Big Bad Academy

I was an idiot for being scared before. I was stupid for wanting to wait until I was sure that things were going to be perfect between us. I was dumb for thinking that I could somehow outrun love. Now I know better. Now I realize that life is short and that whatever’s going to happen between Flynn and me needs to happen now.

I want him more than I’ve wanted anyone else before, and whether or not the idea of destiny and true mates is real, I know what my heart wants.

And what it wants is Flynn.

Maxwell and Gerald exchange glances once more. Seriously, do these guys always communicate silently? Do they ever actually discuss things using their voices? They turn back to me and nod more emphatically this time.

“That’s what I was hoping to hear,” Gerald says.

“We’ll leave at once,” Maxwell says. Then he turns to Lily. “When the others come back, tell them where we’ve gone,” he says.

“Should I leave now?”

“No, but you need to blow the horn of howling.”

She gulps.

“Are you certain?”

“Blow it.”

“What’s the horn of howling?” I whisper.

“When you blow the horn, no matter what kind of battle the wolves are in, they will return to the castle. It means there’s an emergency more important than anything else.”

I think of my mate and how he might be in trouble. I think of the missing wolves, and I realize that the time for patience or waiting for things to work themselves out is over. I turn back to her and nod.

“Blow it.”

Chapter Sixteen

&nb

sp; Flynn

We’re running through the forest trying to catch her scent, but something is wrong. I can feel it. Erin’s scent should pick up soon. We’re retracing our steps, but I can’t help but feel like we’re missing something.

Why was Erin chosen tonight?

She’s 18 years old and a senior in high school. She’s not a child, but she’s not quite an adult, either. She’s still a student, and all of the other people who were abducted were either teachers or just affiliated with the school. They didn’t actually attend classes.

So why Erin?

Why tonight?

We run and start splitting up. Wolves go in different directions as they try to scent her and figure out where her smell stopped. If we can find the end of Erin’s scent trail, we may be able to pick up something else.

Something familiar.

Soon I find myself drawn back to the space where I ran against a tree. Or maybe I brushed against another wolf. Something felt strange at that moment, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. I breathe in the surrounding area, and then it hits me. There’s a smell here. It’s something unfamiliar, but slightly dangerous.

It’s almost a sickly-sweet sort of scent, and then I realize what it is.

Anger.

Hatred.

Lust.