Blood Pledged (Arcane Arts Academy #3) - Elena Lawson

1

Harper

My heart thudded wildly in my chest as we moved through the trees in the dark. Elias rubbed soothing circles into the back of my hand. He didn’t try to soothe me with words of reassurance. He was just there, and there was all I needed him to be right now. His magic curling against mine was going a long way toward helping the migraine piercing the backs of my eyes.

Up ahead, we saw where the trees began to thin. The moon cast their long shadows onto the carpet of the forest in strong black bars, like a phantom cage waiting to take us into its iron arms and never let us go.

I swallowed past a lump in my throat and bit the inside of my cheek to keep myself steady.

I didn’t have the faintest idea what to expect when we arrived. How did an alpha release two wolves from his pack? What sort of process was it? Would they be harmed?

My skin bristled against the chill of the late hour. It was almost midnight and the moon was high and full in a sky clear of clouds. I realized a little belatedly that I should have done a bit more research to know what I was walking into. But between headmistress Granger and the visits from the Arcane Authorities, I hadn’t had time for much of anything these past two weeks.

We cleared the outer perimeter of trees and I let go of Elias’ hand. It’d become second nature, hiding our… well, whatever it was we had from the world. The migraine swelled again, but I fought through it with each step. I couldn’t afford to fall to pieces on such an important night.

The pack camp was quiet. The fire pits spaced around the area were all nearly dead, most burnt down to embers. Even the lamps in the first few cabins were extinguished, giving the whole space an eerie, miasmal feeling that crawled up my spine to nest behind my breastbone.

“Where are they?” I heard myself ask aloud.

Elias tilted his head, listening. “I’m not sure.”

Atlas already knew I was coming. I’d told Cal and Adrian I would be here for them when they came to visit several days before. I would have come with or without Granger’s permission, but since everything was out in the open now, I thought it better to at least ask.

She’d relented, but only when I told her I’d agree to bring Elias—er—Professor Fitzgerald with me for protection. She, surprisingly, hadn’t batted an eyelash at the request, like it was normal for students to go off in the forest with professors.

Elias stayed close by my side as we delved deeper into the camp, listening for the sounds of wolves and men. He was tense. The muscles in his jaw and temple were taught and grinding, but damn if the moonlight playing off the planes of his face didn’t make him look like a god on earth.

I cleared my throat, getting back to the task at hand.

“Harper?” The female voice threw me off guard and I nearly stumbled into Elias when I jumped at the sound.

Elias steadied me, removing his hands from my arms the moment my feet were planted firmly on the ground.

“I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“Stella?”

She came out from the shadows of a walkway between two cabins, her long hair swishing back and forth against a simple white shift. Despite what was about to happen to her son, she walked with an air of confidence. Of non-apologetic defiance that made me respect her even more than I already did.

Stella didn’t quite smile, but her nod of acknowledgment was enough for me to know she wasn’t upset I’d come.

“And who’s this?” she asked, coming to stand before Elias and me. Her golden eyes glowed faintly as she took Elias in, measuring him as though trying to decide if he would taste as good as he looked.

“Uh,” I stammered, stepping into her path. “This is El—I mean—this is Professor Fitzgerald. He’s the Arcane History teacher at the academy.”

“And your bodyguard it would seem.”

I gave Elias a glance out of the corner of my eye and found him curiously watching the older woman. He really wasn’t going to help me out here?

“Sort of, I guess,” I tried to explain, wringing my hands in the hem of my blouse. “It was the only way I was allowed to come.”

“Hmm,” she snorted derisively. “Why? Because we’re the ones who are so dangerous? If I recall correctly, you left here