“Remember, all spell casting goes back to our primary four tenants. You keep those with you and you’ll successfully cast your spell and limit the amount of,” she chuckled and gave a knowing nod, “personal damage.”
The rest of the class laughed, clearly in on the joke. I smiled awkwardly, wishing I could curl up in my bed and hide from the world. This was going to be a very long day.
“Psst.”
I glanced over to see one of the twins I’d seen earlier signaling to me. There were a few empty spaces worth of seats on the bench in between us and he stretched his arm toward me. In his hand was a notebook and pen.
Gratefully, I reached out and took the offered supplies. “Thank you,” I whispered.
He winked and flutters filled my chest.
Quickly, I grabbed the notebook and turned back to the teacher. My face felt hot and I squirmed as my body fought to move closer to the attractive mage. Gritting my teeth, I opened the notebook and tried to think about the lecture and not my sex drive.
“Each of us has the possibility of finding untamed magic within us,” she said.
That caught my attention. I straightened and listened, my pen hovering above the paper.
“Untamed magic is the most unstable but most powerful kind of magic. While you’re learning to use your magic, you might find a skill you previously didn’t know you had and it can flare out of control. Learning to recognize shifts and changes in your magic will prevent that from happening. You have to maintain control, explore any new magic as it arrives in calm, controlled steps. That’s where spell casting comes in. You must learn control.”
I was so entrained by her words about harnessing internal magic that I nearly jumped out of my seat when the bell rang. Quickly, I jumped up and walked over to where the twins were to return the notebook, but they were off the bench and out the door so fast, I didn’t even get to ask about how to return it.
“Ms. Winters,” the professor called.
I turned to her. “Yes?”
“You’ll need to make some friends with other mages. You have a lot to learn.”
“Thanks, I’ll work on that,” I said.
She nodded, then walked away. Deciding that meant I was dismissed, I headed to the door. So far, I’d been befriended by a possessive shifter, dream fucked by an incubus, threatened by a bear shifter, and hypnotized by some sirens. Making friends was not my strong point.
“Hey, princess, you still mad at me?” Makayla’s voice called from outside the door.
I smiled. She wasn’t a mage, but Makayla was a welcome presence right now. “Only if you’re here because someone sent you.”
“Nope, this time I’m here cause we girls need to stick together, you know?”
“Thanks,” I said.
“Ready for lunch?” She asked.
My stomach growled. I had dumped my breakfast all over me this morning and I was going on day two of no food. “Please tell me we can eat somewhere other than the cafeteria.”
“No such luck,” she said. “But you’ll be more prepared this time.”
“Right.” I said. “At this point, I’m hungry enough that I’ll probably slug anyone who gets between me and my lunch.”
“Hey, you’re getting the hang of how to handle this place.”
12
Raven
The cafeteria was already buzzing with students when we arrived, and I realized for the first time exactly how many people attended this school. While breakfast had been scattered with open tables and tables with lots of open seats, lunch was a different story.
My palms were sweaty as I gripped a plastic tray and followed Makayla through the line to get food. The kind looking women working behind the counter set a plate with a burger and fries on my tray. It wasn’t my favorite meal, but my stomach still grumbled in appreciation at the prospect of food.
I grabbed a few paper cups full of fruit and followed Makayla out of the line. She led us through the maze of tables toward the back of the room.
“New girl, come sit with us,” one of the sirens hissed.
I ignored her and kept walking.
Someone whistled at me and my cheeks burned. What was with this place? Did they all miss high school this much that they had to pretend they were back there?
A leg shot out in front of me and I stopped just in time to keep myself from landing face first on the ground. I bared my teeth and turned to find Remi, stretched out in his seat causally.
“Do you mind, asshole?” I nodded to his outstretched leg.
“Not at all,” he said, pulling his leg back in.
I rolled my eyes and took a step forward.
“Hey, Raven,” he called out.
I turned to look at him despite the fact that I knew I should ignore him.
“You and I got off on the wrong foot this morning. How about you let me make it up to you? I can pick you up tonight at seven and I’ll show you a good time.”
“She doesn’t need to catch your fleas,” Makayla growled.
“How about you play fair here, wolf,” he said.
“Remi, I accept your apology, but I’m not dating anyone right now,” I said. It wasn’t what I wanted to say. I wanted to tell him that I wouldn’t let him touch me if he was the last man alive but I knew I didn’t need the extra enemies or the distractions of a bully. If I was really going to get through this school, I had a lot to catch up on. And I knew that despite the fact that my only friend was a wolf shifter, I had to find some mages to help me.
“Fair enough,” he said, holding his hands up in mock surrender. “You know where to find me when you’re ready.”
“Come on,” Makayla said.
I turned away from Remi and followed Makayla to a table at the back of the cafeteria where Ben and three other students were sitting. She set down her tray and took one of the empty seats. I sat down next to her, trying to avoid eye contact with Ben. I wasn’t ready for the flips I knew my stomach would make when I looked at him.
“You must be our resident mage,” a girl with blonde curls said.
“That’s me,” I said, then I took a huge bite of my hamburger to prevent having to say anything else.
“Let the girl eat,” Makayla said. “Remi knocked her breakfast all over the floor this morning.”
“And he’s still alive?” The blonde girl asked. “Wow, Ben, how did you hold back?” She had a strong southern drawl and came across as someone who was often the center of the gossip. I wasn’t sure why I thought that, but I had a feeling if I wanted info about anyone, she was the girl to ask.
I lifted an eyebrow and risked a glance at the pack’s alpha. For a moment, our eyes met and just as I expected, a rush of tingles shot through me like electricity sizzling down through my chest, low into my stomach. We both turned away.
“Never mind that,” Makayla said. “What I want to know is why Cormac is in confinement. Who was in gym this morning? Did anyone see it?”
The table burst into conversation as one of the other shifters, a man with dreadlocks and a full beard explained how someone named Cormac had threatened the gym teacher this morning. “It was like he snapped.”
I was grateful for the distraction away from me and used the time to eat all of my food quickly while I still had the chance.
Finally, feeling a little more like myself after the surprisingly good meal, I decided to join the conversation. These people seemed nice and I didn’t really care what their magical power was. “Officially introducing myself now, thanks for letting me eat. I’m Raven, reluctant mage.”
The blonde girl with the curls stretched her hand across the table, knocking over a bottle of iced tea that was thankfully empty. “Oops.” She quickly righted it and extended her hand again. “Jenny, Missouri pack.”
I accepted her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
The man with the dreadlocks waved. “Jamal, from the 303.”
“I have no idea what that is,” I said.
He laughed. “Denver.”
“Got it,” I said.
“Sam,” a woman with black hair cut in a bob said brightly. “I’m kind of a nomad. No pack affiliation.”
“I don’t think she cares,” Makayla said.
“I care,” I said. “It’s interesting. So you all belong to a group of other shifters?”
Jamal laughed again. “Packs. We come from packs of wolf shifters.”
“Right,” I said.
“Aren’t mages in covens?” Sam asked.
“Isn’t that witches?” I asked.
“There’s no such thing as witches. Well, none with actual magic,” Jenny said. “You’re a nomad too, then?”
“I guess so,” I said.
“Imagine that, Ben. Your - ow, hey!” Jenny rubbed her side after Ben jabbed her with his elbow.
“What am I missing?” I asked.
“Nothing,” Ben said. He looked around at everyone at the table. “Am I right?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Jenny said. “We got it, boss.”
Ben stood up and picked up his tray, leaving without another word.
I turned and watched him walk away. He’d been so nice to me when he’d walked me to class. “Did I do something to piss him off?”
“Don’t worry, he’s a moody asshole,” Makayla said. “But he’s right, we should get going. What’s your next class?”
“Gym,” I said.
“Ugh, so sorry,” she said. “You’ll need to change out before you go. Don’t go in your uniform. Coach sends more kids to confinement than any other teacher. Just go along with whatever till you get the hang of it.”
“What if I don’t go?” I asked, dread sinking into my gut like a weight. Gym hadn’t been my strong suit in high school either. I nearly failed because I couldn’t climb that damn rope. I had to run so many laps to make up for it that by the end of the semester, people were asking me to join the track team. As if I’d run for fun. What the fuck was wrong with those people?
“You have to go. Trust me, you learn ways to get through it quickly. Just don’t do anything to stand out,” Sam said.
“Well, it was nice meeting you all,” I said as I left the table. I was still worried about the fact that I didn’t know how to control my magic but I was starting to think that being sent to this school wasn’t the worst possible thing that could happen to me.
13
Raven
Gym was just as awful as I remembered it. Coach Miller was like something out of a horror movie. His upper body was that of a man who worked out way too much. Bulgy and veiny in a too roided out to be attractive kind of way. His lower body was a massive, coiling snake tail. He even made a slithering sound when he moved.
The mere sight of him made my skin crawl.
“Six more laps, ladies,” he called.
I picked up the pace, grateful for the excuse to round the curve on the track and be farther away from him.
The sexist prick had the girls working out on the track, running laps, while the guys were over on the other side of the gym pushing giant tires and whipping ropes around. Apparently, gym at a magical school was exactly the same as the gyms the rich people paid hundreds of dollars a month for. Except for the whole coached by a dude who might swallow you whole.
Panting, I waited till the coach had slithered away before I slowed down to a walk. All the other girls sped past me, not easing up on the running. Who knew magic academy students were in such good shape?
“You shouldn’t stop to walk,” a pale, fair-haired girl said as she slowed to join me. She glanced to her right then looked back at me. “If he catches you walking, he’ll make an example of you.”
“Why are we running so much? Isn’t the point of having magic so you don’t have to run? I mean, can’t we just shoot fire at the bad guys?” I asked.
She laughed. “Well, maybe you can, but us vampires can’t actually turn into bats and fly away.”
“Oh.” I wasn’t sure what else to say. I’d never met a vampire before. Shit, I’d never met anyone or anything magical before today so that wasn’t a surprise.
“I take it you’re a mage,” she said.
“Yeah,” I said. “Guess it shows?”
“The whole throwing fire at them gave it away,” she said.
“Right.”
“Look, coach is an asshole, but he’s right that we need to be stronger. Magic takes a lot out of you so the stronger your physical body is, the easier it is to recover when you use it. Even for the undead.” She laughed. “We’re not really dead. That was a joke.”
I forced a laugh. What the hell were vampires if they weren’t dead? Everything I’d learned from horror movies and books was wrong. So very, very wrong.
“I know I’m not seeing walking on the track,” Coach Miller called.
Quickly, I started jogging, the vampire matching my pace. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, new girl,” she said.
“I’m Raven,” I said.
“Violet,” she said.
The two of us jogged next to each other until the coach blew the whistle. I followed her off the track toward the locker room. As we walked, a familiar creature caught my eye, and I held my breath.
Luka stood in front of the entrance to the men’s locker room, a grin on his handsome face.
I stopped short of the door to the women’s locker room and stared at him.
“I’ll leave you two alone,” Violet said, then she disappeared through the door.
“You survived your first day at gym,” he said.
“Barely,” I said. “I’m sure I’ll be paying for it tonight. I’m going to need to test out that giant tub.”
“Want me to join you? I’ve been told I give the best back rubs.” He winked.
Every part of my body seemed to be firing explosive tingles through me, urging me to grab hold of him and pull him against me here and now. I didn’t even want to wait for tonight. I wanted him.
But there was one small part of me that resisted. Reminding me that I was serious when I said I wasn’t dating anyone right now.
“I really need to focus on figuring all this shit out before I get involved with anyone,” I said. Internally, my body was screaming. Before it could betray me, I pushed through the doors and headed for the first cold shower I could find.
“Wait,” Luka called.
I turned to see the door closing behind him.
“The fuck, Luka!” Someone yelled.
“Hey, get out, incubus!” Someone else called.
“Luka, what the hell are you doing?” I asked.
“I’m not sure. Breaking all my own rules.” He smirked.
Flutters filled my chest and my mind swirled back to the dream that didn’t feel like a dream. Wasn’t this every girl’s fantasy? A sexy Greek-god of a man chasing her down and confessing… actually, I wasn’t sure what he was doing, but it felt like it should be romantic.
Even my own body was betraying me as tingles started between my thighs. It was as if I reacted to him on instinct, with no free will of my own.
And that was fucking terrifying.
“You have to leave,” I said. “I told you, I can’t do this right now.”
“Are you going to fuck her or what?” someone called.
I glanced behind me to see Violet standing with her hands on her hips.
“Because if you’re not going to get it on, you’re wasting all of our time. Hers, yours, and your audience.” Violet said.
She was right, there was a group of girls gathered around her and all of their eyes were fixed on me. Most of them wore knowing glances.
“I mean, I don’t blame you for sampling a demon but make sure you get him to wrap that thing. We all know where its been,” a mousy girl with huge ears and light brown hair said.
The rest of the girls laughed and my cheeks burned. I knew I had to be as red as my hair. Had all of these women slept with Luka? Had they done it in dreams or in real life? Either way, the implication made me furious. I
didn’t want to share him.
I shook my head, sending the insane thoughts away. We didn’t even know each other. Our interaction last night wasn’t real. I lowered my voice, trying to gain at least a little privacy. “Listen, the dream was nice, but it wasn’t real.”
“That’s what I kept trying to tell myself,” he said. “How’s that lie working out for you?”
My jaw tightened, and I tried to think of something to say. “You need to go. We don’t even know each other.”
“Dude, she turned you down,” Violet said.
He laughed. “Good thing I wasn’t asking.” He reached into his pocket and pulled something out, then held it up in the air. “I just came to drop this off.”
I stared open-mouthed at a pair of black panties.
Behind me, the room burst into giggles.
“Those are not mine,” I said.
“Are you sure? Because they smell like you.”
I glared at him. After the dream and after the way he’d burst into the locker room, I had thought for a minute that he was different. But just like every other man I’d ever been with, it didn’t last. He was just as cocky as the moment I met him. “You’re an asshole.”
“A busted asshole.”
The room went silent, and I watched as Luka’s expression of triumph melted away into a mask of seriousness.
Slowly, I turned to see the owner of the voice. My magical theory professor was standing in the middle of the lockers, silent students on either side of her.
“I was just leaving,” Luka said.
“Wrong direction,” she said. “This is the third time you’ve been busted in here. You know the rules.”
I turned back to Luka, incredulous. Jealous heat flared in my chest that quickly turned to anger. “Three times?”
He shrugged.
“You really are an asshole,” I said.
“Come on, lover boy, it’s confinement time for you,” she said.
I swallowed against the lump in my throat. Despite his brazen attitude, I couldn’t help but feel bad for him.
And there was still that part of me that wanted him.
Academy of the Elites: Untamed Magic Page 6