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ChapterTwenty-Two
SUNDAY
The hum of voices in Sanderson’s classroom filled my ears, people buzzing with nervous energy. We’d become used to weapons & defense being held in the church since Caleb took over, but an hour ago, an alert went out to every student scheduled to attend this class that we were to report here instead.
“Something is up. I can fucking smell it,” Kingston said, his voice a low, uneasy growl.
“What else is new?” I muttered.
Alek laughed beside me. “You’re starting to sound like a Viking.”
“Why’s that?”
“Nothing fazes you anymore.”
“In my defense, over the last couple of months, I’ve been stabbed, attacked, turned into a wolf, and mated to two men. I think I’m pretty desensitized at this point.”
“You’re sensitive where it counts.” Kingston nuzzled my neck, right over my mark, and I couldn’t stop the shiver of need that ran through me at the contact.
Alek grunted his agreement. “That she is.”
I squirmed out of the sexy man sandwich. Class was so not the place to get turned on. Not when half the room would be able to smell it on me. Especially when one of them was my teacher.
Speak of the devil...
Caleb strode into the room, gorgeous in head-to-toe black. All he was missing was his collar, and I hated myself a little for wanting to see him wearing that tiny bit of white just so I could take it off him.
As if he could read the naughty thought, his stormy gaze found mine. I hadn’t seen him since he popped in during my spiral the other night. Without stopping to think, I lifted both my hands, giving him two thumbs up and a grin. His lips twitched, and he shook his head but continued walking to the front of the room.
“What’s that all about?” Kingston asked.
“Nothing.”
“Bullshit.”
I saw no reason to let these two in on my pregnancy scare. Knowing Kingston, he’d probably just try to trigger my heat again so he could put his spawn in my belly. Farrell was his last name for a reason. And, my traitorous body reacted to the thought of him breeding me again. Because as scary as that future was, my instinct wanted it.
Craved it, even.
Kingston stiffened beside me, his hand sliding across my lower back to grip me hard as he inhaled deeply. Fuck. He could smell me. I knew it. Damn hormones. Maybe we could sneak away and take care of this problem before we were noticed?
Before my thoughts could travel too far down that rabbit hole, Caleb addressed the class.
“Demons are among us.”
His words rang out in the space, a booming echo that made me think of his time spent with a congregation at his mercy. Everyone went silent, our attention on him. It made me glad we weren’t in the church today. The sinister topic, combined with the religious sanctuary, would have been overkill on the scary factor. Likely making us fear for our immortal souls instead of just our lives.
“They claw their way out of the depths of hell, and until now, it was a rare piece of filth that escaped. Unless, of course, a weak soul summoned one of them. Ravenscroft is under siege.Youare in danger.”
Caleb stared straight at me, as if his words were for me alone. I reached out for Alek, seeking his strength. He took my hand in his, giving it a comforting squeeze. So far, the demon attack had been easy to dismiss, but hearing Caleb speak on it now had a new kind of anxiety settling in my bones.
All around us, people shifted in their seats, the mood in the classroom dipping dramatically. No one here had ever had to worry about being prey before. These were the monsters, at least the ones humans feared. We were supposed to be the ones invoking fear. Not the ones who were afraid.
“Until now, they haven’t been able to breach our walls. Break our lines of defense. But as we saw in the library, that is no longer the case. We cannot allow them to gain a foothold here. A girl was attacked outside our borders, another two killed on this very campus, and the scent of brimstone is strong in the air. The fissure in our protection is widening, and that means more demons are on the horizon. We must be ready to fight them.”
A petite shifter girl named Hope raised a hand. Caleb turned his intense stare to her.
“Yes?”
