Page 16 of Bound to Three Fae Beasts

“If you think that being paired with me for mentorship will change things, you need to get smarter,” he sneered at me finally.

“Oh, but it will change things,” I said. I probably should take his advice and be smarter, but I never backed down from Kili, and I wasn’t going to back down from this asshole, either. Chances were I was dead no matter what I did. I’d rather earn my death, rather than be targeted from happenstance. At Seb’s narrowed gaze, I smiled. “Since I’m your mentee, you’re going to go even more out of your way to torment me. See? I am smart, after all.”

Seb snorted and stepped forward again. “You certainly have a smart mouth. I’m not going to be embarrassed by you.”

“Okay … so does that mean you’re going to train me, or kill me?” I selected a book off the shelf, trying to appear nonchalant. It was a heavy tome that could be used as a weapon.

A slow, dangerous smile started to cross his face, but before he could say anything, a snort came from behind me. I pivoted to find Jasper leaning against the stacks behind me. His expression was supremely bored. A prickle washed down my spine at the way his gaze flicked over my body.

Interest lit in his icy blue eyes and, despite knowing that interest from these fae was deadly, the prickle turned into a shiver. I stared back at him, fighting back this irrational wish that Seb would just disappear so Jasper would keep looking.

“Are you done?” he drawled, as he focused on Seb. “There are tastier things to play with.”

Seb ignored him, his gaze sharpening further on me.

Chapter 8 - Azriel

“Oh, there you are,” Flora’s seductive purr came quickly after that. She hurried through the stacks to drape herself on Seb, who put an arm around her waist. Her gaze lingered on me and her beautiful face pulled into a pout. “Her again?”

Seb continued to glare at me as though he wanted to rip out my heart and eat it. I clutched the book I held tightly to my chest. Just leave me alone!

Whatever quarrel they’d had, it seemed like they had made up. Red and Gareth came up behind Jasper, while Savannah lingered just behind Seb and Flora. Red’s face twisted, though his gaze was not on me, but rather on where Seb’s hand lingered on Flora’s waist. I filed that information away for later.

“What is she doing here?” Flora demanded, her voice growing louder.

“What does it matter?” Jasper asked, starting to sound a little irritated. “She’s not worth anything. Just look at her. She’s got no aura. Like I said, there are tastier things to play with. Bet she won’t even make it through the first binding trials.”

That was likely true, but I hated hearing it. On the other hand, this was only the third day of me being here. Maybe there was a chance in these books for me to learn enough to make it. Funny how all that bravado with Seb had disappeared. Maybe it was because with more of them, that hateful glare had been schooled into a more neutral expression.

He didn’t want them to know how much he despised me. That gave me a chance. If I could get away, then maybe…?

A snort came from behind me and a large hand shoved between my shoulder blades. Jasper pushed me past Seb, so roughly I stumbled into the shelf. Another book fell from the shelf from my impact. I scrambled to catch it, then added it to the first in my arms.

“Get out of our sight before I take matters into my own hands,” he said, still sounding bored.

“Hey,” Seb snarled. “What do you think you’re doing?”

I exaggerated my cringe, but he was glaring at Jasper, not me.

“Seb, come on. She’s not worth it. This early in the school year? Quincy’s not kidding around with discipline. Even for us.”

At this, Red pipped up. “Yeah, but would they find the body in the woods?”

I inched away, tightening my arms around the books. Well, that question was answered. There wasn’t any trace of mocking or irony in his voice. He was serious. I wished I had my knife, but it was still in the forest back at the orphanage where Kili had made me drop it. I needed a replacement. I needed ways to defend myself.

“Are you an idiot?” Gareth demanded. “We have tracking spells on us and have since we entered the grounds. If we kill her, they’ll know instantly who was involved. Gods, Red. How stupid are you?”

As their attention turned to each other, I took the opportunity to slip away. My breaths were shallow, but I tightened my senses around me, willing the darkness to swallow me up. Behind me, Flora loudly demanded attention and started to make plans for the following day.

Their voices faded behind me, and I finally allowed myself to feel a little relief. To my chagrin, tears pooled in my eyes. A sick feeling sank into my stomach. Maybe they weren’t going to kill me outright, but if they did, who would really care? Freta barely knew me, and after I’d been so cruel to her earlier, she’d probably just shrug off my death.

The truth was, Jasper was right when he said I was worthless. Even at the orphanage, I was hardly worth keeping around. Here, though? If it was discovered I was fully human, who would care if I died? They might even make a spectacle out of it.

I stopped when the voices of Seb’s group faded away. My legs were shaky from the adrenaline and I cursed my weakness. What was I doing, crying, when I should be arming myself? I wasn’t sure where to get a knife, but maybe I could steal one from the great hall during mealtime.

And in the meantime, I could carry more than two books. These two I shoved into my knapsack, and I wiped the useless tears from my eyes. Stupid. I was really going to die if I just gave up. No. I needed a plan. I needed to figure out the rules of this place and find the workarounds that I needed.

I checked a few of the placards on the shelves until I found the history section. By this time, the day was well and gone. The only light came from the floating blue lights above me. I glanced up, wondering if they were part of the tracking spells Gareth mentioned. As I looked back down, I caught movement from the corner of my eye.