We walked past the commons. Even at this late hour, it was full of students. We had an unusual schedule here. Classes during the day and at night. Options for the variety of creatures that dwelled within our walls. Mostly, the room was full of those of us who thrived in the dark. Like me.
A table of vampires bared their teeth as we walked by, showing their fangs to the new girl. Stupid, cocky assholes.
Raven squeaked.
“Ignore them. The bagged blood makes them all a little nuts.” The vamps around here think they’re hot stuff ever since that whole Twilight phase. Just because they were trendy, didn’t mean it made them interesting. Sure, they were strong, difficult to kill, and basically had eternal life, but they lived off of blood. I got my energy from sex. Between them and me, I was the cooler one by far.
“Bagged blood?” she asked.
“We can’t exactly have them drinking from other students. Though some still do. Apparently, there are those who get off on that,” I said.
Raven stopped walking, her gaze fixed on a long table in the back of the commons. Two dark haired mages sat on the top of the table, throwing a ball of fire back and forth between them. Show offs.
“Are they mages too?” she asked.
“Yeah, the twins. Fire elementals.” My brow furrowed. “Is that what you are?”
“Maybe,” she said. “I did roast a couple of dudes alive.”
“Huh. Remind me not to piss you off.”
“You think they could teach me that?” she asked.
“Probably,” I said, then I glanced down at the envelope I was still holding and pulled out her schedule. “You’ve got beginning magical theory in a few hours. You’ll get there.”
She turned and snatched the schedule out of my hand. Her fingers brushed against mine and a wave of want rolled through me. Why the hell was I craving her so much? It hadn’t been that long since I fed. I’d squeezed in a quickie after gym earlier today. It must not have been enough.
“Magical Theory, Spellcasting, Training Your Familiar, Diplomacy, and Gym.” She looked up at me, her eyebrows high. “Gym? I’m twenty-fucking-one years old.”
“Everyone takes gym,” I said.
“I thought that was the perk of being an adult. No more gym class,” she said.
“How else will they keep us humble?” I asked. “You get used to it.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that the mage twins were looking over here. They were no longer juggling their fireball. If we waited any longer, they might walk over here. “Come on.” I guided Raven back to the hallway. “You’ve got class in a few hours.”
“Nine a.m.? Like tomorrow?” she asked, holding up the schedule in her hands.
“Yes,” I said. “And the instructors don’t like it when you’re late.”
We turned down a hall lined with doors. “Most of your classes will be in this hallway. They keep the beginner classes together.”
“So how long have you been stuck here?” she asked.
“I’m a semester in. Probably going to give myself the full four semesters before I get stuck in the real world, you know? Prolong it a bit,” he said.
“There are options?” she asked. “Like I could get out of here sooner?”
I shrugged. “Sure. You have to pass the trial and they consider you done. Usually students wait till at least their third semester before they take it.”
“What if I just took it now? Can you pass on luck?” she asked.
“I don’t recommend that,” I said. “People die in the trial. It’s not Star Trek. You don’t just keep taking it until you pass.”
She wrinkled her nose and I wasn’t sure if it was because she got my obscure Star Trek reference or because I mentioned Star Trek at all. Either way, her judgy look was adorable. Once again, I felt the call of my cock. I wanted to be inside her so bad it was making me light headed. I needed to get her to her room and find a quick hook up. There was always someone up for some late night action. Maybe one of the sirens. They were usually a good fuck.
I picked up the pace through the classroom corridor. “Come on.”
I could sense her behind me. Her body heat thrummed through me like a ball of energy waiting for release. She was sexual distraction personified. I glanced over my shoulder. “You sure you’re a mage. You’re not something else? Siren or succubus or something else from the deep?”
“Not that it matters, but all I know is what Dr. Hellboy told me. He says I’m a mage. So I guess I’m a mage.”
“Huh.” I wondered if the headmaster was off on his prediction. She was going to be fun to watch in the coming weeks as she started to figure out her magic.
3
Raven
“What are you? Can I ask that. I mean, are you a mage?”
He tossed his head back to look at me, his hair flipping with the movement. His smoldering gaze caught me like a cold wind, nearly knocking the breath from my lungs. Nobody had any business being this hot. And I had even less business being so fucking attracted to him. It was like suddenly, I was thinking with my hormones. I was twenty-one. I was supposed to be past this part of my life. Instead, I was getting physically warmer from looking at the beautiful man leading me down the hallway.
“I’m not sure you’re ready for that answer yet, kitten,” he said, winking.
I frowned, doing my best to pretend that I wasn’t turning into a puddle of goo from his smile. I needed to get to my room. And fast. Maybe it was all the excitement. Or the magic. It had to be. I’d never used magic before. Of course there would be repercussions. What if using magic turned you into a horny teenager? I would have to be careful in this place. Sex made things complicated. While it was very enjoyable, it was not usually worth the strings that came attached. Even when guys told you they wanted a causal thing, they usually lied. What they really wanted was a girl to pine over them so they could shoot her down and lift their ego up. They hated it when you didn’t pine.
We reached the end of the classroom hallway. I wished I could see inside the doors but unlike the high school I’d attended, none of the classrooms had windows facing the hallway. I guess they didn’t like it when kids stopped in the hall to make faces at the people in the room. Though I supposed that might not be a problem here. People didn’t still act that way in college, did they?
“This is the most direct route to the dungeons.” Luka stopped in front of what looked like an emergency exit door. He pushed it open and took a few steps down a darkened stairwell.
There only light was the light pouring in from the hallway into the darkness below. It was like a crime scene waiting to happen. “You’re kidding me, right?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll hold your hand if you want.”
Annoyed, I pushed past him, and took the steps as fast as I could. If this was the way to my dorm room, which hopefully had a working lock, I needed to suck it up.
As I brushed past Luka, I was hit with the overwhelming scent of leather and smoke with a hint of something else that I couldn’t identify. Whatever it was, it was masculine as hell. Pure fuel for my sex drive. My belly clenched and I tried to ignore the growing dampness between my legs. What the hell was wrong with me?
Taking deep breaths in through my mouth, I tried to focus on the scent of the stairs. Damp, dusty, cold air filled my lungs. The cement under my feet felt slick, like someone poured water on the steps. I dragged my fingers along the wall and they were gritty and a little slimy. Like something was growing on them. Disgusted, I pulled my hand away and wiped it on my ruined pants. I wondered if I would have to sleep in the provided uniform or if there was even a shower available.
I opened my mouth to ask Luka about shower arrangements just as another wave of his scent rolled over me. I breathed it in as if it were fresh cinnamon rolls baking in the oven. My mind instantly flooded with an image of the two of us in the shower naked. Water beading up on our skin as his mouth and tongue explored my nipples. Shit. Shit. Shit. What the hell was wrong with me?
Thinking about a shower around Luka was a bad idea. In fact, thinking about Luka was a bad idea. Starting something with a stranger on my first night in my new prison school was a bad idea.
Finally, we reached the bottom of the stairs, emerging into a hallway of closed doors. The doors looked at home in a dorm titled the dungeon. They looked like they were made of metal and they were windowless, just like the classroom doors. Voices drifted from somewhere ahead. I craned my neck to see if I could find the source.
“Common room,” Luka said as if he could read my mind.
He pushed past me and I held my breath, not making the mistake of breathing in the smell of pure sex his pheromones created. “Come on.”
I followed him down the hall. Flickering torches - honest to fucking god torches - lined the walls. One between each of the metal doors. Two, four, six, eight, ten. Ten rooms before we reached the common area.
Several red velvet couches were arranged in a square around a low table. A group of six students in matching uniforms were laughing and talking, cards in their hands. I recognized the set up on the table. Good to know they played Texas Holdem in magic school. That was one of my few skills. Granted, I was better with a drink or two in my system but I could beat the pants off of most people I’d played against. Literally. We’re talking strip poker champion.
The laughter died down and six pairs of gold eyes turned to face me. I froze, my moment of confidence stripped away in a single second.
One student stood and set his cards down on the table in almost slow motion. His body moved with a rippling power I’d never seen before. Making every movement intentional as his large form prowled gracefully toward me.
In the flickering torchlight, it was hard to make out details other than his sheer size. The man was a beast. A dark-haired, dark bearded beast. His tan skin took on a gold tone in the light. If there was an opposite for Luka’s lean, fair beauty, this man was it.
He moved toward me, his gold eyes flickering along with the firelight. He smiled, his teeth catching the light, drawing me to his full lips, his hard jaw, his fangs. Shit. Dude had fangs.
My throat bobbed and my jaw tightened. They warned me about the other kinds of creatures in this world but seeing one up close was different than hearing they existed. I looked back up at his eyes and took in the rest of him as he came to a stop in front of me. His long dark hair hung loose around his face, settling in just below his shoulders.
Even through the uniform, I could tell he was cut. He wasn’t large because he chugged too much beer. He was this size because he probably spent most of his down time lifting weights.
“Who’d you bring me, Luka?” His voice came out in a growl that made my toes curl.
Fuck.
I’d never heard such a sexy tone in my life. This man was bad news. I didn’t even know his name yet, and I already knew that. Between Luka’s scent making me want to rip his clothes off and this man’s baritone, I was a useless, damp puddle. My whole not fucking a guy when I just met him thing was getting very tested tonight. Was every dude in this place like this? Honestly, with the way these guys made me feel, I was surprised I hadn’t walked into an orgy down here.
“New student. Room Twelve,” Luka said.
Sexy man leaned in to me until we were nearly touching. Tingles shot through my body just from his proximity. I held my breath.
And then he sniffed me.
He pushed his nose up against my neck and sniffed.
I should have been startled, I should have slapped him, I should have done anything except go weak in the knees. But that was what I did. Right there as he pressed his nose against me, I nearly fell over.
He caught me, a massive hand on my lower back while the other rested on my stomach. I had to force myself to keep from panting at the sensation of his touch. It was electric, sending a rush of pleasure through me that wasn’t normal. I mean, normally a guy had to hit just the right place to make me feel that good. I bit down on the inside of my cheek to help contain myself. How would it look if I moaned in front of all these strangers?
Then again, he had growled at me. Maybe that was how we were supposed to communicate here.
“You don’t smell like a shifter,” he said the words softer, almost in a whisper.
“That’s because I’m not.” Finally, feeling like I’d regained control, I pushed his hands off of me. “They say I’m a mage.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Mages live in the tower. Shifters live in the dungeon.”
“So I’ve been told,” I said.
“Makayla,” the brute said. “Show her to her room.”
“I’m supposed to take her,” Luka said.
The shifter in front of me let out a low growl, baring his teeth. His gold eyes flashed. “This isn’t your domain, fallen one.”
“Hey, no need for that,” I said. “Luka has been helping me.”
“I’m sure he has. That’s what they do. They help you, then they get in your pants and steal your soul.”
“That sounds a little dramatic, don’t you think?” I said.
“He’s an incubus. It’s what he does,” the shifter said.
I turned and glanced at my guide. “Is that true? You’re an incubus? Isn’t that like a sex demon?”
Luka’s casual exterior seemed to harden in front of my eyes. His whole body tensed, and his blue eyes stormed over.
I took a step back, suddenly terrified by the man I’d been ready to pounce on a few minutes ago.
“You don’t know anything about me, Ben.” Luka shoved the papers he was holding into the shifter’s chest. “She’s your problem now.”
Ben grabbed the papers while glaring at Luka. The incubus turned and headed down the dark hall.
“Luka, wait.” I felt terrible for how I’d reacted to discovering what he was. Weren’t we all monsters when it came to the tales humans were told? How was I any different than him? He’d been nothing but nice to me.
The incubus faded into the dark and I was left alone with the shifters.
4
Ben
“Come on, love. I’ll show you to your room,” Makayla said.
“No,” I put my hand out, stopping my most trusted pack member. Makayla was a powerful wolf shifter, my right hand in this pack we’d created, but something wouldn’t let me pass off this newcomer. “I’ll take her.”
I glanced back to the table where the others were sitting, tense and ready to attack if I asked them to. We’d formed a pack quickly, the six of us being the only wolf shifters on campus. I’d taken the alpha role seamlessly, something I hadn’t expected but welcomed. “I’m out. Play without me.”
Makayla hesitated, and I nodded to her, assuring her that everything was fine. She turned back to the table. “Who’s ready to give me all their money?”
The sound of the others getting back to the game calmed me. It made me feel like I had a small amount of privacy with the newcomer. I wasn’t sure why I wanted her to myself or why I wanted us to be away from the rest of the pack, but I couldn’t shake it.
“Can I have my stuff?” She pointed to the envelope I was still clutching to my chest. I looked down at it and read her name. Raven. It was an unusual name, though there were weirder names here.
“Come on, Raven, I’ll show you where your room is.”
“I’m sure I can find it myself,” she said.
“I told you I’d show you.” I wasn’t used to having people ignore my commands.
She reached for the envelope and I tugged it away. As she moved closer to me, I could smell the scent of her arousal. It made my cock twitch. She was either really into the incubus or she was feeling something for me. The thought of her with that pretty boy made me bare my teeth on reflex.
She took a step back. “No need for the tough guy act. I just need my schedule and shit.”
I handed the envelope to her. “Fine. Come on.”
This time, she followed me without argument. I sort of wished she’d push back. It had
been a long time since anyone stood up to me and to be honest, it was hot.
We cut through the common room, heads turning to watch us as we walked by. I ignored the others and led her to the hallway on the other side. Six rooms lined this hall and the only vacant room was number twelve. Right next door to mine.
I leaned against the wall by the metal door labeled with a twelve. “Here it is, home sweet home.”
“Maybe for you,” she grumbled.
My brow furrowed. It wasn’t the usual reaction to gaining your dorm room here. Most new students, even the most stoic, had at least a smile. “Homesick?”
“More than you could ever know,” she said as she held up her key. “Do I just slide this in here?”
Our hands brushed as I pointed to the slot for the keycard. Chills ran up my arm and my breath caught. She was like a walking wet dream. There was no way I should be feeling like this about a woman I just met. There had to be some explanation. “What are you? You can’t be a normal mage.”
“They told me I’m a mage, so I suppose that’s what I am,” she said.
“What do you mean they told you?” There was something so unusual about her. She was different in so many ways.
She pressed her lips together and stood in silence for a moment as if trying to decide if she should say anything. I waited patiently, feeling an irresistible urge to know all I could about her.
“Why do you care?” She asked.
“I’m curious, what can I say. Besides, I’m in charge down here so it’s good for me to know what to expect,” I said.
She slid her key card into the door and the light flashed green. She turned the handle and pushed open the door. “Not tonight.”
Then, she slipped inside and closed the door behind her. Heat welled up in the pit of my stomach. It was rare for someone to ignore my orders. It was even more rare for a woman to close the door on my face. In fact, I couldn’t think of a single time that had ever happened. My reputation as a player was well deserved and none of the ladies I’d been with had ever complained. Now, there was some mage ignoring me and shutting the door on me?
Academy of the Elites: Untamed Magic Page 2