Thornhill Academy (By Sheridan Hartin) novel Chapter 61

Thornhill Academy.

He Will Keep Her Safe.

Kael

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My hound had run me ragged for hours, and I’d stopped pretending I could wrestle him down. I just let him take the wheel; it was easier that way. He dragged me straight to the Serpent’s Veil, and at first I told myself it was because I needed a drink. Then I walked in and smelled her. Allison. God, of course it had to be her. She was on the dance floor, hair a dark blur, laughing one second and then frozen the next with some slick vampire glued to her spine. The moment his mouth went toward the soft spot at her throat, something in me flipped to red. I moved before I had time to think. So much faster than any thought I could make sense of, and I shoved him so hard he landed on

his arse.

“Touch her and die,” I said, voice a mix of my own and my hound’s low, dangerous rumble. The room went a fraction of a beat quieter. His buddies scattered like cowards; a group of demons at the next table started to rise, their instincts razor-sharp and immediate.

Allison’s face was a map of horror. I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but her eyes fluttered and she tipped and went limp in a way that sickened me. I caught her before her head hit the floor, curling her into my arms on instinct alone. The hound under my skin began to purr. Not the lazy sound it made at home, but a low, possessive vibration meant to soothe and mark what was ours. Our mate. The thought was conflicting. Evander would have a fit if he knew; that made my jaw clench harder. He was my brother in everything but blood, and he’d damned well put me in the cruellest position. To choose between our friendship and the truth of how I felt. That thought

pissed me off all over again.

“Is she okay?” The demon with the purple-and-green horns by Tessa asked, eyes flicking between my face and the girl in my arms.

I sniffed at her like a dog checking a scent and scowled. “Which one of you is responsible for getting her that drunk?” My voice was flat, but the question was a fully loaded gun. I inhaled deeper; the liquor and cigarette smoke clung to her hair, but underneath it was her.

Tessa fidgeted, cheeks flushing. “We were… celebrating,” she squeaked.

Of course. Celebrating. Probably celebrating the bond they had already whispered about in secret. Evander’s bond. I felt my chest tighten at how easy it was for them to assume he was the only one for her.

“I’m taking her back,” I said before anyone could argue. Tessa nodded quickly, and the group of demons with her exchanged looks before falling silent. I’d made my intention clear.

I carried her out of the pub, the air hitting us like cold water. The city smelled different outside; it was cleaner, but the churning in my gut didn’t settle. We cut through alleys until I reached the little clothing stall I’d bought pants and a shirt from when I shifted earlier. The stall’s owner, an old woman with more rings than teeth, looked up at us and didn’t blink at the sight of me carrying a pretty unconscious girl.

“Can you call a taxi, please?” I grunted.

She looked at Allison, then back to me, and there was a softness in the way her face opened. “Of course, dear. Is your mate okay?”

The word lodged in my throat like a rock. Mate. I said it aloud in my head once, twice, the sound making something ache and something

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He Will Keep Her Safe.

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else bloom. “She’s safe with me,” I answered before I even had to think about whether it was mine to claim. Saying it felt right in a way I couldn’t argue with and in a way that made every hair on my arms bristle in warning toward Evander, but I shoved that down, deep inside

of me. I needed to get Allison back to a safe place for her to rest.

The cab ride was a blur. I held her against me like she was lighter than air, because she might as well have been. Her breath shallow,

lashes trembling. The driver didn’t bother to ask questions; I’m sure he sees all kinds of shit in his line of work. When the taxi dropped us

at the Academy, I paid without thinking and slammed the door shut with my foot, my arms holding onto Ally. We moved fast up the

courtyard and into the dorms. My boots thudded on floor as I tried to avoid anyone from seeing her like this. I carried her toward

Evander’s door. I didn’t bother knocking because doors are for polite people, and I was not feeling polite. I shoulder-checked the wood,

and it swung open on the impact. Evander stood in the room, hair a mess, eyes flaring like twin suns. His face went from angry to confused to flat-out stunned in a heartbeat when he saw Allison in my arms. Then, his gaze snapped back to me. Hotter than anything I’d

felt all day.

“Explain,” he mouthed without moving his eyes from me.

I grunted something that probably counted as an explanation and pushed through. I laid her down on his bed as if she were porcelain, tucking the ruined shirt around her shoulders. I stood up straight and looked him dead in the face.

“You could start by saying thanks for rescuing your mate from a vampire’s breakfast,” I said, sarcasm sharp as a knife. His jaw worked. He

opened his mouth, ready to snap but I wasn’t done.

“Also, don’t let her puke on herself,” I added, more practical than kind. “She will. She’s drunker than a pixie on fae wine. Make sure she

doesn’t choke.”

Evander’s eyes flicked down to her sleeping face, then back to me, the anger in them tempering into something like gratitude, quick,

guarded, and private.

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