RAZE

My new, incredibly unwelcome roommate appears to have fallen asleep.

How is that even possible?

All I have to do is walk through the school halls in physical form, and the other students scatter in my wake. Even the instructors tense up when they meet my eyes.

But I outright demanded she get out, with all the brutality I could put into my stance and voice, and she just… sat down on the other bed and proceeded to ignore me.

It doesn’t make sense.

I thought it had to be an act. She’d break down eventually in shivers or tears and take off the way I expected.

Instead, she’s lain down on the mattress, pulled the blanket up, and taken a nap.

She really is asleep. My predator instincts pick up the shallow rhythm of her breaths, the slowed thump of her heart.

Somehow, even with me lurking in the shadows, she relaxed enough to drift off.

Maybe she was really tired? There’s no way of knowing what she was doing before the administrators caught her or how long it took them to decide she could stay.

Not that she seems particularly dangerous.

I didn’t get close enough to tell for sure, but she looks so short her head would barely reach halfway up my chest. Even under the blanket, the slopes of her shoulders, breasts, belly, and hips give the impression to total softness.

I have the bizarre urge to go over and lean my head into the dip of her waist to see if she’d make as comforting a pillow as I can’t help imagining.

Why is she in the reform division at all? What harm could this bit of fluff with occasionally glowing hair possibly have done?

I hold steady in the shadows around my bed for several more minutes, as if the answers might present themselves to me out of thin air. Finally, the itch of curiosity overcomes my distaste for mingling with my dormmates any more than I have to.

I slink along the edge of the room to the slash of shadow beneath the door.

There’s no need to go right out into the hall and announce myself. Whatever frivolous or awkward conversations they’re having I can take in just fine from here.

If they knew I was listening, they’d probably shut up anyway.

As usual, the other beings are giving the entire area around my room a wide berth. Maybe wider than usual, as if they’re still expecting the newcomer to come bolting out at any moment.

They obviously didn’t get a very good read on her when she arrived.

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The largest group is gathered around Hail, as usual. The callous winter fae seems to cast some kind of witchery over almost everyone around him, even though as far as I can tell he’s about as warm and friendly as a blizzard. He even looks like a fucking icicle, frost-pale from head to toe except those dark blue eyes.

Something about his chill draws other beings in, though, especially the female ones. A cluster of seven is hanging around him now, chattering with each other and shooting him coy glances through their eyelashes that he seems totally unaffected by.

At the moment, they’re yattering on about some class at a level beyond my own. Mostly about Hail’s apparently impressive handling of that class. I shift restlessly in the shadow.

Then a couple of the women glance toward my room. One of them elbows Gloss, the fancy interloper who for some reason is always coming around to our dorms even though she doesn’t belong here.

“What do you think happened to the newbie?” the first woman asks.

Another titters with tinkling laughter. “I’m surprised the door even closed before she was scampering back out here again.”

Gloss shrugs as if the subject doesn’t matter much to her. Her tone is equally careless, but her expression is cold. “Maybe Raze has already eviscerated her. If he hasn’t yet, I’m sure she’ll be lizard kibble soon.”

Even in the shadows, I have the sense of my hackles going up and my lips drawing back from my basilisk fangs. But my anger at her mocking words prickles with a deeper rush of shame.

Of course that’s what they think of me. I do “eviscerate” people, don’t I?

I’m fucking poison, and everyone knows it.

So now apparently they think they can use me in a tool in their mindless jostling for dominance, as if anyone should give a shit who rules this ridiculous school. The whole point of this place is for us to leave it.

As unlikely as it seems to be that I ever will.

A fourth woman makes a scoffing sound. “Did she really think she was going to get away with it, swanning in here acting all sweet and then taking a jab at you of all people?”

Gloss offers a slight, sharp smile. “If she hasn’t learned her lesson quickly, she’s even more of an imbecile than she seemed. We’ll just have to teach her what her place is as often as she needs it.”

Hail dips his pale head to her. “It’s a pleasure as always to watch you work.”

She slips her hand around his elbow. “The dorm has gotten tiresome for today, don’t you think? Why don’t we see what you’ll be enjoying for dinner, and maybe I’ll join you for that too.”

As the clot of them saunters out of the dorm, I pull back into my room. My essence simmers with uneasy heat.

My attention slides to the small, curvy form tucked into the other bed.

I can’t tell whether the fact that the newcomer stayed despite my threats was a show of strength or idiocy. Either way, it’s hard to imagine her having insulted Gloss on purpose. She was nothing but respectful in her approach to me.

A gentle sort of respect that feels strangely different from the panicked variety I’m used to.

I’ve seen how Gloss operates. She might not have fangs of her own, but she makes sure her targets are eaten alive one way or another. This bit of fluff doesn’t stand a chance.

I don’t want her in my room. But if she’s going to insist on staying for now, I can at least do my best to stop anyone from hurting her.

Staying in the shadows, I stretch out along the edge of the rug. A barrier between the door and her. But still keeping a careful distance from her myself.

Because while she might not have figured it out yet, no matter how vicious Gloss gets, the being in this school most likely to hurt her is me.