Chapter 10
It looked like a wedding invitation. It felt like a summons to the gallows.
"I'm going in with you," Rhett said for the hundredth time. He was pacing the length of the hallway outside the Administration building, wearing a groove into the stone floor. "I’ll shift. I’ll eat his desk. I don't care."
"You can't," I said, adjusting my blazer. I had dressed for war today—my "armored" look. Black boots, dark jeans, and a leather jacket that smelled like Rhett. "The summons was specific. 'Lina Arden. Alone.' If you come in, he wins. He sees us as volatile."
"We are volatile," Kai snapped. He was leaning against the wall, shredding a paper cup with his nails. "He threatened you, Lina. He set up that attack in the Quad just to test you."
"I know," I said. "And I passed. Or failed, depending on how you look at it."
Lucien stepped forward. He placed a hand on my shoulder. His touch was cold, grounding.
"He wants something," Lucien said softly. "If he wanted to expel you, he would have done it on the Quad. He wants a conversation. Listen to him. Find out the price."
"And then?" I asked.
"And then come back to us," Lucien said. "And we will decide if we pay it. Or if we burn the bank down."
I took a deep breath. "Okay. I'll see you on the other side."
I turned and walked through the heavy double doors.
The Dean's office was vast. It was situated at the very top of the central tower, with floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a panoramic view of the campus below. The sun was setting, casting long, bloody shadows across the room.
Dean Marrow sat behind a desk made of glass and chrome. It was stark, modern, and completely devoid of clutter. No photos. No papers. Just a single, pristine apple sitting in the center.
"Ms. Arden," he smiled, not standing up. "Punctual. I appreciate that."
I didn't smile back. I walked to the chair opposite him and sat down.
"Dean Marrow. Am I being expelled?"
He laughed—a dry, rustling sound. "Expelled? Heavens, no. Why would I expel my most promising student?"
I narrowed my eyes. "Promising? You cited me for 'Public Endangerment'."
"A formality," he waved a hand. "To satisfy the Board. They get nervous about unauthorized magic."
He leaned forward, lacing his fingers together. The Void behind his eyes seemed to pulse.
"Let's be honest with each other, Lina. May I call you Lina?"
"No."
"Lina," he continued, ignoring me. "I watched you today. In the Quad. Do you know what I saw?"
"A student saving a life?"
"No," he shook his head. "I saw a conductor. A vessel capable of grounding immense, chaotic energy without breaking."
He stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the darkening campus.
"The bond system is flawed," he said softly. "It is messy. It creates pockets of uncontrollable power—like your Triad. It creates volatility. It wastes magic."
"Wastes it?" I asked, my blood running cold.
"Think of that boy today," Marrow said, turning back to me. "He was leaking magic. Bleeding it into the air. It serves no purpose. It feeds nothing. It is... inefficient."
"He's a person," I said, standing up. "Not a battery."
"is he?" Marrow tilted his head. "Or is he just a container? One that leaks?"
He walked toward me. I forced myself to hold my ground, even as my wolf whimpered in the back of my mind. Predator. Run.
"I come from a long line of... conservationists," Marrow said. "My ancestors understood that magic is a finite resource. It shouldn't be hoarded by unworthy vessels. It should be collected. Centralized. Used by those who have the vision to shape the world."
"You mean eaten," I said bluntly. "You're a Moro. A Magic-Eater."
Marrow stopped. His smile vanished. For a second, his face went slack, revealing something ancient and terrifying underneath.
"You've been to the Archives," he whispered. "Clever girl."
"I know what you are," I said, my voice shaking. "You don't want to regulate us. You want to consume us."
"Consume is such an ugly word," he murmured, stepping closer. "I prefer... integrate. I take the chaos and I give it purpose. My purpose."
He stopped inches from me. He smelled of nothing. Absolutely nothing. It was dizzying.
"Here is my offer, Lina," he said. "Join me."
I stared at him. "What?"
"Join the Safety Task Force," he said. "Become my Enforcer. Use that incredible gift of yours—that ability to absorb and ground magic—to help me 'stabilize' the campus."
"You want me to help you drain students," I realized, horror dawning on me. "You want me to catch them so you can feed."
"I want you to help me bring Order," he corrected. "And in exchange... I will let them live."
He gestured to the window, down toward the courtyard where three figures were waiting.
Kai. Rhett. Lucien.
"The Triad," Marrow said softly. "Beautiful. Powerful. Dangerous. Did you find my calling card, Lina? The Queen of Hearts I left on your pillow? A delicate warning that hearts are easily broken."
I froze. The card. The threat. It had been him all along.
"According to my Registry data," he continued, as if discussing the weather, "they are 'Critical Threats'. I could have them expelled tonight. I could have them arrested for the 'Assault' in the medical wing. I could have them... neutralized."
He looked at me.
"But if you join me... they are safe. I will grant them immunity. They can keep their bond. They can keep their magic. As long as you belong to me."
The room spun.
It wasn't just an offer. It was a hostage situation.
"And if I refuse?" I whispered.
Marrow smiled. He reached out and picked up the apple from his desk.
He held it up. And then, he inhaled.
The apple withered. In seconds, it turned brown, then black, then crumbled into dust in his hand. He drained the life right out of it.
"Then I will start with Mr. Blackmoor," Marrow said dusting his hands. "He has such a... spicy flavor. I think I would enjoy him."
He checked his watch.
"You have twenty-four hours to decide, Lina. Become my right hand... or become my next meal."
"Get out of my office."
I turned and walked to the door. I didn't run. I refused to run.
"Think about it!" he called after me, cheerful again. "Partners, Lina! We could be gods!"
I slammed the door behind me.
I walked down the hallway, my boots echoing on the stone. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might crack my ribs.
I pushed through the exterior doors and into the cool night air.
The Triad was waiting.
Rhett saw my face first. He didn't ask. He just moved.
He crossed the distance between us in two strides and wrapped me in his arms. He buried his face in my hair, inhaling deeply, checking for injuries, for scents, for Marrow's touch.
"Did he hurt you?" Kai demanded, grabbing my hand.
"No," I whispered against Rhett's chest.
"What did he say?" Lucien asked, his voice tight.
I pulled back. I looked at them. My boys. My pack.
They were alive. They were warm. They were magic.
And Marrow wanted to turn them into dust.
"He wants me to join him," I said, my voice hard. "He wants me to help him drain the school. And if I don't... he's coming for you."
Rhett snarled—a jagged, vicious sound. "Let him come."
"No," I said. "We can't fight him head-on. He's too strong. He'll eat us."
I looked up at the Tower, where Marrow was watching.
"He gave me twenty-four hours."
"To surrender?" Kai asked.
"To decide," I corrected.
I looked at Lucien. "Gather the others. Ivy. Jax. Stone. Amelia. Everyone."
"Why?" Lucien asked, his violet eyes widening.
"Because I've made my decision," I said. "I'm not going to join him."
I grabbed Rhett's hand. I grabbed Kai's. I grabbed Lucien's.
"I'm going to starve him."