Academy of Blood and Magic

28🖤

I carefully watched Shelbee as she slowly regained consciousness. Luckily, I was able to use my magic to cast a binding spell on her. Glowing gold ropes were wrapped around her body and unless she could come up with a spell to get herself free from it, then there was no way she was able to get herself out of it and I made sure it was a strong one.

While she'd been unconscious, I'd searched as much as the cave as I could. The cave was mostly filled with sharp, jagged rocks that made it difficult to safely maneuver around and apart from the huge gaping hole in the ceiling where the moonlight was shining down, giving us some source of light. I'd tried a levitating spell, but I'd used all of my energy to cast the spell on Shelbee and I was still injured from her and LeBlanc's attack. When sorcerers or sorceresses were injured, it was difficult for them to cast any magic, even magic to heal themselves since a lot of their energy was spent and the magic would be weak anyway.

I'd been keeping an eye on LeBlanc as well while exploring the cave. He was nowhere to be found, but that didn't mean he wasn't here. He was probably lurking in the shadows, watching me, testing me. I knew at this point he'd been the one committing the murders and I also had a strong suspicion that he'd been the Dream Stalker. How he was, I didn't know since I'd seen the hooded figure while we were out, but I had a strong gut feeling that he was and he also had Brandon.

I was still deeply confused about how Shelbee was here in the first place and why she was attacking me. Of all the times to start something, did she seriously think now was the time or place?

Shelbee groaned as she opened her eyes. Her eyes cleared as she woke up. It took her several seconds for it to dawn on her what was going on and she looked up at me as I stood over her. She immediately started thrashing around, trying to escape.

"Let me go!" she screamed, writhing on the ground at my feet.

"Only if you promise you won't attack me anymore."

"You're the one that trapped me here!"

"Trapped you here?" I stared at her incredulously and waved my hand up and down my bruised-covered body. "Does it look like I'd be the one doing the kidnapping here? The asshole attacked me in my own house!"

She gazed at me for a long moment, doubt and confusion swimming in her eyes before looking away. "I don't believe you."

"Seriously, why would I want to kidnap you? You are making absolutely zero sense here."

She looked at me again, her face hard and full of anger. "Because you're mad that I reported that bloodsucker of a boyfriend to the police, that I pointed them in the right direction who murdered Nick!"

"Brandon didn't murder Nick! He's being framed!"

"Yeah right!"

I threw my hands up in exasperation. "I'm not going to argue with you."

I turned and started walking away.

"Wait!" she called after me. "You're just going to leave me here?"

I glanced over my shoulder at her. "Yep."

"Are you kidding me?"

"No. How do I know you're not going to attack me again? I'm too weak to fight with you again."

I made it to the other side of the cave when she called out to me again. "Wait, wait." She sighed heavily. "Okay, I won't attack or do anything, just let me loose."

I faced her again. She stared at me earnestly.

"Do you mean it?"

"Yes."