Chapter 183 The Marks

Chapter 183 The Marks


Arabella’s POV

I still couldn’t get the look on his face out of my head. The image kept replaying every time I glanced in his direction. One second he’d been acting all high and mighty. The next he’d been floating halfway to the ceiling while screaming at me to put him down. It had been glorious. Absolutely glorious. Even now I had to fight the urge to laugh.
Unfortunately, there was one small problem. The second this class ended, I was running. Because there wasn’t a chance in hell that Zarek was going to let that go. Not after the landing. Definitely not after the entire class had laughed at him.
I glanced toward the clock hanging on the wall. Five minutes. Only five more minutes. I could survive five minutes. Probably.
My gaze drifted toward the front of the room. The instructor continued explaining emotional control while writing notes across the board behind him. For the first time, I actually paid attention to the name written there. Mr. Wilson.
I blinked my eyes. Of all the names I expected a powerful magic instructor to have, that wasn’t one of them.
Kingsveil Academy sounded impressive. Mr. Wilson sounded like somebody who sold insurance. The thought almost made me laugh.
My eyes shifted back toward the clock. Four minutes. Then three. Then two. Each time I looked up, Zarek was staring at me. Not blinking. Not even talking. Just staring. The creepy smirk plastered across his face wasn’t helping matters. Nope. Not helping at all. I was officially concerned for my well-being.
“Hey Bell.” Xavier’s voice drifted through our link. “We’re outside the room waiting for you.” The tension instantly eased from my shoulders. I hadn’t even realized I was holding my breath.
Good. Witnesses. Lots of witnesses. That would hopefully discourage murder.
The final minute crawled by. Mr. Wilson wrapped up the lesson while students gathered their belongings. The second the bell rang, a sharp pain exploded at the base of my neck. My breath caught. The burning sensation shot upward so quickly it felt like fire racing beneath my skin. My hand immediately flew toward the back of my neck. Not now. Please not now.
The pain intensified. A groan slipped past my lips before I could stop it. The classroom blurred slightly.
“What’s wrong, Princess?” Zarek’s voice cut through the room.
I looked up. The amusement had disappeared from his expression.
“Afraid to leave?” There was less bite behind the words than before. Still annoying. But less annoying.
Another wave of pain hit. My head snapped upward. The room spun. For a brief second our eyes locked. Something shifted across his face. The temperature that had been climbing steadily throughout the room suddenly dropped. The heat vanished entirely.
Before I could think too much about it, the classroom door burst open. Three familiar figures stormed inside. Relief hit me so hard I almost laughed.
My brothers. Dominic reached me first. “Hey there, Bell.” His voice softened immediately. “Let’s get you upstairs.”
“Huh?”
Before I could protest, he bent down and scooped me into his arms. Normally I would’ve complained. Today I simply rested my head against his shoulder. The pain was making everything feel distant. Fuzzy. Wrong.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed Zarek watching us. Actually watching wasn’t the right word. Staring. The guy literally hadn’t taken his eyes off me.
Dominic started toward the door. That should’ve been the end of it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t.
“No.” The word cracked through the room. Several students froze. Zarek took a step forward. “That’s bullshit.”
The classroom instantly grew tense. My head hurt too much to deal with this.
“Where the hell do you think you’re taking her?”
Dominic didn’t stop walking. That was mistake number one. Zarek hated being ignored.
“What?” His voice rose. “You three trying to save her ass after she’s the one who started the trouble?”
Dominic finally stopped. Slowly. Very slowly. Never a good sign. Xavier moved between us.
Zarek looked about one second away from breathing fire on somebody. Literally. I was pretty sure smoke had escaped his mouth earlier.
Dominic turned around. His eyes narrowed. “Can’t you read the damn room?” The words came out sharp. Cold. “My sister is hurt and you’re still worried about a grudge.”
The tension thickened immediately. Every student in the classroom watched. Nobody spoke. Nobody moved. Dominic’s gaze dropped briefly before returning upward. “Is that a dragon thing?” Uh oh. “Or are you just lacking in the department below?”
Oh goddess. No. Absolutely not. I lifted my head slightly. “Dom.”
His eyes flashed gold. Still angry. Very angry. “Please just get me upstairs.”
Thankfully, Kieran stepped forward. One hand settled against Dominic’s back. “She’s right.” His voice remained calm. The complete opposite of the situation. “Let’s go.” Kieran’s eyes shifted toward my neck. His expression immediately darkened. “The marks are getting worse.”
Silence followed. Even Zarek stopped talking. That caught my attention. Dominic didn’t waste another second. He carried me from the room while Xavier and Kieran followed close behind.
The walk back to the suite felt longer than it should’ve. Students moved aside as we passed. Several stared. Others whispered.
Wonderful. Exactly what I wanted. An audience.
By the time we reached our floor, the pain had eased slightly. But… Not enough. But enough to think clearly again.
Dominic carried me inside before setting me gently onto the sofa. The second my feet touched the floor, I grabbed my phone. My camera opened. Then my stomach dropped. Kieran had been right. The marks looked terrible. Dark black lines covered nearly my entire neck now. What had started as faint traces had become impossible to hide. Fear twisted inside my chest. Because they were spreading. Fast.
Xavier dropped onto the cushion beside me. His gaze shifted between the marks and the door. “What the hell is wrong with that dragon?”
I looked up at him.  “What?”
His eyebrow lifted. “What did you do to piss him off that much?”
A guilty smile tugged at my lips. Dominic immediately looked at me like I was suspicious. 
“I kind of floated him.”
Three faces stared at me. I cleared my throat.
“Then I dropped him.”
Dominic’s eyes widened. “No way. Tell me you’re joking.”
I slowly shook my head. “Nope.”
A laugh escaped Kieran. Then another. Soon he was trying and failing not to laugh.
“He told me I was in his chair.” My shoulders lifted. “It made me angry.”
Xavier stared at me for several seconds. Then toward the door. Then back at me. The expression on his face said everything. “You do realize he’s not going to stop.”
The smile immediately disappeared. “What?”
Xavier pointed toward the hallway. “That dragon is going to make your life a living hell.”
For some reason, my thoughts immediately drifted toward room 315. Toward a very angry Dragon Prince.
A groan escaped me. Xavier was probably right.