"Use it," I commanded. "That is your season, whether you like it or not."
"Fuck seasons," another girl said as green splattered across the ceiling.
"Protect the students!"
I didn't recognize that voice, but in only a few more steps, the scene was clear before me, and the rushing footsteps were fading in my ears. There, Bianca Caldwell, the Taxonomy of Faerie instructor, was picking herself up off the floor. Blood leaked from her nose, but her eyes were bright. I could almost feel the Winter rushing into her.
Yet Poppy Hawthorne and Nevaeh were on the other side, throwing conjurations at the trio of students edging their way toward me, aiming for the cross hall that would get them out of here.
"Fuck your hatred," I breathed, reaching for their minds.
I wanted them in darkness. I needed them to be lost in something terrifying, and the scariest place I could imagine was a troll cave, down at the bottom where light would never reach. Pulling from my own memories and the childhood fear I'd had of those wildlings, I crafted something horrendous - and then let it go.
Immediately, the attackers screamed and turned. Not in circles, but the glamour had clearly taken them all. The problem was I had to hold it. I needed to make sure they couldn't break free or they'd get away. And while I was more powerful than most knew, I was still just one man.
"Wilder!" Nevaeh barked.
"Help Ms. Caldwell," I ordered. "Poppy, they might still fight, so be prepared to block."
"And you?" Nevaeh demanded.
But it was Ms. Caldwell who answered. "He's holding them in a glamour like I've never seen before."
Which was when I realized there was a sensation running down my spine. It wasn't tingles or chills. This was more like support, as if something was allowing me to lean on it. Somehow, I knew that had to be Shadow's alert letting me know my friends were coming.
So I added a troll to the glamour.
In the minds of those three, something would be moving around in the darkness. They would know they weren't alone, but they wouldn't be sure if it was their friends or their enemies. I pushed even harder, hoping I'd snap their Winter-hating minds in the process, but a flare of white distracted me.
Green came next. Grey was right after, but on the other side of the hall. Then there were the steps racing toward us.
"Pascal, stay back!" Keir ordered.
"Fuck that," Pascal said as he rushed to join the court.
My lips were curling the way Torian's always did. A cold, cruel smile that proved how much I wanted to hurt these people, yet I had control here. I was a fucking duke again, and these fools had dared to come at one of mine.
"Keir," I snapped, "Make sure Ms. Caldwell is well. Torian - "
"I got 'em," Rain said, slinging her hands out like she was throwing baseballs.
"It's not your season," Torian reminded me softly.
I murmured, proving I knew that, but my eyes were locked on my foes.
"We need Ms. Rhodes," Ms. Caldwell said, sounding like she was hurting.
"No," Aspen snapped. "It's time for people to realize we're the ones in control. I think we have enough here to haul them down to the office ourselves."
But Rain's shadows weren't making boxing gloves on these people this time. No, they were more like manacles, forcing their wrists together. Still, that dark substance would prevent any harm. She'd said it blocked any magic use.
"Babe?" Hawke asked softly.
"I need to scare them a little more. I want them to know what happens when they attack Winter."
"No," Torian said. "Hate only makes hate, Wilder. Trust me, I know it's hard, but release them. We've got them now."
For a little too long, I resisted. These people had broken into my room, thinking they could hurt or kill me. They'd attacked my queen! They'd come at a guy who was starting to feel like a friend, had killed a girl simply for the color of her magic, and who knew how many other attacks had been hidden from us. How many had failed so we'd never known about them.
