Finally, Vesta wore a long, full silver dress that matched her eyes and contrasted beautifully against her lavender skin. Her light green hair cascaded all the way down to her slim waist, and she was wearing bright red lipstick. She was also wearing a small jewel in between her eyebrows and a pair of matching teardrop earrings that dangled from her elongated, elvish ears. Her eyes were made up as well, and there was a sparkling silver shadow above and below her eyelids, which made her even more exotic and elegant.
It took all my willpower not to fuck them right there on the stairwell.
“Wow, Cole.” Vesta grinned. “You look sexy as hell.”
“So do all of you,” I remarked as I gave them all the once over. “As much as I’d love to tear those gowns off, though, I think we should be heading to the banquet hall. Agreed?”
“Oh, shit!” Morgana suddenly gasped. “Wait, I forgot something.”
Before anyone could ask what, the brunette sprinted up the stairs as if her life depended on it.
“Let’s see what she’s looking for,” Akira smirked. “I bet it’s a book she wants to hide in her skirts.”
I chuckled under my breath and then followed my women up the stairs, but when Akira pushed the bedroom door open, I was surprised to see only one shared room among all the witches.
“Shit, you all share a room?” I asked with a furrowed brow. “For some reason, I thought you all had your own space.”
“Nope,” Akira muttered. “It’s just one giant room.”
“It’s not that bad,” Vesta added. “Honestly, it may not be pleasing to the eye, but it's still a bedroom.”
“Vesta’s right.” Faye nodded. “I mean, if I had the choice, I would prefer more green in the room, and possibly a couple of wild plants to grow along the walls.”
I stared at the simple bedroom and the four small beds situated against the stone wall. The floors were bare, and the beds were all identical. There was one small window situated near their bathroom, and there was also one shared giant wardrobe.
“I’ll be sure to get you all your own rooms,” I decided as I looked around the pathetic bedroom.
“Really?” Morgana smiled as she searched under her pillow.
“Yeah.” I shrugged. “Why not? I mean, I have my own space. You should be allowed to have your own individual rooms as well. It’s not like it would be any trouble. All Theodora has to do is wave her wand and expand the room into four different ones.”
“That would be nice, Cole,” Akira said as she nudged me.
“Don’t mention it.” I winked. “Anyway, I have a feeling we’re going to be late if we don’t hurry. Morgana, did you find what you were looking for?”
“Yes!” the bookworm answered after a moment. She pulled out a small gold locket and then wrapped it around her ivory neck.
“Did you think your outfit wouldn’t be complete without a small necklace?” Akira scoffed.
“It was my mother’s,” Morgana replied, and she seemed unbothered by Akira’s taunt. “I like to wear it whenever we’re not risking our lives.”
“So, barely ever?” Vesta joked.
Morgana giggled as she clasped the necklace around her slender neck, and then she walked over to us.
“Okay, I’m ready.” She smiled.
“Great, let’s go and get this over with.” Akira rolled her black eyes. “The less time I have to spend fraternizing with warlocks, the happier I’ll be.”
“Same here.” Faye nodded as we stepped out of the room.
“Oh, come on now,” Vesta cooed. “Let’s be poised about this and not behave like a group of adolescent witches.”
We headed down the stairs and then out the common room door. As we walked down the hallways, several witches were running around in gowns and masks, and some of them were already drunk and throwing up in corners of the corridors.
“Hmm,” Akira drawled with a wicked smile. “Maybe this is going to be more entertaining than I thought.”
When we reached the banquet hall doors, I took in a deep breath before I pushed it open, and then we were met with an incredible view.
Theodora had once again expanded the room to fit every single student and more. The floor was covered in golden tiles and gleamed under the firelight, and the tiles shone so brilliantly that when I looked down, I could see my own reflection. When I craned my neck to look up at the ceiling, there were thousands of white candles hanging from the iron chandeliers, and the glow was warm and inviting.
The room was filled with drunken laughter and music, and there were hundreds of witches dancing to a hauntingly beautiful melody played from the front of the room. The music was coming from a black antique piano that had lion paws as legs, and next to it was a magical cello, violin, and a massive golden harp in the corner. All the instruments were placed under a spell, so no one was actually playing them.
Next to the instruments was a grand table, covered entirely with the most absurd dishes I’d ever seen. Bright yellow and red cakes towered to the ceiling and, in the center of the table, was a giant roasted hippogriff.
All the professors and headmasters were comfortably seated and devouring their dinners, and Theodora was sitting right between Vanessa and Headmaster Ravana. Vanessa and Theodora were both wearing simple black gowns and matching masks, and they looked more like sisters than mother and daughter.
When I stared at the Mors Headmaster, he narrowed his eyes, but then he raised his glass as if to silently toast to me.
“What the hell?” I muttered.
“What is it, Cole?” Vesta asked.
“I think the Mors Headmaster is trying to make peace or something,” I replied. “Look at him.”
My coven turned their heads toward the large table, and then Morgana inched a little closer to me.
“I still don’t trust him,” she muttered. “I never did.”
“Neither do I,” I responded. “But for tonight, we’re going to have to play nice.”
“Why?” Akira grumbled.
“Theodora confided in me,” I explained as I glanced around to make sure no one else was in earshot. “She believes one or both of the schools could be turning toward elder magic.”
My coven all gasped in horror and then covered their mouths.
“Unholy shit,” Vesta gawked with her silver eyes as wide as dinner plates. “Is she sure?”
“Not entirely.” I shook my head. “But I think it would be best to keep an eye on both schools, which means we have to play nice with the warlocks… ”
We all turned to look at Akira at the same time, but the black-eyed witch simply shrugged.
“What?” she asked with an innocent smile. “I’m sweet as newt cookies.”
“Of course, you are,” Faye giggled softly, “and I’m terrified of animals and anything to do with the forest.”
We all stifled a laugh and then looked around. After a moment, I spotted bright orange hair in the crowd, and I knew it was Penelope. She was wearing a long, deep purple gown and a matching lace trimmed, lavender-toned mask. Her tangerine-colored hair was pinned back from her face, and she was smiling and laughing with her team.
“You should ask her to dance,” Vesta whispered into my ear. “It will be easier to take her if she’s somewhat willing.”
“I was just about to.” I winked. “Will the rest of you be alright on your own?”
“Of course.” Akira grinned before she snatched a goblet of black wine from a nearby table.
“As long as she has wine in her system, she’ll be a good girl,” Faye joked.
With that settled, I strode over to Penelope and her group, and Beatrix was the first to notice me approaching. The light-haired brunette was wearing a long, black gown that hugged her curves in all the right places. Her neckline was so low I could see all the way down to her toned stomach, and some kind of jewel hung from her belly button. Her mask was made of black velvet, and it made her brown eyes look even more feline and mischievous.
The twins w
ere dressed a little more plainly, and of course, they opted to match their dresses with the random streaks of color in their short hair. Ivy wore a simple light blue dress with a sweetheart neckline and a black pearl necklace. Her dull mask was robin-egg blue, and her short hair was slicked back. Iris dressed exactly the same, but instead of a blue mask and dress, she wore a pale pink gown and unembellished mask.
“Cole,” the light-haired brunette drawled. “You look… good.”
“As do you,” I replied with a cocksure smile. “Penelope, would you care to dance?”
The bright-haired witch blinked in shock and then stared at me with curious, soft brown eyes.
“Sure,” she said after a long moment. “I suppose one dance won’t hurt.”
I grinned as I took her small, pale hand and led her over to the center of the room. I then grabbed onto her small waist and drew her closer to me. She smelled like sweet raspberries, and her face flushed a deep pink as I held onto her warm body.
“Nervous?” I chuckled.
“Oh, please,” she scoffed and averted her gaze. “I nearly faced a deadly army with you today, why would I be nervous about a little dance?”
“Whatever you say.” I smirked, but I could sense her arousal as I spun her around the room, and all eyes were on us.
We danced like this for several minutes, and I reveled in the feel of the orange-haired witch’s body against my own.
“People are staring,” Penelope whispered as she pressed even closer to me.
“Let them,” I muttered. “They wish they were you.”
“Your arrogance is strangely compelling, Cole.” She smiled and then looked deeply into my eyes. Her rosy lips parted slightly as if she were about to say something, but before she could, someone tapped me on the shoulder.
I slowly came to a stop and then Penelope retracted her hand and took a small step back. Her eyes widened at whoever was behind me, and without another word, she fled back to her group.
“Sorry to interrupt like that,” a voice drawled from behind me. “She is quite a vision.”
When I spun around, I was face to face with the two new Mors teams. Both groups of men stared at me with placid smiles on their faces, and their hands were tucked neatly into their pockets. They were all dressed in white tuxedos, and black masks hid most of their features. The one who had tapped me on the shoulder was a tall man, with pale skin and white-blond hair. His eyes were deep purple, and I couldn’t detect any malice or ill-intention behind them.
I could have been wrong, though. Who knew what these guys were really up to?
“She is.” I nodded. “I don’t believe we’ve been formally introduced yet… my name is Cole.”
“We know.” The masked man grinned. “I’m Lex, and these are my companions… obviously.”
“Good to meet you,” I answered with a forced smile.
“You as well,” Lex answered. “Well, I’ll let you continue with your evening. I just thought, given how our former team members behaved, that I’d formally introduce myself. And to let you know there are no hard feelings.”
“Thank you.” I nodded. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think my coven is waiting for me.”
“But of course.” Lex bowed. “Perhaps we’ll be seeing you around.”
“Perhaps,” I replied before I took my leave.
I briskly parted from the Mors group and toward my coven. I had to brush past several drunken witches to get to them, and as soon as they saw me, their eyes went wide with curiosity.
“So?” Faye asked as she leaned forward eagerly. “How did it go with Penelope? We lost you both in the crowd.”
“Well,” I replied, “it was going well until one of the warlocks interrupted me.”
“Bastard,” Akira growled. Her black eyes were glassy, and she was still sipping on her wine.
“What did he want?” Morgana asked before she craned her neck to try and get a better look at the Mors students.
“He just wanted to introduce himself,” I answered.
“Sounds suspicious,” Vesta muttered.
“Shit, Cole,” Faye said as her green-gold eyes went wide with surprise. “Don’t look now, but the Mors Headmaster is headed right for us.”
I cleared my throat and then turned around, just in time to see Headmaster Ravana making his way over to us. He was dressed in a long, white robe with a white mask. His long black beard swayed as he marched over to us, and then his ugly face broke into a smile as he came to a stop in front of me.
“Cole,” he said, “I couldn’t help but notice that my boys were making small talk with you. I hope they were behaving.”
“Yes,” I replied in a cool tone. “They just wanted to introduce themselves.”
“Ahh.” He grinned. “Well, that’s good to hear.”
As he smiled, I noticed his teeth were yellow and gold, and his gums were bloody and covered in blue veins.
“Not to be rude,” I said as I arched an eyebrow, “but did you want to ask me something?”
“As a matter of fact, I did,” he admitted with the same shit-eating grin. “I’d like to invite you to join me for a private dinner. We must let bygones be bygones, yes? How does tomorrow evening sound?”
“Err… ” I blinked and was completely caught off guard. “Sure.”
“Excellent!” he roared as he threw his hands up into the air. “I’ll see you in the Mors quarters around seven sharp, then?”
“Deal.” I nodded.
Headmaster Ravana looked at each witch, and then he narrowed his beady eyes at me, as if he were trying to solve a complicated puzzle.
“Well,” he responded as he cleared his throat. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”
“Thank you,” we all replied.
The headmaster turned on his heels, and we watched him as he returned to his table. Theodora was staring right at me now, and I could have sworn I saw her wink.
“Cole,” Morgana whispered. “Are you sure dinner with that creep is a good idea?”
“No.” I shook my head. “But it’s a great opportunity to find out if he’s up to something.”
As I watched Headmaster Ravana conversing with Theodora, though, there was a growing, sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I couldn’t tell if it was nerves, intuition, or premonition, but I knew I’d find out sooner or later.
Everyone was depending on me.
Chapter 4
After nibbling on strange, exotic dishes and drinking a couple of goblets of thick black wine, I finally decided to head back to my room. I’d had enough for one evening, and my mind was a whirlwind of impending thoughts and never-ending questions. Headmaster Ravana’s invitation had thrown me off guard, and I figured it would be wise to get a decent night’s sleep before tomorrow. Not only would we have another intensive course to prepare us for the final game, but I also wanted to be mentally prepared for anything Ravana might try to throw my way.
So, I slipped away from my coven and allowed them to enjoy the rest of the night, but as soon as I tried to sneak out the doors, I felt someone clamp a hand down on my shoulder. When I spun around, I was face to face with a masked Theodora.
“Cole,” she said softly. “Leaving so soon?”
“Apologies, Headmistress,” I replied. “But I think I’d better get some rest. I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow.”
“Ah, when don’t you?” She winked.
“Good point,” I chuckled under my breath and then stared down at my boots.
“Let me walk you back to your quarters,” she offered.
I nodded before we pushed through the banquet hall doors and then headed down the empty corridors. The music and laughter slowly died behind us, and at first, the headmistress was silent, as if she were waiting for me to initiate conversation. I said nothing, but once we were close to the common room, I finally took the bait and turned to look at her.
“Headmaster Ravana invited me to dine with him tomorrow evening,” I blurted
out as if it were a secret I could no longer keep.
“Is that so?” she asked as she removed her mask, and her perfect porcelain skin reminded me of a doll’s, especially with her rosy lips and cheeks and long black silky eyelashes. Then she tucked a couple of loose strands of dark hair behind her ears and stared into my eyes.
“Did you know?” I questioned with raised eyebrows.
“No.” She shook her head. “But I had a feeling he might ask something of you.”
“Well, what do you advise?” I questioned. “Should I go? I already said I would.”
“You must certainly go.” She nodded without hesitation.
We both stood there in front of the doors that led to the common room, and it took me a long moment before I asked her the ultimate question.
“What if it’s a trap?”
Her face broke into a small smile, and then she softly chuckled under her breath.
“You’re clever, Cole,” she replied. “Wise beyond your years. You would be a fool not to consider the possibility that it’s a trap, but you’re just going to have to take that chance.”
“That’s what I figured,” I muttered as I rubbed my brow.
It has been a long day. I could feel a throbbing headache pounding against my temples, and my mouth was feeling dry as if my tongue was made out of sandpaper. I desperately needed rest, but not before I asked her another question. So, I opened my mouth to speak, but she raised a hand to cut me off before I could get one more word out.
“I can sense your exhaustion,” Theodora commented. “Go now and rest… I should be returning to the banquet hall anyway.”
“Err, Headmistress,” I said quickly before she could turn around. “Before you go, I need to ask you for something first, unrelated to Headmaster Ravana.”
“Of course.” She nodded. “What is it?”
“I would like each witch of my coven to have her own room,” I said. “They deserve a reward after everything they’ve done for the school, don’t you think?”
For a split second, the headmistress looked bemused as she took a small step back. Then she stared long and hard at me before she burst out into laughter.
Scholomance 4 Page 5