WILLA

Everyone froze. Completely.

Eyes wide. Faces drained of color, like they had all seen something they shouldn’t have.

Slowly, their hands lifted into the air in near perfect unison, even as they remained rooted to the spot.

But Eric, Kol, and Lance kept fighting. I struggled against the grip holding me, but it only tightened.

"Be still," he hissed.

Be still? In this situation?

How was I supposed to stand there and do nothing when Eric was clearly dying?

My teeth clenched. I twisted in my captor’s hold, ready to snap at him, but the words died before they could leave my mouth when I saw them.

There were three of them, dressed in fitted dark jackets, structured trousers, and black boots. A small insignia sat at the chest—subtle, but impossible to miss.

The academy crest. They weren’t students. No. But I could already guess who they were.

"Police," someone choked out.

"We’re fucked," another muttered.

"Quiet." The tallest of them spoke. Their leader, I guessed.

I flinched, my breath locking in my chest. I turned to Verah. She was on the verge of tears.

For someone who had stood up to the boys earlier, fearless, she was shaking now. Her eyes were glassy.

The leader pulled off the black cap covering his close-cropped hair. He stepped forward and stopped in the middle of the backyard.

His gaze swept over all of us. A shake of his head. "All of you snuck out of your rooms," he said. "You never learn, do you?"

His voice carried more disappointment than anger. Then his eyes shifted to the boys. They darkened.

"Break it off," he said quietly. "Or I will."

If they heard him, they didn’t show it.

Somehow, Eric managed to twist around despite being overpowered earlier. He fought back.

"Force it is then," the leader muttered.

His hand slipped into his pocket. A gun appeared. He fired. Again. And again.

One after the other, the boys convulsed. Their bodies jerked violently, muscles seizing before they dropped to the ground, twitching and then... still.

My heart stuttered. I went rigid in the officer’s grip.

Did... they die?

No!

Verah’s hands flew to her mouth. "You..." she whispered, her whole body trembling. "You just killed my cousin!"

The officer holding me scoffed. His grip loosened just enough for me to wrench free.

I stumbled toward them.

"You killed them!" Verah cried, louder this time.

"That’s a bit dramatic, don’t you think?" The leader said dryly.

Dramatic? I wanted to screech at him.

He had just shot them and he was calling it dramatic?

I reached Eric first, dropping to my knees beside him. My hand shook as I turned him over.

His face was already bruising, dark and uneven. His eyes were open, unfocused. His bursted lips parted slightly.

I swallowed and pressed my fingers to his neck. A pulse. Faint, barely there. But there.

"We need an ambulance," I whispered.

Verah was sobbing now, cradling Lance. "I’m sorry!" she cried.

"It’s a taser," the leader added, almost bored. "Meant to stop them from killing each other. No need to panic."

A taser?

I looked again. No blood. No wounds. Just the aftermath of the shock.

A breath left me in a rush. My legs gave out, and I sank onto the grass, barely noticing the damp seeping through my clothes.

"Take them to the infirmary," the leader ordered.

More officers stepped forward, ones I hadn’t even noticed before. They pulled Eric from me, Lance from Verah. The third took Kol.

I pushed myself to my feet, watching as they carried them away.

"And the rest of you..." the leader said. He paused, his gaze sweeping over us. "You’re all under arrest."

—

We were all crammed into a small, windowless room while the officers took turns calling names and asking questions.

Our belongings—phones, bags, everything—had been taken. There was no way to reach anyone, even if we wanted to.

I stared at the dull wall in front of me before letting my gaze wander over the metal benches lining the sides of the room, where a few students sat in silence.

Verah grimaced for what felt like the hundredth time. She leaned her head back against the wall, muttering under her breath.

She’d been doing that for a while now.

When she noticed me watching her, she turned sharply. "Are you thinking what I’m thinking?"

"What?" I asked, shaking my head.

She pushed herself off the wall and strode over, grabbing my arm. "We need to talk to the officers, Ely. We have to get out of here."

I frowned. "There’s nowhere else for us to go."

Everyone was still here. No one had been released, and with our phones gone, we couldn’t even call for help.

"Don’t you get it?" she snapped, tightening her grip on my arm. "The headmaster is going to tear us apart for sneaking out. We’re going to lose points, privileges and then—"

She cut herself off with a sharp breath before continuing.

"My parents are going to kill me for leaving the academy after they warned me not to. And to make it worse, their favorite got hurt." Her voice dropped. "I’m going to take the blame."

"Lastly, the bond..." she looked at me, her eyes filled with worry. "You have three. That’s impossible, Elyse. An anomaly. The headmaster needs to know immediately."

An anomaly. Abomination. Freak. Psycho.

Again, the words piled up in my head, one after the other, refusing to quiet.

I drew in a slow breath and let it out just as carefully. Honestly, my thoughts were still a mess. Nothing felt clear. I didn’t even know what to say to Verah, let alone figure out how we were supposed to get out of this.

"I know what to do," Verah said suddenly.

"What—" I started, but the words died in my throat as she grabbed my jacket and yanked it off.

Before I could react, she tugged my top lower.

I gasped, instinctively covering myself. "What the hell are you doing?"

"We’re from House Valerius, baby," she said, adjusting her own dress—lower at the neckline, higher at the hem, even though it was already far too short.

"You think we got this far just by being smart?" she added, flashing a bright smile that made my stomach twist. "Charm. That’s what we use. We lean into it."

"Me? Charm?"

A short, incredulous laugh slipped out of me despite everything.

No one had ever looked at me that way. I’d never been the girl people turned their heads for. If anything, I’d been the one they whispered about, picking apart every flaw.

"Yes, baby," she said, grabbing my hand and pulling me along. "Trust me."

And before I could argue, she dragged me toward the information desk.