Void(30)

He leveled me with a look. “Left.”

I rolled my eyes and turned down the left corridor, seeing some of the other students disappearing behind doors. I didn’t want to ask Gritt a damn thing again, so I carefully read every plaque beside the doors until I finally found the one with Professor Nero’s name on it.

I opened the door, but to my surprise, Gritt followed me in. I frowned at him. “What are you doing?”

“I already told you. The four of us have to take you to one class each.”

“You don’t have to stay in here with me,” I argued. The last thing I wanted was for him or any of the others to sit next to me during every damn class and watch me suck at super life.

Gritt looked at the empty classroom. “Yeah, I do have to stay here with you. I wasn’t there when you took my brother Juda’s wolf and gave it to that bloodsucker. But I’m here now. Every fucking move you make, I’ll be watching you.”

“You know I didn’t mean to do that, right? I’ve seen firsthand when a shifter is ripped from their animal. It’s heartbreaking. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.” I felt lame, but I wasn’t heartless. I realized that what I’d done had major consequences, even if I hadn’t meant to do it.

Gritt stared at me for a moment longer, taking me in. I couldn’t tell if he believed me or not. His eyes softened some, but I wasn’t foolish enough to view it as empathy for me. “The only reason I’m going along with this, is because I want you to figure out your powers and switch them back,” he finally said. “I failed my people before, but I won’t now. Get real used to me, Void. I’ll be pushing you as far as you can go. Consider me your personal tutor.”

I dropped my mouth open in surprise. Mr. Asshole Shifter Dude wanted to personally tutor me? That just sounded like a recipe for disaster. He’d eventually end up killing me. Or I’d end up killing him. Neither of those really sounded like good options. “I don’t know if I can switch them back. It might have been a fluke,” I said quietly, hating that I didn’t understand my own damn powers.

He growled a little, hair and claws peeking out over his skin as he cracked his knuckles and did an angry little hair flip that looked sexy. “For your sake, I hope you can.”

We heard a noise and both turned our attention to the door beside the electronic board at the front of the large room where a man had just entered. He was wearing a gray suit and pink tie. He had red, side swept hair and thick, bushy eyebrows like a caterpillar. “You must be the Void?” he guessed in a clipped tone before walking over to the teacher’s desk and grabbing his messenger bag, slinging it over his shoulder.

“Yes?” I called before sitting in the front of the room. I would have sat in the back, but I figured that everyone would want to keep an eye on me. At least this way they wouldn’t have to twist in their seats to stare.

“Well, class is canceled. Indefinitely.” He picked up a heavy textbook and dropped it down on the desk, the loud bang reverberating through the large lecture hall.

I frowned at him “Canceled? Why?”

He gave me a pointed stare. “I refuse to put my students in danger, Miss Cainson. I do not agree with your presence here, and I will not subject this class to your disruptions.”

“Disruptions? I haven’t even done anything!”

“Your mere presence would be a distraction,” he replied levelly. “I teach supernatural history, which is vital information for my students to learn if they wish to one day help run our society. I will not have you here, disturbing their learning process, nor will I stand by while students are fearful that you will strip them of their powers.”

I clenched my jaw, but what was there to say? That I wouldn’t be distracting? We both knew that wasn’t true. As much as I could’ve tried to stay quiet in my own little corner, there would be whispers and glances wherever I went. And I couldn’t argue that my Void powers wouldn’t come out either. My amulet could fail or fall off or maybe just by being around so many powerful supers, it would stop working altogether.

Gritt stalked forward and grabbed the textbook off Professor Nero’s desk while rolling his eyes. “I’ve seen her in action, Professor. Surprised you’re scared of something so weak.” Gritt was baiting him, but I didn’t know why. Was he...in his own weird way, trying to get this man to agree to teach me? Or was he just naturally demeaning?

“I’ve been to enough council trials to know just how powerful she is, Mr. Boltwright,” Professor Nero hissed before adjusting the strap of his leather messenger bag. The professor gave me one last withering glare before nodding to Gritt and sweeping out of the room. The door slammed shut behind him with a deafening echo.





Chapter 8





My eyes burned, but I refused to cry in front of Gritt.

“Can you please take me back to the cabin?” I sniffled, hating myself for sounding so weak.

Gritt rolled his eyes. “Pathetic. Not even the teachers want you here.” He turned to the door and yanked it open, but when I followed him out, he turned in the opposite direction of the exit.

“Where are you going? My cabin is that way.”

“I already told you, the only reason I’ve agreed to babysitting you is to make sure you learn your shit. You can’t do that by hiding in your fucking cabin. We’re going to see the headmaster.”