Miss Mayhem (Rebel Belle #2)(35)

I took a deep breath and blurted out, “Headmaster, I’m sorry about all of this, and I promise there’s an explanation.” Behind him, Ryan was already shaking his head and mouthing my name. “But I . . . I have to go.”

And with that, I took off running.





Chapter 16


WE TOOK David’s car out to Alexander’s and spent most of the drive in silence. I wondered if I should text my parents, but I figured the school had already called them. Later, I thought, turning my phone off. Whatever was happening, we’d get to the bottom of it, and soon this whole unpleasant morning would be wiped away, either by Ryan’s magic or by whatever Alexander could do.

“If this is a trial,” David said, lifting one hand so he could push his glasses up his nose, “why put me in danger? That seems counterproductive.”

“Who knows?” I replied. “In case you forgot, they’re insane killer people who sent crazy witches to murder you last year, so we shouldn’t be that surprised when they do, you know, crazy murderous things.”

My heart was still pounding, an intense mix of irritation and fear shooting through me, and I focused on the green fields flying past, trying to calm my temper.

My school. The place I worked so hard to make nice and safe, and they’d used it as one of their . . . their testing grounds. They’d damaged it, set it on fire, could’ve freaking destroyed it for good.

That was so seriously not okay.

Next to me, David drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “I read Alexander’s mind, Harper. He didn’t want to hurt me, I could feel it.”

“Maybe you were wrong,” I answered, but he shook his head as he turned the car onto the dirt road leading to the house.

“I’m just saying, hear the guy out before you go in there guns blazing.”

Twisting in my seat, I faced David. “Hear him out? Even if he set the Grove on fire?”

David didn’t answer, but kept watching the road, and I flopped back into my seat with a huff.

“Well, if they did set it, they must have kept an eye on you and known you weren’t where you were supposed to be.”

I didn’t exactly hear David sigh. It was more like I felt it, a shiver of irritation that ran through him. “I’m sorry I wasn’t at the assembly,” he said in the most even tone known to man. “But I had something I needed to do, and I didn’t think you’d mind.”

“Something you wanted to do,” I countered, and I got the sense he was counting to ten in his head.

“Let’s focus on the task at hand, okay?”

“Fine by me.”

When we pulled up to Alexander’s, the late morning sun was playing on the windows, making them sparkle, and I was struck again by what a pretty place this was. Had this been what the original house looked like, or had Alexander—or a Mage, I was guessing—made it to suit himself? In any case, I liked it.

Too bad the person inside was a total jerk.

The car was barely in park before I was out of it, heading up the front steps with David close behind.

“Should we knock?” David asked, and I glared at the big wooden door in front of us.

“Oh, I’m going to knock,” I told him, and gave the door a vicious kick. Even if the magic on this place kept me from being able to break in, kicking it was still pretty satisfying.

But the door flew open with a splintering crack when the flat of my foot hit it. David stepped back with a muttered “Whoa,” but I was already moving into the house.

“Alexander!” I called. “Hey! Anybody home?”

“There’s no need for screaming, Miss Price,” Alexander said, appearing on the landing. He was wearing another suit, this one black, and smiling pleasantly at me like I hadn’t just kicked in his front door.

“I disagree,” I told him. “I usually feel pretty screamy when someone attacks my school.”

His brows drew together as he made an exaggeratedly puzzled expression. “Did I not tell you that the trials would be coming up very soon? Or are you confused as to what the trials entail?”

“Actually, yes, I am confused,” I said, my heart still pounding. Even though David was safe now, I could still feel a sort of residual ache in my chest. “Because I expected someone to come after me. I didn’t think you’d put my entire school in danger.”

Alexander gave one of those little smiles I hated so much. “Well, if we let you face the expected, that would hardly serve the point of going through trials, now would it?”

“You could have hurt innocent people,” I told him, my face hot. “You could’ve killed them. You could have made our school a smoldering pile of ash, and all for what? For some test?”

The smile vanished from Alexander’s face. “Not some test, Miss Price, I assure you,” he said, coming down a few steps, his shoulders rigid. “The most vital test a Paladin can face. And, in case this has not been made perfectly clear, I do not give a tinker’s damn about your school or the people in it. The main purpose of this exercise is to test whether or not you are an adequate Paladin for the Oracle. You passed that test today—quite well, I should add.”

“Are you going to give me a gold star?” I asked, and from behind me, I heard David’s warning: “Harper.”