Chapter 128 128- Never Mention You Can Tell He’s Lying
LEXI
I don’t hesitate. The second I hear Professor Cage’s voice, I dart off to the side and sprint down another hallway before he can see me. My heart is hammering wildly in my chest again, panic flooding back in full force as I push myself to move faster, even though my body is still shaky and unsteady. I keep glancing around, waiting, hoping for the Academy to do something. Open a door. Give me a direction. Tell me where to go or where to hide. But nothing happens. No doors open. No subtle guidance. No help at all. Now it chooses to be silent.
“Really?” I whisper under my breath, frustration and fear tangling together.
“NOW you stop helping?” I complain. Footsteps echo somewhere in the hall behind me, bouncing strangely off the walls so I can’t tell how close they actually are. My stomach twists painfully. I don’t know if it’s Professor Cage, one of the hunters, or someone else entirely, and right now that uncertainty might actually be worse than knowing. I don’t have time to figure it out. I lunge for the nearest door and try to shove it open. It doesn’t move. Locked. Of course it’s locked.
“Please!” I whisper harshly, the word almost breaking out of me as I grab the handle again. My voice drops into a desperate, breathless plea.
“Please. I repeat. I reach for the door again, and this time it flies open so suddenly I almost stumble forward. I rush inside without thinking, and immediately crash straight into someone. Shit! No wonder the Academy didn’t open the door the first time. It knew. It knew someone was in here, and I was
trying to avoid everyone. I jump back quickly, my heart lurching as I prepare to run again, only to realise it’s not a hunter. It’s my basic spellcasting teacher.
Oh. Ob thank goodness. Also… oh no. He looks like he’s about a hundred years old, honestly, he might actually be, and I just barreled into him like a
runaway train. I don’t even know his name. I’ve been in his class for weeks and I still have absolutely no idea what his name is. That feels like something I should feel worse about, but right now I have slightly more urgent problems.
“Miss Elle?” he blinks in shock.
“Uh… yeah. Sorry about that,” I mumble quickly. I don’t wait for a response as I rush past him, slam the door shut, and take a few quick steps back. My ears
strain for any sound outside. The footsteps are still there, echoing faintly through the hallway. Too close. Way too close. I have no idea what to do. I can’t
stay here and calmly explain everything. But I also can’t run back out there. Then again… this is the spellcasting teacher. He might know something useful
A spell. A way to hide me. Something that can help me get out of this. Or at the very least, maybe he has a phone so I can call Blake.
“You’re covered in blood,” he says, his tone sharpening as he looks at me more closely.
“What happened?” He asks, his tone filled with concern.
“I swear I can explain, but first, do you have a phone?” I say quickly, my voice rushed and uneven. He makes a fare immediately.
“Dreadful contraptions. I rarely carry one.” he grumbles. Of course he doesn’t. Of course the ancient, probably centuries–old magic teacher hates phones
Typical
“Damn it,” I mutter, dragging a hand through my hair and immediately regretting it when my fingers come away sticky.
“Maybe I should ask the Academy for I start.
“You need to tell me what is going on, he interrupts firmly. Something in me snaps.
“I’m a unicorn and people are trying to chase me around and cat my horn off, that’s what?” I tell him angrily. The words come out abarper than I intend edged with panic and frustration. I imediately regret how harsh it sounds, but I’m tan stressed to f it. Profestu what’s his name taghtens up axm at someone as ancient as him can, and suddenly he doesn’t seem quite so frail.
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7:09 pm P
Chapter 128 128 Never Mention You Can Tell He’s Lying
“Why didn’t you say so?!” he demands, his expression horrified. Before I can answer, he rushes over to the door and locks it quickly, checking it before
turning back to me. Just like that, he’s no longer just the slightly grumpy, impossibly old teacher whose name I never learned. He’s alert. Focused. Ready.
*Tell me everything. How many? Where? What happened?” he demands. I take a deep, shaky breath, trying to pull my thoughts together. I can’t help but
feel a slight sense of relief. Finally, someone who wants to help! Then I start explaining.
“And that’s it, basically. Now I’m here, I need to find Blake,” I finish in a rush, the words tumbling over each other as I try to get everything out as quickly
as possible. My hands come up to rub over my eyes, pressing hard as if I can somehow force the stress out of my head, but when I pull them away, they’re
smeared with blood. The sight of it makes my stomach lurch violently. I swallow hard, forcing it back down. Nope. No time to throw up right now. I can deal
with that later. Probably will. Right now, I need to find Blake. I need to find him and Oh. OH, I’m an idiot. My compass! We literally have a charm designed
for exactly this. Relief hits me in a sudden, almost giddy rush as I fumble with the chain around my neck and pull the small charm free from under my shirt.
My fingers are still shaky, but I clutch it tightly, staring down at it like it’s the most important thing in the world.
“What’s that?” the professor asks, stepping a little closer, his curiosity clearly piqued.
“The prize from the dance,” I answer distractedly, already squinting at it.
“It should help me find Blake.” I add. It’s tiny. Annoyingly tiny. And my head is still spinning just enough to make focusing on the details difficult. The room is dim too, shadows stretching across everything, making it even harder to read properly. I frown slightly, trying to angle it toward what little light there is. Actually… why is it so dark in here? I glance around briefly. He was just sitting here in the dark? What was he doing? I can’t imagine he was marking papers like that. But he was heading for the door when I ran into him, so maybe he was just leaving and had already turned the lights off. That makes more sense. Still… it’s probably better if they stay off. Less chance of being seen. I take a few careful steps toward the window, angling the charm so
the faint moonlight can catch it.
“Wait a moment,” the professor says sharply.
“You can’t go anywhere yet. You’re bleeding everywhere. At least let me clean you up before you try to run off and find your dragon.” He insists. That might be the most emphatic I’ve ever heard him sound. I blink slightly, glancing back at him. He’s… different like this. More present. More alive than he ever is in class, where he just drones on in that constant monotone. Honestly, he’s kind of more likeable like this. He takes a step closer and I want his help. But I hesitate. Wait a second. What would Blake tell me to do? The thought cuts through the fog in my head just enough to make me pause properly. Don’t trust
easily. Don’t assume. Be sure.
“Wait, first… uh…” I start, my brain scrambling as I try to remember the questions Ellorie and I came up with earlier. Nothing. Not a single one comes to
mind. Great. That’s helpful.
“Are you planning to ruin my life?” I blurt out… Seriously? Of all the questions I could have remembered. The professor just blinks at me.
“What? I was going to clean up the blood.” he says flatly.
“And… then what?” I press, trying to sound more serious than I feel. I really need better questions.
“Then I’ll help you get to a safe place.” He answers easily.
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RVisitor
Don’t dragons mate for life, we need a tiny little fire breathing flying unicorn.
17 hours ago
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
