing tsunami crashes into the invisible wall with immense force. I can see the bodies from the massive towers piling against the wall like packed sardines.

It’s sickening to watch, witnessing the blue waters taint to red and then black.

I’m counting every second in my head, keeping track of how long my baby has been under the water.Did she manage to take a breath before Ophira cocooned her? Can she hold it long enough for me to get to her?It’s a waiting game, but how long until this wall will shatter and free what is mine?

“When is it going to go down?” Kali asks in haste, knowing well every second matters.

I can only assume he’s directing the question to one of the professors, but neither of them seems to be able to answer.

The person who does speak only makes my blood go cold.

“Unless the wall is broken, the water will never go down until the next class.”

It’s the slight mockery in this man’s voice that makes me pull my eyes away to acknowledge Professor D’Angelo. His gaze only angers me further, making me realize he actually seems pleased by these results.

To see the end of my woman’s life transpire before our eyes.

The longer I stare at him, the more enraged I become.

“Next class, as in, next year’s first class,” he elaborates on purpose as he holds the reins of the hawk creature he’s riding. “Anyone who wishes to claim the bodies of those they lost during this test, whether it be family, friends, or lovers, will have to submit a request with Headmaster Atlas, and you’ll be given priority to do so next year when the yearly ‘clean-up’ is conducted in preparation of the next new set of first classes.”

He’s joking.

This has to be some sick type of joke to make me lose my shit.

The truth is, I’m inching closer to my breaking point. I feel the loss of control happening every second that my Sweet Cruella is underwater.

“Y-YOU’RE LYING!”

We all look at Kali, watching how his whole body trembles. I can’t determine if it’s out of anger or fear, but his eyes are now a vivid orange as they overflow with tears.

“Their bodies will rot and perish by then! They’ll be BONE! How would we even give them the proper burials?! Let alone tell the difference of who’s who. Even faes believe in the afterlife and the road to places like Heaven or Valhalla! You can’t leave them in there. That’s barbaric! INHUMAN!”

To hear Professor D’Angelo laugh at those words leaves more than one of us speechless as he shakes his head.

“Do you think Nephilim Malevolence University is for the weak? The vulnerable? The forgiving?” The level of judgment in his voice is no different from his merciless expression. “This is the reflection of the reality of the world. The hierarchy of life where everyone has to fight to survive. Do you believe because you’re part fae, you’re special? That your survival is more significant than another, girl?”

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