Azure Dragons (Supernatural Shifter Academy #2) - G. Bailey Page 0,11

footsteps eerily quiet. “I heard my name mentioned,” he adds, coming to a stop next to us and crossing his arms. “Is everything all right?”

Amelia clears her throat and looks away, while I remain frozen to the spot.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Chapter 5

Something about President Hawthorne has put me off since long before he started making veiled threats and sweeping the faculty's experiments under the rug. It has nothing to do with the fact that he's human, and everything to do with the fact that there's nothing behind his eyes. His face is like a mask of kind expressions and soothing words, but his character doesn't match up. Mollie, the one foster mom I actually loved, always told me that you shouldn't look at a person's mouth when they speak if you want to know what they're really thinking- you should look at their eyes. And Hawthorne's eyes display nothing but cold calculation and secret plans. Whether he's picked up on my suspicions is another story, though.

"Shouldn't you ladies be in class right now?" he asks pleasantly. "Just because we're having a school trip doesn't mean you can stop taking your lessons seriously."

"Er, yes," I reply, standing stiffly. "We were just-"

"I was just explaining to Millie here that she can't go stirring up trouble when we're in Boston," Amelia cuts in. "Especially when my brother is involved. You know Hunter has been having some trouble mastering his form—he's not cut out for rule breaking and wild conspiracy theories." Her face has taken on an angelic cast, and I have to admire her ability to change tones on a dime, even if she is a manipulative snake.

"Well, I'd say you're quite right, Ms. Ash," Hawthorne agrees, nodding. "In times like these, we need to focus on supporting each other in our studies, not in stirring up trouble. Wouldn't you agree, Ms. Brix?"

I look down at my shoes. "I guess."

"Good," he says, clapping his hands together. "I'm glad we're all on the same page. Now, Ms. Ash, feel free to head to class. Ms. Brix - a word, if you don't mind."

My stomach drops as I watch Amelia saunter away, looking like the cat that ate the canary. And here I was thinking that school bullies didn't exist in university. Slowly I turn my gaze back to Hawthorne, pasting an accommodating smile on my face. "Yes, President?"

He puts his hands behind his back, looking thoughtfully out the window. "Ms. Ash is a good student," he says. "A little preoccupied, maybe, but bright. Her head is in the right place. I think you could learn a thing or two from her."

"I..." I clear my throat. "I'm not sure I follow, Sir."

"I realise you haven't had the easiest go of it in the months you've been here," Hawthorne replies. "Part of that's on me, I think—it's always difficult to integrate students whose parents weren't shifters, and I understand that it's difficult to find a community here—especially when, like Hunter, you've been having such a hard time mastering your abilities." I grit my teeth at the subtle dig, keeping my expression neutral. "I can understand wanting to know more about your past," he continues, still not meeting my eyes. "It makes sense that you would fall in with someone as paranoid as Mr. Aconite."

"Paranoid?" I shake my head. "I'm sorry, Sir, but I don't think Silas is paranoid. He..." I catch myself, stopping abruptly mid-sentence.

"Yes?" Hawthorne raises an eyebrow. "You can speak freely, Ms. Brix."

There's a long pause. "I know he shouldn't have broken into the registrar's office," I reply, my voice barely above a whisper. "But imprisoning him and torturing him?" I shake my head. "It's not right."

"As we've discussed, what happened with Ms. Goldstein was an isolated incident," Hawthorne replies coolly. "You know she is—was—a witch shifter. They have a history of meddling in magical genetics—they were, after all, the ones to pioneer hybrids. I have no doubt that her intentions were good, and that she wanted to make sure Mr. Aconite was punished for what he did, but she was misguided. These kinds of experiments are forbidden, and there was no excuse for performing them on one of our own students. That's why we've... dealt with Ms. Goldstein."

So that's the story he's sticking with. Part of me does want to believe him, to let him lead me to think this really was just a faculty member gone rogue, but another, saner part is railing against it. Samantha was