Page 66 of Lost and Bound

His eyes are back to gold, and his voice delves into the rumbly zone again. “No one was at risk. The Kleis have been moved to a secure location.”

Cane locks up as he realizes what he just admitted. To save time and a lot of angst, I pretend I missed what he said by twisting his words into a question that’s been bugging me for a while. “Gossip around Thales is that your unit already has a Kleis.”

He scoffs, reinforcing that I’m dealing with Professor Cane again. “I know you don’t believe everything you hear, Maya. It’s also not your business, is it?”

“I disagree. And before we go around in circles, now’s a good time for me to say again, my being here is pointless. You clearly know how to work together, and your Kleis is supposedly safe. I don’t need to be here.” Angry golden eyes sear me into submission. “Or I could stay a while longer.”

An alarm sounds, Professor Cane turns away, doing whatever it is he does and sends off a couple of texts from his phone. When he spins back, he’s all business again.

“You’re still a Nom. The information you shared earlier saved us a lot of time, but I think you need to find a way to sort fact from fiction.”

My mouth falls open in shock and offense. “Pardon?”

“Bael said they didn’t find anything at the base of the tree. They went on a wild-goose chase for nothing.”

“I’m not the one who said they should check, Professor, you made the decision. I have said that I’m a complete novice when it comes to visions. Now you’re crabby at me? Anyway, I appreciate your feedback, but like I keep saying, I really don’t think we should do this anymore.”

He storms off, leaving me feeling more settled than I have been. At least when he’s a dick, he’s consistently dickish.

After checking he’s not waiting outside my door, I race to the bathroom to wash my finger because that is infinitely easier than unpacking pretty much anything to do with Cane or his actions.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

IS EVERYTHING A CHALLENGE? WHY, YES, IT IS

Turns out ridding myself of the discombobulation riding my ass involves washing my hair, shaving my legs, and having a good cry. Cane on his own is enough to make my logic ping-pong erratically; throw the others into the mix, and I can’t drag myself away from feeling like an alien in my own body. I’m better than this. I know I am. But their presence is encroaching on my space and psyche. It’s frustrating and unsettling how they’ve stolen my calm.

I know I’m having a somewhat frenzied lapse, and to realize no matter what I do, or how I try to outrun them, there’s nowhere safe on Earth. Their giant egos and blinding presence would reach everywhere. In fact, I’m sure even if I was back home, hiding from the enforcers, these four appearing would be what worries me most.

One thought tumbles into the next. Thankfully, no one can hear my ramblings, or I’d be asked to prove my sanity. I mean, no one said meltdowns had to be rational or pretty, and I’m sure it might be over the top when I blame the four men upstairs for everything. It fits, though. My anger eventually burns out, just in the nick of time too.

“You sit up here.” I point to a new spot for Bugby as I readjust my tie.

I’ve moved him half a dozen times already, but their residual presence is keeping him protectively close. The timer on my laptop buzzes, showing that classes are about to start. Triple-checking that my uniform is straight and perfect, I sit in front of my camera and ask to join the class.

“Maya, come up here.” Emrys’ voice wraps around me like a silk vise, exactly like his purple magik.

I mute my microphone and slap at the ribbons circling my wrists. “No chance. Magikster Ballin already hates me, and class starts in less than ten seconds.” I talk using my inside voice, banking on him using his supernatural hearing. It’s hard to yell at him with half the class already online and everyone checking each other out.

Emrys appears in my room at the same time Magikster Ballin joins the meeting. I swear his beady eyes scour the screen until he finds me. The look he throws my way is what I imagine a rattler would look like if you stood on its tail. I slam my shields up so fast that there’s a ringing in my ears, luckily, because he calls my name and starts speaking in a language I’ve never heard.

Ballin commandeers my focus, and everyone shuffles on their screens, like they are positioning themselves to watch. It’s made worse because not everyone has turned their microphones off, so I’m getting Ballin angrily berating me, as well as the feedback of students laughing or throwing shade my way.

I challenge anyone to sit in my seat and not get the wobbles. Tears prick my eyes at the attention, and my stomach bottoms out as Ballin continues leveling all his aggression at me.

Emrys’ face appears next to my screen. “He’s always been an asshole, Maya. The trick is to beat him at his own game.”

My eyes flick to Emrys, who looks relaxed, making me question if I’m being paranoid. As soon as I question myself, I feel a pressure against my shields.

“Is that you?” I ask, barely moving my lips.

I know it’s not, because Emrys’ magik is curling around me like a welcoming house cat, and the sensation I’m referring to is like getting brain freeze from drinking slushies too fast.

“He’s super pissed at you. I mean, he’s meant to be the strongest magikal here, and by rights, that means he should have been the one to sound the alarm that the Legion were attacking. Instead, the warning came from a Nom. Throw in that he and Cane have never seen eye to eye, and the result is him doing what he’s doing. Keep your shields up, and give him those cute, innocent eyes you do when you know you’re being a brat, and you’re enjoying how flustered you can get others.”

“I do not,” I hiss through a smile.

“If you can tell me what language he’s using, I’ll show you how to counter the cast. If you can’t, I guess you’ve got no one to blame but yourself.”