Page 40 of Bound By Fate
I looked toward the window.
He was standing there, naked, staring out at the blizzard. His body was tense, every muscle coiled tight.
"Lucien?" I whispered, disentangling myself from the others and grabbing a blanket. I walked over to him, wrapping the blanket around my shoulders and pressing my chest against his back.
He didn't turn around. He just reached back and gripped my hand.
"What is it?" I asked softly.
"There's something out there," he said, his voice low. "In the storm."
I looked out. All I could see was swirling gray and white. "I don't see anything."
"Not with eyes," he said. "With shadows. The dark is... moving. Wrong."
He turned to me then, his face grim.
"Marrow isn't just suppressing the weather, Lina. He's looking for something. Or someone."
I shivered, and this time, it wasn't from the cold.
"He's hunting," I realized.
Lucien nodded, pulling me into his arms. "And I think he just found a scent."
14
"This is a terrible plan," Stone said. He was leaning against the wall of the administration building, his arms crossed over his chest. In his black Enforcer tactical gear, he looked like a shadow with a bad attitude.
"It's a brilliant plan," Ivy corrected, adjusting her glittery cat ears. "It has pizzazz. It has drama. It has a high probability of explosions."
"That is exactly why it is a terrible plan," Stone growled.
We were gathered in the alleyway behind the Dean's office—Lina (me), Ivy, Stone, and Jax. It was 2:00 AM. The campus was silent, save for the hum of the Null wards that Marrow had installed.
"Remind me again why I'm here?" Jax asked, checking his reflection in a puddle. He looked effortlessly cool in a leather jacket that probably cost more than my tuition. "I'm a barista. My skillset involves latte art and brooding, not breaking and entering."
"You have vampire speed," Ivy said, pointing a finger at him. "And you owe me for the time I de-cursed your espresso machine."
"That machine still hums in A-minor," Jax muttered, but he didn't leave.
"And Stone," Ivy continued, turning to the grumbling wolf. "You have the master key."
"I have the master key because I am the Head of Campus Security," Stone said through gritted teeth. "Using it to rob my boss is a conflict of interest. And a felony."
"It's a revolution," I interjected, trying to keep the peace. "Marrow is targeting students, Stone. You know he is. You felt the shift."
Stone sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. He looked tired. The circles under his eyes were dark. "He brought in 'Special Consultants' yesterday. They smell like rot. Like dead magic."
"See?" Ivy said triumphantly. "He's evil. Now open the door."
Stone glared at her, but he pulled a heavy ring of keys from his belt. "If we get caught, I am arresting all of you. Especially you, Witch."
"I love it when you talk authoritarian to me," Ivy winked.
Stone choked on air, his ears turning red. Jax snorted.
"Okay," I said, checking my watch. "Rook said he'd start the distraction at 2:15. We have three minutes."
