by G. K. DeRosa
It took a second for my brain to process what had happened. Everyone was frozen except for the prince and me. Somehow he’d saved me.
“Duck, now, Luna!” His shrill words kick started my brain, and I dropped to the ground as everything was once again set in motion.
Cinder screamed, and all the students spun toward us.
“I’m okay,” I hissed at her from the ground.
Her mouth dropped, her dark brows knitting as she looked me over. “How’d you get down there?”
I pushed myself off the floor and searched the neighboring stall for Drake, but he was gone.
Brushing the dirt off my jeans, I loosed a breath. “I think I’ve had about enough for today.”
Zeus pawed at the gate, his heavy hoof thumping on the wood.
“We’ll continue this some other time, hellion.” I grabbed my backpack off the ground and swung it over my shoulder. “I’ll see you back in the dorm, Cinder. Tell Mrs. Thornberry I didn’t feel well or something.”
“But Luna!”
I practically sprinted out of the barn, ignoring Cinder’s shouts. Invisible iron bands wrapped around my chest, and if I didn’t get some fresh air I was fairly sure I’d explode. A chilly wind blasted my cheeks the moment I set foot outside. It was like tiny pinpricks on my skin, but it felt damned good.
As I trudged through the snow back to the dorms, the suffocating feeling relented, replaced by icy numbness. My first day was a complete disaster. How was I ever going to survive an entire semester? Or year?
Chapter 10
It had been an entire freakin’ month and not a tiny shred of magic had emerged. On the bright side, I was still alive and somehow successfully navigating life at Darkhen. Clutching my Defensive Magic book under my arm, I hurried to class. Since I couldn’t actually perform any magic, I spent most of my time studying theories and memorizing spells I’d never get to use.
“Hey, Luna girl.” An arm came around my shoulder, and Ash’s burnt kindling scent closed in around me. “You ready for class?” He was the only one of The Seven who was friendly, and I was pretty sure it was because Cinder was his cousin and she made him.
“Nope.”
“Just try to put up a little bit of a fight today, huh?”
I rolled my eyes at him and squirmed out from under his arm as we reached the classroom as he chuckled. I did kind of feel bad for him since he got stuck with me as his partner. I didn’t know what Professor Malindra was thinking.
I wouldn’t really call Ash and I great friends, but we did talk. There’d been a question on the tip of my tongue I’d been meaning to ask for a few days now. The other morning I’d been up early before class, and I’d seen him and the rest of The Seven led by Ryder skulk out into the forest. My curiosity piqued, I’d spied on them for the next few mornings noting the same pattern. I told myself it had nothing to do with stalking a certain dark-haired, off-limits instructor. Lie.
“So, Ash, where do you and the other Sev—and your friends go with Ryder in the mornings?”
The dragon shifter’s emerald eyes flinched before returning to normal. “Special project we’re working on with Ryder. You’re not missing out on anything, trust me.”
Something about his clipped tone told me I wasn’t getting more info on the topic. So I held my tongue for now.
When we walked into the classroom, the space had been cleared of all the desks and a red circular mat sat in the center. Oh great, it was one of those days… The professor had already warned us we’d face each other one-on-one in a defensive magic test, but I didn’t think it would be so soon.
She clapped her hands, and all the students lumbering around the circle went silent. “Today’s the day, my dears. You’ll finally be able to show us what you’ve learned so far in an epic display of your defensive talents.”
Epic? More like disastrous.
The classroom door swung open, and Cillian and Ryder sauntered in. Ugh. I swung my hair forward, hoping I could hide behind the blonde curtain.
A rush of excitement swirled through the air as everyone murmured anxiously at the unexpected arrival of the headmaster. I was the exact opposite of excited—more like mortified for him to witness my impressive failure.
Professor Malindra motioned to Cillian and Ryder. “As you can see, we have a few special guests with us today.”
Cillian gave a curt nod to the class and Ryder wiggled his fingers, which incited an eruption of giggles from the female population. His gaze slowly moved to mine, and when our eyes locked, a familiar tingle zipped up my spine. He mouthed “good luck,” and I rewarded him with my most dramatic eye roll. He knew very well I was going to fail miserably. Combat, his class, was the only one out of the five I wasn’t failing. And it was because it didn’t rely purely on magical skill.
“All right then, shall we get started?”
A chorus of excited yeses rang out behind me. All I wanted to do was hide behind Ash, but he’d somehow managed to place us front and center.
A chill scurried up my spine, and I spun around to meet the cause of it nose-to-nose. Drake hovered right behind me, and I was forced to take a step back into Ash to avoid making out with him.
“Sorry,” he muttered.
That was the extent of our conversations these days. We never spoke about him saving my life when my crazy unipeg, Zeus, tried to gore me. I attempted to thank him once, but he blew it off like it had never happened. So I did the same.
Professor Malindra cleared her throat, drawing my attention to the front of the class. Glancing down at her tablet, she marked something off. “Instead of battling your partners, today you will face someone new. We don’t want you getting too comfortable now, do we?”
I groaned louder than intended, and a few of my classmates snickered. Great, with my luck I’d get Raine, and she’d accidentally maim me.
“Guess you’re really going to have to step up your game today,” whispered Ash, his emerald eyes twinkling.
“I hope you get your ass kicked,” I hissed.
He chuckled, wrapping his arm around me again. “Remember what we practiced. You know all the spells, you just have to feel them.”
Feel, shmeel. I didn’t ever feel anything but a gaping emptiness inside me. I didn’t have any magic, and I doubted I ever would. Maybe they’d send me home at the end of the semester when they realized I was a half-blood dud. At least I’d get to see Jay.
Professor Malindra called the first set of names—Raine and Aeria. That would be an interesting match; watching the uber-powerful besties battle it out should definitely provide some entertainment.
By the wicked twitch of Drake’s lips on the other side of Ash, I guessed he felt the same.
“Aeria, you attack first and Raine you must defend yourself using only your powers. I’m not looking for physical displays of strength, ladies. And remember, if you step beyond the mat, you automatically fail the exercise.” The professor stepped out of the red circle of death. “And begin.”
Before Malindra’s mouth was fully closed, an ethereal melody filled the air. Aeria’s nostrils flared, her lips pressed in a tight line as her chest rose and fell with the tune. My head began to spin, a dense fog clouding my senses and I latched onto Ash before my knees buckled. Damn siren’s song.
“Copertum!” Professor Malindra threw her hands up, and a golden bubble surrounded the two girls. The unearthly tune cut off, and the haze over my brain began to lift.
“You okay, kid?” Ryder was suddenly at my side, taking Ash’s place to steady me.
I straightened, crossing my arms over my chest. “Yeah, I’m fine. I should’ve seen that one coming.”
“Have you been working on your mental block?” Since I hadn’t been able to spark any real abilities, Ryder had me practicing blocking out others’ powers. It sounded good in theory, but the supes were just too strong.
“I’ve been trying, but even Cinder’s measly powers can break through.”
“Maybe we’ll have to a
rrange some one-on-one training.” He shot me a wicked grin, and my insides clenched. Man, why did he still have that effect on me? I’d thought after a month of spending time with the real Ryder as opposed to the one I’d been crushing on from the TV show, I would’ve gotten over the lusty feelings by now. But no such luck. Every time I saw him with Ms. Sexy Succubus I wanted to vomit.
A bright flash of light yanked my attention back to the battling divas. I looked up in time to see Aeria and her neon blue hair fly through the air and crash into the far wall before crumpling to the floor. Ouch!
The golden bubble around Raine disappeared, and she stepped out of the circle with a triumphant smile.
“Well done,” said Professor Malindra, patting her on the shoulder.
“That girl is an animal,” whispered Ryder. “Were you watching? Did you see how she broke through Aeria’s song?”
My head bobbed up and down. I couldn’t tell him I was too distracted by him to pay attention. Even if I had, I’d never be able to replicate what she’d done.
A few of The Seven gathered around Aeria and helped her up. Raf snaked his arm around her waist and led her to a chair. His palms began to glow, and his soothing energy radiated all the way across the opposite side of the room.
“I’d love to have healing powers like angels and nephilim do.” The words popped out even though I hadn’t meant to utter them aloud.
Ryder grimaced. “Yeah, yeah. I guess they’re kinda cool abilities if you want to expend all your energy curing others.”
Having experienced Raf’s healing powers myself, I couldn’t help the twinge of anger that bubbled up inside. “As opposed to your cool powers of sucking human souls out?”
A flash of yellow eclipsed Ryder’s onyx irises, and his dark brows slammed together. “Please, don’t hold back, Luna. Tell me how you really feel.”
“Ryder, that’s not what I meant—”
He spun away, moving between the other students so quickly he was nothing more than a black blur. When my eyes were finally able to focus on him again, he was on the opposite side of the room, standing beside Cillian. His arms were crossed tightly against his chest, black swirling tattoos peeking out from beneath his taut shirt.
Ugh, why couldn’t I think before I spoke? And who knew he’d be so touchy about the whole demon thing?
“Okay, next two in the circle—Luna and Drake,” announced Professor Malindra.
“What?” My gaze bounced from Ash to Drake and back. “That has to be a mistake.”
“Come forward, please.”
As I walked to the center of the circle of death, I caught Ryder’s eye. As mad as he’d been a second ago, now the only thing that reflected in those dark irises was worry. Worry I was about to get my butt kicked and end up in the infirmary for the rest of the week. Drake was the most powerful in our entire defensive magic class—heck, probably in the entire academy.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Ryder whisper something to Cillian, but the headmaster shook his head.
Drake took his spot across from me, his intense lilac eyes practically glowing. There was no way he was going to take it easy on me, not with Cillian and Ryder watching. If I’d been the religious kind, I would’ve been praying like mad right now. After my prayers went unanswered for so many years, I’d given up on believing anyone up there was listening. Which was kind of ironic since I was sitting in a room with an angel and a half-angel.
The professor’s voice snapped me from my jumbled thoughts. “Luna, you attack first.”
A roar of laughter burst from the rest of the class. To Drake’s credit, his lip only slightly curled before he schooled it back to his typical cool mask.
All the defensive spells I’d learned swirled through my mind—I knew the words by heart, but it didn’t help when I couldn’t wield any power behind them. A trickle of sweat snaked down my back as my blood pumped in double time.
“Whenever you’re ready, Ms. Hallows…”
Come on, Luna. Again that feeling of needing to shed my skin came over me, my flesh prickled and I was sure if I didn’t move or do something, my insides would burst. I squeezed my eyes shut and spat out the first words that came to mind. “Venite ignis fuoco!” I threw my hands out and stared hopelessly at my sprawled fingers.
Nothing. Not even a flicker or a flame.
A few people snickered, but the majority of the class seemed to feel bad for me. Poor little half-blood without magic. You don’t belong here. The creepy words I’d heard in the hall on my first day swam through my mind. They were right. I didn’t belong here.
“Try again, Ms. Hallows.”
I glanced up at Drake and shrugged. Maybe fire was too advanced. I’d go for something easier this time. “Venite aris manifesto!” Again my hands shot out, but not an ounce of wind blew through the classroom as I’d intended.
“Do we really have to keep doing this?” Drake turned to Professor Malindra.
Heat swam across my cheeks, the burn rushing down my neck and all the way up my ears. It was a good thing my hair covered them.
“All right, Luna, let’s try something else. Drake, you attack her, and you defend yourself, dear.”
My jaw dropped, and a few muffled gasps bubbled across the classroom.
“Is that a good idea, Malindra?” Ryder’s voice snapped my attention toward him and the headmaster.
Again, Cillian said a few words to his demon nephew. Ryder’s lips twisted into a scowl, but he didn’t say anything further.
I turned back to Drake whose icy gaze raked over me. Deep purple specks sparked to life as he drew on his magic. I was so dead.
“Come on, Luna, use your shield,” Ash whisper-hissed from just outside the circle. He’d gotten himself a front row view of the showdown.
Oh right, the defensive shield I’d never once managed to summon.
“And begin!”
A wave of freezing air slammed into me, pushing me back to the edge of the circle. My arms shot out as I mumbled the shield spell over and over. My teeth chattered, but nothing happened.
“Point for Drake,” said the professor. “Again.”
The ice prince’s light brows drew together as he regarded me. Was that pity? Regret? Whatever it was, it vanished. He lifted his hands and shards of ice ripped toward me. I threw my hands up to protect my face from the sharp glass-like projectiles as I continued to mutter the shielding encantation. “Protectum ad armorae, protectum ad armorae.”
The ice cut my uniform shirt, digging into my flesh like tiny daggers. “Mother, father!” I screeched. I huddled at the edge of the circle, only a few inches away from safety—and failing the exercise.
The barrage of ice stopped, and I straightened, brushing the melting icicles off my clothes. At least with ice, I didn’t have to worry about the missiles getting permanently stuck in my skin. It suddenly occurred to me that Drake was going easy on me.
It must have also occurred to our professor. “Last round, Drake. I’d like you to step it up this time. No faery magic, I want spellcraft.”
He nodded, his lips thinning.
A growl reverberated from across the room where Cillian and Ryder stood. I couldn’t be certain, but it sure sounded like it came from my demon instructor. “Luna, concentrate!” he hissed.
I wanted to punch him. It wasn’t like I wanted to fail. I didn’t like being tortured and made fun of as the only human at the academy. At least if I had powers, I wouldn’t feel like a complete waste of space. Anger rippled inside me. I hated being weak and defenseless. My entire life I’d been strong—I had to be to survive being bounced around foster care for a year after Mrs. Hallows died.
“Begin!”
Drake’s eyes locked on mine, an unearthly glow lining his irises. This was it. “Volant pugione!”
It only took a second for the words to register in my mind. Daggers. That a-hole prince was going to impale me with knives! Four blades shot through the air, flying end over end as if in slow motion.
&nbs
p; “Protectum ad armorae, protectum ad armorae.” The crazed words tumbled from my lips over and over as the speeding projectiles neared, a bubble of fury expanding in my chest the closer they got. No one thought I belonged here—hell, I didn’t think I belonged here, but that didn’t mean they could use me as a human pincushion.
I slid to the ground at the last second, throwing my arms over my head. A sharp sting cut across my forearm, and I bit back a scream, squeezing my eyes shut. Then everything went silent.
Warmth surrounded me, and I slowly opened my eyes and pushed myself off the ground. A hazy blue bubble cocooned me in safety. My eyes widened as I took in all the blurry faces gawking at me from the other side.
“You did it!” Ryder’s face coalesced just outside my glimmering orb.
I shook my head. No, it couldn’t be. Someone else must have pitied me and summoned up a safety spell to save me from total mortification.
“Come on out.” He extended his hand, but it went no further than the exterior of the bubble.
I stood up and the magical sphere burst, letting all the commotion around me in. Ryder’s arms shot out to tug me into an embrace, but he pulled back right before reaching me. Instead, he patted me on the shoulder and rewarded me with a beaming smile. “Nicely done, kid. I knew you had it in you.”
Ash appeared next, tugging me into a big hug. “It was about time, human!” A huge smile spread across my lips. Over his shoulder, Drake’s tall form appeared.
A twinge of anger squirmed its way through the unrestrained glee. I popped my hands on my hips and shot him my nastiest glare. “Thanks for almost killing me, jerk.”
He moved closer, a look in his eye I didn’t think I’d live long enough to see. “You did well for a half-blood,” he muttered, but it was too late, I’d already seen the shine of pride in his eyes.
I had to clench my jaw to keep it from dropping open. The ice prince wasn’t completely emotionless after all. “Thanks. Who knew fearing for my life would scare the magic out of me?”