I didn’t finish the sentence. Magic electrified in my hands, and the vine exploded. I was thrown backward by the force of the blast. I tumbled into a few desks and chairs, knocking them over as I painfully slammed against the wall. One deck smacked against my scarred side, and I cried out, tears rising to my eyes. I slumped down the wall, feeling bruises form along my hips and legs. I’d twisted my shoulder, and damn, it hurt.
“Emma!” The girls rushed toward me. The room was so full of smoke that I coughed at the residue floating through the air. The vine had been reduced to ashes.
As they knelt beside me, the door blew open, the lock torn off its hinges. I thought it was a teacher come to lecture us, but my stomach dropped when I saw Ethan standing in the doorway.
The girls launched themselves out of the way as he strode to me. He fell to his knees, chest heaving, as he took my chin in his hand to look me over. His eyes darkened at the chairs and desks that were scattered all over the room from my fall.
“What the hell are you doing, Emma?” I thought it was the demon in him, but no— I could tell when Ethan was speaking and when the leshane was, and it was my mate that was pissed at me. His eyes burned with worry and fear.
I wrenched myself out of his grasp. “I’m fine. Leave me alone.”
“You were playing with that damn grimoire again, weren’t you?” His voice thundered with anger. “I thought I told you not to go messing around with Unseelie magic!”
“You don’t control me!” I pushed him away as I struggled to get to my feet. I shuffled to the grimoire, which had been tossed across the room in the explosion.
Ethan saw me limping, and his gaze flashed. He got to the grimoire before I did. “This thing needs to be destroyed. You’re going to get seriously hurt.”
“No!” I flung out my hand. Ethan was blown back by the force of my illusion shield as I tossed it into him. He hit the wall, and the grimoire soared out of his hands. Kiara caught it and hugged it to her chest, like it was a priceless treasure we couldn’t afford to lose.
Ethan’s breathing was ragged. For a moment, his eyes glowed red. I saw the leshane in him, and was terrified as the monster took a few steps toward me with deadly intent.
Then, Ethan shook his head, and the redness in his eyes faded. His stare glowered as he forced himself to calm down. “You keep dabbling in things you shouldn’t be, there’s going to be permanent consequences.”
“Why are you even here? This is my business!” I burst.
“I felt the blowback of the spell through our bond the moment you performed it. It brought me to my knees,” Ethan hissed. “I came running because I thought you were dead.”
I let out a cold laugh. “Isn’t that what you wanted last semester?”
I’d struck a nerve. I heard a wolfish growl in Ethan’s throat, and I wondered if I pushed too far.
Then he turned away from me. “You should be thanking me. If you weren’t bonded to me, you would’ve taken the full brunt of the blow, and you’d be dead,” he snapped. “Be glad I was there to take some of the pain.”
My throat clenched up. He was right. Alone, sorceresses were weak, but when they had their mates, they were strong. I couldn’t wield such powerful magic on my own. The bond just didn’t protect Ethan. It protected me, too.
“Ethan, you need to get the fuck out of here,” Delmare shot at him. “You’re not helping anyone.”
Ethan huffed. “Seems to be a talent of mine.”
He stormed out. The door slammed behind him, and I cringed at the sound. It resonated within me in a way that hurt.
Odette fidgeted and kept her gaze on the ground. Her eyes blurred with tears.
Fuck, Ethan had upset Odette. I was going to throttle the bastard.
“It’s okay, Odette,” I said softly. “Ethan’s just being a jackass.” Like fucking always.
“I don’t like it when he yells at you, Emma,” Odette whimpered. “I know he cares, but he’s out of control.”
Odette had a point. How could I think of being with Ethan when he was like this? He was concerned about me, because I’d almost gotten hurt, so he had a reason to be upset. But him