He grinned at me. "I'm going to go supervise."
"I'll be quick." I finally remembered it was a school day and glanced at the clock. It was early, but if we didn't leave soon, Doc and I were both going to miss class.
The others apparently came to that same realization, because they were already eating, and Doc headed for the bedroom as soon as I was in the kitchen.
Whatever Nikolai had set on fire, he had still managed bacon, eggs, and toast just fine. Maybe bacon grease?
"Thanks for cooking," I said.
Ed and Allan mumbled agreement.
"You're welcome," he answered, smiling and looking pleased.
We hurried through breakfast, and Nikolai elected to stay behind and sleep. Apparently, he had been up all night.
Once we were ready, we piled into Doc's truck. I sat in back with Allan and leaned against him. Doc drove a little faster than normal, and we pulled into the parking lot with about fifteen minutes to spare before we both had to be at his class.
I hugged Allan and Ed, wished I could hug Doc, and walked next to him as we headed to our classroom.
Ash caught up to us at some point, looking no worse for getting nailed with Nikolai's magic yesterday.
He glared at us. However, he walked on my other side the whole way to class as if we were friends. His situation sucked. I really hoped I didn't find myself in it soon.
"They may have figured out Alex is an idiot," he muttered before shoving past us into the classroom and sinking down into his normal seat.
Doc and I shared a worried glance. Doc put his hand on Ash's shoulder and squeezed gently as he walked to the front of the room. The anguish on the demon's face gutted me.
Paying attention to Doc's stories of the American west proved nearly impossible for the first time that semester as worry ate away at me. My stomach roiled, and I regretted breakfast. If someone competent were in charge of Ash, we might be in real trouble.
Doc and I shared a heated look before I left for my next class. Hopefully, no one besides Ash noticed. He had, for once, waited for me and was studying me as I walked toward him.
"What?" I asked gently when I was close.
Shrugging, he fell in next to me, and we headed for the stairs.
I didn't try to talk to him again, and he didn't follow when I split off for my next class.
Alex didn't make an appearance that day, for which I was grateful, and by the end of the day, I was exhausted. Allan and Ed both found me and walked me to my dorm before they headed back up to their cabin. Allan passed on a hug and a kiss from Doc as well, and I headed to my room, anxious to talk to Victoria.
I considered taking the elevator but made myself take the stairs, even though I was tired. My feet dragged as I went down the hallway and scanned my fob on my door.
I pushed the door open and trudged inside, dropping my bag by the door before looking up and freezing.
Victoria stared, eyes wide, a hand clamped over her mouth, and a gun pointed to her head.
I froze, not sure what to do. I was sure there was a spell I could use, if only I knew it. I wished Nikolai were here. My chest clenched, and fear made my hands shake. We had been prepared for magical attacks, but not this. Apparently, Nikolai hadn't been the only one with the thought that firearms might be more persuasive than magical spells.
The man that held the gun to Victoria's head was one of the Andersons' men. I had seen him before, but I didn't know his name.
"Just put your hands in front of you," he ordered, voice low.
I did as instructed, keeping eye contact with Victoria, trying to apologize without speaking.
"Now turn around, and keep your hands where I can see them."
I slowly turned, keeping my hands out to the side, breath short, heart racing, trying not to panic, trying to think. I didn't know anything useful. The shield spell might not be enough with the gun right against Victoria's head, and that was all I could do.
Victoria gasped, and I looked over my shoulder in time to see her crumple to the ground.
Before I could react, the Andersons' man had the gun pressed against my back. "Don't try anything. I doubt you can stop a bullet."
"What did you do to her?" I cried out.
"No longer your concern." He grabbed one of my arms and twisted my hand up behind me before casting something akin to Nikolai's invisibility spell and marching us out of the dorm room.
Tears sprang to my eyes, and I whimpered. I didn't even know if my roommate was still alive.
As soon as we were outside, hot magic burned into my back and I crumpled, my vision going black before I could cry out.
Chapter 20
Sofia
I didn't recognize the room I woke in, but the gray quarried stone walls and flat slate ceiling said dungeon to me. Or at least, non-flammable, and therefore, possibly a good place to practice spells. Bare electric blubs lit the space. Also easily replaced should something happen to destroy them.
Trying to lift my arms produced predictable results. I was tied down, lying on something cold and hard that might have been stone, or a really hard wood. My heart raced, and I whimpered.
Cloth rustling and the scrape of a shoe on stone caught my attention, and I turned my face toward the sound. Ash walked over to me from a wooden bench sitting along one wall.
His brow furrowed, and his mouth turned down as he stood next to me. The table I was tied to was about hip height on him.
"I'm sorry, Sofia." He ran a warm hand across my forehead.
Tears sprang to my eyes, and he wiped
