and frowned. “Look, I know the situation seems dire. But you and I have gotten out of scraps before. This one’s no different.”
“We need to stop fooling ourselves,” I said roughly. I ducked into a deserted corridor. Stefan followed, his broad frame blocking out the curious eyes that trailed me as I ducked into the shadows, away from the glistening sunrise.
I dropped my voice. “I’ve never known a shifter who’s escaped a demon once it has its hold on them. You haven’t either.”
“Doesn’t matter. You’ll be the first,” Stefan said, with the utmost confidence.
“I’m merely attending school to keep up appearances,” I said tiredly. “I’m planning to ride it out until the very end. To avoid causing speculation.”
“And what is that supposed to mean?” His voice grew harsh.
“Stefan, if this demon takes over, you have to end my life.”
Stefan physically recoiled. “No! I’m not doing that to you!”
“You know as well as I do the leshane wants blood. It won’t be satisfied with taking over me, and the first person he’ll go after will be Emma. Then it’ll be our friends, and all of Dolinska after. I won’t become a monster.” A greater monster than I already was, anyway.
Stefan’s expression soured. “I’d be executed myself for killing the prince.”
“You can make it look like an accident, so my honor is maintained and your innocence holds true. It wouldn’t be unusual for a cripple like me to be slain by some rogue monster in the woods.”
“Are you even listening to yourself?” Stefan smacked his forehead. “You’re giving up when there might be a way out of this!”
“If people discover I’m possessed, Emma’s reputation is done. She’ll be outcasted from Arcanean society and banished from Malovia. That makes her vulnerable. She needs to stay at the university, to learn how to become the Worldweaver and find the crystals. Nothing is more important than that.” My voice was firm. I’d already made up my mind.
“I’m not going to kill my best friend,” Stefan growled. “So if you’re asking me to, the answer is no.”
“And if I go after your mate? What will you do then?”
A muscle in Stefan’s jaw worked. Regardless of our brotherly bond, Stefan would kill me if I attacked Delmare. He wouldn’t hesitate.
Stefan’s shoulders dropped. “We haven’t gotten that far yet. Take it one step at a time.”
“I’ve already been possessed for over a year. It won’t be much longer until the demon takes over.” My voice grew more frustrated with every word.
“Don’t talk like that,” Stefan snapped. “We’ll find a way through.”
“This isn’t a request from a friend. It’s an order from your prince. And you’d do well to obey it, before someone gets hurt.”
His expression hardened. “If it comes to it, I’ll do what needs to be done. But I won’t allow you to sacrifice yourself until we’ve exhausted every possible option. So stop talking about it.”
Stefan turned on his heel and marched away from me before I could get another word in.
The leshane chuckled inside of me. If you think your friends are going to get you out of this, you’re sorely mistaken, he hissed. They don’t have the stomach.
My eyebrow twitched, but I forced myself not to respond. The leshane grew quiet as I took a seat at the back of the classroom, piling my books in front of me as if to form a barrier against the rest of the world.
I felt nauseous. The leshane was pressing on my stomach, trying to make me sick so I’d skip class.
I wouldn’t do it. The demon could make me writhe with pain on the floor. I’d still show up. This was a battle of wills, and I was showing this demon I still had some control.
Professor Victor weaved his arms. As he did so, a beautiful illusion sprang from his fingertips. Images of ancient fae, wings sparkling like diamonds, twirled around the room in a spectacular dance as Victor strolled the area to begin the lecture.
Many people in the class were awed by the spectacle, but not me. Magic had seemed to have gone out of my world.
“Fae trickery is the art of deception,” Victor began. “Contracts between fae and other magical races have been vital for our existence, ever since we left Edinmyre and journeyed here to Earth. When our people arrived from the fae world, we found an abundant land of ours for the taking. We came with nothing. However, it didn’t take us long to accumulate money or resources, as there were more than