34. Chapter Thirty-Four

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

MICAI'S POV

I reach the bus stop, the lights flickering on and off above me as I glance at the bus schedule. Only to realise I have missed the last bus by an hour.

I start my trek again, walking through the town and toward the academy, heading toward the forest as soon as I reach the edge of town.

Once a few feet inside, I take off my heels and start running.

I pick up speed as I move through the forest and get further away from town, and leave it, and everything else behind me.

It was supposed to be a fun night, one surrounded by the guys in their sexy suits and dancing together, not filled with asshole morons taking turns to snap at me.

What did Creed think I would do? Did he expect me to take every insult on the chin and stay quiet? The ass didn't even try to listen.

But what did I expect? Creed seemed to have made up his mind about me from the very start. He didn't like me or want me around him or the boys.

The strange part was why this bothered me so much?

Why did I even care? He has made his feelings clear…So why was some part of me disappointed and secretly hoping he would eventually accept me?

Maybe it was because of the guys? Or maybe some part of me had hoped I could be a part of what they had? Their little family.

I shake my head and quicken my pace, listening to my surroundings as I near the academy through the forest.

It didn't matter anymore. He fucked up and crossed the line.

If he wanted to lick that dickhead Nathan's shoes so much, I would leave him to it. He would regret it soon anyway. Guys like that were never loyal or good to do business with. Why Creed couldn't see that was beyond me.

I make my way through the forest near the academy and see the grey-brick building in the distance as I slow down, bringing my pace to a light run as I try to calm my thoughts.

I come to a stop a few metres from the treeline near the main academy building and not far from the courtyard.

Tonight's events had been a shit show and not at all what I wanted to happen. Maybe some sleep and time away from them will help clear these frustrating emotions that keep bubbling up inside of me.

"What, pray-tell , are you doing here?" Calls a low voice as a figure steps out from the shadows.

The asshole- Representative Verod moves toward me, his steps silent and eyes narrowed in a glare as he moves closer. How the hell had I not heard this creepy asshole? How long had he been there? Had he seen me running through the forest as well?

"Well, Ms. Bane? Are you going to answer me or not?" He grits out, his tone growing impatient as he watches me.

A sigh leaves my lips as I meet his suspicious stare. I peer down at my bare and dirtied feet and the heels I still clutch in my hand. What answer was he expecting?

And why did I have to report to him anyway? Representative or not, he wasn't the Dean.

"I was out, and now I'm back," I answer, stepping forward and toward the academy.

He blocks my way, his face twisting into a scowl.

"That's not an answer to my question. Why are you wandering around the forest grounds near the academy, where the beasts have attacked?" He narrows his eyes, a look of disdain laced in his gaze.

I roll my eyes, raising the pair of heels in my hands.

"Who would run around the forest with heels in their hands and dressed like this for kicks and giggles? Or as a cover for something nefarious?" I gesture toward my dress. "It's Christmas Eve. Clearly, I'm coming back from town, and unfortunately, I missed the last bus. So walking here was my only option." I push past him as I continue. "Is there anything else you want to know before I head to bed, Lieutenant Mauser?"

Gargamel—I mean Verod twists around, grabbing my arm and stopping me from heading toward the dorms.

"I don't care about your excuse anymore. Your attitude is enough reason for suspicion. Someone of your capabilities and reputation couldn't be so cocky without reason." He grips my arm, trying to pull me along.

"Let's go…you can explain yourself to Imelda, Marcus, and the Dean. You can stay in the confinement room until they arrive. And there will be no white-knighted teacher to help you this time." He takes a few steps before stopping, realising I wasn't moving with him. He tries to drag me along, but to no avail. I wasn't budging for this moron.

"Move," he grits out, his hand gripping my arm tighter and trying to force me.

"Why should I listen to you?" I counter, not moving another inch as his gaze darkens.

"I'm a Representative of the Council, and you—"

"And? Why should I care?" I argue, cutting him off. "You're on academy grounds, not the Council's. And you have no plausible reason to detain me." I jerk my arm from his grip, making him stumble forward slightly with my strength.

"I was in the forest at night and returning from town. I'll get a demerit for breaking curfew at most. Oh wait…" A mocking grin coats my lips. "The academy's rules aren't in effect because it's winter break. So that means I've broken no rules. I also haven't damaged any academy property or hurt anyone…" The grin fades from my lips as I continue, my mood growing darker the longer I stay in his presence.

"So, tell me what the reason is for trying to confine me again? I'm pretty sure you're the one who'll end up in trouble." My annoyance grows, gripping me in its hold tightly as I stare at the prick harassing me for no good reason. "It will look really great calling the Dean and other representatives over, when they're probably busy with more important things to tell them I'm coming back late from a Christmas Eve party. Actually, they might even pity me a little, having to walk back in my bare feet and being stopped and accused by some ego-driven creep in the woods…I mean Representative."

He scoffs before his mind begins to work, his gaze flitting down my front and to the heels in my hands before quickly narrowing on me.

"I thought you were weak and powerless. Was that all for show? What secrets have you and the Banes been hiding from the rest of us?"

What was this asshole talking about now? Had he actually seen me running earlier?

"I don't have any magic. But that doesn't mean I'm weak."

He chuckles, the sound an irritating, grating noise to my ears.

"Know your limits, Ms. Bane. And your place."

The irritation from earlier—from Marl and Nathan and Creed, bubbles up again.

Was I just a magnet tonight for these assholes? One after another, I was being bombarded with bullshit and pompous dickheads who thought nothing of degrading or demeaning me.

And I've had enough of it all.

"Either you move out of my way and let me leave. Or I will go through you, showing you just how ‘ weak ' I really am." I would flip him on his ass, representative or not. I didn't care about the repercussions, my anger and frustration boiling over from the night's events and this prick's words.

"Is that your attempt at a threat, Ms. Bane, because—"

A rustling from the trees a few feet from us has Verod's words cutting off as we both turn toward the sound. He narrows his gaze as the rustling grows louder. "An accomplice?"

Verod flickers his gaze to me as I shake my head.

How had something gotten this close without me noticing again?

It could be a squirrel out for a late run, or an owl out hunting.

The noise grows louder. It's a sound too large for any small creature of this forest.

Verod takes a step forward. "Whoever you are, show yourself. Ms. Bane is already in enough trouble—"

A deep growl rolls from the trees above the bushes and both our eyes flicker to the creature hidden in its leaves.

A creature unlike any other I've seen before drops from the trees with a heavy thud, standing at least six or seven feet tall as it stretches out its shaggy, black-furred limbs.

Its body is covered in thick, dark fur, with its arms longer than the length of its torso and legs and trailing below it. Curved claws tip each of its feet and limbs, with tusk-like fangs falling from its mangled jaw. One fang is broken and decaying, while the other is covered in blood and small tuffs of brown fur. And what looks to be the remains of some poor forest creature.

Verod takes a slow step backward, already casting in a low mumble as the creature turns its two black eyes toward us. Its large head bobs to one side, an eerie look entering its strange white pupils.

It was a creature of nightmares. And one with its gaze now set on us.

The creature suddenly leaps forward and toward us.

Verod's chanting becomes quicker, his eyes never leaving the strange creature as a small barrier forms in front of us and deflects the beast's oncoming attack.

It roars, smashing its long arm-like limbs against the barrier and continuing its brutal physical attack.

I grip the heels in my hand, glancing around for another weapon to wield as the creature continues its unyielding barrage.

The barrier begins to shake and crack after a few more of its heavy hits, and Verod's eyes widen.

I have never seen a creature or beast this powerful in this life, and I don't remember one like this from my previous one either.

I take my stance, gripping the heels in my hands as I prepare to attack, but Verod's hand reaches out. His eyes narrow before he shakes his head toward me. His chanting grows louder, and flames form in a circle above us before he finishes his chant and sends them flying swiftly toward the beast.

Its black fur sets alight, the smell of burned flesh and rot seeping around us as the beast growls loudly, its white eyes narrowing in Verod's direction. It seems unfazed by the flames burning its flesh and fur. As if it were a minor aggravation and bother.

Its movements still before it jumps back, its body shaking and convulsing before a strange dark green sludge forms over its burned flesh, covering it entirely as it dissipates the flames. Its burned flesh begins to quickly heal, the skin repairing itself as the white pupils of the beast turn back our way.

It turns its gaze toward Verod again, its large eyes turning into slits before opening its jaw like a snake and letting loose an unholy screeching sound.

I cover my ears as the loud noise grows painful and sends shivers down my spine.

I feel a slight trickle on my hands as blood begins to drip down my fingers, with the beast continuing its shrill attack.

I peer over to Verod, who has one hand on his ear as the other stays raised to keep his barrier in place.

He begins to chant again, this time sounding slightly different as he tries to cast through the bellow of the beast.

Branches and bark begin to tear away from the nearby trees and form thick, dense spikes that float behind the creature.

Verod continues chanting, forming his magic until multiple spikes are fully shaped and aimed toward the beast. With one flick of his wrist, the spikes shoot toward the creature, aiming toward its head and torso. As if having eyes in the back of its head, the beast stops screeching and leaps away, landing in the trees to our side.

Only a couple of the spikes hit the creature. A loud growl ringing from the trees is the only proof that it was hurt as the other spikes land in the ground before Verod and I.

The beast leaps through the trees like some ape or monkey but with a speed three times as fast. It ducks beneath the leaves, its body camouflaged by the shadows and night.

I glance around me, listening for the soft pattern of footsteps or movement from the tree's leaves.

This creature had crept up on us quietly before. Or was it always there watching us?

A shiver runs up my back with the thought. What was this creature?

I have never heard of a magical beast with capabilities such as this one: the ability to burst eardrums and form a sludge that drips from its pores, instantly healing its wounds while blowing out a magical flame.

I heighten my hearing and listen to the soft shaking of leaves a few feet behind us. I jump forward, twisting around just as the creature leaps from the trees and lunges toward Verod. It knocks him across the forest and sends him hurdling into the thick trees metres from where we had been standing. The trees shake and crack from the contact and force of it.

Verod hits his head on the thickest tree with a sickening thud ringing around us from the impact. Crimson blood begins to trickle down his forehead as his eyes quickly close. The beast then turns its attention toward me.

I dive toward the ground, grabbing whatever I can as large claws reach out toward me.

The creature quickly follows after me, its elongated limbs scraping across the forest ground as it extends them like sharp knives.

I grip the spike I've managed to nab in one hand and the single heel I've held onto in my other.

The strange creature stops just mere feet from me, its chest at least four feet wide, as it bobs its head to one side, watching me. Its mangled lips part, its jagged teeth extending into an eerie grin as it takes a step closer. It looks creepier by the second.

It leaps forward as I tighten the grip on the weapons in my hands. Its long limbs quickly lash out in a barrage of physical attacks that I swiftly dodge and dive away from. Just as one clawed limb reaches for me, I duck to one side, avoiding the attack before quickly stabbing the spike in my hand into the centre of its long arm. It stakes it to the ground and holds it in place as its other hand lashes out toward me. It faintly slices my arm before I catch the long limb in my grasp. Twisting around with it still in my hold, I hear the crack of its bone beneath my fingers before a loud roar leaves its mangled lips.

It opens its jaw, extending it again like a snake, but before it can unleash its unholy screeching attack, I lunge forward and stab the heel in my hand into the spot between its large white eyes. Blood pours from the wound as an ungodly howl pierces the air.

I twist around, throwing my weight into a heavy kick as I aim for the heel lodged between its eyes. The kick connects, pushing the heel deeper inside the beast's furry head and cutting its howl off instantly.

Its body drops to the ground, falling limply with a heavy thud.

The dark green sludge slowly seeps from its flesh and begins pooling around its corpse like blood, except it turns into a darker, almost black shade.

I slide a weary hand through my hair, brushing it off my face as I look around. The creature was finally dead, but I was utterly exhausted and drained from the night's events.

I turn to leave, my bed calling me to join it, before I hear another rustling sound from the trees. I move into a defensive stance as the noise continues.

I look up toward the sound and see two dark eyes watching me. A small sigh of relief leaves my lips as my shoulders relax again. A large grey owl spreads its wings and takes flight, surging into the trees beside me. Probably going to hunt some poor little forest squirrel.

I glance toward the academy, taking a few steps before I stop and peer back toward the useless asshole slumped beside the trees a few feet away.

A weary sigh leaves my lips as I make my way over, checking if he is still breathing before taking his hand and pulling him along with me.

Who knows if something else like that creature would appear again. And even though he's an asshole, I guess he had at least tried to keep me safe.

With a bit of luck, the hit he took from the tree earlier would make him forget whatever happened and save me the trouble of whatever inquisition he would have for me when he woke up.