Page 73 of Bone Year

Raw and frustrated, Draven grumbles, “That wasn’t part of the deal.”

The headmaster responds, too quiet to hear. Whatever he says makes Draven flinch. I’ve never seen anything crack that cold exterior. For one moment, he looks young and scared.

Then the headmaster tips his head, like he’s listening to something. He turns toward the door.

I scramble backward. My boot scrapes against the floor, and the sound echoes.

Both heads turn.

Fuck.

I run.

I don’t think about where I’m going. I rush down the corridor, around a corner, my lungs heaving, my heart pounding so loud I can barely hear anything else.

I make it to a stairwell and down one flight before something black and massive appears out of nowhere, blocking my path.

Draven’s wolf stands on the landing, huge and dark, green eyes fixed on me. It stares at me with an intelligence that makes my skin crawl.

There are footsteps behind me. I turn, and Draven steps out of the shadows, breathing heavily, but his face has gone cold again.

“What did you hear?” His voice is barely above a whisper.

“Nothing. I was⁠—”

“Don’t lie to me.” He trudges closer, backing me toward the wall. “What did you hear?”

There’s nowhere left to go, the wall is at my back. He keeps coming until his face is inches from mine, one hand braced beside my head.

“We really need to stop meeting like this, Alucard.” I force a smirk even though my pulse is racing. “I’m starting to think you enjoy pressing me against walls.”

Something flickers in his expression. His eyes drop to my mouth for a fraction of a second before snapping back up.

“Answer me.”

“Let go of me first.”

“I’m not touching you.”

He’s right, but he’s so close I can feel his heat and smell winter air and whiskey.

“I didn’t hear anything. I took a wrong turn and saw you having a lovers’ quarrel with the headmaster. It wasn’t my business.”

“You’re lying.”

“I’m not. That wasn’t part of the deal. That’s all I heard. One sentence. It doesn’t mean anything to me.”

He searches my face, looking for a crack.

Silence stretches between us. Beside me, I can feel the wolf’s presence, still watching.

“Forget it.” Draven’s voice is ice. “Forget you were here. Forget you saw anything.”

“Then why are you so scared I heard it?”

His jaw ticks and something dangerous flashes in his eyes.

He leans in close enough that his breath brushes across my cheek. “Knowing too much in this school can be dangerous. Ashmoor’s deals and secrets, you don’t want any part of them, Rose. Trust me.”