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A snarl echoes off the walls around me but it seems distant, and when I open my eyes, I don’t see anyone around. Intrigue gets the better of me as I hear another, and another, and before I can think better of it, I’m tiptoeing down the hallway to the right to listen better.
“You’ve got some explaining to do, Sebastian.”
I stop, pressing my back against the wall behind me as the sound of Professor Burton’s voice comes from around the corner.
“About what?” Sebastian sounds bored and inconvenienced rather than worried like I would expect anyone else to be. He’s way too cocky for his own good and that’s going to kick him in the ass someday.
“Who authorized your parents to come onto campus a few weeks ago?”
“How should I know?”
“Because it was you who pulled Raven from class to meet with them. Don’t play foolish with me, Sebastian. I want answers.”
Holy shit. Is he talking about when I was taken to the medical center? I press myself further into the wall like it will allow me a chance to get closer.
“I don’t know.”
“Why did they visit your sister?”
“I don’t know.”
“What did they want, Sebastian? Think harder.”
“I. Don’t. Know.”
Burton sighs. “Of course you do. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have taken her from class. How was I kept in the dark about this?” The latter question is more to himself than to Sebastian, but that’s what he responds to.
“No idea, Professor. You probably need to keep a better eye on the staff you have here if you ask me.” I roll my eyes at his stupid answer, and it seems to piss Professor Burton off too.
“My trust in you is wavering, Sebastian. You'll be long gone if I find out you have been aiding and abetting unlawful magic on my grounds. Guild and all. That’s not what we stand for or believe in. Do you hear me?” Like earlier, the snarl echoes around me as Burton’s distress and anger get the better of him.
“Loud and clear,” Sebastian grunts in response, and a moment later, footsteps retreat into the distance. I can’t tell if I’m shielded from them or if someone else could walk my way, so I don’t move, holding my breath as I wait for the second set of footsteps, but they don’t come.
Instead, I hear Sebastian speaking, but he’s quieter now. “Yeah… No… He’s not a threat, not like he hopes to be anyway… No, we continue on as planned.”
Footsteps move farther away from me and I slump against the wall. What the hell is my brother up to? Something isn’t right, but I can’t put my finger on it.
But I’ve known Sebastian was trouble all along, and whatever he’s tangled up in isn’t good.
Not one bit.
TWENTY-FOUR
CREED
It’s been hours. Fuckinghours. I shouldn’t have let her out of my sight. Now we’re simply uselessly waiting and it’s driving me insane. We searched the academy grounds three times, pestered Professor Burton for answers, and waited outside Lyra’s office until we were forced to leave.
All we know is her parents took her off campus.Offfuckingcampus. Who in their right mind allowed this? Not me. Far from it.
I can’t sit still any longer, I’ve been pacing back and forth by the front door for at least the past thirty minutes. I feel antsy as hell. I’ve never worried for someone else’s safety quite like Raven’s, but that’s no surprise with everything life keeps throwing at her.
“I say we find Burton again and demand some answers because this is getting ridiculous,” Eldon grunts, swiping a hand down his face.
“Lyra already told us he left the academy a while ago. We don’t even know if he’s back yet,” Zane grumbles, not liking his answer any more than the rest of us. His leg won’t stop bouncing, even as he braces his arms on his knees, leaning forward on the sofa.
“We have to be able to do something,” Eldon continues, his face reddening with stress and frustration as he starts to pace behind Zane. While Brax… he’s too busy getting lost in his own mind outside in the drizzle. It’s the first time we’ve had any rain for ages and it feels almost too coincidental that it should be tonight when it finally comes.
“We shouldn’t have let her go off on her own to begin with,” I grind out, my hands clenching at my sides as I spin and pace back to where I just was.
