Nothing made sense. It felt as if the whole world were tilted on its ear and everything was tumbling through space. Thoughts appeared in my mind and then flitted away before I could pin them down.
I gripped my head, wondering if anything I’d done this year had gone the way I’d planned. Had I accomplished anything? The Academy was no better off, Dean McIntosh had not been found, and the grimoire was still out there.
I held my head in my hands and tugged at my hair.
“You humans are so intriguing,” a voice said.
My head snapped up only to find Sinasre watching me as if I were some exotic animal. He took a step closer, his cat eyes still examining me. Tonight, he was wearing a plain white Tee and jeans, a very normal outfit for a very abnormal guy. His feral appearance and wild red hair could not be hidden by the human clothes he wore.
“Take you, for instance,” he purred, stepping closer. “You spend all your time with a frown on your face. So serious. I sense a real unease in your center. Turmoil beneath the studious young pupil exterior.”
I stared at him, wondering if he was merely making fun of me again or if he meant it as an observation. In the fading light, his red hair flamed bright, the sunlight making it burn as if it were engulfed. He’d let it hang long and loose, trailing over the shoulders of his shirt which was tight and showed off his sculpted chest. Fae seemed not to worry about little things like clothing. Maybe it was because their bodies were so perfect, and they looked good in anything.
Dragging my eyes away, I stared at my hands. “I am uneasy, but why doesn’t concern you, Sinasre. Don’t you have some humans to poison or make fun of along with your friends?” My gaze hit him as I said the last words. I intended them to sting.
He frowned as if what I’d said had its intended effect. Placing a hand to his chest, he demurred. “If anything I’ve done has wronged you, Char-lie, I apologize.” He seemed sincere and a bit off guard as if he’d not been expecting such venom from me.
I rolled through my memory banks, thinking back on his swipes against me, but came up with only one. The words he’d spoken the night of the party.
“What did you mean about Rowan telling you things about me? Tell me now. No more games.” I stood, showing him I meant business.
He cocked a thin eyebrow, more amused than frightened by my posturing. “I was just referring to a time before I came to the Academy. I was at a party. Many characters were there, both savory and un. I found myself talking to a dark haired woman and her vampire friend.”
I sucked in a breath through my teeth. “You were at a party with subversives?”
He shrugged, strolling a bit toward the fountain. As he made me wait, he dipped his finger into the water and watched it ripple.
When he answered, he did not look at me. “Fae don’t concern themselves with the wars of man.”
“They should,” I shot back.
His cat eyes found mine. “Should we? When has man ever cared for us? Does any human cry that the fae have been locked out of their home for years with no way to return to those we love?”
I had no response. He was right. I hadn’t heard anyone even mention that fae had been trapped here. The injustice of that was staggering.
The ferocity in his eyes dimmed back to mere indifference. “Anyway, at the party, Lancer mentioned we’d be attending here and the vampire’s eyes pricked up. He made sure to tell me to keep an eye out for a girl named Char-lie.”
I swallowed hard, trying to keep my breathing level. I didn’t want Sinasre to see how his words affected me.
He smirked anyway.
“This Rowan fellow seemed to think you were special. Are you special, Char-lie?”
Sinasre took another step toward me and the breeze brought a hint of his scent to my nose: pine and nutmeg, spice and sugar. My pulse kicked up as his lean, sculpted body angled toward mine.
I took a step back. “No. I’m nothing special.”
“Hmm,” he said as if considering. “We shall see. Will you be at the spectacle later?”
“The Homecoming game?” I asked.
He inclined his head to indicate that was what he meant.
“I’m going, yes.”
“Then, perhaps, I’ll see you there.” Without another word, he turned and cut a slow, steady path away from me, walking deliberately as if he knew I would watch and admire.
I couldn’t help myself, I did watch his regal form disappear in the distance, wondering, once again, what in the world I was doing.
Chapter Nine
FALL SEMESTER
LATE OCTOBER
Homecoming was tonight, and I was going.
Disha didn’t have to beg, and I even procured my own Halloween costume. I didn’t want to end up wrapped up in a sheet again or worse. Instead, I’d decided to go for totally sexy, but I was doing it my way.
With all that was going on, I wanted to feel good about myself. Besides, I’d gotten better at hexes and, after getting very lucky and finding the right implements at the thrift store, I was ready. No more holding my head in desperation.
I checked my costume in the mirror one last time. My makeup was right. Pale powder, bright red lipstick, blue eyeshadow on my left eye and red on my right, and two fake tattoos on my cheek, one heart and, below that, the word “rotten.”
For my outfit, I wore a pair of tight leather shorts over fishnet stockings, a white T-shirt with three-quarter length, red sleeves, and a pair of combat boots. For a prop, I had a Louisville slugger with the words “Good Night” written in red letters.
And finally, I had used a small hex to turn my dark hair to blond, which was parted in the middle with a pigtail at each side.
Voila! I was the perfect Harley Quinn.
“Damn!” Disha exclaimed when I met her downstairs. “You look hot, girl.”
A couple of guys walked by, giving appreciative glances.
I blushed. I wasn’t used to this type of attention. I’d never flaunted my body in any way. When you’re a teen living on the streets, you quickly learned to wear baggy, unflattering clothes. The last thing you want is a creep getting his sights set on you. But I had no reason to feel that way here. Besides, I was nineteen now. There was nothing wrong with exploring my sexuality.
The fact that Disha was dressed up as a nun, though, that made things a little awkward.
“I thought you were kidding,” I said, pointing at her outfit.
“Nope. I told you I’d be a nun and here I am.” She twirled, almost getting tangled in her long black robe. All that was visible was her makeup-free face and her hands. “Drew is going to have to work to get this off.” Her eyes went dreamy as if she was already picturing the slow burn their night would be.
I shook my head, then glanced around. “Where’s Bridget?” I asked tentatively.
Disha sighed. “Still mad. Oh, and just to warn you, in case you see her, she’s dressed as a vampire.”
“Oh.”
“With a stake through her heart.”
“Nice,” I said sarcastically. “Well, what about Drew?”
“He’s outside, putting something away in his rental car. I got him a pass so he could park on campus.” She did a little jig and clapped her hands. “I’m so excited. Let’s go.”
We walked outside the Junior Dorm into the cool evening and scanned the parking lot. I was slightly swinging my bat to and fro when the definition of tall, dark and handsome came walking in our direction.
Disha’s face lit up. I’d seen her excited about guys before, but this was different. There was a certain gleam in her eyes that almost looked like devotion, like “I’d rip my heart out of my chest and walk all over it for you” kind of devotion. It surprised me, and that’s when I realized this was really serious.
“Drew,” she extended a hand toward him as he climbed the steps to where we stood. He took it. “I want you to meet the famous Charlie Rivera.”
Drew smiled, showing brilliant, perfect teeth. I glanced up at him, fee
ling dazzled by his good looks. He was over six feet tall with golden skin and intense brown eyes like Disha’s. He had long hair that fell to his shoulders, a perfectly trimmed beard, and eyebrows bestowed to him by some eyebrow god from an unknown galaxy. His chest was broad and partially visible as he wore a half-open long jacket in an Indian style, lovingly embroidered with gold thread at the collar and cuffs.
Gah, I almost fanned myself. He resembled an Indian prince, and he almost was in magical circles apparently, the son of the High Council’s leader.
“Nice to meet you, Charmander,” he said, shaking my hand. “I’m Drew Mishra. Disha has told me a lot about you.”
“Same here,” I said.
“I like your costume,” he said. “You did a good job and look very pretty.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Drew’s smile was mesmerizing. No wonder Disha was a one-man woman now. Disha beamed up at him as he wrapped an arm around her.
“Shall we?” He gestured toward the groups of students who were quickly heading toward the football stadium, their costumes, and excitement creating the perfect atmosphere for homecoming night.
“Yes, let’s go,” she said, and we joined everyone else.
This year, the football game was supposed to have an underwater theme, and I couldn’t wait to see what they would do with that.
Ten minutes later, we were on the stands, staring at a football field with a thirty-foot tall block of water sitting on top of it.
“How did they do that?” I asked, my jaw hanging open.
The field looked as if someone had built an above-ground pool on top of it, then had removed the walls and, somehow, the cube of water stayed in place.
“Pretty wild,” Drew said, nodding approvingly. “I’d heard this academy’s homecoming games were legendary. I’m not disappointed.”
“Where did you go to school?” I asked.
“Alaukik Mahavidhyalaya in Mumbai,” he said. “My parents wanted me to get a traditional Indian education in the magical arts. Now, I wish I’d gone here, so I would have met Disha earlier.” He glanced down at her with such tenderness that I had to look away as a pang of longing hit my chest.
Rowan had looked at me that way the night he and his gang had stolen the grimoire. God, if only he was less of a fugitive criminal and all-around traitor.
Music played over the loudspeakers as we waited for the game to begin. The stadium lights shone brightly almost making me forget it was nighttime.
Suddenly, a slight fluttering next to one of the stadium lights caught my eye. I blinked, doing a double take and trying to clear the bright spots in my vision. Placing a hand over my eyes, I squinted and peered up again.
My heart thudded at the dangerous impossibility of it. Someone was standing high at the edge of the stadium wall, a long jacket flapping in the wind behind them. And I immediately knew who it was. I would recognize that stance anywhere.
Rowan.
So he was on campus, after all.
Panicked, I scanned the crowd, but no one else seemed to have noticed him. Everyone was intent on the field or on each other like Disha and Drew.
“Um, I think I’ll go to the restroom before the game starts,” I said, trying to conceal the tightness in my voice.
“Sure, Chardonnay,” Disha said, barely taking her attention away from her boyfriend’s handsome face.
I took the steps down two at a time, then rushed out of the stadium. A couple dressed as bacon strips ran past me, giggling and levitating a giant sunny-side-up egg ahead of them. I didn’t even want to know what was up with that. Other than them, no one else was around.
Gripping my bat with white-knuckled strength, I began walking around the stadium toward the spot where I’d seen Rowan. When I got there, I glanced toward the top of the wall, but he wasn’t there anymore.
“Planning to bash my head in?” he asked from behind me, startling me.
I let my cuffs glow and slowly turned around.
“I don’t need a bat,” I said, making it obvious that if I decided to hit him, it would be with magic.
He smiled dashingly, moving closer. He was wearing a black suit, tie and all—not to mention the cloak that fluttered behind him. His face appeared more human this time, unlike the night he’d helped Tempest escape from me.
“So you were here,” I said. “Your mom is a good liar. She fooled me with that memory she replayed for me.”
Rowan’s smile deepened, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he let his gaze travel down my body, lingering on my legs.
“Great costume,” he said. “You look beautiful.”
“Yours, too.” I tried not to blush. “You seem to be taking this Dracula thing very seriously,” I said mockingly, trying to deny how handsome he looked.
“It suits me, don’t you think?” he said without a hint of self-consciousness. He smiled again, and it suddenly struck me how different he seemed.
That other night he had been fierce defending Tempest, and at the moment, he was being all casual and devil-may-care James Bond. While, when he was with me, he’d done nothing but brood and worry about himself.
Anger and jealousy fizzed in my chest. Why had I gotten Douchey Surly Rowan, then, the moment he joined a bunch of misfits, he turned into Protective Charming Rowan? What the hell? It wasn’t fair. I’d risked so much for him, and I’d gained nothing in return.
Oh, get over it, Charlie!
“What are you doing here?” I demanded.
I wanted to believe he’d just been paying his mother a friendly visit, but there was a little voice inside my head that told me otherwise. Up to now, I’d thought Bonnie Underwood was someone I could trust, someone who wanted to defend the Academy and non-wizards, but maybe I was wrong.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” He took a step closer, and I lifted the bat, pointing it at his middle. I needed to keep him at a distance. He still had too much power over me.
He stared down at the bat, then back at me.
“You should turn yourself in,” I said.
“Is that what you really think I should do?”
I held his gaze.
“They would probably sentence me to death, you know,” he said.
I shook my head. “No. They would…” I realized I didn’t know what they would do. “That grimoire doesn’t belong to you,” I said instead. “What do you plan to do with it?”
“If you come with me, I’ll tell you everything. Otherwise, I can’t talk.”
I huffed. “Really? You would trust me now when you never trusted me before.”
“I’m different now, Charlie.” He smoothed a hand down his broad chest as if to indicate something had changed inside of him.
“I am different, too. And I am done with you, with trusting when you never trusted me, with giving and giving and never getting anything in return.” My heart thudded in my chest as the truth finally burst forth. How long had I waited to say that to him? Months. Tears prickled behind my eyes as I watched his face for a reaction.
He swallowed thickly. “I’m sorry. I’m truly, truly sorry. I know I ruined everything between us, and if I could take it all back, I would. I swear to you I would.”
“Don’t you think it’s a little too late for that?” My chest was swirling with a million emotions. These were all the things I’d always wanted to hear from him, but he had always been so cagey and now…
What had those other people done for him that I hadn’t? Why had he changed for them and not me?
“I hope it isn’t too late,” he said, reaching out a hand in my direction and smiling.
I stared at his long fingers, recalling their coolness and the way they felt sliding down my skin.
No. I’d promised myself. Not again.
I pushed the images away and hardened my heart. Instead, I whispered a spell under my breath. Rowan’s smile froze. In fact, his entire body did. He stared at me, an injured expression on his face.
�
�Don’t,” he said.
“It’s a similar spell to the one your father used the day you kidnapped me and brought me to the Academy, remember?”
I had paralyzed his body, and I would keep him there until Magical Law Enforcement came to get him.
“I’ve learned a lot in the past few months, Rowan.”
I’d expected him to show anger, but there was nothing but sadness in his features.
“Apparently, not enough,” he said just as I felt a lurching tug inside my chest as he used our bond to steal magic from me.
He shook free of my spell and straightened.
“You have no right!” I said between clenched teeth. “You want me to trust you and this is what you do?”
“I’m sorry, but I won’t let you turn me in. I will do whatever it takes to remain free. There are important things I need to do.”
“And I’ll do whatever it takes to stop you.”
I cast another spell, a special one designed for vampires, and braced myself. I knew the exact moment he felt it because I felt it too, though not as intensely as he did since I was also casting a protective spell over my body. His shoulders caved in, and he let out a moan of pain. There was magic burning in his veins, drying out his blood. He wouldn’t die, of course, but a vampire without blood was nothing but an inanimate object.
He clutched his chest. His face contorted in pain as he threatened to fall to his knees. I took a step forward, intensifying the strength of my cast. I tried to surprise him with a quick spell, hoping he wouldn’t be able to draw any energy from me to block it. But he was strong and, despite my efforts, I felt his pull on my magic as he drew enough energy to push away, using my own powers against me.
I staggered backward. He did the same. Then, he ran.
He used his unnatural speed, though he seemed considerably slower thanks to my spell. I was ready for this, though.
More than once, I had replayed the events of our last meeting in my mind, the way I’d chased Tempest, the way I’d been capable of materializing right behind her. Now, I knew I could catch him.
In a couple of seconds, he had gotten over fifty yards away from me, cutting across the moonlit lawn, but, in the next instant, I materialized next to him and tried to push him down.
Junior Witch Page 7