AllFreeNovel
Share Us
We’re going to have to clear out the entire campus. Surrender it completely. I wasn’t about to leave people behind. Not a single kitchen hand. Not the strongest Alpha. That was a hard pass for me.
So now I was going to have to make them agree not only to my new spell that would wrench ruling power from the claws, but also run like scared little sheep?
I stepped into the conference room again. It was like war had broken out at the UN. I couldn’t understand anything that was being said, and not just because it was too loud to hear myself think. Lisette was leaning over the table, shouting in French at Blaze, who was sitting there as calm as I’d every seen anyone. Every bit of piss and vinegar she was spewing at him was blowing right past him.
Albert joined in with Lisette, clearly as pissed as she was. Sebastian and Jackson were arguing in German. Donovan and Meredith were sitting back in their chairs in Ireland, looking pleased as punch not to be here in person.
But my friends were calmly taking all of this in. At least we were being levelheaded. Fighting together a few times had really solidified our group. We trusted each other. It was the older generation that was going to have an issue.
Chris gave me a wink, and I almost felt bad that I hadn’t asked him about being involved like this. Are you mad? I mouthed to him, gesturing in a circle in case he didn’t catch what I said.
His eyes widened. No. Honored, he mouthed back to me.
That was a relief. I sat down in my chair, waiting for a pause in the talking, but that wasn’t going to happen. I was going to have to jump in. Again. This was starting to get—
You’re mine. His voice echoed in my head.
My skin went ice cold. We were too late. Astaroth was here. I grabbed Dastien’s hand, squeezing it tightly. We have to run.
My gaze found Claudia’s as she slowly stood from her chair.
Raphael burst into the room.
But no one except my friends noticed. The “adults” were still arguing.
My lungs burned and I realized I’d stopped breathing. I exhaled and inhaled again, quickly. Too fast. “He’s here,” I said too quiet, but those two words silenced the room.
All eyes were on me.
“We have to run,” I said it aloud this time. “Now!” I didn’t look to see who followed me as I raced out the door. The ones that trusted me would come. The rest could fuck themselves, because I wasn’t waiting. Not one millisecond.
Eighteen
The floor rumbled under my feet.
A crash sounded from the library and I froze.
No. No. Wrong.
I was going the wrong way.
I turned and threw open the closest door—the one to Mr. Dawson’s office. The doorknob broke off in my hand as I twisted it.
Not caring about anything other than getting away, I threw the knob off to the side, grabbed one of the chairs in front of his desk, and hurled it through the window. The crash was sure to draw Astaroth, but that didn’t matter. He was here. The fear was making my bones shake, but I kept moving. Because he was here.
He was here and we were so screwed.
Panic clawed its way up my spine.
I leaped through the shards. We have to get everyone away from here, I said to Dastien. I hit the ground outside and kept running. There were soft thuds behind me and I knew that everyone had taken my cue. Thank God.
A siren broke through the early night. I didn’t know who had tripped the alarms, but I hoped that lit a fire under everyone’s ass. Anyone who was still on this campus needed to leave. Now.
Running was our only option.
There is no running, the words seeped into my head, dripping doubt and hopelessness into every nook and cranny of my soul. I started to trip on my own feet, but Dastien caught me, lifting me into his arms without breaking his stride.
Are you okay?
