by CY Jones
“The hell he does,” I shout. “I want nothing to do with him. I don’t care that we share blood.”
“I’m sorry, but you don’t have a choice now that the Council is aware of your existence and is involved. You’re Morganstein’s only heir. You will inherit all that is his, and since he’s your father, it’s his decision of who you can mate.”
“Oh hell no,” I shout. “I don’t want anything of his. I don’t care who’s involved or how powerful the Council is. He’ll never be able to tell me what to do. I’d rather die than listen to him. I wish he would try to tell me who I can mate. Even if it kills me, I’ll fight him and take him to the Underworld with me.”
“I’m sorry, poppet, but it’s not that simple. No one is more powerful than the Council, which is the reason why they govern us. I told you before that even if it doesn’t seem like it, there are still rules, laws, we mages have to follow, and the Council are the ones to adhere and enforce those laws. All actions have consequences, my dear. In this case, you’ll have to play along. For now, at least,” he rushes to say, seeing the look on my face. “You shouldn’t worry. You’re not the only one who has to watch what they do. Now that everything's out in the open, Lord Morganstein will have to think twice before coming after you again.”
“And I can’t come after him,” I realize, disgusted. “Hey, why did you just call that bastard a lord?” I ask, confused.
“Because he is one. He was born from a family of nobility and lives secluded in his own manner in England.”
“Doesn’t matter. Royalty or not, do you really think I’ll allow him to keep Quinn’s soul? He’s still my brother no matter how many relatives come out of the woodwork claiming to be related to me. He’s the one I bonded with, grew up with. I will right the wrongs of what happened that night. Right now, there’s a crazy fae king running around in his body, and it’s all my fault. I owe it to Quinn to right everything.”
“I’m not saying you can’t. You just have to be smart about it when you do. No one knows that Quinn is dead except for the parties involved, which is good because if the Council ever found out what you did, you’d be arrested and taken in for judgement. If that happens, no one can save you.”
I’m quiet. Thinking hard about this new dilemma I find myself in. I can’t just full-out go after Morganstein. I’ll have to bide my time. Play the game and get stronger. Luckily, I have something to distract me. This damn war. I wonder where the guys are? Did they finally have enough of my bullshit and leave? Playing nursemaid isn’t their MO. Well, maybe Oliver’s since he’s a healer, but not the rest. Especially that jerk Zion. I don’t know what was up with him that day in class, but there’s no way in hell he’s actually interested in me.
“Where are the other heirs?” I finally ask, my curiosity getting the better of me.
“I made them go to class. After your familiar woke, I knew it wouldn’t be long until you would wake as well, and I wanted to speak with you privately.”
“Mr. Meow,” I perk up. “Where is he?”
Hearing his name, a hissing sound fills the room before a dark shadow jumps off my skin and I scream, “What the hell?” as I back into the bedframe. The dark shadow grows bigger until there’s a huge panther with a shiny midnight black coat kneeling on its hind legs in front of me. The only thing that resembles my annoying feline is his bright green eyes.
“Mr. Meow,” I say unsure, and he lets out a toothy roar in answer.
“What the hell happened to my cat?” I ask my new grandpa, who isn’t at all surprised to see the panther or the fact that it just peeled itself off my skin like Razz, Kirito’s anaconda.
“The more powerful you grow, so does your familiar. While in his cat form, you were both developing. The more of your magic you were able to tap into, the deeper your well of power becomes, simultaneously feeding power to your familiar, and as a result he also grew. A familiar is nothing more than a vessel of your magic. To hold the abundance of magic you were feeding him, it was necessary for him to change forms.”
“So all that crazy shit he did before was a result of the power that was dormant inside me?” I ask incredulously.
“Exactly,” he nods. “Although, I don’t know the extent of it. I only heard bits and pieces from the other heirs.”
“Then how is he able to come on and off my skin? He never did that before.”
“Your bond is fully complete now. He’ll have to rest on your skin from time to time until he’s fully adjusted, but soon, he’ll be able to roam freely as before.”
I make a face thinking about just that. “I’m doubtful you’ll want a giant panther prowling around campus.” But… oh, all the possibilities. Like Razz, he can literally eat people now. We still owe some well deserved payback to that skank Violet. I haven’t forgotten she played a part in that fake father of mine plot to murder me or that she kicked Mr. Meow across the room when he was still the size of a house cat. I bet that bitch wouldn’t try to kick him now in his current form. She’d be scared shitless of getting her foot bitten off.
“Just because he’s this size now doesn’t mean he has to stay that way. He can now shift between the two at his own accord, so if you want him to take his cat form, all you have to do is ask,” Grandfather explains.
Yeah, right. Mr. Meow is a true cat and barely listens to me. But I don’t say that out loud. I’m sure he already knows that. “Since my mom was the voodoo priestess in the family, what are you? All I know is that you can read auras and have telekinesis.”
“I do remember telling you that’s a rude question to ask,” he says, raising a bushy white brow.
“I’m sorry, but it’s not everyday you learn you have a grandfather like the cool wizard in Harry Potter.”
“Harry Potter… really? What hogwash.”
“You take that back,” I gasp, holding my hand to my heart. I’m seriously wounded here. He laughs and a huge smile crosses his smooth face. Shouldn’t someone his age have wrinkles?
“Besides what you named, I can dreamwalk, hence our family name, teleport, but only to places I’ve already been. I have control over the wind, and I can build a parallel world and send people there for a limited time.”
“Say what?” I question, eyes wide. I knew he was powerful, but h-o-l-y s-h-i-t. He makes my ability to control people look like a walk in the park. “How come I can’t do any of those things? I mean, I can see auras, but they are all fuzzy, and I don’t have a lick of elemental magic in me.”
“From what I heard about your familiar, I suspect you also have control over wind, you just never actually tried to use it. Remember when he gathered your breaths to breathe for the young Choi?” he reminds me.
“Yeah, but that was Mr. Meow’s doing, not mine.”
“It was still your power. He could only use what you already have. Also, he helped guide you to a parallel world in class when Morganstein went after your father. Unfortunately, Lord Morganstein also has that power and was able to transport you in a parallel world within a parallel world.”
“Sounds complicated. I don’t know how Mr. Meow hijacked my body and did all that crazy stuff. I don’t even know if I’ll be able to do it on my own. I’m so out of my depth,” I murmur, discouraged. How am I going to take Morganstein down if I can’t even figure out my own powers? I’m like a ticking bomb waiting to go off with a broken timer and unsteady fuse. Maybe I’ll explode, maybe I won’t.
“You’ll get there,” he says, patting me on the shoulder. “You have me. I can help train you now that everything is out in the open. It’s not just you trying to figure it out alone anymore.”
I look up into his dark grey eyes so different from my hazel and a familiar warmth shines on me. My father may not have been my blood, but he raised me. No matter if I was forced on him or not, he loved me. That same love shines now in my grandfather’s eyes, and it comforts me. “I’d like that,” I tell him honestly.
“Great,” he says, clapping his hands. “I have something I nee
d to take care of, but I’ll be back. Why don’t you rest some more? You’ll need it once you’re all cleared to return to class.”
“Okay,” I agree, suddenly tired. My mind is in emotional overload filled with so much new information. I could use some more sleep. I need to take care of myself and gather my strength. I’ll get through this, and like my grandfather said, I’m not alone anymore. When I’m a hundred percent again, I’ll be more knowledgeable and can properly play my role. I’ll learn from my mistakes, and this time it’ll be me who opens the gates and lets all hell break loose.
Chapter 2
Zion
It has been a week since Angelica woke up from her coma. Seven whole days since the last time I saw her. For whatever reason, the headmaster has been keeping her from us, or maybe it’s at her request. We didn’t exactly leave on the best of terms. As much as I wanted to give into her request and turn back time to save her brother, I couldn’t. The ramifications of meddling with time for such a reason would have been disastrous. I’ve always known with this power that I had to respect the flow of time. Keep the balance that was entrusted to me. I cannot, for any reason, change or alter death. If it were that easy, I would have done so for myself and saved my sister. Unlike my hot-headed little harlequin, I’m not reckless. But even still, I could never forget that agonizing look on her face. The pain she must have felt still haunts my dreams. I’m not as cold-hearted as everyone thinks. I know exactly what that sort of pain feels like, which is why I’m aloof and guarded. My own father has tried to kill me numerous times, succeeding with my sister. I would give anything to have her back.
“You should pay attention,” Violet says beside me. Annoyed, a growl starts low in my throat, and I fight back telling her what I really think about her opinion.
I should have killed her when we fought. I’m not dumb. I knew all along she was here on my father’s orders to spy on me. I only let her live because I felt sorry for her. She’s nothing but a pawn. An insignificant piece my father moves across the board in hopes of opening up an advantage to trump me. He doesn’t care about her well-being or if she’s collateral damage. Her death would not have hurt or changed his plans, so I didn’t bother dirtying my hands with her foul blood. If I would have killed her, I would only be playing into his hands. By keeping her alive, I’m shouting loud and clear that I do not care who he sends to spy on me because I’m not afraid of him.
I just wish she would get a clue and see I want nothing to do with her. Her deluded dreams of us mating is just that, a delusion. I’ll never marry her now that I know her true character and have told her this time and time again. I don’t care what her father is blackmailing mine with. If she thinks I hold him in enough regard to marry her to save face, then she’s a bigger fool than I took her for.
“You should mind your business and stop talking to me. I don’t even know why you’re still here. The jig is up. You’re not fooling anyone, not like you did in the first place. You should go back to my father and beg for forgiveness for being such a failure.”
My words are harsh but true, and I wasn’t quiet in delivering them. Some in class snicker while others whisper behind her back. By the end of the day, everyone in this school will know how I really feel about Violet Bishop.
Not like it should be news. When Vi came back here, I made it no secret that I wanted nothing to do with her, nor did I deny the rumors circulating around that my sudden change of heart was due to Angelica. The rumor mill is what keeps this school going and is right only half of the time. As of late, the gossiping assholes here have been busy. Because of Angelica’s absence, some say Quinn got tired of sharing her with the other heirs and killed her. If you ask me, that theory is just plain stupid since they all heard by now that she’s Morganstein’s only heir and the headmaster’s granddaughter. They know she was moved to a private cabin so that he can train her in private. The mages here are all nuisances when they are bored, lacking any imagination, yet they enjoy making shit up.
I hope she recovers soon. There’s still a war going on. Even after yesterday’s fight, so far, we have been lucky. With just five mages and four Champions, we’ve been at a huge disadvantage. We only lucked out because most of the academies in this war have been going at it alone and our strategy was to assassinate them before they received Champions. Yesterday, we took out Breaking Dawn Academy, but not without complications. Oliver was severely injured. Right now, his twin, Ryker, is standing in his place in class, seated a couple of rows ahead of me with Mr. Hoffman, our Magical Element teacher none the wiser. On the outside, the twins are identical, and he’s too self-absorbed to read the difference in their magical signatures.
The war will be coming to an end soon. The last academy left is extremely strong and unfortunately have all their pieces on the board. We need Angelica in fighting shape with her mind intact. I know I’ve mocked her constantly about the state of her sanity, but now, I’m not being an asshole when I say I’m not sure she’s all there with her mourning her brother. Quinn’s death could not have come at the worst of times. The blow made deeper since it was her hand that killed him.
Midway through class, the door slams open and my angel, dark as the night she was born, steps through with a snarling panther by her side. Gasps ring throughout the class, along-side shocked expressions over the radical change in her familiar and probably her too. She’s here, alive, when everyone believed she was dead, buried in the ground somewhere.
With a low groan, I shift in my seat, controlling my dick. She looks hot wearing a black hooded dress that falls high on her toned thighs with an oversize pocket in the front shaped like a cat. Sheer thigh-high stockings cover her legs, and I get even harder just looking at them. On her feet are buckled boots, half-way done tied with a big bow and tiny jingle bells hanging from the laces. Her dark brown locks are covered, but my ears catch the sound of another bell tied somewhere in her hair, jingling to a different tune than the ones on her person. The hood conceals her face and her lovely bright hazel eyes, but I imagine, like her, they’re blazing with a radiant light. But it’s those plush lips of hers I focus on currently tilted downward in a frown.
I only need one guess as to why she’s upset, and she proves me correct when she stalks over in my direction, stopping at the desk Violet is currently sitting in. I guess the headmaster failed to inform her that Vi is still alive and is stupid enough to still attend school here.
“Violet,” she growls coldly. Her voice is so dark and dangerous, it makes even me shiver.
“What is it, reject? Don’t you see I’m busy?”
I’ve always known Violet was more beauty than brains, and her response proves her stupidity has no bounds, because there’s no way in Tartarus I’d insult anyone who significantly outclasses me in power unless I knew I could take them. Don’t get me wrong, I bow down to no one, but I wouldn’t give them cause to come after me.
Nonplussed by Vi’s iditoic response, she narrows her gaze on her. “You remember my familiar, don't you?” she says, flicking her eyes to the panther beside her before giving Violet a terrifying smile.
“Yeah, what of it?” Vi huffs. She’s putting up a good front, but I catch the tremble in her voice. Starting to get the picture of the predicament her dumbass put herself in, she glances over at me for help, which I, of course, ignore. Like the rest of class, I’m riveted and curious to see what the voodoo princess will do next. I doubt Angelica will make a scene for me, but her familiar is another story. Angelica is very unpredictable. She reacts without rhyme or reason. I’m good at reading people, but she has always been a mystery to me.
“He’s not a small, little kitty cat you can kick around anymore. In fact, I still owe you from the last time. Slamming you against the wall was not enough for what you did.”
“As I explained to the headmaster, it was a jerk reaction. I did not intend to do your familiar any harm.”
“Ha,” she laughs. “What a brilliant liar you are. You know, my familiar isn’t the only
thing you owe me for.” She slams her palms on her desk and Vi jumps, scared shitless, holding in a scream. Leaning in closer, she whispers in a low voice only I and Vi can hear, “I also owe you for Quinn. I don’t know how you did it, but I know it was because of you Morganstein was able to control him.”
“What are you talking about? I have nothing to do with your family drama,” Vi twiddles off nervously.
Straightening, Angelica frowns. “Your poker face sucks. I wouldn’t take up playing cards, if I were you,” she spouts and the class laughs. Everyone is attuned to this spectacle, even Mr. Hoffman, who hasn’t attempted to break them up and has his ear turned this way as he stands up front at the podium.
Brave or stupid. I don’t know which when Vi’s replies, “Shouldn’t you be asking your father about Quinn? You know, the real one and not that harlequin faker who raised you?”
Definitely stupid.
A ripple of power circles the room before it surrounds Angelica in a purple and blue haze. Her eyes glow through her hood and she leans forward and curls her fingers on Violet’s desk. “You’re poison. I’m tempted to feed you to my familiar, but I love him too much to feed him rotten food. Instead, I’m going to make your life hell. Every move you make, I’ll be watching. I’ll haunt your dreams until you’re crying, begging for death, and even then, I won’t grant your request because Quinn will be back, more powerful than before, and he will be the one to end you. Demolish you. And trust me, sweetheart, anything he does to you will make me look like a fucking saint.”
If Vi thought she was getting off easy with just a threat, she should think again. With just a lazy flick of Angelica’s fingers, she’s pulled out of her seat by invisible hands and goes careening toward the brick wall, hitting it face first with a sickening slap. She’s unconscious as she moans, sliding unceremoniously to the floor.