"That’s it?" I ask as he tries to make his exit, his back to me now. I feel like the very light of the world is leaving me, and I will say anything to keep it here. "You have nothing else to say to me? I don’t get why you possibly ruined what I have with someone else for this stupid meeting. You told me nothing."
"But you told me everything." His eyes are burning bright when he turns around, and they appear more like ice crystals than the deep oceanic pools they resembled before. "Everything I needed to know right now. And you can’t ruin something that isn’t there to begin with."
I never thought I would be looking at an angel as he tries to convince me not to be with someone because he wants me. "Are you saying what I think you are?" I ask him, and I almost wish I could take it back. "We hardly know each other, and you’re on the Magistrate."
"So, does that mean I cannot have feelings? I cannot be intrigued by someone?"
"I am not an experiment," I hiss out, not liking his choice of words. I am not a specimen, and he makes me feel like that. "I am a person."
"No, Riley, that is the one thing you are not anymore. You are more like me than you are like them." His eyes are full of water. Is he going to cry? Is an angel going to cry? Then, one bloody tear slides down his face, and I gasp.
"Are you a demon?"
He twists up his face as if in agony. "No, of course not. Demons are not the only ones who cry blood. After all, demons and angels are made from the same material. It’s just a difference of perspective. It will all be better and make more sense once you know the truth." It seems more like he is talking to himself instead of me. "Until then, just focus on your classes and keep your friends close. You’re going to need them."
With that, he is gone, and I am left to wonder how in the world I just made an angel cry and how I am going to force my heart to let one of the men I care about go because even though it hasn’t been that long, it is like they have both carved out a spot to live inside and I have no rights to evict them.
I go up to my room as slowly as I can. When I pass the windows, I see that the sun is coming up outside. Not that it will do much for the blanket of white covering the lawn. There will be no eating outside now. I will have to face the whole student body. But that suddenly seems easier than facing what is waiting for me in my room now.
I stand in front of the door, just listening to see if anyone is even in there. Jinx is missing from my bag which I hadn’t noticed when I was trying to get Adriel out of there, so my suspicions are that he hightailed it with Jake who grabbed my luggage during the commotion as well. But that doesn’t mean anyone is in my room waiting for me now. And how could I blame them?
Jake has probably had enough of my drama even if it’s entertaining at times, and I probably hurt Kagan’s feelings beyond repair. He would have just gone back to his room and decided to have nothing to do with me anymore. He could get any girl he wanted here anyway.
But I can hear faint voices, though I can’t make out what they are talking about, so I knock lightly on the door. I don’t want to catch them off guard in case they are having some kind of bro-ish conversation.
When the door opens, Jinx is laying down in my bed, up against Jake’s back for warmth. It’s funny how that cat likes everyone more than he likes me.
"Really, Jinx?" I ask him, shaking my head. I try not to meet Kagan’s eyes. He is on the floor, sitting against my bed, something in his hands that he is running between his fingers like a nervous tick. I can’t tell what it is from here.
Jake stands and comes to give me a hug. "It’s good to have you back, but I think the two of you need to talk."
I open my mouth to argue but them snap it shut. He is more than right. We do need to talk even if I am dreading what might come out my mouth.
The truth is not going to set me free here.
The tension sucks as soon as Jake closes the door, and Jinx moves onto the other guy in the room, sitting in his lap. I watch the way Kagan slowly pets him from head to tail over and over until he is purring and content, and it makes me smile. How can I allow him to escape my life? No matter in what capacity, he has to stay. I have to convince him that I am worth sticking around with.
"Look," I start, but he looks up and paralyzes me with his amber eyes. They are almost amused, and it leaves me out of breath. Apparently, I have quite the weakness for cute boys. I guess the ones back in New Mexico just weren’t cute enough for me.
"I wanted to meet you here so I could kiss you again and give you this." He holds up what he has been holding in his hands to show me it is a necklace. It is pearls the color of the ocean, and I wonder if they are real. "It reminds me of home, the coast, and I thought it would look nice on you."
I almost want to cry at the notion that I deserve to wear something that makes him feel like home. We have barely scratched the surface of our potential together, and it could already be ending. I see the devotion behind everything he is doing, and it breaks my heart as he tries to wriggle himself out of the space he has permanently made in there. "It’s beautiful, Kagan," is all I can say, but he gets up, moving my hair and coming behind me where he proceeds to clasp it on me. I guess it is a good sign, and yet there is a sadness in his movements.
"When I first saw you and sensed you, I knew you were something special. I wanted to be close to you, and I didn’t know why. I tried to impress you, knowing you were a Graywood. I thought that would be my in with you. They are the aristocrats of the witch world, after all. But then I got to see that it wasn’t you at all, and it made me like you even more for being different. You go against everything that could be said about you, and it means I am never bored. I should have expected there would be someone else interested in you. Hell, I expected a lot of other guys to have an interest in you. I just didn’t realize it was going to be...him."
I tun around and shake my head, my hands up in the air and then slapping down to my sides. "I don’t know how to handle this. I have never had a boy like me like this. I have never really dated. I didn’t expect anyone to like me here, not even to have any friends. You should know I didn’t believe that Adriel had any feelings for me until today. And I still don’t know that it means anything. He is a member of the Magistrate and an angel. I am a Blood Witch."
The side of his mouth quirks up. "I love the way you are trying to convince me that there is no one but me even though we have only gone on one date,” he says.
But for me, it stings.
"If that’s how you feel, then just go. It’s no big deal then." I go to my bed and fall down on it, staring at the blank ceiling. When I don’t hear the door, I call out, "Why are you still here?"
I feel the bed indent a little, telling me he is sitting down on the edge of it. "Because it is a big deal. I don’t know when or how it became a big deal, but I feels strongly about you. I feel ready to fight. And there is more than one way to do that."
I roll my eyes dramatically and flip over, not understanding why he is trying to justify this for me at all. "This is stupid. You should just go date someone else. I am absolutely wrong for you."
"Maybe that’s exactly why I like you." Hs smile is sly as he slinks up the bed, and I freeze. The deer in headlights look must be attractive though because soon his lips are on mine, his hand sliding down my hair to my neck and cupping it there while the kiss deepens. I could never breathe again, and it would be okay.
He pulls away too soon, and I find myself clinging to his black tendrils. "What were you saying about fighting?"
He laughs and lays back on the bed with me as I make room, still breathing heavily form our kiss. "It’s good to know I affect you like that," he says, avoiding the question.
"You didn’t answer me."
He turns over, and I do the same so our eyes are level with each other. "I'm going to let it go. If he wants you and you want him, then have what you can have. I have no hope against an angel, but maybe if you fall for us both, I get to keep you."
Then, he leaves me with a kiss
to each cheek and exits the room, me still staring at the door and wondering what universe I have landed in where I am being offered the chance to date two amazing, mysterious, sexy guys at once.
Chapter 15
Katy Lawson is the bane of my existence.
Things have been way different since I got back to Paranormal Hunter Academy, and I don’t know if it is because I am more determined than ever to find my path in this life or if it has to do with the fact that I have been seen publicly with Kagan more than once. We aren’t flaunting something all the time, not the type to be with each other all hours of the day every day, but we have been a little more open about being together. It doesn’t help that his kisses tempt me every time so that I crave them. I can’t stay away for long even when I argue he is a distraction when I am supposed to be getting better at my magic.
In some areas, I have improved. I am at the top of my class in History of Magical Species and have done well for myself in Psychic Magic, something my father was known for. My body is even getting a little more used to the athletic part of it. I am able to run without getting tired, having learned to breathe properly. But I am still not ready to master a battle.
And yet, that is exactly what we are doing today. We are practicing one on one combat, just shadowing a fake weapon. It is supposed to be a beginner trial, nothing that should get us hurt, but the partner I have I think is more than happy to break the rules if it means seeing me hurt.
Her name is Katy, and she is a second year like Jake. I never paid her much mind before Yule break, and she didn’t pay any attention to me either. I thought it would remain much the same now, but that was wrong.
I share two classes with her; Psychic Magic and Hunter Athletics, and they have both become the worst part of my day for this reason. It’s not that I believe anything she says about me, trying to bring me down, it’s more of the fact that her hatred is non-stop. Even when the room is silent and she is on the other end I can feel her radiating disgust at me, and I can’t figure out what has shifted.
I am not gifted enough right now to bother going after me over my powers, and if she had trouble with the energy around me due to the demon blood, then she would have had an issue before as well.
Even though she hasn’t mentioned it, my guess is that it has something to do with Kagan. I am not blind to the fact that a lot of girls swoon over him. Many are after him because they think he will eventually be a part of the Magistrate. There is something that has gotten into their heads that makes them believe they are going to have fame, riches, and a beautiful life living as a wife to someone on the Magistrate. I can guarantee it isn’t so glamorous, especially with the way Kagan talks about his father being gone all the time, never allowed to spend time with his family.
It also doesn’t hurt that he’s rich. It doesn’t matter much to me, and not just because being a Graywood means there will always be money in the bank. I like him for who he is and couldn’t care less whether or not either if us has money or some high society status I have never cashed in on my entire life.
News flash: my parents had boat loads of money and still died young and sad.
Now, I am paired with this Katy girl for sparring, and I am not looking forward to the first move from either of us. She is dancing around me in circles, crouched low and ready to strike. She has this strange smile on her face that contorts it and makes her look insane as she continues to taunt me with her movements. I could probably hold my own against her if I needed to. She isn’t particularly strong, but I am more concerned about getting in trouble than I am about seeing her shut up once and for all.
How do her friends put up with this kind of behavior?
Or her family?
Maybe they are the ones that taught her to treat people this way. There is some power to be had in this world for bullies if they look hard enough.
"Riley Graywood, the perfect little goth whose parents died martyrs," she chants at me in a mocking voice. My face goes hot, and it isn’t with embarrassment this time. I take deep breaths, focusing on the up and down motion of my chest Controlling my emotions is much better to focus on right now than what she is saying to me. Even if it gets me a black eye, it will keep me from hurting everyone on this field in an emotional outburst. I think I got lucky with the photo incident and that what is hidden inside my blood can do a lot more damage than just scatter pictures everywhere.
"What’s your problem with me, Katy?" I ask her point blank, trying a new strategy since ignoring her isn’t doing any good. "I haven’t ever done anything to you. You don’t like me, fine, go back to ignoring me. But right now, we have an assignment and I would like to get a good grade," I reason with her.
She makes good grades; she must be a smart girl. She understands, right?
"Why does it even matter to you? Can’t you just buy good grades? Or maybe you don’t even need to buy them, you can just ask for them since your last name can get you whatever you want, even in bed," she sneers. A pair closest to us have stopped to look at us, probably thinking some kind of smack down is about to happen. But I want to shut this down before it gets to that point. I don’t want a fight on my record. I have the most to lose.
"You have no idea what you’re talking about, but I am sorry you feel that way. We don’t have to be friends, but can we at least agree that we need to get this assignment done and move on. Then, we can ask Coach Grenaldi to never pair us up again. I bet that would make you feel better."
"What makes you think he would do that for you, are you sleeping with him too? You do seem to have a thing for teachers." The girls that are watching us snicker, and I am livid. This is about Kagan, and I don’t know how much more crap I am willing to take for it. Not that I would ever break up with him over something like this. The drama isn’t his fault. But I need to find a way to make the rumor mill stop before it spirals out of control.
"If you mean Kagan, my boyfriend, he is a student here. He just helps out. He's not a teacher. Not yet." I want to add that we are not sleeping together, but I gather that is likely private information. I am proud to have kept my virginity this long, but there might be more consequences for both of us if it gets out that we haven’t had a roll in the hay yet. I guess witches are all about the same things human cliques are.
"So, you admit it, then? That you are sleeping with people to get what you want?"
I shake my head. I am not getting through to her, so I decide to walk away. She isn’t worth it. I can talk to Coach Grinaldi after classes are over about this. Maybe I can switch my schedule or come in with Jake to show him what I can do with this fake combat shit. I am not playing any more games with Katy Lawson.
"You’re only walking away because you're a disgrace to the very name you throw around in bed, you power slut. You can’t even do proper magic. If your parents were alive, they would kill themselves so they wouldn’t have to see what shame you are bringing to them."
I turn around at her stinging words, narrowing my eyes at her. When I feel the wind pick up around me, blowing my hair wild in my face, I am aware that I am starting to get out of control. The light is pounding down on me, a headache forming in my temples. It’s like I could explode at any moment and hellfire would burst forth from my skin. This is the temper I have tried to quell over the past several months, and she just found an on switch that can’t be turned off.
It’s like watching myself from high above as I look at her and tell her, "Take it back, Katy. Bringing my parents into this is beyond cruel. It doesn’t matter what you think of me, you should respect the dead."
I see it coming as if in slow motion. At the same time, she utters the words, "Make me," I watch her build some kind of magic in her hand, an ice ball I think. I am not going to let this come to a physical fight.
I reach down and grasp her arm, using just a little bit of magic to make sure I am strong enough to hold her. I want her to let the spell go, but instead, she screams.
The pressure that was on my head is gone in one m
oment, and I see something traveling between us, making a horrible ripping sound I can feel in my blood. I can’t seem to unlatch from her as I am scorched like I have stuck my hand in a socket, and the right side of my body erupts in heat. Pieces of my hair fall to the ground, and burns appear both on and under the surface of Katy’s skin.
The screaming from the other students comes into focus, and then I am screaming, finally able to let go of her. Katy falls to the ground, and I look at my fingers as if they are weapons of mass destruction. Which, apparently, they are.
I am babbling, making no sense as the coach comes to check on us both before having some of the other kids lead Katy off the field. She can hardly walk and is whimpering. I don’t know how I am still standing, but I am trembling as I go back inside the school to wait in my room. I don’t know what else to do with myself.
As soon as I am inside with the door locked I send an SOS to both Jake and Kagan before looking down to see the only sign left that anything happened to me is the stands of stinking, burnt hair dangling from the right side of my head.
I go to the bathroom and look at myself in the mirror, seeing that the only hair to salvage on that side is black and short, cropped to my earlobe. The rest of it is just what didn’t fall off already of the damaged pieces.
I use magic with shaking hands to even up the cut so it looks like one side is shorter on purpose. It’s the best I can do for now. Then, I turn on the shower and step inside, my clothes still on, cold water pouring over me as I crouch in the fetal position. I didn’t want to be a monster and never thought it would be so easy to be one. I was only trying to stop her, but my anger took over. What even was that spell?
I have no idea. I haven’t been good enough with psychic magic yet to figure it all out. That is much more advanced than even anyone in my class. I wonder if it was demon power.
I could ask professor Jorgens, but I don’t even know if I am going to get a chance to see him again. Or anyone. This is exactly the kind of trouble the Magistrate would want me to avoid, and less than a year in, I have failed.
Blood Witch (Paranormal Hunter Academy Book 1) Page 10