One Shadow slithered up my body, as I watched frozen in my spot, and wrapped around my throat. I felt its solid body wrap around my neck while my arms stayed pinned to my sides, tied down now by more Shadows. I sucked in a breath, positive it would be my last and released a blood-curdling scream. And then everything went black.

Slowly feeling came back to me. It seemed to move in grids up my body. My feet first, then my legs, eventually my stomach, sometime after that my arms, and finally my head. And then everything rushed back at once so I had all of my senses again. I could hear the commotion around me, even though I couldn’t make sense of it, I could smell the familiar scent that was only Mead High School and a lingering hint of sulfur. I could feel the cold tile underneath me and a hand that was gripping my own. I could taste how dry my mouth was and the coppery left over of blood from where I must have bit my tongue. When I opened my eyes I could see.

I blinked up at a white-faced Tristan and a confused Piper who was shouting for help. Her hand was the one I was holding.

“What happened?” Tristan demanded, but I just blinked at him.

What had happened?

I couldn’t remember yet.

“Are you alright?” he asked with his panic showing.

I tried to talk, but my mouth was too dry, so I nodded slowly instead.

“What’s going on out here?” a teacher- I wasn’t together enough to figure out which teacher- demanded.

“She fainted,” Piper explained breathlessly.

“Is she the one that screamed too?’

Had I screamed?

“Yes,” Piper nodded quickly.

“What happened to her?”

“I don’t know.”

“She fainted,” Tristan bit out.

“Then why did she scream?” The teacher wanted to know.

Why had I screamed?

“I don’t know,” Tristan shook his head and his familiar green eyes fell back to mine. “Can you stand up?”

I didn’t know. But I felt….. fuzzy.

I shook my head no. I wasn’t ready just yet.

“Move!” Jude shouted and to my surprise people actually moved for him.

Well Piper did. Tristan just looked up at him like he was out of his mind.

“I said move,” Jude growled in one of the most dangerous voices I’d ever heard. He looked down at me, clearly waiting for Tristan to get out of the way. He had a cigarette tucked behind his ear and his hair was wild, way messier than a few moments ago.

“No,” Tristan said simply.

“Move the hell out of my way.” Jude’s furious eyes shot back to Tristan and I was actually worried for my best friend. Jude was shaking a bit and his hands had started to glow.

Whatever teacher was standing there was apparently as confused by Jude’s reaction to me, because he was not stepping in to intervene.

“I’m fine,” I finally announced and peeled myself off the floor. A wave of dizziness hit me as soon as I was on my feet; I reached out for support. Jude caught me, catching Tristan in the chest with his hand.

“I got her.” His voice was so low and threatening I squeezed his arm tight enough to get his attention.

“Settle down,” I whispered.

His eyes found mine and they immediately softened with worry and a bit of hysteria. Obviously he was worried about his own life and a breech in the contract. And obviously, I couldn’t trust him.

“Stella, for real, are you alright?” Tristan asked while giving Jude a very hateful look.

“I’m really fine,” I promised. I pulled my arms away from Jude and smoothed out my wrinkles. I subtly checked my dagger was still firmly strapped to my thigh and surreptitiously tucked my second one back into my knee high boots. I shot Jude another look and said more firmly, “I’m really fine, thanks.”

“What happened?” the teacher I could now identify as Mr. Wilks asked.

“I just, um….” What did happen? I looked around at the hallway for any signs of melting frost or lurking Shadows but it was clear. There was nothing here except maybe the faint smell of rotten eggs, but then again, maybe not. Gah, I was so confused! I couldn’t even make sense of what happened in my own head. How would I ever explain this? Not that I would tell Mr. Wilks the truth anyway. “I got dizzy.”

“You got dizzy?” he repeated dryly.

“Yes.”

“You need to go to the nurse’s office,” he ordered. I opened my mouth to complain but he cut me off with a stiff shake of his head. “Nonnegotiable, Ms. Day. You faint in the hallway, you go to the nurse. That is the way things are done here.”

“Fine,” I groaned. “Write me a pass please?” I tried to smile, but my head was still swimming.

“Fine.” He pulled out a yellow pad of hall passes and started filling it out for me. “Tristan go with her.”

“I’ll go,” Jude volunteered. He took a step closer to me and waited with an expectant expression.

“No, you’ll go to class,” Mr. Wilks answered. “Who are you anyway?”

“It’s not important. What is important is that I help Stella to the nurse. I’m more qualified than this guy,” he hooked a thumb at Tristan.

Tristan stared at him in kind of a morbid fascination, not quite sure what do with him. To be honest, I didn’t know either. At least I wasn’t suffering alone anymore.

“I’m going to stick with my earlier decision,” Mr. Wilks smiled cynically at Jude and scrunched up his face into his “I mean business” expression. “Now what is your name?”

“This is Jude Michaels,” I said quickly, before Jude could piss him off more. “He’s new.”

“Alright Jude Michaels, I’ll tell you what, you may accompany Stella and Tristan to the nurse’s office.”

“There we go,” Jude smiled.

“But please don’t stop there. I want you to continue on to the principal’s office.”

“You’re punishing me because I’m concerned about a fellow student?”

I snorted. I couldn’t stop myself.

“I’m sending you to be punished because you have a cigarette hanging from your ear. I’m allowing you to check your concern by following Stella to the nurse.” Jude opened his mouth to argue, but Mr. Wilks was already on it. He held up a hand and gave us that same stiff nod again. “Not another word. Just do what you’re told. I’ll notify your first hour teacher.”

I turned around and started walking before Jude got into more trouble. Tristan was by my side and Jude scrambled to catch up. I glanced back at Piper who was looking between me and the boys on either side of me like they had both grown a second head. Our eyes met for a moment and she gave me a “WTH” look.

I mouthed I know, but kept walking.

“It’s cute that you think you can help her, but this kind of work is better left up to the big boys,” Jude commented dryly to Tristan. He was instigating a fight, and I literally wanted to choke him.

Tristan barked out a laugh and shook his head. “You are something else, man.”

Jude pulled the cigarette down from his ear and stuck it in his mouth. He lit it with the tip of his finger and sucked in a long drag to get it going. The smell of burning nicotine filled the air around us.

I couldn’t believe he was smoking in the halls again, after being sent to the principal’s office for the same reason. And that he lit his cigarette that way in front of Tristan!

Although I didn’t know why I couldn’t believe that. He was after all Fallen and therefore without a moral code or compass.

“This thing you have with her is over. Understand that right now and your life will be infinitely safer.” Jude’s voice was calm menace as he threatened Tristan. He sounded so at ease, so laid-back, but the intent and threat in his words was unmistakable.

“Stop it, Jude,” I hissed. “That’s enough.”

“No, it’s fine, Stella,” Tristan insisted. “He has something to say, let’s hear what it is.”

Jude stepped in front of me and shoved Tristan against a bank of lockers. The sound of metal shaking under the force of Tristan’s body hitting them echoed loudly in the empty hallway. Jude’s forearm was under Tristan’s neck, holding him in place while his other hung casually at his side, holding his still-lit cigarette.

“Good,” Jude exhaled a puff of smoke in Tristan’s face. “I’m glad you’re listening. That girl behind me? The one you seem to think you have some kind of claim on? She’s not for you. She doesn’t even exist in the same world you live in. So it’s time to back down gracefully now, and let better, more qualified men have her attention. You’re a waste of her time.”

I opened my mouth to yell obscenities at this jackass. Honestly, who did he think he was? But before I could, Tristan surprised us both by punching him soundly in the stomach.

Jude bent over at the impact and a whoosh of breath rushed out of his mouth. He took a step back, smiling a malicious grin, and bounced on the tips of his toes as if he were getting ready to box. He pointed at Tristan with his middle finger and then sucked in a deep puff from his cigarette.

“You’re a surprise,” he chuckled.

Tristan looked easily as dangerous with his stoic expression and every single one of his muscles was tensed and ready. He shook his head at Jude and seemed to choose his words carefully. “I don’t know who you are and honestly, it doesn’t matter. But what you need to understand is that there is nothing in this Universe that will take Stella away from me. So you need to back the hell off and leave her alone. Or things will go badly for you, my friend.”

I didn’t know what to do. I was used to Tristan and Seth fighting for me, but Jude was kind of a wild card. And I didn’t entirely understand his motivation. Was this all contract related? What was his end game? And why was he picking fights with a human?

I looked down at Jude’s glowing hands and decided it was time to step in, “Jude, stop.”

He glanced over at me, taking another drag from his cigarette and met my stare with his deep gray one. He looked back at Tristan and then back at me. “You’re right.”

And then he walked away again. He stopped near the office door, stomped out his half-finished cigarette and yanked the office door so hard the glass rattled. He disappeared into the office and leaving Tristan and me again.

“Who is he?” Tristan demanded before I even had a chance to take a deep breath.

“Fallen,” I whispered.

“Then what is he doing here?” Tristan must have picked up all the signs, because he didn’t seem surprised that there was a completely evil being walking around the halls of our high school.

I turned back to face Tristan and give him my full attention. It was time to fill him in. “He’s here to protect me.”

“What?” I almost laughed at how disbelieving Tristan sounded, but held it in. This situation was way too messed up to be funny- except in the I’ve-finally-lost-my-mind-completely way.

“When Seth left, he didn’t just join the Alliance of Evil, he sold his soul in a contract to it.”