Chapter 75: _Jinxed It
Celeste’s POV
*****
"You..." I held my breath, staring into those mesmerising hazel eyes.
Silas stayed still as well, one hand clutching my shoulder tenderly until I felt like I was going to melt into his touch.
Why did it have to be HIM?
I mean, don’t get me wrong—I’m definitely not complaining. It’s not every day one of the hottest men you know catches you after you jump out of a collapsing dimension.
But I’d... Expected Atlas. Or no one, really.
Fortunately—or not—our little moment didn’t last long. "Watch out!" Atlas’ voice boomed behind us. Silas side-stepped with me still in his arms, air carrying strands of my hair across my face.
ZAP!
A golden lightning bolt flashed, slamming into something until the smell of charred flesh filled my nose.
It was then that I realised what was happening.
We were in the middle of the Crimson Expanse, thunderclouds coiling above us. Screams, howls and the sound of exploding spells echoed into the night, pulling me into reality.
V–Vein Beasts?
I turned my head in the direction the lightning bolt had hit. A beast had indeed been struck, spasming on the crimson sand until its distorted body blackened.
"What the hell?" I cursed while Silas lowered me from his arms until my feet touched the ground. "What’s... what’s going on? Is this—"
Caelum and the White Flame students jumped out of the portal just then, landing steady on their feet. They all looked disoriented, even more so when they scrutinised all that took place around us.
Beasts swarmed through the fields in waves, chasing students and breaking down defences like glass.
Professors leapt into action, the witches amongst them creating barriers to shield the audience sections while the wolf and hunters charged, pushing them away from the students.
My heart beat slowed, sweat slicking down my forehead.
This—this couldn’t be real.
Another Vein beast attack?
"Everyone stay calm!" Professor Amelia’s sharp voice cracked through the chaos, snapping me from my reverie.
The audacity to ask that from people surrounded like a fucking banquet.
"The professors will open portals to the academy grounds," she continued. "Please, don’t scatter or try fleeing to the gates. Stick to the audience sections unless you’re certain you can protect yourself."
"I thought this entire field was supposed to have wards to prevent this?" The White flame female tapped Caelum’s shoulder. "What’s the meaning of this then?"
"Hey." Atlas ran to my side, hand finding my back. I whipped my head to him just in time to see his relieved smile. "I opened the portal when the beasts attacked. Did you—"
Pulling him into my arms, I heaved. "I tried rubbing your bracelet to summon you," I said, eyes closed. "I didn’t even get to rub it twice when your portal showed up. The... The dimension—"
"Shh." He brushed a hand up my hair. "What matters is that you’re here now, Celeste."
We stayed that way for a few seconds too long—until I remembered we had an audience.
Crap, my brother!
"Uhm..." Caelum coughed as I pulled away, cheeks heated. "Can we do whatever this is when we’re not surrounded like lambs in a slaughterhouse?"
I turned my gaze to Silas.
He had his eyes on me this whole time but quickly went into a fighting stance, eyes trailing behind me. "Bloody hell!"
Moving me out of the way gently, he caught a beast about to ram into me with both hands. The Beast had a crocodilian-like jaw and body, standing easily at over six feet.
Silas grunted, pushed back by a couple steps. "Celeste, get yourself to the audience section!"
Adrenaline shot through me, igniting my will to live. Yet the bond pulsed, giving me hesitation. Images of the last time Silas got hurt trying to protect me ran through my mind.
No.
I’m not going through that again.
"Celeste, what are you doing?!" Caelum yelled when I darted past the group.
Magic sparked between my fingertips, flaring and spinning until it formed silver energy orbs. "Duck!" I flung my right arm forward.
Luckily, Silas reacted fast, rolling out of the way.
BOOM!
The beast’s screech after the first blast hit its jaw didn’t stop me. It rather spurred my desire to take it down.
"Burn!" I nearly stumbled swinging my other arm.
This time the energy ball went into its wide-open mouth, combusting into a burst of orange fire tinted with silver light. Its lower jaw fell, black blood splattering onto the crimson soil.
I panted, withdrawing my hands as Atlas ran forward. He clapped his hands, summoning jagged golden chains around the beast.
They spun around it, twisting until it was diced into several pieces.
One down—tens more to go.
"More incoming to your left!" Caelum’s warning made me shoot a sharp look in that direction.
Several Vein beasts with black, scaly forms, red eyes and animalistic shapes moved in a group. Charging at us specifically.
Wait, no. Not "us".
"There are more coming from there!" Silas warned, an arm spreading out to shield me. "Celeste, we really need to head to the stands."
My jaw worked.
Taking me to the stands would only put all the students there in danger.
Because the main target—the one attracting all these beasts—was me.
’Fuck, it’s just like during the memorial.’ I thought to myself as Silas grabbed my hand.
"Move!" He barked, pulling me with him while Caelum and Atlas stood back to face the incoming beasts.
I ran with everything in me, struggling to keep up with Silas’s pace. My head was still woozy after those energy blasts I cast earlier.
Could this get any—
—Fuck, I jinxed it!
"No!" Silas roared when a flying Vein beast swooped from above, hitting my shoulder hard until my hand left his grip. "Celeste!"
A strained whimper was all I could let out as air squeezed out of my lungs. My body skidded through the ground like a rag doll, tumbling for a good few seconds until I stopped several meters away from Silas and anyone else.
Far enough to be a goner.
"Skreeek!" The avian Vein beast was already hovering above me, blood red eyes looking down on me like death beacons.
Then—
It dove, fangs-filled beak opening wide. Ammonia, rotten meat and sulfur wafted in its breath like a miasma, already making me wish for a swift death.
BOOM!
That death didn’t come, a large fireball hitting the beast when it was only a meter away from turning me into a kebab. Its organs and blood shot out, scattering every which way and forcing my eyes shut.
As the light from the flames died down, a force in the bonds guided me to swerve my head to my far right. All while I worked to sit up.
Time seemed to stop completely.
Shadows crawled around the figure, elongating until they spilt like a cloak made of ink around it. Around HIM.
Azrael.
