The Culling Trials (Shadowspell Academy #2)(42)

I, on the other hand, was a mess of nerves. The glow of the alicorn ride had faded, and the longer we sat there on the bus, the tighter my anxiety wove around me. This wasn’t a warning so much as a general realization that I was surrounded by people I wasn’t sure I could trust. I needed some alone time, some space to think, but alone time was exactly what Rory had told me I couldn’t have.

An all-male crew tromped in after us, covered in blood, busted lips, and some seriously wounded egos if their glowers were any indication. That drop-dead gorgeous guy—Colt, if I remembered his name right—was in the crew. He had a wand holster at his hip like Ethan and the other magic users carried. His dirty blond hair was just long enough to get messy, and he had a lean build like a swimmer or a runner, with a jaw line that begged to be touched. Not that I was that into pretty boys, but damn, he was the prettiest boy I’d seen in a long time. And I was far from blind.

Even if I was pretending to be a boy.

Wouldn’t mind getting my hands on that—pouch. His dark eyes turned my way almost like he could hear my thoughts, and the slightest smile curved those lips I’d pay good money to kiss. The smile widened, almost like…no, there was no way he knew…and then he winked at me. A simple wink, so subtle I almost thought I’d imagined it. Only I hadn’t.

Was he into dudes? I mean, it was possible, which was seriously a downer, much as it was another great win for the other team.

I leaned over to Ethan. “You know that guy there, right?”

He opened one eye. “Who? Colt? Yeah, we go way back.” He settled himself deeper into the lackluster seat. “Went to grade school together.”

“Is he into dudes?” I asked softly, not wanting to offend the hottest of hots.

Ethan burst into sudden loud laughter, but of course, he didn’t let it end there. “Colt! You into dudes and didn’t tell me?”

The bus erupted into immediate and intense howls from the guys who were with Colt, filling the small space even as the bus driver revved up the engine, normally loud enough to drown most noise. Apparently, we were abandoning the rest of the crews. Or maybe they hadn’t made it through the trial.

Colt grinned as he leaned over a seat and stared back at us, flashing perfect teeth to go with his perfect everything else. “Last I checked, nope.” And those eyes cut my way again. “I like my ladies with a bit of fire and a bit of badass, and a whole lotta legs.”

The heat in my face was about as intense as the mirth unleashed in the bus. I turned to look out the window, staring hard at the scenery even though I didn’t really see it.

Jesus Christ, he knew I was a girl! How did he know? And was he flirting with me?

Once the laughter settled, Ethan yawned and leaned back. “Why do you ask about his preference?” The way he posed the question, paired with the smug grin on his stupid donkey face, said it all.

The dirty tricksy bastard had spilled my secret to his friend. Any other time I’d welcome the attention from a guy like Colt, but not here, not now. Not when my siblings’ lives were on the line.

I couldn’t let Ethan stay so freaking smug. Sure, I didn’t have the picture of him smooching his nana or his precious magical CliffsNotes, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t leverage to be had. Like all other magic users, he had something precious on his person. Something I could use against him.

Namely that boom stick of his.

As soon as Ethan closed his eyes, I drove my elbow into his solar plexus, pinning him back to the seat. With the other hand, I went for his wand holster. His fingers wrapped around mine, trying to stop their waist-ward trajectory, and I jerked away, twisting my wrist with a sharp movement while still pinning him down. The point of the elbow is a right brute when used properly, and I was using it for all I was worth.

He tried to get out from under me, gasping for air, but I leaned in hard, putting all my weight into the point of my elbow. His face twisted in pain as I drove it into him, scrabbling to get at his pouch. He was about to get a lesson in keeping his mouth shut.

“What’s going on? Why are you two at it again?” Pete reached into the fray, then yelped as he caught the point of my other elbow as I jerked my action arm back before driving my fist into Ethan’s gut. Under me, Ethan thrashed and fought to get his legs between us even as the last of the air whooshed out of him.

“He. Won’t. Tell.” He breathed out as my hands wrapped around the pouch and yanked it free from his belt. I stumbled back, knowing I held his most prized possession.

My breath came in gulps. My sister and brother would only be safe if I managed to pull off this cover for at least the rest of the week, if not longer. I stared down at him, keeping him pinned with my eyes as I opened the pouch. I lowered my voice, dropping the register as deep as I could.

“Listen here, numb nuts, you’d better hear me loud and clear.”

From the front of the bus came a chorus of “oohs.”

I ignored them as I pulled the wand from its pouch and held it between my two hands as if I would snap it in half. The wand was warm, tingling under my skin, but not in an unpleasant way. Ethan’s eyes widened until I thought they’d fall out of his head. Part of me wished they would so I could kick them around the floor of the filthy bus.

I tightened my fingers around the wand. “I will snap this twig if you so much as breathe another word about me to anyone. Talk in your sleep? Snap. Spill under duress? Snap. Whisper it to your girlfriend? Snap. Do you finally understand the importance of this to me?”