“Is there a point to the bullshit coming out of your mouth?” I state, hearing a scoff from my right, and I’m pretty sure it’s Sax, but I can't turn to find out for sure as I watch Francesca’s every move.
She plants her hands on the table, spreading her fingers wide as she inches closer. “I made you a promise, Ivy Hayworth. You'll do well to remember that,” she snarls, her lip curling with a wisp of venom as she pushes off the table, ready to disappear once again. Before she can take a single step, I move, grabbing her wrist and yanking her back toward me.
Her eyes are wide with surprise, but the gasp comes from somewhere else in the classroom.
Possibly me.
I slowly rise, matching her stance as my eyes narrow.
“Don't be cryptic, Francesca. It was a promise, not a secret,” I snap, watching her nose twitch with irritation that she's no longer the one in control. “What was it you said?” I muse, tapping my chin with my free hand. “‘You're no better than me, bitch, and I'm going to make sure you know that every time I do this.’?”
“Let me kill her now,” Teddy growls, banging his fist against the table, and I shake my head, reluctantly releasing the girl in question.
I stand tall, unafraid of her presence, and I think that pisses her off even more.
“Francesca needs humbling. Killing her won't do that. There's no resurrecting evil,” I say, all while my veins bubble with fury and rage.
My magic is threatening to burst at the seams as Bonnie cackles, finding her spark all of a sudden.
“You can act strong in front of your mates, bitch, but when we get you alone again, we all know what’s going to happen.”
It's as if my phoenix envisions the moment unraveling in the dorm hallway once again, the sensation of life draining from me, and my veins turn to ice.
Control slips from my fingers, but as the rage consumes me, fire cuts through the air, reaching its intended mark, confirmed by the shrill scream that whooshes from Bonnie's lungs, biting through the room.
Everyone gapes in horror as I stand with bated breath, watching as flames engulf her.
What the fuck did I just do?
What am I supposed to do now?
“Somebody help her, right now.” The professor’s demand snaps through the heat, his voice like blades as everyone turns to me expectantly.
Can I heal with my tears? Yes, but I don't believe that puts out a fire.
Instead, my gaze dances around the room, searching for somebody else to help, and my eyes land on Dorian.
He stands instantly, cocking his head in silent question as I rake my teeth over my bottom lip and my hands clench at my sides. With a single nod, he moves into action, taking the flames from her as others hurry to heal Bonnie and come to her aid, shielding her bare skin from the room.
There’s one person who doesn’t.
Francesca.
She's too busy staring at me expectantly instead of helping her friend, too set on keeping score, and this seems to play as an excellent excuse for her to come at me.
The second she takes a single step in my direction, Teddy jolts to his feet, muttering under his breath, and Francesca freezes in place.
In a room filled with chaos and carnage, that I'm acutely aware is all my fault, I find myself drowning as my hated mate steps in to protect me.
Faltering, I stare at the hand that wraps around my upper arm, tugging me back a step, and I fall against Sax’s chest, gaping up at him in disbelief, but it's Silas who speaks first.
“Ivy, let me help you,” he offers, and my jaw falls slack as I shake my head, the room swaying with the motion.
Instinctively, my body leans further into Sax as Archer appears in a flash.
I can’t breathe in here.
Tugging at the collar of my shirt, I hiss at the heat flickering across my skin.
