Page 138 of Stealing Embers

“I didn’t want to have to do this because of your delicate Nephilim sensibilities, but just remember, you drove me to it.”

“Should we be scared right now?” I stage-whisper.

“It seems to think so.”

Beady black eyes narrow on us before they close. The glitter-farting rodent begins to vibrate and both of us shuffle back until we bump into the wall behind us.

The squirrel explodes in a ball of bright sparks.

I throw my hands up to protect my face.

When the light dims, a monkey the size of a medium dog sits crossed-legged where the squirrel had been.

Which means I now have monkey butt on my pillow as well as squirrel feet. I’m throwing that thing away later.

“Sooooo . . . not a squirrel. But a monkey?” Ash asks.

The monkey slaps a hand across its face and drags it down slowly.

“You’re not too bright, are you?”

I glance at Ash. She shrugs. “What? It looks like a monkey.”

The monkey leaps off the bed and lands with a soft thud, startling both of us. “You two are hopeless. Do they not teach you anything in this academy? Let’s try one more time.”

Once again the creature vibrates and explodes in a shower of golden sparks.

This time, when we open our eyes, a pitch-black panther sits in front of us, licking its front paws. Its jowls stretch in what might be a feline smile.

“Boo.”

Ash and I launch ourselves for the door on the other side of the room at the same time.

Squirrels and monkeys are one thing, but that jungle cat can tear us to shreds. It’s not as if the robe I’m wearing is going to protect me from its claws.

As my hand closes over the brass knob, a strange hiccupping laugh starts.

I spare a quick glance over my shoulder as I turn the doorknob. The large cat rolls around on the ground, holding its tummy with its blunt paws, doing some sort of weird, hissing cat-laugh.

The sight is strange enough to stop me in my tracks.

Ash—not having the same moment of indecision—plows into me.

Going down in a tangle of limbs, we push and pull at each other until we bounce to our feet.

The creature is back to its flying squirrel form, lounging on my pillow.

“That was amazing. I knew Nephilim could move fast, but that was some serious hustle, girls.”

Okay, enough is enough. It’s time to figure out what this creature is, and what it’s doing in our dorm room.

Planting my hands on my hips, I march to my bed. Grabbing its feet, it rolls around my pillow like a small ball.

“All right, little beastie. Spit it out. What are you and what are you doing here?”

It stops and cocks its walnut-sized head at me.

“I didn’t hear the magic word.”