I pause but don’t turn.
Apparently my reaction is enough to encourage him though, because he pushes away from the wall and takes a step toward me. “And yet he keeps leaving you all alone.”
There’s a jolt of fear in my limbs, but my mind is sharp. My prey instinct safely tucks to the side and I take quick inventory of my defenses.
The obsidian blade is strapped into my boot instead of my thigh, since I haven’t been wearing skirts as often—why wear the uniform when I’m not going to classes anyway? In my pocket, I have three potions. I could toss the stunning bomb to see how that works. That would shut them up quickly, but I’d certainly hit a few innocent bystanders.
I also have a nullifier, which would not much in this circumstance. It’s the third potion, one of my new concoctions, that is itching to be used.
“Don’t you remember what happened the last time he left you all alone?”
I turn toward the three boys.
One is short and stalky, with pale skin—a vampire, maybe? Another is tall, with broad shoulders, shaggy dark hair and bright-green eyes, but he doesn’t have the look of a fae. There’s something—different about him. An essence both wild and brutal.
The last has pointed ears tall enough you couldn’t mistake him for anything other than fae. It’s his words though, that fill my body with anger.
“Care to remind me?” I say, unable to keep the irritation out of my tone. I flex my fingers.
The last time Jarron left me alone this long, a set of wolves attacked me. I could remind them of what happened after Jarron found out about it—he almost destroyed the school and sent the whole pack into hiding. Or I could remind him of the fact that I killed the wolf that bit me.
But I’d rather he find out the hard way.
The green-eyed boy in the middle looks bored.
The vampire licks his lips. “I’d love to remind you.”
I openly gag.
Someone watching from afar chuckles. No one seems intent on stepping up to protect me, though. Do I have no babysitters today? No one wants to protect the “princess” today. Maybe they all just want to see what I’m made of.
That’s fine. I have a lot of pent-up energy. I could use a workout and an experiment rolled into one.
I put my hand in my pocket, slyly slipping off the cap of the vial I want so badly to use—just in case.
Maybe they’re all beginning to doubt my place with Jarron. The remnants of the bite have almost faded.
“Try me,” I say and crook my finger like an invite.
The vampire jerks, eager to come at me but the green-eyed boy growls. “Careful, Jacks. Don’t be dumb,” he warns. His voice is so low it’s similar to Jarron’s in his demon form.What is he?
The substance pools into my palm.
“Yeah, Jacks,” I croon. “Better be careful. Are you sure you’re evenstrong enoughto claim me?”
Three things happen at once. The vampire charges. Several of the witnesses jerk forward as if they’ve finally decided to step in. And I remove my hand from my pocket and blow.
The vampire is lightening quick, across the room in a second. The powder from my palm puffs up into a little cloud of dark smoke right in his face, now inches from mine.
The vampire freezes in place, eyes wide.
His fangs are out, hands curled, ready to grab me but he won’t be grabbing anything any time soon. His limbs are frozen still. Only his eyes move, comically darting around in panic.
I’ve been experimenting with a few new things, like a dry spell concoction. This one is simple and only works when breathed in. It also wears off within minutes, but that should be all I need to make my point this time.
The crowd pauses short of reaching me. Some people chuckle, others whisper in surprise.
“Idiot,” the brutal green-eyed boy says, before approaching slowly and stopping between me and the frozen vampire. I step back.
