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“I opened the door.” Shame coils through me as I keep my gaze down on the floor. “I’m sorry, sir.”
A soft growl escapes Principal Byrne’s lips as he crouches next to me. It’s a sound that scares me, but it also has a strange effect on me I can’t quite understand. His earthy, musky scent infiltrates my senses as he gets as close as he did before.
He chucks his jacket onto my bed and pulls his tie off before unbuttoning his shirt, making heat filter through my body.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
His eyes narrow, concentrating on the wound on my leg. “I need to create a tourniquet fast on this stab wound. You’re losing too much blood, and I fear they hit an artery.”
He pulls his shirt off, and it’s impossible not to admire his muscled body and dark tattoos that spread down his arms and to the left of his chest, even while I’m bleeding out, or perhaps it’s because I am bleeding out since it’s making me a little light-headed and dizzy.
He tears the arm off his shirt and retrieves a pen from his jacket pocket, making quick work to use the fabric and the pen to tourniquet the stab wound. It’s evident he’s done it before, as the tourniquet stops the blood flow instantly. Once done, he slips his shirt back on despite missing an arm and buttons it up before sliding the jacket on.
He meets my gaze, crouching in front of me. “Put your arms around my neck.”
My eyes widen. “S-Sir?”
He shuts his eyes and breathes a long, shuddering breath, scaring me. “I said, put your arms around my neck.” There’s a deadly edge to his voice.
I swallow hard, hesitating to touch this brute of a man at all. He’s so handsome it is intimidating, especially this close.
His jaw clenches, and eyes flicker open, finding mine. The intensity in those aquamarine depths sends a foreign sensation to my gut. “Don’t make me say it again.”
Slowly, I slide my arms around his neck as the warmth of his skin burns through me, making me realize how cold I am. I shiver, my body craving his warmth as my head swims. He’s right. I’ve lost a lot of blood as I shut my eyes, my body wanting to shut down.
Principal Byrne slides one hand under my knees and the other around my back, lifting me as if I weigh nothing. “Stay with me, Eva. Whatever you do, don’t shut your eyes.”
My stomach flutters. The hard press of principal Byrne’s muscles against my body as he holds me close is intoxicating. His warmth is safe and comforting, even though this man scares the living daylights out of me. He’s intense, brooding, and intimidating, but I sense that’s how he likes it, for the students to fear him.
“Where are you taking me?” I ask, breaking the silence between us.
His jaw clenches as his attention remains ahead of us. “I won’t tolerate dumb questions.”
I bite my bottom lip, focusing on anything but my new principal’s gorgeous face. Up this close and personal, it’s kind of impossible to ignore. He’s beautiful, and the way he’s carrying me is intimate and makes me heat from the inside out. Not to mention, he smells divine of musk and pine and something I can’t quite put my finger on. My thighs squeeze together as my desire for him elevates.
“I think I can walk on it, sir,” I suggest as I feel my entire body heating at the prolonged proximity to him, the heat between my thighs building as a sense of awareness prickles over my skin.
Principal Byrne shakes his head. “I’ve seen my fair share of stab wounds, and if you try to walk on it, you will do more damage than good and lose more blood.”
I swallow hard, wondering how often people get stabbed here at this academy. “I guess students often get stabbed here, then?” I ask, wishing my voice didn’t sound so pathetically terrified.
His jaw clenches, and he nods. “Yes.” That’s all he says as he carries me straight out the front entrance of the cold, stately school and opens the passenger’s side of a large SUV with one hand before gently placing me into the seat. “Belt on.” He slams the door, making my heart thud against my rib cage.
I do as he says, sliding the belt on and clicking it into place.
Principal Byrne walks stiffly around the car and slides into the driver’s side without looking at me, turning on the engine. The purr of the engine is all that falls between us as he drives through the wrought-iron gates.
5
OAK
It’s not uncommon that I’m ringing the parents of new pupils on the first morning to report an incident, but I can’t understand why I have to for Eva.
I warned her not to open the door, yet she ignored my warning. Running a hand through my hair, I pick up the phone on my desk and dial Jamie Carmichael’s number. I grip the plastic so hard I’m surprised it doesn’t snap in two.
The dial tone rings, and within a few moments, Jamie Carmichael answers. “Hello.” I’d recognize his voice anywhere.
“Mr. Carmichael.” I clear my throat. “It’s Principal Byrne from the Syndicate Academy.”
