Why the fuck would witches have a room full of animal statues protected behind a barrier? Dread crept into his chest like it was rotting. The further he moved along the dusty shelves, the more that rot spread.
A griffn, a selkie, a pegasus, and a basilisk. Were they familiars? Were they just statues?
No. That would be the easiest thing to believe, but deep down,heknew. The cloying scent of magic almost confirmed it. It invaded his senses, an involuntary gag taking over him. There was far more magic in this room than just the barrier.
Felix held his hand up to one of them, the magic radiating out of it so palpable that his fingers started to shake. He moved his hand closer, and closer, almost touching before a sharp pain tore through him. He pulled his hand back, pain lacing through it. Another fucking barrier. How had he not seen it? He held his trembling hand as it numbed from the shock, a stifled groan slipping from his mouth.
Voices wandered down the hall. Felix’s cat ears pricked up, trying to pinpoint the sound.
Instinct kicked in, and he darted to a dark corner, willing his body to shift. But it didn’t come. He couldn’t even use magic to hide himself. It was the last confirmation he needed. This room didn’t keep shifters out. It kept them in. Imprisoned in fucking statues like experiments in a goddamn jar. Killing them would have been kinder.
Bile rose to his throat as he pressed himself into the cold stone. He knew witches were sick, but this was far beyond that. What the hell were they keeping a full army of shifters in their basement for? He hadto tell Ciro. Had to get off this island before they found him and imprisoned his ass in some ceramic cat statue. Itwouldbe the prettiest one on the shelf, though.
When he heard the voices fade away, he grabbed Avery’s phone and took pictures of them with shaking hands. Not statues. Them. Hundreds of lives trapped in stasis. Ciro would undoubtedly believe him, but it helped to have proof. Even with the photos, he still wasn’t one hundred percent sure.
His head pounded from the stale air, or maybe just the massive headache that witches always seemed to give him. Why couldn’t they just be normal and not some villainous cartoonrubbing their hands together? After he sorted this out, he was going on a vacation. For a moment, he let himself imagine somewhere warm and sunny, no water, Avery splayed out naked on the bed. Perfect.
For a moment of bliss, the thought carried him happily back through the barrier. It parted for him again with no questions. Unfortunately, the thought of his little witch opening her legs like a meal wasn’t enough to keep his mind from spinning about the literal shifters kept underground. Eventually, he knew he had to leave. He couldn’t keep playing a pet for the rest of his life. He needed to get back to the den as quickly as possible. Something splintered in his chest at the thought of it, of leaving Avery.
The thought that consumed him the most, though? How would Avery react? Every part of him wanted to tell her. To protect her, even though he shouldn’t. And wasn’t that just the story of his life right now? He shouldn’t. But byfuckinggod, he desperately wanted to.
Coming around the corner of the stairs, he nearly collided with a body that blocked his way.
“Sorry,” Felix said, trying to slip past the person’s shoulder.
“What are you doing here? Students aren’t allowed down here,” a voice said.
Felix’s eyes snapped up to Wren, standing on the staircase with her arms crossed over her chest. Her and Avery’s eyes were almost exactly the same, but that was where the similarity ended. Seeing them on the street, he would never think that they were sisters. Wren reminded him of a panther, whereas Avery was a fluffy kitten. His kitten could still leave scratches, though.
“I was looking for a bathroom,” Felix said, lazing against the stone wall.
“There are no bathrooms down here.”
“Well, now I know that,” he said, trying to shove his way past the enforcer who didn’t budge. He took a step back down, making her feel like she had the upper hand.
“What’s your name?” The authority in her voice would have shaken a lesser man.
“Felix, transfer student.”
“Last name?”
He didn’t think she would appreciate being told to go suck a cock. Oh, how he wished he could.
“Solav.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. Every bone in his body could tell that she didn’t believe a word of it. His nostrils flared in frustration, a subtle movement, but one that Wren caught anyway. She was far more perceptive than any witch he had met. Neither of them moved, both predators circling each other.
Eventually, Felix moved aside and put a dazzling smile on his face. He would yield this time for the sake of cover. Next time, she wouldn’t be so lucky. Avery probably wouldn’t like him killing her sister, though. Ugh. Every decision he made revolved around the little witch now.
Wren didn’t take her eye off him until he was out of sight. When Felix heard footsteps going down, he finally let out a breath. Was she going down to the room full of shifters? Did she know? DidAveryknow?
Felix wasn’t a man of doubt, not by any standard, but maybe he had been too believing that she would just accept him. Maybe he had been a fool. Maybe the bond had made him stupid. Shifters were everything they were taught to hate, to kill.
Was it so hard to believe that the whole family was in on this?
It wasn’t.
The seeds of doubt started to sprout like a poisonous ivy, weaving their way through every interaction they had. Every moment. Avery seemed innocent, but how much of that wasa mask? Had this been her plan all along? His father had underestimated a witch, and it had gotten him killed.
