Enchanted by Sins

Chapter 16

SIERRA

I am still in Ralf's arms, uncomfortable, when the ear-piercing alarm goes off. At first, I don't realise what it is, and then realisation strikes me hard and fast. Three shrieking bells...silence...three louder bells...the hybrids. My eyes widen, and then I scream, because this has never happened. Not – not since my grandmother Nova came here.

I hold Ralf tightly, and he really looks at me, and for the first time in a while, I see that he's genuinely scared, for both of us. A female voice fills the hall. "Good evening, little ones, I'm sorry, we have an emergency in our hands at the moment. Please could you evacuate to the nearest exit, quietly and calmly. Everything is going to be OK; I am your headmistress, and I cannot let anything happen to any one of you. Teachers will tell you where to go to." There's a second's pause, and then, "Leave now."

Even Miss Corinth sounds frantic, flustered, trying oh so hard to remain calm. I can see through her pretence act; I have the power to do that.

Ralf takes my hand, even though I'm trying to shake him off me and stop. What about Val and Chris? Layla, and oh God, Kaden – what if they're stuck in here and we can't help them? Even for the Queen Skank, Layla, I'm afraid for – is that saying something? "Ralf, leave me! We need to get Kaden and the others. Come on! We can't leave!" I pull him towards me.

Fury spreads through his eyes. "You care more about your boyfriend than your own life?" He mocks Kaden, laughs. "Oh, of course you do. Go on, go if you want to. But I'm not coming." He turns away.

"Where are you going?" I shout. Students around us are screaming, crying and pushing others out of the way so that they can get out safely. Me, on the other hand, ha, never – not without Kaden.

Is Ralf right? I've never cared for any of my three boyfriends before Val or Chris. Am I really falling for this one? Or am I just becoming a mindless girlfriend that all the fuck-boys have?

"Leaving you," he snaps back, shaking his head. "It's better this way. At least you'll be happy with your prince charming and I'm finally out of the picture."

He leaves me, not allowing me to reply, and I'm alone. The world seems to be spinning round me in bright colours, suffocating every aura in this room. "Ralf, wait," I run after him, but I can't find him anywhere. Instead, I find Christian and Val. "Oh my God, I'm so glad to see you guys." I hug Val hard and Chris places a kiss on my cheek. I notice her dress is ripped right– Oh, god. Shit.

She lifts a hand up, smothered in blood. When I smell it, I smell witch blood. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I see Chris's crisp-white shirt soaked with crimson blood. He shakes his head and I let out a sigh of relief. "Trust me, you don't want to know," Val insists, sending her boyfriend an anxious glance. "Yep, definitely nothing you want to imagine. We're fine, Si, we're here."

I look deep into her eyes, and see something that she's keeping from me, but I don't push it; I can ask her much later. And plus, I partly believe her at the fact that they're OK. Their hearts sound normal, no open, leaking wounds that I can see. So I let it pass just this once.

"Did you honestly think that we'd leave you? We stick like glue. There was no way I was going to manage to get this she-devil out of school grounds without her bestie." He rolls his eyes.

Without a word more, we are running together, like a pack of wolves, along with other vamps and witches. When we reach the station where everyone else is, I turn to both of them and with a shaky inhale of damp, thick air, I say, "Have you seen Kaden anywhere?"