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Casimir
I knew the victim. We had shared some classes a few years ago; his name was Daniel. He had basically worked his way through sophomore year and skipped an entire grade. Smart as a whip. If he was out this late at night, judging by the books scattered everywhere, it was probably to sneak in a few more hours at the library.
I had to help him, but my first priority was my mate. Period.
“Listen.” I whirled around from scanning the area for any clues and lifted Karelis from Daniel’s side. “You have to get out of here,” I whispered and tugged her along so that she was near Adan.
“What? No, I can help you.”
Fuck. She had a good heart, but this wasn’t the time to display it. While I didn’t know the exact reasons why she was here, she clearly didn’t know the harshness or the severity of what we were doing and how hard the administration would come down on us if we were caught.
“Adan, please?”
“Karelis. In a few minutes, this area is going to be swamped by administration and guards and maybe even members of the shifter council. One student dead was a fluke, but now a second attack? We can’t be here.”
“Why?” she asked. “We didn’t do anything wrong.”
In another world, at another academy, taking our woman out for a date would be nothing out of the ordinary and certainly not, as she put it,anything wrong. But this wasn’t any ordinary place. This place was fucking one step away from shifter prison, a place my pack, the warrior pack, had helped put plenty of people in.
“We didn’t. Tonight was the first of many times we will want to take you out you, sweetheart.” Adan had a way of talking to her. I was definitely taking notes. “But the administration of this place won’t see it that way. They will see two troublemakers and you, sneaking out at night, smelling like diner cheeseburgers. That will lead to a flurry of questions I’m not ready to answer or face the consequences of.”
Her eyes ticked from Daniel to me, to Adan, and back again. “Baby,” I said, trying to sound gentle like Adan did. “Keeping you safe means from everyone, including the dean of discipline. Please, get out of here. Let Adan take you away. For me?”
Something clicked inside her. I could see it. “To my dorm?” she asked softly. I leaned forward and kissed her cheek, just in case the administration decided to kick my ass out for good this time. I would see her later though. Somehow.
She was my mate.
I knew it before, but tonight made the fact concrete—steel.
“No, Karelis. I’m taking you to our suite. It’s risky, but I won’t lie in my bed for the rest of the night worried about you. We can figure out how to smuggle you back to your dorm before dawn or maybe not at all.”
She snorted as Adan took her away, joking about feeling like drugs or diamonds with his smuggling talk. She was more valuable than any jewel or gold.
I watched until they were out of sight and then turned my attention back to Daniel. He had been struck with some kind of blade. A sword slice if I’d ever seen one. More than one. And I knew swords. There were footprints all over the place, but students walked across here all the time. Whoever this was dragged him here, I could see the pressed-down dirt and snow marking the trail.
“You’re Casimir, right?” Daniel said. His voice was barely there. The guy was hanging on by a thread. His teeth werechattering, and his fingers were turning blue. I didn’t know how long he had been out here but if he was this cold, it was for a while. His shifter temperature should’ve kept him warmer for longer.
I kneeled down, weighing my options. Either way, I was going to get drilled by the people in charge, but that was a price I was willing to pay for Karelis’ safety and to save Daniel. “Yes. You’re going to be okay. I’m calling for help.”
I dialed the emergency number and waited. Just my luck, the headmistress herself answered the call in a slumbering stupor. “What is the emergency?”
“This is Casimir. I’m in the common area. There’s a student who is badly injured. We need a doctor. He was attacked.”
Before she could ask any questions, I hung up the phone. I needed a few minutes to get my head on straight. I looked over my shoulder again, making sure Karelis and Adan were out of sight. They were.
Gods, I wished that I could’ve seen her to safety, but this was the way I could help her right now.
“Here.” I took off my sweater and wrapped it around Daniel’s head and neck. I put pressure on one of the seeping wounds while I waited. “Can you not tell anyone that my mate and Adan were here, by chance?”
Daniel chuckled but it quickly turned into a cough. “What mate?” he asked with a wink.
“Thank you. Did you see who did this to you?”
He shook his head. “There were lights. Blinding lights and then I was struck. I smelled no one. I heard no one. I was going home after studying.” He seemed to regret his decision.
“Help is coming,” I said, as the sirens at the school rang out. Took them long enough. “You’re going to be okay. I swear it.”
Chapter Twenty-One
