I sucked in a breath, catching his meaning. Then I turned on my heel and sprinted away.
It was time to finish this thing.
Chapter Fourteen
Only those exam participants who had completed two of the three tests had been allowed to remain at Spellcasters after the magic exam. Those who remained would hear if they were officially accepted to the academy at the announcement ceremony the following day. All in all, there were about forty people left. And as I walked into the initiate tower, it seemed like every single one of them was in the dorm celebrating.
I scanned the crowd, searching for Tabby and Phoebe.
Out of the three of us, Tabitha was the most worried about making the final cut. She hadn’t finished the mental exam, and because her leg wasn’t completely healed, she’d struggled in the final test too. I hoped her use of magic had been good enough to squeak in.
When I finally found my friends my lips quirked upward. They were both perched on Hunter’s lap, giggling and chatting. I didn’t know how they could stand having a thing for the same guy, but I suspected that one of them would probably arrive at school with a boyfriend.
Speaking of potential boyfriends . . .
My friends were clearly busy, so I shifted gears and sought out Alex. I found him almost right away.
He was clear on the other side of the room, chatting animatedly with Amethyst. Tossing my hair behind my shoulder, I went to say hi. When I approached them, the pair seemed to be having a rousing discussion on tarot, something that wasn’t taught until the second year at Spellcasters.
“Already talking about what you’ll take during Grind year, I see,” I teased.
Alex and Amethyst gave me shy smiles, and I grinned at them. “It’s okay, we’re still here and we all did pretty well on the exams. We can say that we’re excited to attend. I mean, it feels good, doesn’t it? Knowing that in a month we’ll probably be back here as students—beginning our journey as apprentices in the Society of Spies.”
“Oh my God. I can’t even consider a month from now! All I can think about is tomorrow!” Amethyst dragged her hands down her face.
“Likewise,” Alex said. “Although I can’t truthfully say I haven’t dreamt about taking healing classes in the past.”
“But isn’t healing reserved for the Grind and Crucible years? Initiates can’t take it, right?” Amethyst’s lips squished to the side as she tried to recall which years took what.
“Yeah, it is. But we have Herbalism, Potions, and Poisons in the Culling year,” I offered. “It’s not exactly the same as healing, but kind of an introduction to all the different sorts of substances that can affect your body.”
Amethyst quirked an eyebrow at me. “Are you sure you never sat in on lectures?”
I shook my head. “No way. I was in human school in Portland with Tabitha and Phoebe,” I gestured over to my friends.
Alex’s full lips pressed together in a thin line when he noticed Hunter flirting ostentatiously with the girls. Dammit, why had I pointed Hunter out? I didn’t want to annoy Alex. I wanted to charm him.
“By the time I got home in the afternoon most of the Spellcasters classes were usually over,” I said, trying to recapture their attention. “And even if they weren’t, or if they were having a special workshop, Mother wouldn’t have allowed me to sit in.”
I refrained from mentioning that I had often snuck into my mother’s personal library and therefore did know a thing or two from some of the advanced classes. “I wasn’t even allowed to watch the Culling year trials—like ever. Although, I saw the aftermath and can say with certainty that they’re going to be brutal.”
Jackson had been bedbound for two days after Samhain Trials, and as much as he was an awful coward, physically, he wasn’t a weakling.
Amethyst groaned. “I haven’t even thought about those. They take place on witching holidays, right?”
I nodded. “On the Samhain, Imbolc, and Beltane sabbats.”
“Well, I guess no one can say Spellcasters isn’t a sucker for tradition,” Amethyst tipped back her can of soda and frowned when she realized it was empty. “I’ve been so hungry and thirsty since I got here. Must be all the excess magic I’m using. Anyway, I’m gonna go get another. See you two later.”
As soon as she left, I seized my chance at getting Alex alone. “Do you want to get out of here for a bit? Maybe go for a walk around the lake?”
The corners of Alex’s lips twitched up. “Sure, it’d be nice to get away from all the noise.” His eyes veered to Hunter again and his lips formed a flat line. “In fact, a little fresh air is exactly what I need.”
Alex and I exited the cathedral-like front doors of Spellcasters and the warmth of the mid-May night wrapped around me like a cocoon, easing my nerves slightly.
I hadn’t quite decided exactly what it was about Alex that drew me to him yet. Of course, he was handsome and good at magic and smart, but there was something else too—something more important.
I suspected that it might be that his drive equaled mine, maybe even surpassed it. He was someone who’d studied his ass off to be here. And the fact that Alex had had no guarantee of even being allowed to take the exams made him even more attractive.
And of course there was his ancestry. In the free day I’d had between Father being injured and Tabitha and Phoebe arriving at Spellcasters, I done a bit of sleuthing on the entire Wardwell clan. They were a Salem family, and as distinguished as all the rest. In fact, during the witch trials, the Wardwell family had saved many true witches from the noose of persecution.
In more modern times Hunter’s side of the family had been active in our community as supernatural spies and community leaders for decades. Whereas Alex’s branch had been known as renowned healers for nearly as long. Knowing that his family had contributed to the good of witching kind, turned me on nearly as much as Alex himself.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Alex asked.
“Just thinking about everything that happened these last couple of days,” I lied smoothly.
“I don’t know how,” Alex shook his head. “I’m sick to death of analyzing what I could have done better or differently.”
“Yeah . . . ” My near failure in the final challenge rose up in my mind and I pushed it away. Although each test had gone reasonably well, I knew exactly what Alex meant. My moments of struggle had been on my mind a frustrating amount. “So, what do you plan on doing in the month before school starts then?”
“Who knows?” Alex let out a big sigh. “I’ve dreamed of coming here for years, but I didn’t think it would actually happen. I guess I have a lot to prepare for—and a life to pack up.”
“Yeah, there’s that. It’s a big adjustment. A lot of people can’t handle cutting off their past lives. Cell phone confiscation day is the worst. Literally some students look like they might die.”
Many students and parents considered the forced isolation that Spellcasters imposed a cruel stipulation of enrollment. But if you wanted a Spellcasters education and the opportunities it provided, that was part of the deal. The academy valued privacy and secrecy. They considered a life in which their students lived cut off from loved ones good training for when they became spies.
We fell into silence as we walked. Alex was presumably thinking about Spellcasters, whereas I was wondering if this was the night I got to know him in the intimate manner that I craved. As we neared the lake, I gestured for Alex to enter the trail that ran along its banks and he took the lead.
Even though it was only May, the grasses were already high and I was so distracted by Alex’s muscular back that my foot catching on a root came as a complete surprise. I tripped over it in spectacular fashion, a yelp slipping from my lips and arms flying everywhere. Thankfully, my hands latched onto Alex’s back, stopping me from face-planting. He let out a faint omph as he was forced to bear my weight, and my cheeks lit on fire.
“Oh shit! I’m so sorry. That was clumsy of me!” I walked my hands up hi
s back so that I was standing on my own.
He turned. “It’s alright. Are you okay?”
My eyes widened. Our faces were only inches apart. I could feel his breath on my face, smell the minty freshness of it.
“Um, yeah. I’m fine,” I whispered. “But I swear that root popped out of nowhere. I mean, the trees are like twenty feet away! The groundskeeper should probably check on the root system. I—” My mouth snapped shut as I realized that I sounded like a blubbering fool. Thankfully, Alex didn’t seem to notice.
He chuckled and his blue eyes, two shades brighter than my own, crinkled at the corners. “That’s the first time I’ve seen you be anything besides athletic and graceful.”
A wave of heat surged across my cheeks. “When I have to be on my game, I am. But right now, I’m more relaxed.” My heart began to thunder and I became intensely aware of the way the moonlight reflected off Alex’s high cheekbones.
A second passed. Then two. Neither of us moved away from the other—it was like a magnet was keeping us there. Like this was meant to happen.
Maybe it is.
I leaned in.
He didn’t meet me halfway, he didn’t even move, but our lips crashed together all the same, sending a stream of fire rushing through my veins. My hands wrapped around his neck, and my fingers gripped his hair as I pulled him closer.
A low sound came from Alex’s throat, and I felt his hands land on my waist. Butterflies filled my stomach at his touch and our kiss deepened.
We stayed that way for God knew how long, our lips devouring each other’s, our arms wrapped around each other, until suddenly a whistle from the initiate tower hit my ear and we broke apart.
I glanced up. We were in plain view of the initiate tower and someone was definitely watching out the window.
Oh my God. How embarrassing.
Magic lit up in my hand, illuminating the ground. With the other, I pulled Alex into the trees. We tramped through the woods for at least five minutes, my heart pounding at how forward I’d just been—which was pretty freaking forward.
I wracked my brain, trying to come up with something witty and funny and interesting. Nothing I thought up sounded like any of those things.
Typical. I can pass the Spellcasters entry exams, but try to charm a dude and I come up empty.
My eyes ran over the forest frantically, searching for something halfway intriguing to comment on. The fence that ran parallel to the road was in sight, telling me that I’d walked further than I’d thought. My eyes grazed over it as I moved even closer.
Should I just break the silence with some banal fact about the security of Spellcasters?
It sounded lame, but I was getting anxious and had just decided to do that very thing, when I saw something odd. I jerked to a stop and my spine straightened.
“Diana? Are you okay?” Alex asked.
“Yeah, it’s just . . . look at that.” I lifted a finger and pointed to the fence. If my magic hadn’t been lighting the way, I probably wouldn’t even have seen the hole in the ground.
Alex took a couple steps to stand beside me. “You mean—that hole in the dirt on the other side of the fence?”
I nodded. “The fence around the academy is warded against all types of magicals. Mostly, if they touch it they’ll die. So the hole makes me wonder if someone tried to dig under.”
Alex squinted and then walked closer to the hole. When he was next to it, he knelt. After a moment of careful observation he spoke.
“Honestly, it looks just like a hole a dog would dig. Maybe someone from Wandstown has a dog that got loose? The village isn’t that far away, right?”
I cocked my head. I hadn’t thought about that, but it was a definite possibility. One that seemed far more likely than a hostile magical infiltrating the school when it wasn’t even in session. “Maybe . . . and obviously whatever it was ran into the ward.”
“Looks that way. There’s no opening on this side of the fence,” Alex agreed as he directed his crimson magic to light up our side of the fence.
He was right. The hole was deep and obvious, but it was still only on the other side of the fence. A weight that I hadn’t realized had been present lifted off my chest. “You’re probably right. Lots of people around here have dogs. Claudia, she runs the bistro in town, always lets hers loose and her yard isn’t fenced. I bet one made its way to the academy.” I glanced at the hole, feeling certain that was what had happened. “For a second there I thought I’d have to run to get Mother. I mean, I’ll still mention it so someone can fill the hole, but it doesn’t seem so urgent now. Growing up here can make you think everything is a conspiracy. Thanks for being the voice of reason.”
“No problem.” Alex stood, turned, and suddenly we were once again inches from each other, and my heart rate kicked up for what felt like the billionth time.
He shifted. I squirmed.
“So . . . before was,” I scrambled for something to say. “Nice.” As soon as the word left my mouth I could have facepalmed myself.
Nice? It was nice? Oh my God, how generic can I be?
But Alex didn’t seem to notice. In fact, a low chuckle rang from his lips. The sound was so light, so not judgmental, that my heart literally sang.
“Yeah . . . it was nice.” One corner of Alex’s lips lifted and suddenly all my doubts evaporated. Taking his smile as an indication of interest, I leaned in again.
But instead of warm lips and the taste of mint, I felt Alex lean back. “I should tell you something, Diana.” The easy charm that had just graced his face was gone. Only unease lived there now. “I want you to know that I find you attractive and respect you, but I don’t think I’m ready for any sort of relationship right now.”
The world fell away beneath my feet. “Oh? I must’ve misread—”
“No! It’s really not you . . . it’s me.” He pressed his lips together and shook his head. “Sorry, I know jerks usually say that, but this time, it’s true. I’m totally new to Spellcasters—to this world, really. My family has never been in a coven and we’ve been sort of ostracized. I guess what I’m saying is, I don’t want to start something new and have my relationships already laid out for me. When I come here, I want to find my own way and focus on my studies. At least until I feel like my feet are firmly on the ground.”
My heart stuttered. God, he was so hot. And even though I wished he hadn’t just denied me, I understood why he’d done it. “I get it. I know a thing or two about needing to prove yourself too.”
“Can we be friends? I’d really like that,” Alex asked, sincerity in his voice
I nodded. “I’d like that too.”
And maybe, eventually, we can be something more.
Chapter Fifteen
After informing Mother about the hole by the fence and seeing how irate it made her, I decided that staying in the family suite would be a downer, especially after the night I’d had. Luckily, I didn’t have to worry about being completely on my game the next day. So I packed a little bag and slept in the initiate tower for the first time. When morning came, I walked to the front lawn, where the ceremony would take place, alongside Tabby and Phoebe. We were so excited that we got to the meeting spot early.
Then, we waited, twiddling our thumbs nervously. It didn’t matter that I was positive I’d get into the academy, and pretty sure Tabby and Phoebe would too, the anticipation was totally nerve-wracking. Not only was I dying to hear that I’d been accepted, but also where I ranked among the other exam participants.
Of course, I hoped that I was first, but I also wasn’t delusional. Alex had given me a run for my money. Either way, first or second would be a sufficiently high rank to rub in Jackson’s face when he returned from his internship.
As I stood there, wondering what would happen, it became clear that my friends and I weren’t the only tense ones. The entire crowd was eerily quiet as everyone contemplated their futures.
Finally, after what felt like a year, the front doors to the acade
my burst open and my mother strode outside. Ms. Seeley, Professor Thrax, and Professor de Spina flanked her, and their narrowed eyes scanned the crowd. My mother didn’t need protection; she hadn’t become the headmistress of a top witching spy school by being weak. Still, the posse behind her spoke loud and clear.
They were in control. Their decisions regarding who was admitted and who didn’t make the cut were non-negotiable.
Mother and the professors made their way to a small platform, just large enough for them to stand on, and the professors took up position behind their headmistress.
“Thank you all for spending the last three days with us at Spellcasters.” Mother gave the crowd an indulgent smile. “We’re aware that you’ve worked incredibly hard to be here and for that, we thank you. As I believe your time is valuable, I shall make this brief. I’ll now read off the names of the twenty students who have officially been accepted into our academy for the next Culling year.”
A gasp arose from the crowd. Twenty?! Only twenty? My head swiveled around. That was less than half of the remaining participants. People are gonna be pisssssed!
My mother didn’t seem to notice the response. “If your name is read off, you may stay on Spellcasters property until tomorrow morning. Please feel free to celebrate in Wandstown and return to the academy grounds as you wish. If your name is not on this list, please pack your bags and exit the school grounds as quickly as possible.” Mother scanned the crowd, waiting to see if anyone had any questions. When no one raised a hand or even dared to shuffle, she unfolded the manila envelope she carried and pulled out a list.
“The following students are to be congratulated. Upon their acceptance, they are officially a part of the next Culling class of Spellcasters Spy Academy. I’ll read off the students who placed at the top of the incoming class first and go down the list from there. Those who will be joining us are: Alexander Wardwell, Diana Wake, Hunter Wardwell, Amethyst Rhines, Kira Johnson, Olivia García . . . “
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