Page 20 of Group Studies
Ashe’s fist streaked across my view and connected with Alrick’s skinny nose. I dropped, my arms flailing as I tried to find some balance. Ashe managed to snag my shirt, so I didn’t hit the ground. My tormentor caught himself on a small desk, blood gushing down his face.
Ashe cracked his knuckles. “She’s fucking mine now. Got it?”
My pulse quickened. Anger and longing welled up in equal parts. I was no one’s to own, but at the same time, I wanted the connection again—just a healthy version of it. Ashe’s magic ran down the back of my legs, and my thighs clenched as it physically filled the little hole now dripping blood down my calf.
“What’s going on here?” Doctor Roy asked, pushing through the little circle of students who stopped to watch.
As if his voice reminded them of their next class, the students still watching us dispersed.
“We were clearing something up, sir,” Ashe said.
He picked up my bookbag and wrapped an arm around my waist to help keep my weight off the injured calf.
Doctor Roy narrowed his eyes. “Alrick, I’ll take you to the medical wing. Aphrodite, don’t be late.”
I nodded as Ashe whisked me out of the room. His magic, still clinging to my calf, sent little tingles of pleasure through my leg, though worry about what Alrick had put in me overrode my sexual desire. I started breathing hard. Ashe pulled me tighter to him, almost carrying my weight.
“What did you do before I fucking joined your class?” Ashe asked.
“I stayed still while they did whatever they needed to,” I said, a little ashamed. “Even before the clasps. I’m not a fighter. And even if I was, I wouldn’t. Everyone here’s just scared.”
Ashe hesitated. “You must have fucking used your magic to protect yourself at some point. You’re in clasps, A. The MA wouldn’t do that for no reason.”
I shrank into his side, unwilling to respond. He already knew I lost control during the Aptitudes. I’d no idea if the times I’d transferred into Professor Garnet were common knowledge, but I doubted it. The professor valued his privacy.
“I’ve only used my magic by accident,” I managed to mumble, but I didn’t know if Ashe even heard me. Students dodged out of our way as the Gentle Giant barreled right down the middle of the hall toward the alchemy wing.
“Why does Alrick have it out for you? What else did you do that brought the MA’s attention to you?”
I shot him a look. “No wonder I’m your only friend. Do you interrogate everyone like this?”
Ashe frowned. “Fucking humor me, Kitten. The two versions of you are like a donkey and a fucking Clydesdale.”
Despite my pain, I snorted. “I’m probably the donkey.” I sucked in a breath. “Look, Ashe, I’ve said this already. I’m a battery pack. Nothing more. My master called me a vessel for power. I’ve never gone this long with no one using me. I’m burning up from the inside. I need to be used.”
Ashe faltered in his step. I didn’t understand the sad look he gave me, but it made me squirm in his arms. Instead of releasing me, he held me tighter and walked faster. “I want to fucking help. Shit, all of this has gotten twisted somehow.”
I bit my lower lip, unsure what to say. Despite the tone of our conversation, I found myself relaxing. A feeling of safety surrounded me and filled me with confidence.
“Maybe I should hurt my leg more often,” I mumbled, finally molding myself to his side.
“Please don’t, Kitten,” Ashe said. “I’m getting enough mixed signals as it is.”
I focused on the floor, unable to argue. The foghorn beginning class blared through the hall.
Ashe threw open the door to the alchemy lab and virtually carried me to my workstation. Every eye in the room turned and watched him set me on my stool. I studied the table. A familiar paper bag sat on its neat surface with a chocolate chip cookie poking out of the top.
Ashe knelt next to me. His magic swirled inside my calf pressing further into the wound. I gasped in pain and pleasure as he poked around, looking for whatever Alrick tried to put in me.
Tanwyn, walking up on my other side, pulled my attention.
“What happened?” He asked.
Before I could answer, my back itched as Saffron’s magic still fused with mine brushed my skin. I refused to turn. Instead I gave Tanwyn a tight smile. “I hurt myself in Doctor Roy’s class.”
Ashe squeezed my ankle. “You’ve got to start naming the assholes, A. Keeping silent only gives them fucking power over you.” He looked up at Tanwyn. “Alrick tried to shove another spell into her. Though he must’ve pulled it out because I can’t get any trace of it.”
I studied the clear wrapping on the cookie. Ashe’s advice hit too close to home. He’d no idea how hard it had been for me to scream in the suitcase. I’d never directly told Saffron it was his girlfriend leading the charge against me.