Undercover Witch Academy Box Set

by Rachel Medhurst

  “What happened after that? Why do you think they were killed?”

  The end of class bell rang loudly. Almost jumping out of my skin, I cringed away from the door when those inside looked towards me. The next class was just before the end of the day, which meant students would be pouring into the halls.

  “I’ll take him to the students in the infirmary while you start your class,” Devon said, agreeing when Seaton insisted on showing them the way.

  Backing away from the door as they approached, I ignored the stares I got from the other students as they filtered to their next class. Why the bloody hell were they staring at me? I hadn’t done anything wrong. Oh wait, I was still in my Victorian dress. I probably looked very strange indeed.

  “Shall I help?” Dracian indicated my awesome outfit.

  He knew that if I created a new outfit with my magic, it wouldn’t last long because it would be an illusion. Dropping my gaze, I noted the black and white dress. Yeah, I couldn’t very well go and visit the poorly students looking like I had just walked out of a Penny Dreadful magazine.

  “Yes, please,” I whispered to Dracian as the door to the classroom opened.

  He clicked his fingers, smiling when I gasped. I didn’t know whether to be offended or pleased that he had used his magic to dress me in a flowing dark red summer dress that fell to my ankles. It was gorgeous, but not really suitable for the academy. One bonus was my leather jacket, but still.

  “Are we going upstairs?” I asked as Devon ushered Damian into the hallway.

  Shaking his head, Professor Seaton pointed into the classroom. “Not you. It’s time for you to get back to some normality. We’ll question you after class.”

  He had to be joking?

  As their backs disappeared into the crowd, I went to run after them, but Dracian caught my wrist. “Let them go.”

  Allowing him hold my hand, I tried to calm my shaky breath as I watched them go. Why couldn’t I be there? It was me who had caught him, wasn’t it? I should be able to see the other students regain their magic.

  “You’ll get the chance to talk to the professor soon,” Mrs Hinley said, gesturing for us to go into the classroom.

  Following the others, I sat at our desk, looking around at the witch paraphernalia on the walls. A broom, a cauldron. All the things that were used in witchcraft. And yet, I felt empty, not excited.

  “Can I ask you a question?” Dracian whispered as he sat next to me.

  The others were on the other side of him as the class settled. Mrs Hinley was able to step back into the teacher role instantly, apparently able to forget about everything that had happened only an hour before.

  Looking at my spell book, I nodded without looking at him. Something about his energy, and what he’d said about keeping me safe, made me feel strange. We hadn’t properly cleared the air, and yet, I wanted to be close to him. We had more in common than I’d realised.

  “Who are you without the death of your parents hanging over your head?”

  My gaze shot to him. How dare he ask such a cruel question? Heat rushed over me, making my whole body quake.

  Taking my hand, he stroked my thumb. “Wait, don’t react like you always do.”

  Did this boy want a smack in the nose? If he carried on insulting me, he would get a karate chop to his arm so he’d stop contradicting his words with his annoyingly soothing touch.

  “What do you want from me?” I hissed as Mrs Hinley started to explain about earth spells.

  Releasing me when I took my hand away, he swallowed hard, his throat bobbing with the movement. “I understand why you won’t rest until you find out who killed your parents, but I wondered if you knew who you were without that burden burning inside you?”

  Helissa and Isabel kept glancing at us, watching what was happening between the two students who had lost a parent or two. It was crazy that amongst the shit show that was academy life, the girls were excited about a possible love match. Academy life sucked.

  Dracian’s comment ran through my mind. How could I answer such a thing? I had no idea who I was without the burning desire to find out who had killed my parents. For five years, I had been the girl who had no one. The girl who had vowed to get to Dracian Dread and prove that he was the one who had done it.

  “I’ll get back to you on that,” I said, raising my eyes to watch Mrs Hinley write a spell on the board.

  “If you evoke fire, you have to know how to control it. Many witches have burnt down a house or two when their fire has got out of control.” Flicking her hand, Mrs Hinley created a small flame in the palm of her hand.

  “How does this relate to being an agent?” A student waved his pen in the air as he tapped his book.

  It reminded me that most students were actually here to learn. It was something I had completely neglected since arriving at the academy. Not through choice, obviously, but my distraction wasn’t helping me learn how to be a kickass agent.

  “Every witch who wants to become an agent needs great control of their magic.” Mrs Hinley shut her hand, extinguishing the flames. “And their emotions. If either of those two things get out of control when on a case, you’ll quickly lose. Can anyone tell me how to control magic?”

  Raising my hand, I smirked when Mrs Hinley picked me. “Yeah, be an Illusionist witch like me and it can’t get out of control because the flames will fade quickly.”

  Cocking her head to the side, Mrs Hinley pursed her lips. “It’s nice to see you’ve got your sense of humour, but I’m not sure it’s helping this class.”

  “Trust me,” I muttered, still totally peeved that I had been made to go to class after everything I’d just been through. “This lesson needs a bit of humour.”

  A rumble of chuckles filtered throughout the classroom with the exception of my friends, who frowned at me.

  Before Mrs Hinley could reprimand me, the door opened and Devon Jinx poked her head in. The boys instantly wolf whistled when she went to speak. Changing her mind, she came into the classroom and raised her hand in the air.

  “Any boy who just whistled will be unable to speak for the remainder of the lesson. I may be a woman, but I’m not a sexual object. Plus, you’re all far too young for me.” Devon glanced at Mrs Hinley, who shrugged and gestured for her to do what she’d originally come to do.

  The males in the class who could no longer talk, glanced at one another, their eyes widening when they tried to open their mouths.

  A snort of laughter escaped my lips as the girls in the room cheered. Rightly so, too. For far too long, men had got away with treating us like less than witches. Even in a paranormal world where women were revered as witches, the males had used us. It was time for that to end. Devon Jinx might have just become my heroine.

  “Alishia,” she called, indicating that I follow her. “I need you for a moment.”

  Almost diving out of my seat, I gathered my things and rushed to her. I couldn’t very well sit in a room full of students who had no idea what had happened to me only an hour and a half ago. My nerves were bouncing all over the place.

  If I wasn’t careful when questioned, Devon might make me do something stupid, like confess that Dracian Dread made me shudder when he touched me. Not in a bad way, but in the smexy, I like you a lot, way.

  “We won’t be long,” Devon told Mrs Hinley as we left.

  As soon as we were in the corridor, I relaxed my shoulders. Devon walked beside me, quiet and unassuming. Was she doing an agent psychology thing where they stayed silent to allow me to open up? “Is this the moment you use your training to get me to talk?”

  Frowning, Devon glanced at me. “Nah, I’m just wondering if I’ll get a scolding from my boss for pulling that stunt back there. It’s frowned upon to spell students. Obviously.”

  “Yeah, I can imagine all the boys telling everyone, including their parents, that they got silenced for wolf whistling an agent.”

  As we approached the steps to go up to the infirmary, Devon pulled me back,
towards an empty classroom. “Hah, you’ve got a sense of humour, I see. My type of girl.”

  “I’m not a girl,” I muttered, rather uselessly as we entered the room.

  The truth was, in front of Devon, I felt like a child. Her magic was super strong, I could feel it pulsing from her. The flick of her dark hair was absentminded but full of confidence. Her snarky remarks and sharp responses made me want to try harder.

  “I’m sorry,” she replied as she sat on a stool at the nearest desk. “You’re not a girl, you’re right.”

  Sighing, I lowered myself on the seat next to her, dropping my backpack to the floor. My magic inducer pressed against my side where it sat in the pocket of my leather jacket. It was my lifeline to magic, my gift from my father.

  “Can you give me your version of what happened back there?” Devon crossed her leg, kicking her boot in a rhythmic movement.

  I watched it, mesmerized as I gathered my thoughts. A part of me wondered if I should be more affected by the attack from Damian, but I understood. I knew what it was like to be driven crazy by the what-ifs. I related to him a lot more than anyone.

  “We were luring him to see if he was the one casting the draining spell on the students.” Swallowing, I touched my cheek where he had kissed me. “When I arrived, he asked me to dress in a Victorian outfit.”

  “Where is that outfit now?” Crossing her arms over her chest, Devon watched me closely.

  She was good at her job, making me feel at ease. I watched her, cataloguing any tips I could learn from her for future reference.

  Looking down at myself, I stifled a smile. “Dracian spelled me new clothes. You’ll have to ask him if he did anything with the dress.”

  “If he’s a good student, he’ll know that it’s needed for evidence.”

  Shrugging, I tapped my foot on the floor as agitation caused me to fidget. “Damian kissed me on the cheek when I came out, after praising how I looked.”

  “That’s when he cast the spell on you.”

  It wasn’t a question, just a statement. Very professional, Miss Jinx.

  “I could feel the pull of magic straight away, but I played along. For a moment, he was fine, but he had detected the listening spell that Seaton-”

  “The professor?” A question this time.

  “Yeah, Professor Seaton, he put a listening spell on me. Damian went a little mad when he felt it and whisked us to the cottage.”

  Moving forward, Devon leant her elbows on her knees. “What happened there?”

  “He assumed that it wouldn’t be long until I was useless without my power. I let him think that.” I couldn’t help the smile that I shared with the agent. “It felt good being able to use my weakness for power.”

  “Weakness?” Devon spat. “You are joking? I used to think I had a weakness, but let me tell you, the thing we believe is our downfall is our strongest asset. Other than beauty, brains and wits, of course, which all women have. Including me. And you.”

  Scoffing, I shook my head. “Well, I’m yet to find any of the above in myself, but I’ll let you know when I do.”

  “You do that,” she replied, chuckling as she took out a business card. “And when you do, I’ll be waiting to speak to you about a job.”

  “A job?” I almost choked as I took the card.

  Tilting her head to the side, Devon quirked an eyebrow. “I started out a bit like you, although…” Looking around the classroom, she frowned in disgust. “Thank Mother Earth I never had to study, ugh.”

  “I’m starting to enjoy it. Well, I will when all this is over. As you know, magic doesn’t come naturally to me. I need to learn how to use mine.”

  A warm look crossed her face as she leant closer. “I didn’t have anyone either, but I found my tribe. You will, too.”

  “I think I already have.” My reply was whispered, but my heart was heavy as I thought about Isabel, Helissa and even Dracian.

  I had come to the Undercover Witch Academy with the mind-set of justice and revenge. I never believed that I would find a family instead. Family was a strong word, but my friends were showing me that people did care.

  Sitting back, Devon turned serious again. “What happened next?”

  Telling her about Damian’s confession, the firewall and the attempt at escape, I kept myself calm throughout. No rush of fear made my limbs shake, it was very matter-of-fact.

  “My boss once told me that it’s okay to feel,” Devon said when I had finished. “In fact, she told me that I’d be a useless agent if I didn’t allow my emotions to release after a traumatic event.”

  “She did? Why?”

  “No matter how hard we train ourselves to disconnect from our jobs, our emotional body takes on the pain, anger, frustration, and joy that every case brings. So, if we stuff it down and don’t allow ourselves to feel afraid, or release all the emotions, it will manifest in greater ways. Someone who has magic must keep control of themselves at all times.”

  Licking my lips, I glanced at my lap. “Yes, Mrs Hinley told us that every agent must be able to control their magic.”

  “Not every agent, every witch or warlock. Anyone who has magic must take responsibility for it.” Taking out her phone, Devon tapped a few buttons and then showed me the screen.

  A video played of a witch whose head was thrown back. Fire, ice and storms surrounded him as he lost control, shooting out and hitting those who were nearby. “That was my most recent case. Don’t tell anyone I showed you that, my partner would kill me. Gerard is an agent who plays by the rules. Unlike me.”

  “Really?”

  “Enough about me,” Devon said, tucking her phone away. “You have a gift, one that you need to learn about. I’m pleased you’re here, they’ll teach you well.”

  “I think they will,” I begrudgingly agreed. “Are we done?”

  “Not quite.” Scooting her chair closer, Devon blocked my entrance. “Tell me about your parents. I’ve sworn to help Damian find his, so I want to know what happened to yours.”

  My throat closed instantly, tears coming to my eyes. No one had ever offered to help me truly find out what had happened. Certainly not an agent in a powerful position.

  “You want to help me?” I muttered, unable to look her in the eye.

  “Alishia,” Devon said quietly. “I meant it when I said that I used to have no one. I understand you more than you think.”

  A sob escaped before I could stop it. Within seconds, the story was falling from my lips. Twice in one day, I’d had to relive the nightmare of that morning five years ago.

  Devon watched me throughout, her eyebrows pulling low as I explained how I had found my parents. I even spilled my guts about blaming Dracian because I saw my mother’s memory.

  Devon didn’t change her reaction after my confession, instead just listened intently. “I’m sorry you went through that all alone,” she said when I had finished.

  Wiping my eyes, I cleared my throat. “I do have an aunt in America, but she was banned from talking to me.”

  “That’s not right. You should’ve been able to go and stay with your aunt.”

  Nodding, I tried my hardest not to cry even harder. It had been emotional letting everything out, but I didn’t regret it. Devon was the first person who had heard the full story, beginning to end. No one else knew exactly what I had been through. Something about her calming energy let me know that I could trust her, even if she did work for the government.

  “Will you tell the institute?” My words were quiet as Devon took out her phone.

  Thrusting forward, she took my hands and squeezed. The movement made me jump, but I allowed her to hold my fingers. When her magic started filtering into me, I pulled away and ducked my head, trying not to show my red hot cheeks. She must have known what I was, and yet, she chuckled to herself.

  “Don’t worry, I know that you’re an Illusionist witch. I think the professor is doing the right thing training you to be an agent. Your skills will outweigh a ton of normal
witch agents, I can tell you. Did you know that half of them are old and wrinkly? The other half are so arrogant, they polish their arse cheeks so they can see their reflection when they’re putting their own heads up their own buttholes.”

  Choking, I laughed, unable to hold back. “Well, I hope there’s another category I can slip into if I can pass the tests.”

  “Give me your number. I will get the files from Paranormal MI5. Don’t worry…” She held up a hand when I went to protest. “…I’m very discreet. I can persuade a monkey to give me their banana, even when they’re starving.”

  “Huh?” My stunned reply was met with a smile.

  “I don’t know much about the institute,” she said as I typed my number into her phone. “But, I do know a few people high up. I won’t let them know why I’m looking into it, because you know, they’ll probably make me disappear, too, but I’ll find out a thing or three.”

  Wringing my hands together in my lap, I tried to find the right words to thank her. However, I was too afraid to get my hopes up. I couldn’t find the right words when I was freaking out inside. My hands shook against my dress so I grabbed the material and folded my hands in it.

  “The institute, they’re interested in me. They chased me when I left my foster carers to come here.”

  Getting up from her seat, Devon tucked her phone away. “It doesn’t surprise me, I’ve heard that they’re trying to get as many skilled witches as possible, but they’re not protected by the government, so no one knows why. Don’t worry, I’m here to help you now. My number is in your phone…” Flicking her hand, she smiled as she tilted her head. “…If you ever need me, call. I’m just a flash away.”

  As she left, I checked my numbers. Yep, she had spelled hers onto my phone.

  If only I could have the power to flick my wrist and cast a spell. It wasn’t that easy for me, I had to make sure I had enough magic first. Still, my heart lifted as I got up from my seat. I had never had an agent on my side, trying to help me. Maybe, just maybe, she would help me find out why my parents had been killed.

  Chapter Twelve