Chapter 17 #2
It’s a lot nicer than the others, not that they were bad. Comparing any of these properties to Nomina House is like saying, if you squint hard enough, a sandpit is the Sahara Desert.
Before I can ask what the heck we’re doing here, Rodderick is filling in the gaps for me.
“I’m not sure how much you know about Professor Cane and his lot.
They’re not brothers, as such, but their bond goes back to before any of them started at Thales.
Cane was the first, given he’s the oldest. But when he started here, he insisted from the start that the others be granted permission to live with him, if and when they wanted.
It caused quite a stir, and initially his request was denied until Council stepped in.
The reason the request was granted remains hush-hush, but when Cane started as a student and moved in, so did they. ”
“Sounds mysterious.” And complicated, which is the last thing I need. Before either of us can say another word, the front door swings open and Professor Cane fills the space. Along with his mood.
I think even while living among humans, if Cane had crossed my path and I didn’t know he was a wolf shifter, I’d still have known there was something unique about him.
He holds himself differently for starters, but it’s his presence and his energy that stand out.
Right now, he looks like he wants to eat me, and not in a fun way.
“You’re late. I don’t have time for any of this,” he growls at me.
As soon as he sees Rodderick, his demeanor shifts.
“I’m sorry we are late.” Rodderick steps away from me and approaches Cane with friendly familiarity. “It was my fault. Miss. Ellis was the last on my list, but intentionally, because she had a magikal class, which she couldn’t miss or finish early.”
The whole time Rodderick is taking the blame for something neither of us are responsible for, Cane drills his entire focus on me.
It’s hard for me to stand still, let alone look in his direction.
The only reason I can manage it is by not meeting his eyes, and instead, I focus on the pretty forest-green motes dancing all around him.
“Shit, it’s your aura,” I blabber to myself, but his supersonic hearing means he picks it up.
“My aura? What are you talking about?”
The lie falls from my lips like water spilling from a faucet. “Sorry, my head is still in Magikster Ballin’s class. I just figured out the human term for what he was referring to.”
Given the way his eyes resemble cut emeralds, I’m pretty sure Cane doesn’t believe me.
Rodderick turns and as he walks back toward me his eyes scream at me loudly to put a sock in it.
He takes control of the trolley, and then he must give Cane a similar expression, because the professor’s sneer loses its feral edge.
“If you don’t mind, Cane, I’ll get these boxes put in Maya’s room, and then hopefully get off home before anyone else comes looking for me.”
“Of course. Right this way.” Cane walks off into the house with Rodderick trailing behind him.
I go to follow, but as I move to step over the threshold, it’s like walking into a brick wall at high speed. The impact sends me sprawling backward, landing on my butt.
Yet that’s not the worst of it, of fucking course.
Lights and colors explode in my vision, bursting like fireworks on New Year’s Eve, accompanying the shooting pain radiating from my face and my butt.
An ear-piercing alarm accompanies the chaos and absolutely destroys my hearing while also drowning out my pain-filled groans.
I scuttle to my knees, squeezing my eyes shut and cupping my nose, trying to avoid the inevitable rush of red fluid you’d expect after smashing your face.
Everything tunnels around me. There’s a clanging in my ears that keeps getting louder, nearly drowning out the pain, but not quite. Terror and trauma make my body lock up, and I pitch to one side. I’m going to faint, or die, on Professor Cane’s doorstep. Can this get any more humiliating?
Over the noise and my rising panic, another noise has me looking through my fingers. Bugby’s flapping while cawing furiously. Rodderick’s there too, trying to dodge the furious and protective raven, along with Professor Cane, but neither of them is the one to catch me.
It’s the caramel-haired, gray-eyed vampire from Sunday morning. The one that felt like home, then acted like an asshole. He situates himself in my space, blocking out everything around us with his oversized ego, looking all charming and shit.
“Now this is the second time we’ve ended up in this position.” He speaks calmly as he stands with me in his arms. “And you’ve covered yourself in my most favorite thing. Are you purposely trying to catch my attention?”
An angry ball of energy flies at him, and he skillfully dances around Bugby’s attack. Except Bugby isn’t giving up, he keeps screeching and swooping. Every time he does, the vampire spins, causing my head to pound and the gold threads in my vision to glitter.
“Perhaps, darlin’, you could call off your attack bird. I’m not losing an eye on anyone’s account.”
The best I can do is a hand flop, which makes him laugh and gives Bugby a place to land.
His little talons grip hard when he settles on my bare skin, but the pinch of pain is a good point to focus on.
I watch as Bugby gives the vampire carrying me into the house the evil eye, and I think my head injury is getting worse because I imagine I could fall in love right then and there, at least until the vampire ruins the moment completely.
“You’ve got blood…”
And everything goes black.
Again.