50. Matilda
50
MATILDA
I sneak out of bed and scramble around, trying to find my clothes. Hastily getting dressed, I turn around when Vex murmurs, “You okay?”
I glance over at him, still lounging in bed. “Need a shower.”
“You can use mine.”
“And a change of clothes,” I add with a smile.
He chuckles. “Go then. We will see you outside the dining hall in half an hour. Better feed ourselves like responsible adults before we head down into hell.”
“Hell is much nicer,” Draven murmurs as he wakes up from this exchange.
“Where is Luc?” I ask.
“He left already,” Vex says. “We will see him at food time.”
I nod. “Okay, I’ll see you in a bit.”
I leave Vex’s room, my skin still burning slightly from the runes he carved into my skin last night. But it’s a pleasant burn.
As I walk back to my room, a wave of conflicting emotions washes over me. The ritual from last night was incredibly intense. I can still feel the surge of energy coursing through my body, connecting me to Vex, Draven, and Luc in ways I never could have imagined.
I slip into my room and head straight for the shower, stripping off as I go. Stepping in, I let the hot water wash over me. My fingers trace the faint outlines of the runes Vex carved into my skin.
My mind wanders to Luc leaving. Something feels off about it, but I can’t quite put my finger on what. I make a mental note to check on him when I see him at breakfast.
After drying off, I rummage through my drawers for something practical and comfortable for walking into the unknown. We have no idea what we’ll be facing in those underground chambers, so I settle on black leggings for easy movement, a black tee, and my boots. I braid my hair back tightly, seeing the rainbow strands peeking through the blonde, and I smile, trying to jiggle up some confidence that we will all be fine and come out of this alive.
As I finish getting ready, I grab the backpack and empty out the stationery and books. Then I carefully select a pencil and a thin notebook in which to sketch out the runes we saw. Assuming we even get to see them again. I pause and drop to my knees, pulling out the invisible bag. “Reveal,” I murmur and feel pleased to see it appear before me. I have a poke through to see if there is anything powerful enough to channel protection spells. There are a couple of rings with crystals and a couple of necklaces. I shove them into the backpack and then cast a spell to make the jewellery bag invisible. I push it back under the bed and stand up, zipping up the backpack and heading for the door.
I make my way to the dining hall, my mind racing with thoughts of what we might face in the underground chambers. When I enter the busy hall, I look around and spot the guys sitting in a tight corner. Luc holds his hand up to me, and I nod, but then I veer towards the food. Grabbing a bacon sandwich and a mug of hot tea, I head for their table and sit down.
“Hey,” Luc says, leaning over to kiss my head chastely.
“It’s okay,” I say to him. “You can show a bit of enthusiasm.”
He gives me a grave stare before he grips my throat tightly and pulls me towards him. He swishes his tongue into my mouth before he bites my bottom lip hard enough to break my skin. I yelp into his mouth as he laps at the blood, a low rumble vibrating from his chest. I shiver and let him give me this bloody kiss, falling into it and cupping the back of his neck. Sucking my bottom lip, he pulls away until it pops out of his mouth, and I look up at him, slightly dazed, his wicked gaze making my pussy damp. “Now I’m ready to face down the Devil herself,” he says.
“So, your mum,” Vex drawls. “Hardly the statement it should be.”
Luc gives him the finger and sits back. There is a noticeable frostiness between him and Draven, and I wonder if I’m the cause of it. Before I can comment, though, Draven takes my hand and kisses it.
“Are you ready, petal?”
“I am.” I reach for the backpack, still stuck to my back, and plop it on the table. “I’ve got supplies. Anyone care to enchant some crystals to ward off the worst of what we might face down there?”
Vex chuckles. “I’ve got it. You eat.”
I nod and dive into my sandwich.
A screech at the front of the dining hall makes me look over my shoulder, but it’s just the Araxi, tearing through the bacon and sausage like he hasn’t eaten for a week.
“Hey!” I snap, standing up and going over to him. “Slow down. You’ll make yourself ill.”
He looks up and, chitters at me, and leaps onto my shoulder.
“Hmm, fair-weathered friend. Where is your new bestie?”
If I didn’t know better, I’d say he chuckles at me but curls around my neck, ramming a whole sausage into his mouth and demolishing it in a second.
“I’m going to have to leave you behind again today,” I tell him as I make my way back to the table, the other students giving me a wide berth. “But you will be okay with Professor Blackthorn.”
He chitters his response, seemingly happy enough.
“You got a name for him yet?” Vex asks, looking up from his enchanting as I take my seat.
“No. Nothing quite lives up yet. Though... maybe Chaos would be fitting. He certainly seems to bring it wherever he goes.”
Luc snorts. “Understatement of the century.”
“Chaos it is then,” I say, scratching under the Araxi’s chin. He chirps happily at the attention.
Draven clears his throat. “We should head out soon. Blackthorn will be waiting.”
A shiver runs down my spine at his words. I nod, forcing down the last bite of my sandwich and gulping back the tea. “You’re right. Let’s go.”
We stand, gathering our things. Vex hands me back the crystals, now humming with protective energy. “What are you planning on doing with them?” he asks, eyes narrowed.
I slip one of the rings onto my finger and hold up the other. “Who wants the ring, and who wants the necklaces?”
Three glares are aimed at me, and I giggle. Vex is the first to man up and takes the ring, slipping it onto his pinkie. “Fuck’s sake,” he mutters and turns it around, so the stone isn’t visible.
Groaning, Draven and Luc take the necklaces and put them on, quickly hiding them under their shirts. We are all dressed in black, and I gulp, hoping it isn’t an omen of someone’s funeral.
As we make our way out of the dining hall to Blackthorn’s office, we are quiet and contemplative. No one is eager to repeat the events we experienced, but we have no choice.
As we approach Professor Blackthorn’s office, the tension in the air thickens. Chaos yammers nervously on my shoulder, sensing our unease. I reach up to stroke his fur, trying to calm both him and me.
Vex knocks on the door, and we hear Blackthorn’s muffled, “Enter”.
We file in, finding the professor standing behind his desk, his face grave.
“Are you all prepared?” he asks.
We nod silently, the weight of what we’re about to do settling heavily on our shoulders.
“Very well,” Blackthorn says. He moves around his desk, revealing a small wooden box. “This contains the alarm. Miss Matilda, hold on to it and try not to lose it. If you are in dire need of assistance, I will find you.”
I nod and take the black stone from him. It glows brightly when it hits my palm, and I close my hand over it, shoving it in the backpack as Chaos jumps ship to land on Blackthorn’s desk, where he curls up and falls asleep. “His name is Chaos. You’ll look after him?” I croak.
“Of course.”
“I mean, if I don’t come back… you’ll make sure he’s safe here in this realm.”
Blackthorn’s gaze softens. “You will come back, Miss Matilda. But I promise I will take care of Chaos if the worst should happen.”
“Thank you,” I murmur, glad he didn’t just leave me with a platitude. I grip the dangling straps on either side of the backpack and clip them together over my chest. I can’t lose this fucking bag, no matter what happens. “Um, is this stone waterproof?” I venture as that thought occurs to me.
“It’s everything proof.”
“Okay, good. I guess we will see you when we get back.”
“Don’t forget to report to me immediately,” Blackthorn says, almost too jovially. It makes my insides shudder.
The guys, still silent, lead me out of the office, and no one utters a word as we make our way across the campus to the library. Vex pushes open the door. It’s bustling with activity. We shoot wary glances at each other, but this is our only known way in. Trying to search for the invisible trap door will be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Vex quickly throws up a shield that will prevent anyone from seeing us, and as one, we move to the back of the library to the intact circle, sitting innocently in the stone as if it isn’t the entrance to a rabid hell-dimension. The tension rises, and it makes my nerves snap, and I glare at the two brothers. “Whatever is going on here, you two need to sort it out right now. We can’t have you at odds when our life depends on our cohesion.”
Luc and Draven exchange a tense glance, their jaws clenched. After a moment, Luc sighs heavily.
“You’re right,” he admits grudgingly. “This isn’t the time for petty bullshit.”
Draven nods curtly. “Agreed. We need to be united down there.”
I watch as they clasp hands briefly, a silent truce passing between them. The air around us lightens slightly, some of the oppressive tension dissipating.
Vex clears his throat. “If we’re done with the touching family moment, shall we get on with it?”
I shoot him a glare, but he’s right. We can’t delay any longer. Mainly because I might back out if we do.
Taking a deep breath, I step into the circle first. The familiar tingle of magick washes over me as the others join me. We stand close together, our shoulders brushing.
“Everyone ready?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
Three grim nods answer me.
I bend down and sweep my fingers over the button and close my eyes as the floor drops away, and I scream as we plunge into the depth of darkness, but this time, instead of falling down the rabbit hole, I hit some stone stairs hard, cracking a rib that takes my breath away.