I slept for what seemed like an hour or two, and when I woke up, it was with a start. I heard heavy footsteps rushing up the stairs, and someone barged into the distant penthouse door. I kind of thought I was dreaming, but then the air pressure changed, and when I opened my eyes, I saw Morgana through the red, sheer curtain, with a panicked expression on her face.
“We have to go!” she hissed before she pulled back the curtain. “Oh … ”
Vesta and Akira both gasped and pulled the bed sheets up to their chins as they tried and failed to cover up their naked bodies.
“What in the--” Morgana stared down at us with wide blue eyes, and her shocked face morphed into disgust. She looked utterly betrayed and furious, as well.
“What do you want?” I sighed.
“Disgusting,” she muttered before she whipped around. “Get dressed and hurry the hell up. It’s already past dawn. Apparently, though, there’s a boat that heads back the way we came. If we take the ferry, we won’t have to trek back through the woods, and we’ll cut our travel time in half. But the ferry leaves in less than an hour.”
“Shit,” I muttered.
We needed to move our asses if we wanted to be there on time. If we missed the ferry, we wouldn’t make it back to Theodora’s rendezvous point before noon. Which means we’d be stuck in this realm to fend for ourselves.
And I definitely wasn’t looking forward to that.
“Are you going to sit there all day?” Morgana demanded.
“We’re coming,” I assured her. “Just give us a minute, for Satan’s sake.”
“Whatever.” The brunette huffed, stomped out of the penthouse, and slammed the door shut behind her.
We all rose from the bed and got dressed in our party clothes. No one said a word to each other as we put our clothes back on, and Vesta and Akira were deadly quiet as we left the room. I had a feeling they were not even going to acknowledge what happened last night, which was fine with me.
I had my fun … and so did they.
And I knew they would eventually want more.
We met Morgana and Faye, who were waiting outside the bedroom with their arms folded across their exposed breasts. I could tell by Faye’s disapproving glare that Morgana had told her what she walked in on, but I flashed the redhead a wink before I headed down the stairs.
When we reached the bottom floor, I glanced back at the witches and their extravagant, but impractical, outfits. They looked sexy as fuck, but I couldn’t imagine them trekking through the wilderness like that.
“Shouldn’t we find your old clothes?” I suggested to the group. “I don’t think the walk back is going to be easy in those heels.”
“There’s no time, Cole,” Morgana hissed, and her blue eyes flashed with irritation.
“She’s right,” Vesta agreed with an anxious look. “We have to get a move on. You heard Headmistress Theodora. If we don’t make it back by noon, we’re fucked.”
“Alright, suit yourselves.” I shrugged.
If they wanted to walk back in those clothes, that was going to be their problem, not mine.
With that settled, we walked as calmly as possible through the hungover patrons and through the now quiet casino, and then we strolled out the front doors, past the trolls, and down the road.
As easy as that.
“I think we have to go past the barley fields,” Akira said after a moment, “I can feel it.”
“You’re getting better at this.” I smirked. “I can feel that, too. Come on, let’s go.”
We quickly marched south and came across the acres and acres of barley fields. The sky above us was a pale cloudy gray, and there were no farmers in sight. It was completely desolate, and only a few crows flew across the field. The vast golden meadow was quite captivating. It was a peaceful, isolated, and bright countryside, which was quite different from the gray hills and dead forests that surrounded the castle.
We silently trekked past the fields of barley for about half an hour. The silence was uncomfortable, but I didn’t let it get to me. The fact that we were about to finish our second quiz had me feeling confident and satisfied.
As well as other things.
Honestly, I couldn’t help but marvel at Morgana and Faye’s asses as they walked ahead of me. Their mesh dresses showcased their entire figures under the dim sunlight, and I was thoroughly enjoying the view.
But then Morgana’s heel caught on a root jutting out of the ground, and she tripped and landed face down in the dirt with a thud that made the rest of us stop.
“Shit,” the brunette groaned as she rubbed her ankle and struggled to stand up. “These damn heels.”
“I told you so,” I snickered.
“Fuck you, Cole,” she hissed.
“You wish,” I muttered under my breath.
Morgana glared at me as she stood up, and then she started to limp across the field again without looking back.
I shrugged and followed after her, and soon, we came to the ends of the field and found a small dock on the other side. It looked barely used, but this was where my premonition senses had told me to go.
“We found it,” Faye breathed with wide green eyes. “That has to be it. I can’t believe we did it.”
“Of course we did it,” I scoffed. “Come on, let’s go, we’re running out of time.”
There were several small boats tied to the dock, and I wasn’t sure which one to pick until my eyes fell on a short man in an oversized canoe. He was hunched over with a large lump on his back, and he was murmuring under this breath as he fiddled with little hooks and ropes in his boat.
As creepy as this man looked, I knew this was the boat we had to take.
“That one, it’s the fastest, and it’s safer than sprinting through the woods where beasts could lurk around every dark corner,” I said as I pointed to the ghoulish old man. “Come on.”
“Are you sure?” Faye asked, and she nervously twirled a red strand of hair around her finger.
“Yes.” I nodded firmly.
The witches followed me as I headed toward the boat, and the man smiled a crooked grin at us. He had only one tooth and small beady brown eyes, and when we approached him, he licked his thin, greasy lips and eyed Morgana and Faye’s sheer dresses.
The women scowled, covered themselves up, and tried not to look embarrassed. I couldn’t blame them, though, the man was a creepy little fucker.
“Good morning,” I said as I tried to mask my irritation. “How much for a ride?”
“It’s one hundred gold coins to pass down the river,” he chuckled without looking at me. “Where are you all headed?”
“To the Carpen Hills,” Faye interjected, and then she lowered her voice to speak to us. “I have a strong feeling that was the name of the hills we landed in yesterday. The headmistress should be there.”
“Well, lucky for you, that’s just downstream.” The old man smirked. “One-hundred-and-five gold coins, please.”
“You just said one-hundred,” I snarled. “Why the sudden increase in price?”
“Well, it cost extra for students,” he chortled. “Especially for Wicca.”
“Give us a moment,” I growled before I turned to the witches and lowered my voice. “How much coin do you all have?”
The witches all shared a terrified look.
“I barely have more than the requirement for the quiz,” Akira grumbled. “I have just over three hundred.”
“Same here,” Vesta sighed.
“We have a bit more from the patrons we stole from,” Faye said as she indicated Morgana, “but we don’t have a hundred extra coins between us.”
“Well.” I cocked an eyebrow and grinned. “Guess it’s a good thing I do.”
“You do?” Akira demanded. “How much do you have?”
“Enough.” I shrugged casually. “You’re welcome.”
Before the women could say another word, I turned back to the ferryman. I was in no mood to fight or bargain with this old fucker, and time was running out to reach the rendezvous point. So, I reached down into my pocket and pulled out one hundred and five gold coins in a small sack before dropping them into his withered old hands.
“Satisfied?” I growled.
“Yes, yes, very much so.” He grinned. “Now, come along, hop in, don’t be shy.”
We all stepped into the small boat, and no one said a word to each other as the old man slowly began to paddle upstream. All we could hear as we moved along the green river was the sound of crows cawing and the haggard breathing of the old man as he pushed the boat onward. Trees bordered the river, and they were lush and green, but the foliage slowly merged into golden and amber leaves as we paddled on.
I actually enjoyed the silence, though. Last night had been a wild ride, but I was certainly feeling the aftermath of all those drinks now. My head pounded, and my mouth tasted sour, but it had all been worth it. In fact, last night hadn’t felt like a quiz at all. It had been invigorating and exciting. Plus, fucking two of the witches had been an added bonus, but that didn’t mean they were going to warm up to me.
In fact, they were doing their best to avoid any eye contact with me right now.
I didn’t care, though. I was feeling too damn good about my academic progression, and I was actually excited about the next class. Both the Blood Magic and Premonition quizzes had been a significant success for me, but just because I passed the quizzes didn’t mean I was in the clear yet.
We continued to slowly go upstream, and I tapped my fingers impatiently against my arm as I tracked the sun above us.
We were running out of time.
Finally, after nearly two hours, we started to approach familiar land. I breathed a sigh of relief as soon as I saw the gray trees and dark, rolling hills. I was tired of being on this river. We’d been sitting for hours, and I was ready to be back on firm ground and away from this unnerving, foul-smelling man.
“Gruesome place,” our ferryman whispered with a haggard breath.
We ignored him as he slowly came toward a rock covered shore. Then he came to a full stop, and not one of us bothered to thank the swindling old man as we stepped out of the boat and onto dry land.
“Old fucker,” Faye hissed under her breath.
“You’re welcome!” he shouted after us as we entered the woods. “No, really, it truly was my pleasure, young ladies.”
“Fucking bastard,” I grumbled.
“I could have done without him staring at my breasts the entire time,” Morgana hissed and tipped her elfin nose up into the air.
We still weren’t far enough away from the old man, and he continued to call out after us.
“Oh, no, please, don’t bother to tip me!” he shouted, and his croaking voice startled a flock of birds from the reeds along the riverbank.
We ignored him as we made our way through the thorny thicket. The mud below us was soft, as if it had just rained and soaked the earth beneath our feet. The thin, sharp branches cut us as we moved as gracefully as possible through the woods. The air smelled of dead, rotting leaves, and the sound of owls and crows vibrated through the frigid air. There was no clear path to follow, so I used my senses to navigate through the gray woodland.
I knew we were getting closer. Soon, we would be out of these ominous woods, and we’d meet up with Theodora. Then she would take us back to the academy, and we would have officially passed this quiz.
We silently trekked through the woods, and I knew the witches were tired. I was fucking exhausted, but I knew I had to keep pushing myself onward.
As we walked, my mind wandered back to my night with Akira and Vesta, and I wondered if they would tell the others about how hard I fucked both of them.
I doubted it.
They probably felt as if they betrayed Morgana and Faye by sleeping with me. I didn’t really care, though. It had been an incredible night, and I tried not to smile as I remembered the way they moaned when I fucked them. I could bet all my winnings that it would have pained them to admit it out loud, but I knew they enjoyed every fucking minute of it.
The woods grew cold as we continued forward, and I could only imagine how cold the witches were in their skin tight and mesh dresses.
“Hellfire,” Akira spat after a while. “I can’t wait until we get back to Scholomance.”
“I hope we can change first, though,” Faye said with a violent shiver.
“I hope we can take a bath,” Vesta muttered, but as soon as she said that, I immediately pictured her naked in the water. Her purple skin would be covered in bubbles and slick with droplets, and her green hair would be plastered around her beautiful, unique features.
When I met her glittering silver eyes, Vesta blushed as if she could read my mind.
I smiled and kept walking ahead of them.
After another half hour, we finally came out of the woods, and I smiled when I saw a figure standing in the hills.
It was Theodora. She was dressed in a long, dark navy gown with a black lace collar, leather gloves, and boots. Her hair was up in a high bun, and she smiled when she saw us.
“Welcome back, and with just a minute to spare.” She then glanced at each of us and frowned. “I’m afraid I don’t see Sweeny anywhere.”
“Should we wait for her?” Vesta suggested.
“She has one minute.” Theodora shrugged. “Part of the quiz was to arrive at the rendezvous point on time. She knew the consequences of being late.”
The witches all looked at each other with concerned expressions, but no one dared say a word.
“Wait, look over there!” Vesta gasped.
I squinted and saw Sweeny sprinting up the hill, and I immediately noticed she looked like hell. Well, at least more than usual. Her already disfigured face was bloody and cut up, her hair was a mess, and she smelled of sweat and dust.
“Fucking hell,” I breathed when she reached us. “What happened to you?”
“None … of your business, man, now get out of my way,” she panted before she pushed past me and headed to Theodora. “Apologies, Professor. I was … held up.”
“You made it just in time, which is all that counts,” Theodora replied, but I could tell she wasn’t impressed by the scarred witch. “Now, does everyone have their three hundred coins?”
“Yes, Professor,” we all replied in unison.
“Let me see,” she said and held out her hand.
One by one, the witches handed their bags of coins to Theodora.
“Three-hundred-ten for Akira,” she murmured with a nod. “Three-hundred-twelve for Vesta. Three-hundred-twenty for Morgana. Three-hundred-twenty-two for Faye. And three-hundred exactly for Sweeny.”
The headmistress cocked an eyebrow at the scarred witch.
“I met the requirement,” Sweeny grumbled, like she could feel Theodora’s disapproving glare.
“Barely,” the professor reminded her in an unimpressed tone, but then Theodora turned to me. “And what about you, Cole?”
“See for yourself.” I smiled and handed over my bag.
Theodora balanced the heavy, jingling pouch of coins in her hand, and she bounced it once in her palm. Then her eyebrows raised toward her forehead.
“Twelve hundred and eighty gold coins,” she murmured. “I am impressed, Cole.”
“It would have been a bit more.” I shrugged. “But the ladies wanted to take the ferry back to see some scenery.”
The witches shot me scathing glares, but Theodora merely chuckled.
“Well, nonetheless,” she said, “you have all passed your Premonition quiz. Now, everyone must link their hands. It’s time to go home.”
We all held hands, and the spinning sensation made my stomach churn as we rotated for a full three minutes. When I opened my eyes, I saw the familiar, tall, black gothic castle towering over us, and I grinned.
“We’re home,” Akira sighed. “Finally.”
“Thank the devil,” Vesta muttered.
Theodora led the way back inside, and the witches began to whisper to each other.
“I hope we can change before the rest of the students see us,” Faye hissed to Morgana. “I’ll die of humiliation if I’m caught in this dress by anyone else.”
“Me, too,” the brunette witch replied with a frown.
“I can’t believe you talked us into putting these ridiculous dresses on, Cole,” Faye seethed as she whirled on me.
“It was your idea,” I groaned. “Or did you forget already? Stop moaning and complaining for once. We made it out of there alive, and that’s all that matters.”
The women grunted their agreements as we headed toward the castle, and when we finally made it through the doors, we all sighed with relief. The halls were empty, and I supposed most students were either in class or in the study hall.
Either way, I was relieved to finally be back home. As strange as it was to call this place my home.
When the headmistress turned to look at us, Morgana and Faye quickly covered their exposed nipples with folded arms, and as if things couldn’t be worse for them, the corridors began to fill up with older students who giggled and pointed in their direction as they passed by.
“Hellfire,” Faye hissed, and her pale face flushed bright red. “This is beyond embarrassing. Everyone is going to be talking about this for weeks.”
“Well, you two may change.” Theodora smirked. “Go on.”
Morgana and Faye both mumbled something that sounded like a thank you before they disappeared down the corridor behind us, and I couldn’t help but watch them over my shoulder as they ran off. Their asses looked pretty damn good in those see-through dresses.
“The quiz went well,” Theodora remarked.
“It did.” I nodded.
Her bright blue eyes met mine, and she smiled wider before her gaze traveled over Vesta and Akira, too.
“You won quite a bit of money,” the headmistress said. “Good for you. You used your senses to the fullest ability. Now, you may all take the rest of the afternoon to prepare for your Shadow class tomorrow. Cole, if you’ll follow me, I’ll give you a copy of the textbook so you may get your reading done.”
I nodded and left Akira and Vesta in the hallways as I followed the headmistress to her office. When we were inside, she marched over to her extensive bookshelf and pulled out a sage green textbook from her collection. Then she blew the dust off the cover and smiled before she handed me the copy.
“Here you are,” she said. “Your next class will be taught by one of my most exceptional students. Her name is Luna, and while she might look like an angel, she is the exact opposite and will have no qualms about murdering you if you fail, so I suggest you get as much reading done as possible.”
“Thank you, Professor.” I nodded. “I’ll be sure to do that.”
“Excellent,” Theodora replied as her eyes studied me. “I’ll be watching you closely, Cole. Do not let me down.”
I nodded again, left her office with the book, and headed down to the banquet hall. I was absolutely ravished and couldn’t wait to eat a plate of hot food.
When I strode into the crowded banquet hall, my eyes landed on my table. I quickly spotted Vesta, Akira, Morgana, and Faye, but Sweeny was not seated with them. The scarred witch was probably humiliated and was off somewhere licking her wounds. She nearly failed the quiz, and we all knew it.
The witches at the table, though, had all changed into their uniforms and were digging into their meals, and as I got closer, I noticed Vesta and Akira were deep in conversation. Morgana and Faye were not paying attention to their fellow witches and were instead just focused on their food, but the two women I had fucked last night were so immersed in their food and discussion that they didn’t see me approaching them, so I heard snippets of what they were saying.
Even when I was about a foot away, Vesta and Akira didn’t notice me, so I stood utterly still and strained to listen in to what they were saying.
“I’m still soaked,” I heard Vesta say. “He got so deep in me that--”
Akira spotted me and then turned a bright red before she covered Vesta’s mouth with her hand.
The green-haired witch looked offended until she met my eyes, and then she just looked humiliated.
“What was that you were saying?” I grinned.
Akira released Vesta, and both of them looked away before answering.
“Nothing that concerns you,” the lilac-skinned witch snapped, and her cheeks were a dark plum color. “Why don’t you just mind your own business?”
I chuckled before taking a seat next to her. She smelled like lavender and spices, and I could feel the warmth radiating off her body.
“So, who’s excited about Shadow class?” Morgana asked after a moment of awkward silence. “I can’t fucking wait.”
“Me either,” Vesta coughed. She was clearly trying her best to pretend like she wasn’t just talking about me and our night together, and I could sense her embarrassment, but I decided not to call her out on it.
For now.
“I certainly can’t wait,” I said before I started to eat.
I dug into my plate of potatoes, steak, and green beans. Everyone ate quietly, and I knew the two of the four witches were still embarrassed by what happened. I supposed they didn’t expect to get that drunk and lose control over themselves, but I was glad they had.
It was a night I was definitely not going to forget.
“I’m going to get another plate,” I said as I stood from the table. “Anyone want anything else?”
“I’m fine,” Vesta muttered, but the other girls ignored me, so I shrugged and went back to the counter to get another serving of steak.
On the way back, I saw the four of them were huddled close to each other on the table talking, and their shoulders seemed tense.
“I wonder what they are talking about?” I snickered as I casually walked around the backside of the hall so I could eavesdrop.
I passed several other dining tables filled with witches enjoying their meals, and each of them was absolutely gorgeous, although it was obvious most of them weren’t human. If they noticed me walk past their table, they gave me an angry glare and then whispered to their classmates, but I just ignored them and focused on getting to a spot where I could catch a hint of what my classmates were talking about.
“We need to spend more time searching tonight,” I heard Morgana say.
“What? You mean ten minutes isn’t enough to search a whole fucking library?” Akira scoffed. “We are going to need weeks to find it.”
“We don’t have weeks,” Faye said. “If the Blood Pact does what he says it does, we need to do it as soon as possible.”
“I still don’t see why we need it,” Akira grumbled. “Plenty of other witches have taken the final without this pact.”
“Do you know what the death rate is?” Faye scoffed. “It’s three out of five. You know what the common theme is of those who survive? They work together.”
“So?” Akira hissed. “Let’s just work together.”
“With Cole?” Morgana groaned. “You two might be fine spreading your legs for that fucking man, but I have standards.”
“Doesn’t have to be working with Cole, you dumb bitch,” Akira growled. “We could just cut him out and agree to work together. We don’t need the Blood Pact.”
“But what about the power?” Faye asked. “Immortality? And we know we’ll easily win? This is worth pursuing.”
“Which brings me back to the fact that we haven’t found the fucking spell yet,” Akira huffed.
“Maybe Cole’s a liar?” Vesta whispered. “It wouldn’t surprise me. Maybe this Blood Pact doesn’t exist?”
“We broke into the library before we left for the quiz, and there was nothing.” Morgana said. “I went back just now after I changed, and I thought I found something interesting called The Book of Survival, which talked about different, difficult pacts and soul bounds, but not the Blood Pact. It was strange.”
“Do you think … Cole might have found it first?” Akira whispered. “Do you think he destroyed the pages or something?”
“Did he fuck the brains out of you?” Morgana scoffed. “He’s not smart or knowledgeable enough to break into the library and get there before us. How could you even think he’s capable of planning that far ahead? He can’t even keep from drooling when he sees us. It’s disgusting, and I can’t believe the two of you let him put his--”
“Oh, shut the fuck up about it already!” Akira hissed. “We just had some fun.”
“Yeah, but now that you two fucked him, are you loyal to us or to him?” Faye demanded.
“I’m loyal to myself,” Vesta sneered. “And if you keep bringing up how Cole fucked us, I’m going to start thinking you are just jealous.”
“As if,” Faye growled.
I couldn’t help but smirk in satisfaction. I was ten steps ahead of them, and they didn’t even know it. If anything, they were too busy arguing with each other about me to really plan how to survive the final test.
And soon they would run out of time, and they’d have to come to me.
They’d have to beg me to join my blood pact.
“Did I miss anything important?” I asked, and the women all jumped in their seats and glared at me.
“No,” Akira spat, so I shrugged, sat down, and dug into my second plate of food.
When I finished eating, I bid them goodbye and stood from the table, with my book in my hand. I was so focused on reading the material, though, that I almost didn’t catch Morgana whispering to Akira on my way out of the banquet hall.
“If anyone has a copy, I bet Vanessa does,” the brunette said in a faint voice I had to strain to hear. “She’s the professor of Blood Magic. She has to have a copy of the Blood Pact spell, right?”
Fuck. I never thought of that, but it sounded logical. If it was true, though, I needed to break into her office. Now. Or maybe later tonight. I just couldn’t risk these other witches grabbing the last copy before me. They would use it to their own advantage and leave me out of it.
I quickly headed toward my bedroom with my book in my hands. When I stepped inside my room, I realized I desperately needed to take a bath. So, I quickly stripped off the stolen suit, placed my dagger on my desk, and as soon as I opened the bathroom door, the tub was already filled to the brim with hot water.
“Thanks, Cordelia,” I said aloud.
I knew she was probably watching me, even if she didn’t respond, but I smiled and shook my head to myself as I stepped into the relaxing water. Then I marinated in the hot bath for over an hour and scrubbed myself clean.
When I returned to my desk, I spent the rest of the afternoon studying my ass off. There was a lot I needed to prepare for Shadow class, and according to Theodora, Luna was one hell of a professor.
So, I studied until darkness fell and then closed the book and stretched my sore muscles. Now that it was nightfall, I knew what I had to do next.
I needed to retrieve and burn the final copy of the Blood Pact spell.
I paced back and forth in my room, unsure of how I was going to break into Vanessa’s office. I didn’t even know where it was, but I still had the skill of premonition to figure it out.
Not wanting to waste any more time, I quickly dressed in a clean shirt and pair of trousers before I slipped on my boots and cloak. Next, I grabbed my dagger off the desk and tucked it safely into my waistband.
Then I took in a long, deep breath before I swung the door open and headed quickly down the stairs.
I had no idea where I would begin, all I knew was I’d have to wander through the castle until I felt a magnetic connection pulling me toward one of the rooms, because premonition had its limits.
Even for me.
I quietly wandered through the corridors for about an hour, but I grew more and more impatient as time passed by, and I wondered if I was doing something wrong. The paintings continued to follow my every move as I walked down the hallways and past the empty rooms, and I finally came to a stop in the middle of a hallway.
“Where the hell is it?” I whispered to myself.
I couldn’t feel a damn thing, and I wanted to tear at the eyes of the paintings that continued to follow me as I walked down the barely lit corridors. Finally, I sensed a strong pull coming from down the hall. I followed the energy, and it led me down a series of passages and toward an arched opening.
I went through the door, and finally, I came across a wooden door with a wolf carved into the door and grinned to myself. The top of the door also had the same lettering her classroom had.
The feral she-wolf emerges at night, with only the moon to guide her way. Hide the lambs, the children, and the weak, because she will only leave blood and bone in her wake.
This had to be it.
I pulled out my dagger and fiddled with the lock for a good minute until I heard a click.
“Yes,” I muttered.
I gingerly pushed the door open, and inside was a small, dark office. There was a blood-red Persian carpet covering the slick, black wooden floor, and the walls were painted dark brown. Books took up the entire wall, and a small fireplace was aflame by her desk. Above her desk, there was a massive family portrait, and I spotted Vanessa, Theodora, and an older witch with white hair and the same piercing blue eyes.
I felt like the oldest witch was staring down at me, though, like she was judging my every move. I ignored the shiver that ran down my spine and started to look around the office. I had to be quick because I knew Vanessa could probably be back at any moment.
As I neared her book collection, my heart stopped when I heard a soft, familiar growl by the back of her desk. Then I slowly went around the desk and craned my neck to see Vanessa’s familiar Isobel curled up behind her chair. The wolf’s cold, light blue eyes stared at me for a long moment, and I thought she was going to start wildly barking at me, lunge at me, or anything, but instead, her eyes softened when they met mine.
She looked at me with imploring eyes, and I knew she wanted something to eat.
Perhaps she remembered the little treat I gave her back in the classroom.
“I’m sorry, girl,” I whispered. “I don’t have any more treats with me this time.”
Isobel looked disappointed but not angry as she laid her head back down in between her paws and slowly exhaled in disappointment.
I breathed a sigh of relief and continued to study the books. There were so many. They were all in different languages, and each one was thicker than the last. I used the ladder to climb up to the top and started to look through the entire wall. I started from the very top and slowly made my way down, and my fingers trailed along the spines until I reached the end of the bottom shelf.
If her copy of the Book of Survival was in here, then it wasn’t with the others.
“Shit,” I muttered.
I glanced at her desk, and I wondered if it was in there.
It was worth a try.
When I approached the massive mahogany desk, the wolf lifted her head and stared at me. Then she bared her teeth and snarled when I started to pull at the drawers.
Fuck.
“Please, girl,” I whispered, “don’t make a fuss. I promise I’ll be in and out of here in no time.”
Isobel closed her mouth and then tilted her head, and I couldn’t say for sure, but a part of me was convinced she understood me.
“Deal?” I grinned.
The wolf whined and then went back to sleep as if I wasn’t even there, and I smiled as I continued to rummage through Vanessa’s desk. I was surprised she didn’t lock her drawers, but I supposed she never expected someone to break into the office in the first place.
The woman had so many goddamn drawers in her desk, but there was only one more left, and I sighed as I put my fingers on the handle.
If the book wasn’t in here, that meant the other witches had found it first, and I was fucked.
Moment of truth.
I inhaled sharply and yanked the door open, and a moment later, my breath shuddered past my chapped lips.
There, below me, was the final copy of the Book of Survival.
I smirked to myself as I reached down and pulled it out. Then I flipped to the correct page and tore out the Blood Pact ritual.
“Found you.” I smiled.
I placed the book back where it belonged and closed the drawer. I then headed to the fireplace and crumpled up the page. There was no need to reread it, now that I had it all ingrained in my memory, so I tossed the paper into the lit fireplace and watched as it burned into a black crisp.
I’d done it. I’d found the last and only remaining copy of the ritual. Now, there were no more copies of the page left. I’d destroyed all evidence of the pact. The only way those witches would ever succeed now was with my help, and I couldn’t wait until they came crawling and begging for my aid.
I swiftly left the office with a skip in my step. So far, things were working out in my favor, but I still had to keep my guard up. Things might have been going well so far, but who knew what other obstacles I’d have to face before the final and deadly exam.
Only time would tell.