I’ve never seen Nolan so frazzled.
“I just can’t bear to see her like this. It’s like she’s wasting away before our eyes.”
His words make my chest feel tight because he’s right, and I hate it.
“I can make it,” I tell him, and watch his shoulders sag in what I can only assume is relief as he lets out a sigh.
I don’t bother telling him I’ll also be the one giving it to her. No way will I let him take the fall if something goes wrong.
Nolan had a shit hand in life, too. His father isn’t the same type of evil as mine, but evil is evil, and seeing him like this with Wren, well, she’s good for him.
“Thanks, man!” He smacks my back in what I’m sure he means to be a friendly gesture, but I nearly topple over the coffee table, and he takes a step back. “Sorry.”
I wave him off, and he’s quick to leave, no doubt to catch up with the others. I wait a few minutes before I leave, going over a list of ingredients I’ll need to start the draught. It takes three days to brew. I’ll give it to her after class on Friday so she can sleep on Saturday. The only thing she has, then, is our meeting, and we can reschedule it if needed.
Waiting until Friday proves difficult when I can see her decline daily. I was tempted to give it to her last night after dinner and just have her miss my class today, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.
She’s already upset with me; I don’t want to stress her out even more. Not that I would ever let her fail my class, but still.
The students are working on their projects when I look over and see Felix making his way into class. He’s a student, technically, but he does what he wants. He’s here to serve the king and his father.
The thought of those two men makes my stomach roll, and knowing they have access to someone like Felix, well, that doesn’t help.
Thankfully, I’ve never had reason to be on their radar, but something tells me it won’t stay that way for long.
Everyone in the class notices; even Rose finds it in her to shut up as he stalks toward the front of the room before dropping into the chair next to Wren, who lets out a squeak of surprise.
Apparently, she hadn’t noticed him. It’s so strange to me that she’s able to be around him so easily. Every student in this class is a supernatural, which means they know exactly what he’s capable of and rightly fear him.
I watch the shock melt off Wren’s face as she sees who it is beside her, a smile I haven’t seen in days pulling her lips up.
My heart skips a beat when he reaches out, snaking an arm around her waist and hauling her onto his lap. Her cheeks heat, a very noticeable red color that only deepens as she looks around the room and sees every eye on them. That is until Felix looks up, a glare on his face that has everyone scrambling to do their work.
“Felix, what are you doing? I need to work on this assignment,” she hisses at him even though her smile is still very much in place. She looks more than happy to stay right where she is.
“Work on it. I’m not stopping you.” I watch them, unable to look away as he runs a gloved hand down the side of her face, the soft look in his eyes like nothing I’ve ever seen from him. I wouldn’t have even thought him capable of being soft if I weren’t witnessing it for myself.
I both envy and pity my old friend, but when his gaze flicks to mine, I see the smirk on his lips, and I know he’s teasing me on purpose.
Fucker.
Wren’s eyes flick to me before she quickly looks away.
“Felix, this isn’t appropriate,” she murmurs, trying and failing to climb off his lap, but he holds her tighter, nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck and breathing her in.
It’s the most docile thing I’ve ever seen him do, and I’m not the only one who watches in shock.
She fights for another minute or two, but when neither I nor anyone else says anything to help her, she seems to give up and goes back to working. Felix settles in, looking more content than I’ve ever seen before.
Until Rose tries to ruin it.
“Dimitri, Wren is asleep.” Just her voice grates on my nerves, but knowing what she did to sabotage Wren, the fact that she dares to say anything makes my beast stir.
Felix isn’t as forgiving, though, and Rose sees it a moment too late. Shadows whip out, wrapping around her and stopping her dead.
“Let me go. Do you know who I—” she hisses before another shadow whips out and wraps around her mouth, shutting her up.
In a panic, I look back and sigh in relief when I find Wren still on his lap, asleep.
