Managing Expectations

by Erin R Flynn

  And they weren’t planning to keep it on the down low anymore. Practically everyone in the class was trying to discreetly record my doing another partnerless assignment or at least snap pictures of my humiliating moment when things blew in my face.

  Except it didn’t.

  “Well done, Ms. Vale,” Professor Kramer praised after checking it all. “Glad to see this worked out. I’ll see you tomorrow to make up more assignments.”

  “Sounds good.” I might have wanted to knock one out then, but I needed to drain the device in between uses and I didn’t understand all of that, so Craftsman needed to handle it for now.

  “You don’t allow making up assignments,” a warlock from a very corrupt elite family complained. He didn’t think I knew how much he hated me, but I did, and that he cheered from the sidelines that his elders would get me and keep me under control.

  And I would lead to their downfall so his family, along with the Craftsmans and other more powerful families, could take over the council.

  He didn’t give Professor Kramer a chance to respond, storming over to my station and waving his hand along what I’d been brewing. “How can you pass this crap? There’s not an ounce of magic in this sludge.” Rage filled his eyes when I smirked at him. “You preach about all of us being corrupt and cheaters, but you are just as full of shit and—”

  “Be careful not to say anything you can’t take back,” I purred as I leaned forward on my elbows and batted my eyelashes at him. “I mean, you’ve been so clever as to hide how much you hate me and want me out of the way. Don’t ruin it now by being stupid. If you weren’t so busy enjoying my ‘failing’ like the others, you would have figured it out. But that’s okay, since I didn’t get it, nor did Professor Kramer.”

  “Get what?” he demanded.

  I shrugged, packing up my belongings. “Ask your family what blowing potions means. They’ll—”

  “Ms. Vale, this is unwise,” Professor Kramer interjected, his gaze darting between us. “It’s not his business, nor is he allowed—”

  “Oh please, they all do it,” I drawled. “They won’t post it to social media as they take the Underground surfing for targets seriously, but they will absolutely all tell their families and everyone they want. They did during mental shields when they weren’t supposed to, and they will for this too. It was never going to be kept quiet, but I appreciate you trying to protect me, Professor.”

  “What does—” the guy started to say, but I ignored him.

  “Besides, it’s more fun to poke the idiots and let them show their stripes when they fully believe they’ve pulled the wool over my eyes or I’m clueless as to their true feelings. It’s ridiculous but I enjoy it.” I shrugged at Professor Kramer. “I’m sure some council members will be at lunch demanding to see it, speak with you, or see the device I now use. Probably all of it.”

  Unfortunately, I was right. Their predictability was useful in fighting them, but how they acted was sickening. It sickened me that the people in power dropped everything to come hassle me within an hour because I did something crazy powerful again, like they were getting answers on assets they had bought stocks in. It was gross and tanked my mood.

  So I decided to take it out on the warlock who thought he’d been so smart to hide how he really felt about me.

  I stopped at his table and batted my eyelashes at him, interrupting the conversation with his friends, which miffed all of them. I smothered a laugh as I glanced at them. “Wow, you idiots really do believe witches and women are below you, and I’m so distasteful for thinking myself important enough to interrupt you. Well, if I’m below all of you, how come none of you can do what I can?”

  “Oh, you’re not the only one,” Natalie purred as she joined me with some of our witch friends. “None of them can reach where we are either, but we have to listen to them bark about how lucky we are to be allowed to learn where they can. Some of them actually admitting if they had their way, females wouldn’t be allowed at Artemis, and the prime spots saved for the men who deserved them.”

  “Why? The top student in our year isn’t male,” I taunted, not even hiding my amusement. “Can any of you make tier eight crystals? I can. Already.” I watched as steam practically came out of their ears. “So can we give away your spots to deserving witches, as you clearly aren’t using your places as you should. Unless you think spouting rabid bullshit is being useful.”

  “Nor is the amount of jealousy in their auras,” Natalie snickered.

  Yes, but they weren’t the only ones. I was used to that, but what happened pushed someone else over the edge and in a way there was no turning back from. I caught enough of their thoughts to comprehend that.

  And things were about to get very interesting if they acted on the path they were about to go down. I didn’t think it a real loss for supe society, but it was always sad when someone turned to the dark side.

  Especially when it came from something as petty as jealousy.

  19

  Unfortunately, Professor Campbell hit her limit with me and not only decided to do something unthinkable, but acted on it. Her jealousy ate her up inside and learning I was blowing potions was the last straw. She could not handle the attention I kept getting, and she frothed with jealousy that a street rat like me was so powerful.

  More powerful than she could ever hope to be.

  So she did the unthinkable, not just as a woman, but a witch, as she fully believed I was one too. And then there was everything to do with her as a teacher at Artemis willing to betray a student, sell one out for personal gain. There wasn’t a level of hell harsh enough for her on that betrayal alone.

  When she made the decision to act, she showed up with a telepathy blocking charm the next day. She was ready with several lines as to why she was wearing it, assuming I would notice or she was important enough to care about.

  Which made it all the more fun to not even give her a glance like I registered it, or her, and setting her off. Her mind was all twisted up and so much darker than it had been. Some might feel bad but I didn’t. I didn’t lead her there. Her jealousy did. Her entitlement.

  Her ego that she was so much better than me and deserved more and the attention. She was no better than the bitchy elites who felt the same. Worse actually, since they said it to my face and she’d been keeping it all locked up while pretending to be on our side.

  It wasn’t hard to figure out her plan, but while she worked to make the deal and get the pieces to fit, so did my side. The amount of fairies unfrozen were now in the thousands, and that meant a lot of people to clear areas of Faerie faster and handle more and more.

  And were they ever getting work done. Farms were being utilized to get food going to fulfill our needs. Magic was being pumped into Faerie at astounding rates so the areas cleared could start thriving again.

  But most importantly for the plan, several buildings we were going start using as detention facilities were fully functioning and converted for our needs. Wonderful.

  So two weeks after making the decision to betray me and turn me over for a price, Professor Campbell sprung her trap. I knew all about it and ours would be bigger, but it was fun to let her have this moment before blowing up her whole world.

  Again. This time I’d let her remember it though and fuck with the heads of a lot of other people too.

  It sounded like a great Saturday to me.

  “Ms. Vale, Dean White asked me to find you and bring you to join her,” Professor Campbell said as she “caught” me after breakfast, her thoughts relieved that I was alone for once.

  Yeah, that was by design. Idiot.

  “Huh, she didn’t text me,” I muttered, glancing at my phone. “What’s up with Anya?” I was being a bitch by using White’s first name and setting off Campbell, but I was pissed she was using White in her ploy.

  “She didn’t tell me, and I don’t think it appropriate for you to use her first name,” she replied, barely keeping her voice even.

  I sh
rugged. “It’s the weekend. Like you don’t call her the same.”

  But I knew for a fact Campbell didn’t. They weren’t friends since White found Campbell’s tendency to live with her head in the sand as annoying as I did.

  “You’re still on campus.” She waved off whatever I might have said next. “I have other matters to attend to today. Let me bring you to her and you can ask her what she wanted then.”

  “Okay.” I bit back a smile when her thoughts were full of relief at how she clearly pulled off earning my trust when I was such a distrusting person.

  Yes. Yes, I was, so my agreeing to just about anything so easily should have set off warning lights all over the place. So should my not questioning when we arrived at the arena no one was at because there were no events that day and most of the teams had off Saturdays.

  And it was a good distance from the main part of campus and dorms, so it was the best spot to be out of the way and still on campus. Again, somewhere I would question why Dean White would want me to go to without her talking to me first and certainly sending Campbell to fetch me.

  Well, if I didn’t already know what was going on.

  Instead, I followed along and listened to Campbell’s thoughts, enjoying the leadup to catching my prey when they thought they were the hunters. That part of the game never got old.

  Not for me at least. I was pretty sure everyone I’d ever caught wished I’d given up the game or need to get bad guys. Oh well. That sucked for them.

  I’d try to work on tears if I ever gave a shit about their feelings.

  Magic flared once we stepped foot on the field for the trap… And that set off all the barriers my side put up behind theirs for our trap they were none the wiser about.

  “Apparently, all we needed was a woman’s touch to handle this,” Mr. Craftsman—the Craftsman, as in head of the family and bloodline—praised as he dropped the barrier cloaking him.

  “Yes, apparently,” I purred, glancing around at the whole, large group. “Wow, you brought everyone, huh? This must be like the whole family. It’s a nice day for a family reunion.”

  “Joke all you want, Ms. Vale, but you’re not getting out of this, not this time,” he gloated. “We have everything covered. A jammer for your cell. Blockers for your charms. No help is coming.”

  “No, it’s not.” I winked at him. “Because it’s already here.” I smirked over at Campbell and tapped the spot where her telepathy blocking charm was laying on her. “Those don’t work on me anymore. I’m too powerful.” I moved my hand over my mouth. “Oops. Did I not tell you that? Oh, it must mean I don’t trust you at all. I can’t imagine why? I mean, you’re clearly such a wonderful person who would whore yourself—”

  “You’re lying,” she snapped.

  “I’m not. And you’re a whore,” I sneered. “You whored yourself. You think me trash and a street rat, but you sold yourself to mate into a better family and even worse, sold another woman out because you’re so fucking jealous of me, it’s sick. You’re sick, Campbell.”

  “You’re not going to buy time for help to arrive, Ms. Vale,” Craftsman cut in, looking annoyed I’d focused on Campbell instead of him.

  I snorted. “I already told you they’re here, mate.” I gestured all around. “Welcome to your trap, not mine.” Right on cue, the fairies waiting dropped their glamours and cloaking. I smirked at him. “See. I told you.”

  He couldn’t hide his shock but quickly recovered, running the numbers and odds in his head. “Still not enough. We’re the best magical family there is and they…”

  “You can’t tell, right?” I pushed, not hiding my glee. “You’re going to love this part. It’s the most fun.” I smirked over at my peeps. “I so love this part.”

  “We know you do, GP,” one of the light guardians chuckled.

  “I’m not a witch,” I told Craftsman. “I never lied.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Of course you have to be and—”

  “The species crystal turned red when I held it,” I purred, giving him a wink before turning to Campbell. “And you’re not as shocked to learn that as you would have thought you’d be, right? Like you knew that and the memory was taken?”

  “How—you can’t—that’s not—” she sputtered.

  “No, I didn’t take it that time, but I’ve learned how to since.” I glanced at Craftsman. “I’m not a witch. They aren’t warlocks or shifters or vampires or dragons. What’s left? Who did you just pick a fight against and cannot win?”

  “Fairies are gone,” he snapped. “You’re bluffing as another of your tricks. There is no way you of all people are a fairy.”

  “Am I?” Neldor asked as he stepped out from among the group of Dark Guardians.

  So many people went pale on their side and so fast, I honestly thought some might faint.

  “Okay, that was fun,” I chuckled. “Nice, Neldor.”

  “You do have flare to your plans,” he muttered, sounding amused.

  “I do, thank you for recognizing that.” I shivered. “It brings in such better energy than a simple ass kicking and rounding up.” I rubbed my hands together. “But wait, there’s more.”

  “This is all—he’s glamoured,” Craftsman accused.

  “Not a bad guess,” Taeral admitted.

  “He is quicker on the uptake than most of the villains I battle,” I admitted. “But not enough where this still isn’t fun.” I glanced over my shoulder. “Julian, you ready to tell your family the rest? To fill Campbell in again and let her remember this time?”

  “Whatever you want, love,” he agreed as he walked over and slid his arms around me. He leaned down and slowly kissed my neck. “I know how you love pulling the rug out from under gits.”

  “Here you lecture me about my morals, and the reason you wouldn’t give her over is you’re bedding your slut student,” Craftsman drawled. “Well clearly, you are just like your father who followed his lust to a trashy woman as well. It was a miracle you turned out worth anything but clearly, you won’t ever be what you could have been.”

  “I think my mate turned out just fine,” I shot back as I hugged Julian’s arms to me, feeling his whole body shake with anger. “And we weren’t together when he wouldn’t hand me over. We found out we were mates later. Or he suspected, in your ways, but we hadn’t confirmed the fairy way.”

  “You’re lying, and I will not stand here and listen to this nonsense.”

  “You are not getting out of this, not this time, asshole,” I mocked before glancing at Campbell. “And neither are you. You sold yourself for this chance and you will go down with them.”

  “I really hoped you wouldn’t go through with it, Campbell. I was so very wrong about you,” Julian whispered sadly. “Tamsin gave you so many chances and you blew them all.”

  “She gave me so many chances?” Campbell balked. “Do you hear yourself? Do you hear the insanity you’re saying? I’m not shocked she’s a fairy so she must have told me already, but even then—this is disgusting, Julian. She’s no one and you deserve so much better.”

  I snorted. “Maybe, but you aren’t better. You wanted his last name as much as him and planned on changing him. You wanted his last name more and to punish him so much for not falling at your feet like your ego expects that you betrayed a student to sell yourself. Do you hear yourself? Do you hear the insanity you’re saying and defending?”

  “You never did tell me what she gets,” Julian hedged.

  “She whored herself out for your cousin,” I explained to him and the others. “One higher up on the family tree and power ladder that she thinks she can push up higher and make great and have you frothing with jealousy that you not only missed out on having a once-in-a-lifetime catch like her, but also all she could have done for you.” I tapped my temple when Campbell opened her mouth.

  I’d heard it all from her head and even trying to argue with me was stupid.

  But I caught something else, my eyes going wide as I looked at Mr. Craftsman.
“And apparently, your cousin is gay and made his own deal.”

  “What?” Campbell bellowed.

  I chuckled. “That’s the problem with snakes, Campbell. They always be slithering. You sold yourself to a snake and he betrayed you on a deal to betray me. I’m shocked.” I glanced at Julian over my shoulder. “He gets a huge payout to mate Campbell but never has to touch her, just get her pregnant via donations, and the kids get trained however the snake wants.

  “Oh, and your cousin gets limitless quiet affairs at his new estate off in nowhere so he won’t embarrass the family anymore.” I shook my head. “And he knew Campbell had no clue he’s gay. I can’t say you didn’t deserve it, Campbell. You do. You deserve to be treated like a fucking breeder when you whored yourself out. You deserve to be fucked over like this.”

  “Love, no one—” Julian started to argue, but I kept going.

  “Because everyone knows you use Artemis as a bragging mark on your resume to get in with the right family. It’s why the students all blow you off. You’re only here until you mate. Here, you’re actually good enough to be able to teach at the best university in the supe world, and you see it as a stepping stone for mating. And we all know it. You’re supposed to be an example and you aren’t. So you deserve this.”

  “I won’t accept judgment from a pathetic street rat like you who will burn out in a few years, even if you’re a fairy,” she bit out. “You call me a whore, but you’re sleeping with your teacher, slut. There’s no way Julian would be paired with you, so I bet you’re using some sort of magic on him to—”

  People on my side gasped or made other shocked noises. That accusation was so far over the line especially to fairies that I could feel burning rage behind me.

  “That’s enough of your bile, traitor,” Iolas declared. “You still have your head in the sand, as we have witnessed these many months. You are not uneducated, as I’ve read your thesis on Faerie. You have to know the meaning of the uniforms we wear.”

  “It’s all glamoured,” Craftsman cut in. “You might have fooled a simpleton like Campbell, but I’m not as easy to convince.”