by Cali Mann
“To your left up ahead is the courtyard,” Larkin said. “The students like to gather there in their free time. It’s between this building and the next, where the dining hall is. Beyond that are the girls’ and boys’ dorms.”
We passed the open doors, and it felt like several hundred eyes turned in our direction. Alex stared at the floor, redness rising in his pale cheeks. I lifted my eyes defiantly and stared back. The student body was very diverse, but mostly they wore the same uniform—gray and green. I could feel every hole in my scruffy jeans and old sneakers. I hadn’t thought we’d be on display so soon.
They clustered in small groups throughout the space, and I could already see which cliques were where. I didn’t know if Thornbriar Academy had such things as cheerleaders, but if they did, those were definitely them, and next to them the jocks. The artists with their funky clothing choices and sketchbooks and cameras at hand.
A troublemakers’ corner where no one wore school colors and their jeans mimicked my ragged ones—that’d be my corner. In the center of their group, a hot Asian guy sat, his muscled arms decorated with a line of tattooed wings. His dark hair fell over one eye, but I could feel his gaze across the courtyard. Trouble, if I wanted it, was sizing me up, and I was pretty sure I hadn’t been found wanting. Good. That would make my job easier.
No one approached, though whispers ran through them like the wave at a football game. I caught each one’s eyes as they looked us over and let them know, in no uncertain terms, my brother was under my protection. After years at public school, I’d gotten pretty good at the glare and stare.
“Let’s go,” the headmaster said, and we moved along. She did not attempt to introduce us.
Glancing back, I wondered if everyone knew who the spirit shifters were or what anyone else’s element was. Other than the pale-faced vampires, no one had any identifying marks that made it possible to tell. I hadn’t known Charles’ element was fire right off, not until he’d used it against me.
The headmaster led us to an iron staircase that circled up to the next level and we climbed it. “My office is up here at the end of the hall,” she said. “But my door is not always open.”
I frowned at her. “We won’t bug you. I get it.”
“What I mean is, there are lots of other teachers and staff here who can help you with your problems.”
“Yup,” Alex said. “Got it.”
Larkin peered at us both as if she didn’t quite think we did. “The spirit shifter trial needs to be a real trial. I can’t interfere in everyday disputes, and I shouldn’t even in ones that become more serious.”
I grunted. It was all about me, then.
Stopping before an ornate door, Larkin hissed, “The Council wants to see you fail, Sasha. Don’t give them an excuse to end this experiment.”
“Yes, madam,” I said. Wasn’t that exactly what I was here to do, though? Destroy Thornbriar, Charles had said.
She opened the door, and we stepped out of the pan and into the fire. Inside her large light office sat three people, all dressed formally in suits, their hands folded in their laps.
“Come inside, Sasha and Alexander,” Larkin said formally. “These are members of the Council who’ve come to meet you today.”
The Council? Here? My foot skidded forward into the area rug, and I righted myself, blinking. Forcing the words out, I said, “Hello.”
Alex’s jaw dropped. “Wow, the Council, for real?”
I envied his youthful exuberance. Meanwhile, I felt their eyes heavy on me. Had Larkin told them I was coming?
One of the women gestured to the tea tray on the table between them. “Sasha, Alex, come and join us. We’d like to talk to you.”
Mr. Reed slunk behind me to a chair in the far corner. Apparently, he didn’t want to drink tea with them either. Larkin prodded Alex and me forward, and we slid into chairs that had been pulled up next to the couches. I couldn’t help noticing that our chairs were hard and wooden while they got the comfy seats.
“I’m Councilwoman Hightower,” a blonde woman said then she gestured to the two others: a gruff white man and a black woman with red streaks in her hair. “And this is Councilmen Masters and Councilwoman Nandini.”
While they were focused on Alex, I tried to take their measure. The blonde woman sat primly and slightly away from the others. Next to her, Councilman Masters looked enraged at being face-to-face with a spirit shifter, like I’d done something to offend him by existing. And I’d heard that name before. Wasn’t the soccer player that Mr. Reed had warned me about—a Masters? On the other side, Councilwoman Nandini’s expression was serious and determined, only I didn’t have any idea about what.
“So,” Hightower prodded. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a tight bun at the base of her neck, and she wore a tailored green suit that matched her eyes. “Mr. Reed tells us you’re an air shifter, Alex.”
“Yes, madam,” he said, on the edge of his seat.
“And a bit of an artist,” she continued. Her eyes were sharp, but they seemed kind. I hoped some of that kindness would carry over to me.
Alex reddened, but he nodded, reaching for his sketchbook. “Would you like to see?”
She held up a hand. “Not just now, Alex. Thank you.” She waved the recruiter over. “Mr. Reed will take you to the boys’ dormitory and get you settled.”
“Thank you, madam.”
I smiled, proud of my brother. He was respectful and earnest. Mr. Reed guided Alex out. As soon as the door shut, all four pairs of eyes turned to me.
That’s how it was going to be, then. I interlaced my fingers in my lap, trying to look calm and prepared.
“What is your last name, Sasha?”
“Wren,” I said.
They murmured, and I gazed at each of them in turn, trying to gauge their reactions.
“Did you know my father?” I asked, genuinely curious. I didn’t know why Mom had given us our father’s last name. They hadn’t been married by shifter or human law, so she hadn’t needed to, and I’d never even met the man.
The Council members grimaced, but, eventually, Councilwoman Hightower said, “No, we’ve never met a Wren.”
“And that’s what concerns us even more,” said Councilman Masters, his teacup clattering as he set it on the table. He was like a bull in a china shop. “Where did they come from that we have no records of them?”
“Now, Councilman Masters,” Larkin said, leaning forward. “This is hardly a conversation for young ears.”
“It’s fine, Headmaster,” I said. “My mother is an Arthur, which I’m sure is a name you’ve all heard of?”
They nodded.
“And they had a daughter who wandered off?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “Well, she didn’t slip away. She left stomping and shouting because she wanted to elope with her spirit shifter lover.”
The Council members gaped at me, and I chuckled. I loved knowing something they didn’t know, but it was all a lie. It told me a lot about what they knew and what they didn’t, though.
“Anyway,” I said, leaning back in my chair. The Council members leaned forward, eager for the rest of the story. “My father might have been a fun spirit shifter, but he only had one mate. He took human drugs to try to stave off the madness, but he ended up lost in another form of crazy.”
I had them all twisted up in my story. They were Council members—shouldn’t they have been smarter than that? Guess this whole thing is going to be easier than I expected. “We didn’t see much of him when I was little, but once Alex was born, he disappeared altogether.”
“But where did he come from?” the gruff man asked. “Wren isn’t a shifter name.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Mom says he appeared and disappeared from her life like a whirlwind.”
Councilwoman Hightower tapped her nail against her teacup as she studied me. “Why do you want to be at Thornbriar Academy, Sasha?”
Reaching forward, I snagged one of the lemon cookies on the tray
and popped it in my mouth. The Council members all waited for my answer. The hairy man fidgeted in his chair, and the blonde set her teacup in her lap. The black woman gazed at me, her chin lifted.
They all needed different things from me. I wasn’t sure how to play it.
After I finished chewing, I said, “To be honest, I don’t.”
Frowning, they stared at me.
“I’m here for my brother,” I said. “I’ve looked after him most of my life, and I want, before I go mad, to see him in a safe and caring place. Somewhere he can develop his artistic talents and learn to control his vampire.”
“Do you think Thornbriar is such a place?” Councilwoman Nandini asked.
Glancing over at Headmaster Larkin, who lingered behind them, I shrugged. “I don’t know yet. That’s why I had to come with him and make sure.”
Hightower set down her teacup. “And you are aware that there is a cure for the spirit shifter madness?”
My eyes drifted to Headmaster Larkin’s, and she gave me a minute nod of her head. “Yes, the Headmaster was telling me on the way here. I’d never heard of it before.”
“If you stay,” Hightower said, “you’ll have to look for mates right away.”
I widened my eyes innocently. “Oh no, I couldn’t do that to these families. Bonding their children to a potentially mad spirit shifter?” I shuddered.
The hairy man grunted. The woman with red streaked hair tapped her nail against her arm, considering. Councilwoman Hightower was the only one who wanted spirit shifters at the school. Everyone else was here to sabotage the project as much as possible. I wondered if Charles knew he had so many allies within the Council.
“I’m just here to protect my brother,” I insisted. “As soon as I know he’s safe, I’ll leave.”
“We can’t allow that, Sasha,” Headmaster Larkin said, her eyes narrowing. “Thornbriar Academy cannot allow shifters to leave if their powers are uncontrolled. If we accept you, then you must stay until you are bonded.”
I frowned. “But what if my mates aren’t here?”
She pressed her lips together, but while I gazed at her innocently, I saw, from the corner of my eye, Councilwoman Nandini straighten in her seat. I’d gotten her attention.
“I suppose that’s why this is a trial, Sasha,” Hightower said.
Sitting up primly in my chair, I looked around at them all. “May I stay? I can’t let my brother be by himself.”
They exchanged glances with each other, and I could see Hightower and the headmaster bracing for a fight. But I knew I had already won. I knew I was going to go mad eventually, and even if I hadn’t made a deal with Charles, I had no interest in mating with their precious children.
“Yes,” Councilwoman Nandini said. “I think there is a place for you here at Thornbriar.”
I grinned. “Thank you.”
10
Sasha
After my interrogation, for that’s what it was, the headmaster called a teacher to lead me to the dormitory and my room. We passed through a classroom wing on our way, and the rooms sat quiet, waiting. Desks or tables lined up in rows—it looked the same as my public school back home if a little fancier. I expected, despite their special powers, the students would be the same as well.
The teacher, Miss Finch, was young and pretty, and I was pretty sure, new. Glasses perched on her thin nose, framing a smattering of freckles. She chatted casually about the grounds and the schedule, but I kept catching her peering at me out of the side of her eye.
“Am I the first spirit shifter you’ve ever met?” I asked.
She laughed, a nervous sound, and said, “No, of course not. We have one other spirit shifter currently at Thornbriar, and I expect we’ve all met one or two in our lifetimes, haven’t we?”
I raised an eyebrow. “I expect so.” It didn’t matter that she was scared of me. Probably better that way. She wouldn’t be surprised when I started causing trouble. Good. I should be happy about that. I am the villain in this story, whether I want to be or not.
We stopped in front of a plain, white door in a hallway of plain, white doors. Some of the students had put out decorations, marking their territory, but not my roommates. Hung on the wood, a brass number read 404: fourth floor, fourth room.
“This is your suite,” Miss Finch said, unlocking the door and pushing it open. It was silent as it drifted across the carpet.
Three female heads turned from the couch. Each of them wore a school uniform, with a buttoned-up white blouse and gray and green striped skirt, and their hair was tied up in a ponytail. Despite their different coloring, they looked like carbon copies of each other. A movie played on the extra-large television screen in front of them, some sappy romance. None of them looked happy about the interruption.
Miss Finch smiled and stepped inside. “Hello, girls,” she said brightly. “This is your new roommate, Sasha Wren.”
None of them stood up or said a word. They just glowered at us.
Miss Finch ignored them and marched across the room, opening the farthest door from the entrance with her key.
I followed her, and the triplets’ eyes swiveled, tracking us. Oh, yeah, this was going to be fun.
“You share a common suite and bathroom.” She pointed to another door. “But you’ll have your own bedroom.”
I nodded and trailed her into the room, grateful to shut the door on those murder-promising eyes. I thought I was supposed to be the violent one here.
“You’ll find everything fully stocked—school uniforms, sweaters, shoes for all activities, and toiletries.” She gestured to a shower caddy on the desk. Opening the small drawer set into the desk, she pulled out a debit card. “You get a small stipend as a scholarship student, for anything else you might need.”
“Thanks.” I frowned at the card. A free pass to buy anything I wanted? I didn’t even know what to do with that. But I didn’t want to wear the school uniforms, that was for sure. How long did it take to deliver up here?
“And there’s a tablet here with your schedule and a map of the grounds.” Miss Finch pressed the keys into my hand. Her mouth twisted then she said, “Don’t let the others frighten you. They’re used to getting their own way, but they’ll back down if you stand up for yourself.”
“Sure,” I said, trying to sound convinced. “I’m good at that.”
She smiled. “I expect you are. See you in class, Miss Wren.”
After she left, I dropped down onto the bed. The walls were covered in tiny roses, and the bedding was pure white. Like a fucking princess. What kind of nutso rich girls loved this stuff? At least there was a window. I crossed to it and gazed out over the lawn to the backwoods. A hawk soared overhead. We really were out in the middle of nowhere. I’d never even left the city limits.
My stomach groaned. I was hungry. I didn’t remember the last time I’d eaten. Oh yeah, a cookie while facing down the firing squad. I snorted. That’d been fun. The twits outside and the dining hall were sure to be a similar sort of joy. I sighed. I’d starved before. I could do it again.
Opening the closet doors, I gazed at the clean and pressed uniforms: gray and green skirts and white blouses. They didn’t really expect me to wear this crap, did they? I grabbed the small bag I’d packed and dumped its contents into the closet. My black bra came out on top, and I stared at it.
You know what? Fuck them. I had just as much right to be here as anybody else. I might as well show them what Sasha Fucking Wren is made of. I grabbed the bra and one of my shiny new blouses. I pulled them on, along with a tight pair of black jeans and my boots. I unbuttoned the white blouse so it showed off my cleavage. Running my hand through my blonde curls, I glanced in the mirror and grinned.
After checking out the map on the tablet, I headed out into the common room. The triplets’ heads swiveled in my direction again, and I waved. “Off to grab some grub. Anyone hungry?”
They lifted their chins and turned back to the show they were watching.
; I shrugged and headed out the door. They clearly weren’t my people. The halls of this place were built with gray stone, like a castle or a mausoleum, but were lit by electric lights. I had a pretty good memory for directions, and I soon came to the entrance to the dining hall. This side came in from the hallway, but the far end would let out into the courtyard I’d seen when we arrived if I remembered correctly.
The door swung open, and I almost didn’t notice the guy gawking at me, because the aroma of steak and fries cascaded over me. I breathed it in, knowing the action made more of my tits show, and then I raised an eyebrow at the flabbergasted boy. If he was any example, Thornbriar Academy wasn’t gonna know what hit them.
I strutted inside the dining hall and, ignoring the stares and whispers, filled my plate with the fantastic food. I didn’t think I’d ever had a steak so fresh, with steak fries and creamed corn. I grabbed a soda and tossed a couple of brownies on top for good measure. One of the many benefits of being a shifter was that our metabolism ran so much faster than any humans. While most of the girls in public school had complained about their figures, I could eat anything. But it also meant that when I didn’t eat, I was that much weaker.
Turning toward the full dining room, I grimaced. I didn’t want to fight for table space, not when the evening was so nice. I headed out to the courtyard instead. I saw them as soon as I cleared the door: the group I’d seen earlier that looked like trouble. I marched over to them, stepping right up to the Asian guy with the winged tats along his arm. “Got room for one more?”
He looked me up and down and grinned, flopping on to the bench behind him. “Sure do, babe,” he said, gesturing to his lap.
I smiled and shoved my tray into the nearest person’s hands. Then I climbed astride and took his face in my hands. Watching his eyes and savoring the surprise in their depths, I kissed him.
His skin was cold, but he warmed under me. He slid his hands around to cup my ass and pressed me against the hard length of him. Now, this was a man, not like those teeny dicks at my other school. A different kind of hunger roared to life in my gut.