Bloodrage - Helen Harper Page 0,18

101 classes to get to, but I reckoned that I could easily make it back to my room first to drop off the books and hide them somewhere safe before I found out where I was really supposed to be.

As I reached the staircase up to the dormitory level, I noticed with a sinking feeling that Thomas was standing there, arms folded, watching my approach. His back was ramrod straight, exactly as if the metaphorical poker up his arse reached through his spine and into his skull. That probably accounted for the lack of brain cells, I figured sardonically.

I made it just past him and was on the step beyond, when he decided to speak.

“So I hear that your classes yesterday didn’t go so well?”

Smug bastard. I resisted the impulse to turn and just carried on walking, ignoring him completely. Unfortunately, he decided to join my ascent up the stairs and continued to talk.

“That’s a real shame, you know,” he said, without a trace of apparent emotion in his voice. “It’ll be interesting to see how you do this afternoon though.”

I ignored him and continued walking up the stairs, keeping my arms closely clenched to my sides. It was probably fortunate for both of us that when he grabbed my shoulder, I was sentient enough to not react physically.

“What?” I snapped.

“Look, Mackenzie, I’m sorry.”

I paused, entirely befuddled. Thomas continued, “I shouldn’t have done that. With the whole, you know, shave your hair thing. It was immature.”

Well, score one for the idiot in a frock. I stared hard at the mage, trying to work out what he was up to now. “Yeah, it was, Thomas.”

He flicked at an invisible strand of hair. “I feel like we got off on the wrong foot. Perhaps we can start over.” He took his hand off my shoulder and thrust it out, palm extended upwards.

I fixed my gaze on his hand. I had no idea whether this was some kind of trick or not, but I was pretty sure that if I reached out to shake his hand in a gesture of peace that I would lose my grip on the filched books. I didn’t think that he’d be so friendly if they fell to the floor and exposed my sneaky theft. I prayed to myself that he couldn’t actually read my mind while my bloodfire swirled nervously around, flickering through my veins with dulled heat. I cleared my throat, “Well then, I apologise if I hurt you.”

His hand remained outstretched. “Fortunately we have some dedicated healers whose talent is virtually unsurpassed.”

I thought of Julia and had my doubts at that, but I shrugged anyway and hoped he’d go away. No such luck, however.

Thomas had apparently worked out that I wasn’t going to shake his hand in return. He shrugged and withdrew his arm, but there was a flash of something indefinable in his eyes. “Still, it did have one positive outcome,” he said, his voice somewhat flatter now.

I turned to face him, exasperation getting the better of me. “What? What positive outcome did it have?”

His eyes gleamed. “You will start Protection lessons tomorrow after all. And they will be with me.”

Oh fucking hell. “Great,” I muttered. “Except I think I’ve proved that I’m better at Protection than you.”

“At attacking, perhaps. But being truly gifted at Protection involves learning how to hold back and use control.” He bared his teeth in what I suppose could be called a smile. “So that’s what we’ll be doing. I will be making you learn how to control yourself. I’ve realised that it’s not fair for me to judge you so harshly. Of course it’s not your fault that you act like an untrained creature. After all, you did spend all that time with the shifters. It’s no wonder you have base feral instincts.”

Bloodfire roared in my ears with the unfiltered rage of a thousand angry devils. The only thing that brought me back from the brink and saved Thomas – and me - this time was that at that particular point one of the books tucked under armpit chose that moment to suddenly begin to slide down. I clenched my arm tighter to my side and willed it stay put, biting my tongue until I tasted the hot iron rich blood.

“I hope that we can put all this unpleasant business behind us and become, if not friends, then collegiate colleagues instead.” He reached out to squeeze my shoulder again, but this time seemed to think better of it