Page 25 of Bound to Three Fae Beasts

He nodded. His jaw must still be hurting terribly, but between him, Freta and Penry, I was put back on my feet. Thatcher allowed Penry to help Silas take me since I could barely walk. I’d never suffered a beating like that before.

At the nurse’s office, I was instantly put to bed. They gave me something to heal, but nothing for the pain. Silas and Penry were sent away quickly, leaving me alone. I lay on my back, staring up at the ceiling.

I wanted to be more like Freta, warm, open. But if I did that … well, we’d both die. After today’s class, I was certain that only brutality could survive in this place. I had to kill the gentle parts of myself if I was going to live. There was nobody who would protect me, allow me to stay soft. So I had to choose. Become savage or die.

Maybe, if I was savage enough, I could be a shield for Freta and Silas. No, not a shield. A sword.

I couldn’t sleep, too shaken from both the viciousness of Seb’s attack on me and the pain. Finally, I dredged up the strength to roll to my side and prop a book up so I could read. The words were difficult to concentrate on, but even just holding the book gave me comfort.

After today, I’d take any comfort I could get.

Chapter 12 - Azriel

I was given permission to skip classes the next day, but was not permitted to stay in the nurse’s office, nor my dorm room. When I asked why I couldn’t stay in my dorm, they only said it was Academy policy. I figured it was just a matter of the faculty being controlling. The common room saw people coming and going, and they kept giving me nasty looks, so I went to the library.

The extra exertion turned out to be a bad idea. I opened up the cut on my arm again, and had to struggle to close it again. Luckily, I’d been given healing potions by the nurses. Once I was certain I wouldn’t bleed out over all the books, I went through the stacks, looking for more information on potions.

Potion-making wasn’t taught until second year, but there were no rules against teaching yourself how to make them.

After I collected the books I wanted, I looked for a place to sit and read. Silas had mentioned something about a secret passage around here. There was a statue in one of the corners, I believed. I made my way to the wall and walked along it, trying to remember the description Silas had given me.

I came to a large statue of a dragon, which twinged a memory. A dragon with red eyes, maybe? This one had green, but I could be wrong. I probed around the base, finding a small indentation near the back. I pushed my finger into it, and a small space opened in the wall behind the statue. Grinning, I crawled through.

The tunnel opened up into a room. The ceiling was one large window, letting in copious amounts of light. It was about the same size as the dorm rooms, but rather than beds, it had a few couches and chairs set up in a semi-circle facing a fireplace. One wall was lined with a bookcase full of trophies. I set my knapsack on the couch and checked for any other exits, but it seemed like this was different than the place Silas had told me about.

On the bright side, this was a lovely place. Cozy. Private. Given the layers of dust on the trophies, it couldn’t be used very often. I settled down on the couch and opened up the first potions book.

The book quickly dashed my plans for secretly making potions. There was a step for all of them to infuse the mix with magic. It was interesting, though, so I kept reading, hoping that I’d find something I could use.

I was taking notes when a scraping sound came from the tunnel. Quickly, I shoved my book into the knapsack. There was only one exit. I jumped over the back of the couch as quietly as I could and crouched, trying to think of a way to get out without being seen.

I should have left as soon as I realized there was no escape route. Being injured and tired had made me lazy. Maybe it was Silas? That hope was dashed when I glanced around the edge of the couch and saw a head of golden-brown hair emerge.

Jasper climbed out of the tunnel and flung his jacket over the nearest chair. I pulled back, cursing mentally as my hands clenched. My knapsack seemed heavier than before. It’d been a tight fit through the tunnel before. He’d be able to catch me.

“I know you’re there,” Jasper’s cold voice came. “What are you doing in my space?”

Court Vespa’s court beast was dragons and wyverns and the like. Was this a secret room that had been built by their heirs? I took a deep breath as I crept silently back. He was between me and the tunnel. With there being such little furniture here, it wasn’t as though I could just hide until he was gone, either.

“Show yourself or suffer,” he said.

He could just look for me. But I supposed this was one of those things where he wanted to be obeyed to prove how powerful and special he was.

I clenched my jaw, then pulled myself to my feet. Jasper was already looking directly at me, which meant he’d known exactly where I was already. His icy blue eyes raked over me as I slung my knapsack on my back. Something flickered over his face. His expression almost softened before his normal disinterested look came back.

“Well, well. You just can’t stay away from us, can you?” he asked coldly. He stepped closer, and I was glad there was the couch between us. “Who told you about this place?

I shook my head. “Nobody. I was admiring that statue and the tunnel opened.”

His golden-brown hair was mussed up as though he’d been running his hands through it. The disarray paired with his facial scars made him look both formidable and alluring. I found myself wishing he’d look at me like he had for that brief moment in the library, when it had seemed he liked what he saw.

Annoyed at myself for wanting something so stupid, I made my voice colder as I continued, “If I’d known this was your space, I never would have come here. Despite what you might think, I don’t actually like getting threatened and beat up by a bunch of arrogant—”

He lifted one eyebrow and I bit the tip of my tongue. Really? How many times would this smart mouth get me into trouble? He was the only one of the golden boys who didn’t seem to care enough to want to target me. He’d said I wasn’t worth dealing with. If I provoked him, it’d end up with all three of them against me.

“I didn’t know this place belonged to you,” I said through gritted teeth. “And I’ll be leaving now.”

I headed for the exit, but he stepped in front of me, blocking my path. My throat tightened. Shit! I’d already provoked him, hadn’t I?