by Sadie Moss
“We all rely on our magic, even regular magic users,” Asher points out, ever the calm and rational one. “He probably only felt as bold as he did because of his magic.”
“I spent twenty-two years of my life thinking I had no powers,” I point out. “I don’t like that in just a year I’ve gone from not even thinking about it to relying on it so much. I can kick someone’s ass without magic. You’ve all sparred with me in class. But I just knew—I fucking knew in that moment that if I went after him physically, he’d still win because of his damn magic. It wasn’t a fair fight, and I felt defenseless. And I’m not!”
“You really aren’t, Sin. You’re one of the toughest people I know.” Cam’s blue eyes gleam in the warm lamplight.
“We shouldn’t have to wear our cuffs!” I blurt, knowing I’m letting my anger show and not caring. I’m good at anger. It’s the more gentle emotions, the softer ones, that I sometimes struggle with. “I get the logic behind them, I do. But it’s shitty because so many people seem to hate us. People are afraid of us, and the cuffs make us vulnerable—we can’t fight back if people decide to turn that fear into hate. There’s all this prejudice against us, and we can’t even defend ourselves if we need to!”
Dmitri keeps pacing. Asher wraps his arms around me, holding me, and I can sense him looking at Cam.
The blond man squeezes my ankle gently. “Next time maybe one of us should come with you.”
“And do what? You have cuffs on too.”
“Maybe just the sight of a big hulking boyfriend will help, though,” he says, his tone light but his expression concerned and serious.
“I don’t want to need bodyguards.” I sigh.
I glance over at Dmitri, who honestly looks like he’s about to punch something. I might have been the one who got in an altercation today, but it seems like it triggered something in Dmitri.
Cam nods at me, and the three of us shift so he and Asher can get up. They both kiss me goodnight, lingering, Cam’s hands gripping me tightly and Asher gently running his fingers through my hair.
Once they’re gone, I shift my focus to Dmitri. “Hey.”
The dark-haired man abruptly stops pacing. He won’t look at me. “You should go to bed with the others.”
I tilt my head. “But what if I want to talk to you?”
He puffs out some air, rolling his eyes, and collapses into the armchair again.
I promptly crawl into his lap, which I don’t think he was expecting. His eyes go a bit wide, and I squirm a little more than I have to, smirking at him as his arms automatically wrap around me to secure me in my new seat.
“You’re a minx, Princess,” he drawls.
If anyone else called me Princess, I’d rip their head off, possibly literally, but Dmitri and I have always shown our affection in weird ways. Usually by poking at each other and beating the crap out of each other in Combat class. I think he appreciates the fact that when he gets snarky and sarcastic, I give him a taste of his own medicine instead of ignoring him or wilting like a flower. Asher brings out my gentleness, and Cam makes me laugh, but Dmitri lets me unleash my sarcastic and antisocial side, and I love it.
“And you’ve got something on your mind,” I say, refusing to let him distract me from the point by flirting with me. Then I gently place my hand on his chest, looping the other one around his shoulders. “What’s going on?”
I have to stop myself from saying Dima at the end of that sentence. Russian names are a bit complicated. It’s not that the name itself is all that hard once you get used to how the sounds work. But everyone’s got a name, and then a bunch of variations of that name based on who they’re talking to.
Dima is the affectionate, intimate version of Dmitri. Cam calls him that now and again, usually when Dmitri’s got his feathers all ruffled up and Cam’s trying to soothe him. But I haven’t seen Asher or anyone else call him that—and Cam’s the kind of guy who can get away with doing what others can’t.
I want to call him that right now, to show my affection in that way, but… I don’t know how he’d receive it. Dmitri and I are complicated. We’re great at being competitive with one another, and that’s a good thing. We push each other to be better, to go farther, harder, faster.
But sometimes—okay, a lot of the time—we also rub each other the wrong way. Not as much as we used to since we’re no longer denying that we have feelings for each other, but Dmitri’s a very private person, even more private than I am, and I don’t want to push him into anything he’s uncomfortable with. I don’t want to go too far or presume too much.
God, though, I really want to. I want to be that close with him, and to have his complete trust.
Maybe with time.
Dmitri doesn’t respond to my question at first. He just holds me tighter, wrapping his arms around me until I’m snuggled completely against his chest, my head on his shoulder. I kiss his neck softly and let him hold me for a moment. His grip is tight, not hurting me but definitely strong, like he thinks I’ll be ripped away from him at any moment.
I rub his chest. “Dmitri. Please talk to me.”
He lets out a long, slow breath, and I can feel him shake just a little at the end of it. I don’t push him. I just wrap my arms around him and hug him tightly, molding my body against his.
We sit like that for a while, and at last, after what feels like hours, he starts talking.
His voice is low and rough, and I know this is hard for him to talk about, but I appreciate that he’s trying to open up to me and not carry all of it himself.
“My family is important in the magical community,” he says. “They’re rich and powerful. You know that. And they always taught me that Unpredictables were… were scum, basically. They’d never use that word because they’re too ‘sophisticated’ for that, but I knew that’s what they always meant. They taught me that Unpredictables were dangerous and untrustworthy.”
I breathe in his clove and honey scent, listening silently as he continues.
“When I got my powers, I blamed myself at first. I thought I must’ve done something wrong to be Unpredictable. I thought my family would reject me, but I’m the only son, and they don’t want to lose their heir. So instead, they act like I’m the exception. ‘You’re not like those Unpredictables’, that kind of thing. And they constantly pressure me to prove that, to reject every other Unpredictable and play the game.”
Jesus. As much as I’ve struggled with my magic, I’ve never had that kind of family pressure. Every choice I made was my own, based on what I wanted. If I’d chosen to walk away from the magical community, that would’ve been my choice. And it was my choice to keep my powers and to go to school.
But Dmitri… there must be so much he feels he has to live up to. And I could tell him to just walk away, but I know it’s not as simple as that.
“They were always polite before,” Dmitri says. “If they met someone who was Unpredictable, they were chilly but polite. But ever since the Trials, it’s just been getting worse. They’re actively speaking out against Unpredictables now, pushing for laws against them, that kind of thing. And they’ve got the clout to possibly make that a reality.”
There are a lot of things I could say as cold dread settles in my gut, but I don’t. I let Dmitri keep talking, sharing information at his own careful pace. This isn’t about the danger to Unpredictables like us—I mean it is, but that’s for later. We can deal with all of that once Dmitri’s gotten this out of his system. Right now, this is about his family. This is about Dmitri and his parents.
“They’re a part of the problem,” Dmitri murmurs, his voice strained. “They never see people for who they are, just what their value is. I don’t know if my parents even really love each other. They love status and money. That’s what’s important to them. But I can’t even count on them as allies. If it suits their purposes, they’ll try and use me. Or reject me. Or God knows what else.” He looks up at me at last, making eye contact. “That’s the world I come from, E
lliot. Those are the people that raised me. And their friends are all the same. It’s a cold and uncaring place. I’m not looking forward to going back to that world when I graduate.”
My heart feels like it’s been slowly ripped in two. The idea of someone I love having to face that kind of environment makes me see red. If I ever see Dmitri’s parents again—I had the unfortunate pleasure of briefly meeting them once—I’m going to tear them limb from limb. I could do it too, with my magic.
How can they not love their son? Especially someone as good and hardworking as Dmitri, someone who pushes himself all the time, who looks out for others and is constantly striving to be better.
It boils my goddamn blood.
“You’re better than they are,” I tell him, my voice barely above a whisper. “You might not see it, but you are. You’re so much better than that.”
Dmitri snorts. “Princess, I was a jerk to you the first year we knew each other. Don’t go lying for my sake.”
“I’m not lying.” My voice gets louder and firmer. “I’ll take a painful truth over blissful ignorance any day, you know that. I wouldn’t lie to you just to spare your feelings. You’re amazing. I wouldn’t be dating you if you weren’t. And fuck your parents for not seeing that and for treating you like you’re not good enough.”
Dmitri gives me a small smile. “You’re a feisty one, you know that?”
“So I’ve been told once or twice. A few times. Mostly by you guys.” I pause. “Dmitri… you don’t have to let your family define you.”
I’m also, on some level, talking about his arranged marriage. I want him to be with me, but even if in the end he decided he didn’t want me—I’d still want him to be happy. I’d want him to choose someone, even if that person wasn’t me. I hate the thought of Dmitri being stuck with someone he doesn’t love for the rest of his life just so his family can expand their empire.
I want so badly to tell him to say “fuck it” to his parents, but I can’t. That isn’t what we’re talking about right now. So I leave it.
“You’re your own person,” I remind him instead, gently cupping his face in my hand, my fingers splaying over his cheekbone, feeling the warm skin beneath my touch. “And you don’t have to let their shitty choices be yours.”
Dmitri looks at me for a moment, his eyes taking on a soft shine that I so rarely see, and then he surges forward, hauling me against him as he kisses me deeply, passionately.
He kisses me for a long, long time.
Chapter 5
Winter break can’t last forever, as much as I want it to. I have to help get Maddy packed up and ready to go back to school—something she’s reluctant to do for the first time since she got accepted to Neptune Academy.
It’s got nothing to do with the school and everything to do with how we were almost attacked by that guy in Portland. Hell, we were attacked. It just didn’t get physical, thank God.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” she asks me as I drop her off at the bus depot.
“I promise, Mads. It’s not like you can come to school with me and be my bodyguard.” I smirk at her. “And the best place for me to be is at Griffin. I’m going to be with people who are like me. It’ll be a bit of a reprieve.”
“Ellie, last time you were at that school, a demon bird nearly clawed your arms off,” she points out, tilting her head down to level a skeptical gaze at me.
Okay, fair, but still.
“I’m not going to get attacked by crazy anti-Unpredictable people. And honestly, the teachers would probably know how to handle that if it happened. It’s the demon birds that stump them.”
She rolls her eyes fondly, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “Okay. If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure. You need to live your life and have fun without me, somehow, if you can survive.”
Mads hugs me fiercely. “Stay in touch, okay? Call me if you need anything.”
“Who’s being the worrywart sister now?” I tease, but I hug her back just as fiercely. “Say hi to all your friends for me!”
And tell that boy of yours he better treat you right, or I’m going to knock him into next week.
Maddy pulls away, gives me a worried smile, then grabs her luggage and gets onto the bus.
I can understand why she’s concerned. Every time I’m at my damn school, something goes wrong. And every time I think oh, it can’t possibly get worse or crazier than last semester—bam, it does.
I swear, the universe is having a huge laugh at my expense or something. Somebody out there has got to have it out for me.
Honestly, I hope if anything crazy happens at the Academy of Unpredictable Magic this semester, somebody else can deal with it for once. This is my last semester with three of my men. I want to make the most of it, and they’ll be busy enough as it is with their final exams and graduation projects.
The guys and I take one car to the academy campus, filling up the trunk with all of our stuff. Roman’s house feels so empty as I wander through it double-checking that nobody forgot a favorite toothbrush or something. Oh, sure, the furniture is still here. It’s fully decorated. But it doesn’t feel like a home anymore without the rest of us filling the space with ourselves and our things.
It makes me consider how lonely this place must’ve been for Roman before we came to live with him. I think about him all by himself in this big house, and it makes my heart heavy. No wonder he used to stay on campus during the breaks.
I shake myself out of my melancholy thoughts as Cam bellows through the house that it’s “go now or forever hold your pee” time—I adore the man, but sometimes he’s a five-year-old—and join the others in the car.
It’s a peaceful drive. I sit in the back with Asher since I’ve been banned from driving—apparently taking posted speed limits as “suggestions” is not a good idea?—and Cam sits shotgun beside Dmitri, taking charge of the music. Asher naps on my shoulder as Cam and I play various car games, and Dmitri plays his own game called “try not to murder Elliot and Cam”.
It’s fun, honestly.
As we drive up the hill that leads onto the school grounds and through the gates with the fancy Griffin Academy sign, I get a feeling I didn’t expect—a feeling of relief, of tension melting away.
It feels like I’m coming home.
I also feel something else—a little prickle, almost like static electricity, that makes the hair on my arms stand up. I notice the guys shifting in their seats as they feel it too.
“Wards,” Asher notes.
“We’ve always had wards,” I reply. There are protective wards to keep out threats as well as ones to keep the magic of the school contained and prevent non-magical from people realizing there’s something fishy going on. All schools have them, as do most of our government-oriented magical buildings and other places where there’s a lot of magic going on inside. It’s to protect both us and non-magical people.
“They’ve amped them up,” Cam says. “Must’ve done it over the break. I bet you anything these wards are a higher level of protection.”
We pass through the magical barrier with no problem, and I’m sure all other students and staff will as well. But if any uninvited guests try to get in…
“That’ll be a pain in the ass for anyone who wants their secret girlfriend to visit,” Cam jokes. “I bet visitors will need to get a special pass or something.”
The old wards were simple, barely noticeable, but now I can feel them in the air around us as we finish passing through, the feeling diminishing only once we’re deeper into the school grounds.
After Dmitri pulls into the student lot, we grab our bags and get settled into our room quickly. I live with the guys in their dorm room, and have since before we were all officially together. My original room assignment was with Alyssa, Kendal, and Megan, but they made it damn clear I wasn’t welcome.
They didn’t know anything about me at the time, and I didn’t know anything about them, so I kind of assume they took one look a
t me, didn’t recognize me as the daughter of an important figure in their magical community, were pissed they didn’t get placed with their other friend, Cristina, and just decided to take it from there.
But I wasn’t going to spend an entire semester, and maybe even my entire three years here, stuck with roommates who hated me. The only people I knew and felt safe with at the time were Cam, Asher, and Dmitri, so they let me stay with them. It wasn’t exactly meant to be permanent, but it just kind of stayed that way. And now that we’re all together romantically, I definitely don’t see a reason to move out.
We get all our stuff arranged, claiming our usual quadrants of the room, which are each outfitted with a bed, a desk, and a dresser. I technically have my own bed, and I know I’ll probably need it when the guys are up studying for finals and I’m by myself, but I doubt I’ll be spending too much time in it, at least to start.
The rest of the day is pretty relaxed, and we’re all up bright and early the next morning for the usual beginning of semester speech from Dean Hardwick.
As we head across campus, I’m both excited and nervous.
Without trying to, I’ve kind of gotten a… reputation at this place? I’ve ended up being the one who keeps dealing with the bullshit attacks against us. I’m three for three now, and it’s kind of exhausting. But aside from the whole “my life being in danger” thing, it’s meant that everyone knows who I am. Some people seem to think I’m some kind of school mascot, some are intimidated by me, and others—like Alyssa—just hate my damn guts.
When we enter the dining hall for breakfast, I can feel eyes on me. Yippee.
The guys must notice the looks we’re getting, but if it bothers them, they don’t show it. Oh, sure, Dmitri seems cranky, but that’s sort of his resting state. Asher’s calm and unruffled, and Cam’s waving and cracking jokes as we walk by people he knows.
Alyssa catches sight of us immediately from where she’s holding court at one of the tables near the front of the room.