Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 111353 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 557(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111353 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 557(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
“All of us?” I cried. “But we caught the shade! You said you believed us.”
“I do,” he drawled. “But I also believe I told you to bring me a kill, not a fucking headache.” Erlik looked back to where the shade escaped. “No one killed the shade. No one won, so stop your arguing and get outside!”
Swallowing my arguments, I helped Nik to his feet and we went outside.
Nik, Dora, and I were quiet on the way, but the others were not. They were raising holy hell, berating a bored Erlik who wasn’t even pretending to listen to them. And as if that didn’t upset them enough, Ursula tried stomping off in the opposite direction, and Erlik snapped her right back.
“Anyone who leaves without completing the run will be marked absent,” he drawled, smirking away. “And your expulsion will be carried out by me personally.”
Ursula straight snarled in his face. Between the preppy skirt, kitten heels, and blazer, she looked like a classic teacher’s pet, but the look in her eyes said all this pet wanted to do was bite a chunk out of the teacher’s face.
Even so, she spun around and joined the loud, marching stomp outside.
“Wow,” I muttered. “It’s wild how effective a threat that is.”
Nik rubbed his sore nose. Straightening, he slipped his arm off my shoulder and continued on his own support. “Isn’t a violent death an effective threat up there too?”
“Oh yes,” I dropped with hesitation. “But what’s wild is that it takes the threat of a violent death to get anyone to do anything around here. Stop talking or die. Come to class or die. Run or die. I mean, has anyone ever heard of detention?”
“Nope.” Nik cocked his furry head. “What’s that?”
“It’s when teachers punish you with mind-numbing silence and boredom. Also effective where I’m from.”
“Wow,” Nik gushed, ripping out his pen and notebook again. The guy was just knocked out cold and was on his way to run laps around a school that was half a mile wide, and his eyes were shining like Christmas morning. “Can you tell me more about the mortal world? My mothers lived in the wild forests, so there was only so much they could tell me.”
“I’m happy to answer any questions you have.” I shook my head. “Honestly, it’d be nice to talk about home again. Right now, I’m appreciating my home and the humdrum of my normal human life a thousand times more.” I looked around. “I’m appreciating that it really does pay to be kind. No offense, but when I cross over for real, I hope I go up. Not down.”
Nik cracked a mirthless smile. “How can that be offensive? Hell is terrible. My mothers weep for their trees, their forests, and the sun on their leaves every day. And every day I...” His smile melted away. “...wonder what I did in my past life that was so terrible, it landed me here.”
I squeezed his shoulder. “Hey, I don’t know what happened then either, but it’s like you said, that was another life and another person,” I said softly. “A very wise, and very mean, snake said that as long as you can repent and change, you can ascend.” I smiled at him. “Maybe there was a reason fate brought you to your dryad mothers. They raised you to be good, curious, and kind so that, maybe, this place won’t be the last stop in your story.”
A flush came over his furry cheeks. “You’re... really good and kind... too,” he mumbled so low I almost didn’t hear him. “If it’s okay...” Nik ducked his head and was practically speaking into his armpit. “Can I have your... DeadDrop link?”
“Of course!” Whipping out my phone, I held it out to—
A hard body forced between us, knocking my hand off his shoulder and sending my phone flying across the corridor.
“Hey!” I shouted at Ronin’s back. “Have you ever heard the phrase excuse me?!”
“Nope,” he tossed over his shoulder, striding off without a backward glance.
Another shoulder shove knocked me sideways, and then another.
I bit off a curse as Kama, Sauda, Raven, and Eris violently pushed past me and Nik—laughing their butts off as they glided after Ronin. If that wasn’t enough, their girl gang lackeys did the same—leaving me bruised and battered by a parade of beautiful people.
“Jerks!”
I was steaming by the time we made it out into the scorching hot and barren landscape that passed for outside in hell.
Seriously?! I thought I left mean girls and bullies back in high school!
Erlik snapped his fingers and his favorite lawn chair appeared. He got comfortable as he flapped a hand at us. “Run. Any stragglers will run another two hundred laps more.”
Sighing, I made to fall in line with the rest of the class. I tugged Dora along with me.