“I’m glad to see you’re all right,” Hazel said, patting Silas’s shoulder for a moment before taking a step away from the bed. “When are they letting you come back to class?”
“They’re saying they just want to make sure I’m stable, and that I should be clear to go by the end of the week,” Silas replies.
“You’re not worried they’re going to try to kidnap you again?” Hazel’s tone is joking, but there’s genuine worry in her eyes.
“Hawthorne’s claiming it was an isolated incident,” replies Landon, rolling his eyes. “Guess he’s got a handy scapegoat in Ms. Goldstein.”
“Yeah, what’s happening to her?” asks Hazel.
“I don’t know,” I reply. “I saw them hauling her away after our meeting with Hawthorne. She’s being put on administrative leave until the board decides what to do with her.”
“Forgive me if I don’t find that very reassuring,” mutters Shade.
“Yeah,” I agree, turning to him.
“But it seems like the danger is over, for now at least,” Hunter says. “Although whether more students are going to go missing…”
“I don’t know,” Landon says, shaking his head. “Something tells me this is far from over.”
“It is far from over,” replies Silas. “Whatever they were doing to me and Brody, Samantha mentioned that more people were in on it.”
“Poor Brody,” murmured Hazel, shaking her head. “I’m glad they got there when they did, Silas.”
“Believe me,” Silas replies, glancing at me, “so am I.”
“I don’t trust Hawthorne,” I say. I haven’t forgotten the conversation we had in his office, when he warned me to stay away from Silas. It’s easy enough for him to feign concern for us, I think, while behind the scenes he’s working with whoever gave the order to kidnap the students in the first place. It’s not clear to me whether he’s behind it, but one thing is for sure: anyone who believes Samantha was acting alone is naive.
“Me neither,” Hazel says, biting her lip. “But I guess there’s not much we can do, is there? Aside from staying vigilant, I mean.”
“And looking out for each other,” I agree, nodding.
There’s a moment of silence as we look around at each other, me and all these friends I’ve made since arriving at Shifter Academy. Finally, Hazel straightens and says, “Well, I guess I’d better get back to class. I’ve got Houston next period.”
“Damn,” Landon says, laughing. “Good luck.”
“Thanks,” says Hazel, grinning. “I’ll see you guys later.” And with that, she turns and walks out of the infirmary.
The five of us are left looking at each other. “You’re right about looking out for each other,” mutters Shade. I glance at him, surprised. “We owe each other that much,” he says. “And I agree--whatever this is, it’s far from over.”
“And there’s still this whole issue of our past,” Landon points out. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I want answers. About all of it.”
“Then let’s find them,” Silas says, and we all turn to look at him. He shifts a little in his bed, sitting up with a grunt. “Together, I mean. Look, I…” He clears his throat. “I know we haven’t always gotten along perfectly, but at the end of the day, this affects all of us. I want to make sure we’re all on the same page, here.”
“You’re right.” Before I really even know what I’m doing, I’m reaching out and grabbing first Silas’s hand, and then Landon’s. They look at me, confused, but it’s almost as if something passes between us then.
Wordlessly, Landon takes Hunter’s hand, Hunter takes Shade’s, and Shade takes Silas’s. We’re left standing there in a circle, looking from one to the next as the invisible bond we share--whether it’s predestined or not--weighs us down. I’ve grown close to these people, and I find myself vowing that I’m not going to let anything happen to them. Whatever it takes. The room seems to crackle with energy, and I meet each of the guys’ eyes in turn, nodding. “We’re in this together.”
“So what now?” Hunter asks quietly.
“We survive,” I reply. “As far as what comes after…” I take a long breath and square my shoulders. “We have work to do.”
Continuing reading Millie’s story in Azure Dragons by clicking here.
About G. Bailey
G. Bailey is a USA Today and International Bestselling Author of fantasy and paranormal romance.
She lives in England with her cheeky children, her gorgeous (and slightly mad) golden retrievers and her teenage sweetheart turned husband.
She loves cups of tea.
Chocolate and Harry Potter marathons are her jam and she owns way too many notebooks and random pens.
About Regan Rosewood
Regan Rosewood is a new author from England, where she lives just down the road from G. Bailey.
She has a cute cat and an addiction to reading.
