Void(80)

But as I walked behind Headmaster Torne with my head hung low, tears slipping out of the corners of my eyes, I knew that wasn’t why I was crying. No, my heart hurt because of the betrayal of the four paragons left staring in my wake.





Chapter 20





“What were you thinking?!” Headmaster Torne screamed at me, the veins in his head bulging against his pale skin as he stalked from one side of his office to the other. Power was bleeding from his fingertips, dripping flames eating at his nail bits as he stared at me. To say he was furious would be an understatement.

“I was just trying to stop the fight,” I whispered before looking down at my feet and kicking the bottom of my chair. I wanted to scream about how unfair this all was or storm out of there, but old habits die hard, and there was still a part of me that respected him.

“A fight you started!” he yelled again, and this time, water started pouring from his mouth as his elemental power leaked out of him uncontrollably. Choking on the liquid, he was forced to pick up his waste bin to let it pour from his throat in hacking sputters while I watched with wide, shocked eyes. Torne was the epitome of control, and seeing his elements go berserk had me on edge.

“I didn’t start it,” I promised, though I knew my words wouldn’t matter.

“Blaire Lawrence informed me that she saw you arguing with Quade Sandwood when Gritt Boltwright intercepted you. I’ve heard rumors that you’ve started a mate bond with my Shifter Paragon, and I know that these things aren’t preventable, but as you can imagine, I’m not pleased,” he said, gripping the edge of his desk so hard that his knuckles turned white from the pressure.

After he took a few steadying breaths, his fire and water elements finally calmed down and my amulet stopped flashing. Letting my power out earlier had only made me want more. I’d denied it a banquet, and now it wanted to feed.

“That’s not what happened,” I told him.

“Then enlighten me!” Torne ordered, slamming down in his leather chair and crossing his arms over his chest.

How could I possibly explain to the man that was once my idol that I’d been kissing one super while my bonded shifter was watching? “I was...kissing Quade. And Gritt saw. He got jealous…” My voice trailed off at the end, and I realized that in some ways, I did cause the fight. Shifters were notoriously territorial, and I was doing nothing to help that. But really, why should I? He ditched me after sealing the bond. He made his choices.

“But I didn’t know,” I rushed out. “Gritt has been acting like he doesn’t want me, and Quade and I have history, but then Render seems to be attracted to my blood, and Hyde—well—is just Hyde.”

Headmaster Torne’s eyes widened as I spilled my love problems at his feet. I felt like a teenaged idiot. How come, in the moment, it had all felt so inevitable and right, but saying it out loud made me feel dirty?

“So you’re saying that you’re involved romantically with all my paragons, Miss Cainson? That’s what you’re telling me?” Headmaster Torne asked. He didn’t seem angry though. Mostly curious.

“I wouldn’t say that,” I said, remembering the look of their guilty expressions in the dining hall. “But there’s a pull I don’t understand. It’s been driving all of us a little crazy.”

“Hmm.” Headmaster Torne stood up and circled his desk before stopping in front of me. He leaned against the wood, crossing his arms over his chest and staring speculatively at me. “Take off your amulet,” he ordered, and my eyes widened in shock.

“What? No, I can’t. It’s already feral from being in the dining hall. I could hurt you,” I replied, clutching the armrests at my seat.

“I want to test something. Perhaps your Void has a trapping quality. Maybe it entices powerful supers to you so that you have the opportunity to feed. I want to make sure this isn’t something that will harm my students.”

“I don’t think that’s happening,” I said lamely, although I really had no idea.

“There’s one way to test it. I’m the most powerful elemental in existence apart from Quade Sandwood. If my hypothesis is correct, then I’ll feel the same pull when your power comes out.”

I scrunched my nose up in disgust. The idea of Headmaster Torne feeling attracted to me the way the other guys were...that did not sit well with me. What if he was right, and then I was attracted to him too? I swallowed hard. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” I asked warily.

“Yes. We need to know if Voids have the ability to put out some sort of mate calling to lure powerful supers in. This is the easiest way to determine that,” Torne replied while rolling his neck.

My father’s and Banner’s warnings rang through my head. Don’t trust anyone, don’t trust anyone, don’t trust anyone.

At my hesitancy, Torne shook his head at me. “If you’re refusing to test the theory, then I’ll have no choice but to expel you right this instant. I can’t have you collecting my students with some siren song against their wills.”

I heard what he was saying, but that’s not what it had felt like. It hadn’t felt like a compulsion we couldn’t resist. Just something we shouldn’t.

“Decide, Miss Cainson.”

“Fine,” I relented.