Azure Dragons (Supernatural Shifter Academy #2) - G. Bailey Page 0,51

and moments later, the guys are assembled on either side of the door. They’ve grabbed what makeshift weapons they can find - Silas is holding a chair while Shade and Landon have kitchen knives, and Hunter has armed himself with the coffee pot - and are watching me tensely as I steel myself. I give the others one last glance as I move to stand in the front hallway; they nod to me, signaling that they’re ready.

Time to put those improv skills to use, I think dryly, before I let out what I hope is a convincing moan of pain. There’s a long silence, and nothing from the other side of the door, so I do it again, louder this time, stumbling to the ground for added effect. “Hey…” I call weakly. “I don’t feel so good!” Low voices can be heard outside, but I can’t make out what they’re saying. “There’s something wrong with me,” I insist, practically yelling now. “It’s this fucking charm you guys put on the floor! I’m not even touching it!”

There’s another pause as we wait with bated breaths for them to respond. “What the fuck is she talking about?” one of the guards mutters to the other.

“I have no idea,” comes the reply. “She’s probably faking it.”

“I’m serious!” I protest, letting out a choked groan. There’s no such thing as melodrama in a situation like this. “What the hell are you doing to me?! Did Hawthorne put you up to this - torture the hybrid to make sure I’m weak? Is that it?”

“Listen, kid,” begins the first guard, “I don’t know what you’re going on about, but-”

“For fuck’s sake!” Shade yells, sounding surprisingly genuine. “She’s dying in here! Do you really want your prized pet showing up at the lab coughing up blood?”

“Blood?” The second guard sounds concerned. “You never said there would be-”

“There shouldn’t be,” the first guard snaps. “Probably something wrong with her powers. Fucking hybrids, I swear. They never tell me anything around here…”

There’s the sound of movement and then fumbling with the doorknob. I can see the others tensing up, and a bead of sweat runs down the back of my neck. We’ll only get one chance at this. One wrong move and it will all be over. I can hear the lock being undone, can see the knob twisting - we’re seconds away now, split seconds…

But before the door can even open, the sound of a blast echoes down the hallway, sending my heart rate flying. I scramble to my feet, glancing at the others, who haven’t even moved yet. My first reaction is panic—are the humans attacking again? Have they really gotten that bold as to try something at one of the Shifter Academies? How are we supposed to fight them with no powers? I open my mouth to cry out as the sound of grunts and scuffling can be heard from the other side of the door, followed by another blasting sound and a yell of pain. Fuck. We’re in trouble now. I’m on the verge of telling the others to run for it and hope for the best, but then everything goes quiet out in the hallway. It was like an earthquake—intense and loud, but over in seconds. I’m left to exchange a confused glance with Silas, who can only shrug his shoulders in wonderment. Slowly, I straighten up and creep down the hallway, coming to a stop by the door. I can hear heavy breathing, and there’s a shadow under the door; someone is out there. The only question is, who?

A tense moment follows, and then another, the sound of my heartbeat loud to my own ears. And then, as if in a dream, a familiar voice comes from the other side, a voice I was already convinced I wasn’t going to hear again. “Hello? Millie? It’s me, Josie!”

“Josie?” I hiss, hardly daring to believe it. “What the hell? What are you doing here?”

“I came to get you out of here,” she replies, her voice barely above a whisper. “Can I come in?”

“Uh…” I glance over my shoulder at the guys, who are watching me with shocked expressions on their faces.

“Be careful,” Landon warns. “It could be a trap.”

“I say let her in,” Shade counters. “If she tries anything, we’ll kick her ass.”

“I can assure you, that won’t be necessary,” Josie responds. “I’m here to help you. All of you.”

“I… Okay,” I reply at last. “Give me a second. I’m going to open the door.”