No Choice But You // Ominis Gaunt x Reader

Chapter 43

"That's not right," Anne said beside me. "That's... What the hell is he doing? This isn't right." She turned to me and put a hand on my shoulder. "Wait here a minute, okay?"

Anne went forward to talk to Ominis, but I didn't stay put. I couldn't look at that. I just couldn't. I made a swift exit out the front door of the castle, ignoring the calls of my friends. As I made my way down the path, my feet were freezing in the few inches of snow due to the heels I wore, so I took them off and removed my wand from the hip holster I had under my dress before transfiguring them into a pair of simple boots. After slipping them back on, I started running away from the castle and down the steps, unsure where I was headed. 

No one came after me, and I was glad. I needed to catch my breath. It felt like there was a buzzing in my chest, and I couldn't hear anything except my pulse in my ears. My body ached and screamed for me to stop running, but I didn't. I could feel the episode coming on for a minute before I collapsed in the snow. 

My breathing started to quicken, and I couldn't move my legs anymore. It felt as if straps were holding me down in the cold snow, and there was nothing I could do about it. I clutched my wand in my hand, not wanting to lose it in the snow, and tried my best to let the episode pass, but it was hard with the pain that reverberated throughout my body. 

As quickly as I could with my trembling fingers, I removed the locket that was still fastened around my neck. It didn't seem that he cared though--he hadn't come after me. He hadn't left Cressida's side once she approached him. 

There had to be some sort of explanation, but I couldn't go back now. My dress was wet and my breaths were coming out short and strained, and I no longer had a pretty pair of heels to go with my dress. All of these problems were fixable with magic, sure, but I didn't have the energy to do any of that. I couldn't even sit upright at the moment. There was no way I could go in there while my date was clutching onto some other girl. 

And not just any dumb girl, but Cressida Blume of all people. 

I hated her guts. I wanted to kill the bitch for whatever she did or said. I was likely that magic was involved, given how seriously Ominis felt about me. 

Some small part of me was telling me it must have all been a lie, but I knew better than that. I couldn't believe that. 

I heard someone coming behind me, but I couldn't move or turn to see who it was. But a small amount of relief washed over me when I heard Anne's voice. 

"A really strong love potion, I reckon," she said, putting her hands on my shoulders. She crouched down in the snow and brushed the stray strands of hair from my face. "He's acting a total fool about it. Wouldn't come with Sebastian or me to see Professor Sharp for an antidote. Whatever she did really has a hold on him."

"It's whatever," I wheezed. "Just give me a minute, and I'll go back inside. I'm not going into The Hall, though. I  think I might head to the dorms for the night." 

"But you look so pretty! You can come back with me. We can be each other's dates."

I paused for a moment to consider this, but my stomach started to churn at the thought of seeing Ominis in the arms of another girl. I knew there was going to be lots of gossip about this the next few days, and I was already rolling my eyes at the fact that I'd probably be approached about it by a bunch of curious students. No matter how hard I tried not to be the center of attention, it seemed that the universe always had something else in store for me. 

"I don't want to go in there," I told her. "I can't. Not until that love potion is out of his system. We need to do something about that soon before Cressida does anything too terrible or weird." 

My stomach again churned when I thought of Cressida touching him. Because of the potion, he'd likely touch her back... 

Jealousy. Of course, I was jealous. That was my boyfriend she had her hands all over at the moment. I was going to kill her. I was. There was no doubt about it. 

I ran over my options for revenge in my head, trying to think of a solution that wouldn't get me expelled. I'd be willing to take detention for a month though, which increased the amount of options on my list. 

"Let's head back to the common room, then. We were planning on having a bit of an afterparty, so we can pregame for that instead."

"Anne, no, you should go to the dance." I looked at her as she crouched next to me. MY breathing was starting to even back out, and I was finally able to sit up again. I welcomed the cold against my skin, and even though it was freezing outside, I was sweating. 

"I didn't really want to go anyway. Drinking with you sounds better."

I looked into her eyes, and I didn't see any regret or sadness in them. She was being serious about preferring to go with me, and that warmed my heart, despite everything else going on. 

"You're a really good friend," I said quietly. 

"I know," she said, helping me to my feet. "Let's get a move on. There's a bottle of fire whiskey waiting inside with our names written all over it."

I stood on shaky legs and let Anne lead me back inside. We didn't go back through the front door, wanting to bypass the evening festivities altogether. 

"I have Sebastian and Poppy keeping an eye on Ominis, by the way," Anne said as we walked back toward the castle. "If Cressida tries anything too terrible, they'll step in. Imelda went to bring Sharp to Ominis since Ominis wouldn't comply. So there's nothing to worry about. I promise."

That eased my mind a little, but I still worried. I couldn't wait until I saw Cressida again. I needed to figure out exactly how to hit her where it hurt the most.