tugs me backwards.
Dorian's laughter echoes along the hallway.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ethan pulls me towards the exit that leads to the exercise yard. He slams a shoulder into the door and it flies open, hitting the wall with a bang.
"You're a hypocrite," I say as he drags me into the cold night.
He halts and drops my arm. "What?"
"You just confronted Dorian for putting his hands on me and now you're doing the same."
The rain pours from the perpetually gloomy sky and runs down Ethan’s face as he stands away from me. Ethan steps back further and holds his hands in the air, palms out.
"I wanted you out of the situation. You shouldn't interfere. I was in control until he touched you and now..." His cheeks are flushed with anger and I no longer know if that’s with me or Dorian.
“‘And now’, what?”
He makes an exasperated sound and turns away before striding into the dark, towards the opposite end of the yard.
“Ethan!” I step into the sleeting rain and squint in the shadows. “Talk to me.” A faint light illuminates his figure, facing away from the building, motionless and grasping the chain fence between the academy and the island.
“Go inside, Eloise,” he says, sensing me before I reach him. His hands grip the fence tighter. “I need to be alone now I know that you’re safe.”
“I didn’t mean to upset you,” I say and swipe rain from my eyes. “He was shouting some unpleasant things. I want to keep a low profile but—”
“But you’re the trinity witch,” he says as he turns. “You will never keep a low profile.”
With his curls flattened by the rain, Ethan looks different and his eyes are more hidden than usual.
“Not anymore,” I mumble. “Not now everybody knows.”
Ethan’s breaths come as fast as they did when he confronted Dorian. “Please leave me alone.”
He’s gruff and there’s an edge of danger around him that sends a shiver through to match the cold. “Why?”
He licks a raindrop from his lip. “Because if you don’t, I’m going to hold you against this fence so you can’t move and kiss you until you can’t breathe.”
Shock rushes through with the arousal the thought causes. “You wouldn’t. That’s not the sort of person you are.”
“Isn’t it?” I flinch as he seizes my chin and tips my head up, his fingers icy against my skin. “I don’t talk to people because they annoy me. I don’t interact because I concentrate on avoiding conflict. Why do you think that is?”
I’m looking into someone else’s eyes—glittering and hard with a menace that trips the same fear as Ivan instils. This isn’t the guy I’ve decided is a gentle giant. Not by a long way. “Because you don’t want to fight?” I whisper.
He drops my chin and nods. “I don’t want to get involved with people at Ravenhold on any level. I can’t let something trigger me.”
Ethan turns towards the fence again, and the rain runs in rivulets down his back, puddles building beneath our feet. I’m soaked and shivering, and his words worry me. Has he hurt someone in the past?
“But you’ve been at Ravenhold for years. Aren’t you lonely, Ethan?”
“I’m not lonely,” he says softly. “I rely on myself and nobody else. Life is easier that way. Eloise. Leave me alone.”
“No.”
Turning, he presses his back against the fence, which sinks back as he does. “Do you want me to attack you?” he asks hoarsely.
“You wouldn’t,” I repeat.
For a moment, he closes his eyes and takes a shuddery breath. “This is what they want.”
“They?”
He opens his eyes. “Whoever has the four of us here. Dorian is provoking me, you’re... tempting me. Look at what happened; you’re drawing reactions from me.”
“With Dorian? You kept your cool.”
“Aren’t you listening?” His jaw clenches. “His threats roll off me. I don’t rise to his challenges, but for the first time he succeeded in provoking me. Because of you.”
“But that’s not an issue. Your shifter powers are dulled here, Ethan.”
“Dulled. Your magic isn’t completely suppressed, is it?” he asks gruffly.
I wipe my sodden hair from my face. “No.”
“And neither are my abilities.” Ethan steps forward and his scent intensifies with the rain on his skin. This doesn’t help with me imagining myself pressed against the fence by him. I sweep Ethan’s mind, but my magic isn’t strong enough. There’s no need to look into Ethan’s head; his eyes are deep with the struggle.
“One more time, Eloise—please walk away.”
My heart beats faster. Something about Ethan attracts me more than I’ve felt around a guy.