Sweat formed on my brow, and my heart raced. The bubble shifted, twisting until it felt like it was reaching toward all my limbs, as if it were composed of tentacles going in every direction inside of me. Something slithered down my back and I yelped.
“Hold on, don’t let go of it. I can feel it,” Matt said.
My breathing quickened as the slithering feeling continued. Then, it was as if something grabbed hold of the tendrils and pulled, tightening around them. I cried out as panic gripped me. Ice seemed to travel up the tendrils, silencing my cry.
I opened my eyes with a start and looked at Matt and Zach. The two of them were still next to me, still holding me but they were both staring at me.
As I met their eyes, shock waves of electric blue light ran up and down our arms, connecting us in a circle that I didn’t want to break. The initial discomfort was gone, replaced by serenity, belonging, hope. It was like soaking in a warm bath, supported on all sides by the warm water.
Zach and Matt were the support. They were holding me here, keeping me calm, making me feel oddly comfortable. I’d never felt comfortable before. Not once. And now, I felt like I wanted to crawl in between them and let them hold me until I fell asleep. It didn’t feel unusual to want to be with them. To touch them, taste them, smell them.
My senses began to fire on overdrive and suddenly the warmth spread to my belly, then lower to my core. I lifted my knees, squeezing my thighs together against the sudden arousal.
This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t happen.
Without thinking, I tugged my hands away, breaking the circle.
I shot backward, stopping when I hit the couch behind me. Dazed, I slowly looked up at the mages in the room with me. “What the hell was that?”
“The blue sparks or the sudden desire to fuck you right here even with my brother present,” Zach said.
“Both, I guess,” I said.
“You felt that too?” Matt said. “Because I didn’t think that was real.”
“What are you talking about?” Zach asked.
“I read about a rare case when connecting magic formed a bond similar to a mating bond,” Matt said.
“Mages don’t feel mating bonds,” Zach said. “That’s a shifter and demon thing.”
“Except for when it’s forged by connecting magic,” Matt said.
“What are you saying?” I asked. “That you just tricked me into falling in love with you or something?”
“No, it’s not love, not really,” Matt said. “Mating bonds are different. Animalistic. Possessive. Eternal.”
“Okay, you two are nuts,” I said as I stood up. It was bad enough that I had a broody shifter I had to avoid and a regular booty call with an incubus. I didn’t need to be mated to a couple of mages on top of that.
“I’m sure it’s nothing,” Zach said. “I’ve never even heard of that.”
“I think you’re both fucking with me,” I said.
“No, not at all,” Matt said. “It was one study I read. I’m sure it’s not what happened. It was probably just the power of the magic. I mean, some people say magic is an aphrodisiac.”
“Well, not this person,” I said, hands on my hips. “And I’m late for gym.”
“Wait,” Zach said. “I’ll walk you there. It’ll help you not get busted for being late.”
“Fine,” I said. “But we’re never doing that connection thing again but you’re both going to have to help me figure out how to make my magic work so I don’t get kicked out of here.”
“That sounds fair,” Matt said. His hand brushed against mine as he walked past me toward the door.
His touch sent a shock wave through me, straight to my core and all I could think about was what it would be like to fuck him. Dammit. Whatever they did better be temporary.
21
Luka
My chest tightened as the bell rang and I still didn’t see Raven. Over the last few weeks, I’d given her space in real life and while the late-night dream booty calls were nice, they weren’t a substitute for the real thing. Every day when we had gym, I hoped it would be the day she’d decide to take things out of the dream realm.
It was hard to believe it had been nearly three weeks since she arrived. In all that time, I found that my appetite for other encounters had dwindled. It was as if she was the only thing I craved, and it was taking its toll on me. I needed to have some real-life action, but she was all I wanted.
Today was going to change that. I was going to get her alone. We had a connection, I knew we did. I just needed to talk to her. The whole day had dragged by so slowly as I waited for this moment. I’d been counting down, waiting for her.
And now it was time for gym, and she was nowhere in sight. I’d warned her about being on time to classes. She had to know by now how important it was to fall in line. This school might be the envy of all magic academies, but they were still practicing the old ways of punishment. Meaning, step a toe out of line and you’d pay with dire consequences that would be shocking to the members of the Spanish Inquisition. I should know, I’d had to listen to my family retell their take on the Inquisition every year on the Winter Solstice when we traveled between realms to visit those who had permanently crossed into hell.
“Demon, why the fuck aren’t you warming up?” Coach Miller called.
I tore my eyes off the door and clenched my jaw as I turned to face the coach. Of all the teachers at the Academy, Coach Miller was the worst. He wasn’t just a sadistic asshole, he was horrifying to look at. And I’m a fucking demon. I literally visit Hell every year. Coach Miller even freaked me out.
His lower half was a snake body, while his upper half was that of a man. A roided out man who spent too much time popping supplements and eating raw meat. The veins in his forehead were always bulging, but you were safe as long as the neck vein wasn’t throbbing. Like it was starting to do now.
“On my way, coach,” I said, trying to sound like I actually respected him. I didn’t. Nobody did. That’s why he was such a prick. Instead of earning respect, he made us suffer so we were all terrified of him. It was almost enough to sign up to take the trials now and avoid having to spend another hour with him.
I picked up my pace, running faster to meet up with the pack of students in the middle. We did the same warm up every day. Two miles around the track. It was tedious but it was the best part of class because at least while we were warming up, he wasn’t trying to kill us.
With every lap, I glanced toward the door, hoping to catch a glimpse of Raven. But as I rounded the final lap, I started to hope she wouldn’t arrive. The punishment for missing a class was probably the same as coming late but it would be determined by the dean instead of the coach so it was less likely you’d be fighting giant scorpions or something.
“Hey, Luka,” James, the only other incubus at the Academy jogged over to me. “You had a shot with the new girl yet? I saw her at lunch today with the shifters. Whew, man, I’m telling you, I’ve never gotten such a high from a woman’s scent as I have from that little mage. She’s got to be a wild one in bed, don’t you think?”
Everything inside me felt like it turned molten at James’s words. I wanted to rip his throat out for talking about Raven that way. “She’s taken.”
He lifted a cocky brow and laughed. “Yeah, right. Like you already bagged that one. She’s way out of your league. Besides, I’m pretty sure she’s shacking up with the wolf’s alpha.”
“I can assure you, she’s off the market. And not because she’s fucking a dog,” I said as I left the track and headed to the middle of the gym to wait for whatever today’s fresh hell would be.
Suddenly, the doors opened and Raven walked in with the Mage twins behind her.
“Fuck, how do those assholes get all the pussy?” James asked.
“Because they’re richer than god,” another student said.
“Ms. Winters,” Coach Miller boomed. “You’re late. That was a stupid choice.”
“It
was my fault, Coach,” Matt said. “We sort of caught her on fire last period.”
The coach’s eye twitched and one nostril flared. His upper lip curled, then he sucked in his lips as if he’d just eaten something sour. “Is that so, Mr. Obscura?”
“She was willing to come straight here and I made her get checked for injury. You know how it would look if an Obscura killed a student before the end of the first semester?”
“Yeah, they usually wait until the trials for that,” someone called.
My stomach tightened. Had these two sunk their teeth into my Raven? We shared something. Our time in that dream wasn’t just a dream; it was something bigger. When she was around, the whole world stopped.
I was pretty convinced we had a bond, though I wasn’t ready to admit that to anyone. My grandparents had come together through a mating bond and when my grandmother died, it took my grandfather down with her. So my parents had been clear about their lack of interest in such a bond. For a demon, it was seen as weakness. But I didn’t think I had a choice. The pull to her was too great. If she was my mate, I was willing to do whatever it took to spend as much time as I could with her. Today was supposed to be the day I made that leap. But I was going to have to get rid of the golden boys first.
“You missed warm up so you’ll have to work cold,” Coach Miller said.
“Thanks, coach,” Matt said. “I’ll pass your best along to my parents.”
“Yeah, why don’t you do that,” he said. Then he turned to the rest of us. “Circle up. It’s combat day.”
I moved slowly, keeping an eye on the twins and Raven. The mage boys left the gym and Raven slowly walked toward the group. I shifted so I could get closer to her but the coach moved next to her, cutting off my access. Frowning, I took a spot in the circle of students.
She was so close to me that I could feel her magic. It called to me like a ritual, sending me the scent of burning sage and garden roses. It didn’t make sense how I knew, but I knew it was her. She didn’t have this pull to her magic before. Something had changed. My nose twitched as I noticed another scent I was familiar with. Sex. The unmistakable scent of arousal and wetness.
I balled my hands into fists. Those mages were going to have to find their own toys. Raven wasn’t one of their flavors of the month. She needed to be worshipped not used and tossed aside.
“Luka, you get to go first today,” Coach Miller said. “And why don’t you show the little mage how it’s done. I don’t think we’ve had a combat since you’ve arrived, have we?”
Raven shook her head. “No, coach.”
Panic surged through me and my heart hammered in my chest. No. Combat was dangerous. It wasn’t exactly fight to the death as most of us were immortal, but it was damn close. And I’d never fought a mage. I didn’t know what they could take. “Coach, she’s never even seen combat before.”
The coach cocked his head to the side. “I’ve never known you to turn down a tumble with a member of the opposite sex. Isn’t that what you shitty demons live for?”
I glared at him. Like he could talk. I got my magic from pleasure. My own and those I was with. I never forced anyone, and I was damn good at fucking. He was a half snake man with a steroid addiction. Did he even have a penis? Was that what this was? Penis envy?
“You won’t do it, I’ll find someone else who will,” he threatened.
“I’ll take a go at her,” Remi called.
My insides rumbled in a low growl. I didn’t like being threatened, and he knew exactly how to push my buttons. I swear, one day I was going to tear that grin off of his smug face. “Fine.”
“Winters, in the ring,” he called.
I stepped into the center of the circle of students, my heart falling to the pit of my stomach as Raven lifted her chin and stepped forward. Even as she approached the ring for an unknown combat test, she didn’t waver. She didn’t let her fear show. But I could smell it on her. And she had every right to be afraid. She should be very, very afraid.
22
Raven
I balled my hands into fists to keep from trembling, but I was sure they all knew how terrified I was. Lifting my chin high, I did my best to feign confidence as I stepped into the center of the circle.
There were twenty students in matching gym uniforms standing around me and all eyes were on me.
I glanced around, noting the different people. I’d gotten to know some of them during the last few weeks but it was mostly just introductions. Aside from Violet and Luka, there weren’t any I’d consider friends. Violet was a gym class only friend and Luka was a dream booty call.
The students seemed to watch me with a bored detachment. Most of them would pass for human at first glance, but a few of them were obviously not human. I suppose I should be lucky that it’s Luka I had to fight - at least I think this is a fight - rather than the kid with the spikes coming out of his head and mouth full of sharp fangs. In fact, there were at least six kids with visible fangs. And all of them were baring their teeth at me to show them off.
Coach Miller slithered closer to me and I shuddered. What the hell was he? I mean, a principal with the devil horns was the one thing but a snake man for a gym teacher was worse. Wasn’t gym class bad enough as it was? Why throw in a dude who looked like the Rock from the awful Scorpion King movie? Except for this guy was half snake instead of half scorpion. It was enough to make you fight to hold down your lunch.
“Shirts or skins?” he asked. “Lady's choice.”
“What?” I asked, startled by the question. We weren’t playing basketball, and I obviously had breasts so why the hell would I take off my shirt? There were only two of us.
“She wants shirts,” Luka said. “Right?”
“Um, yeah,” I said, still in shock at the question.
“Next, choose your three,” the gym teacher said.
“My three what?” I asked.
“Do I have to spoon feed it to you?” he asked.
“It’s her first time,” Luka said.
“Well, we all know who’s trying to get into the new girls pants,” the teacher said.
My cheeks heated. “What the fuck? You can’t say shit like that. Besides, I’m not really new anymore.”
He laughed. “I can say whatever I want. And you know, for that outburst, I’m going to pick your three.”
“Give her a chance,” Luka said.
“One more word from you and it’s confinement,” Coach said. Then he turned to the circle of students and pointed to three kids in front of him. “Garcia, Smith, and Hunt, you’re with Ms. Winters.”
The three students, all female and all petite like me, moved into the center of the circle. I should have asked for Violet. At least I knew she liked me.
“Lowell, Keller, and Sanchez, you join the Incubus.”
Three huge boys moved into the circle. They looked at me as if they were starving and I was the main course. And not in a sexy way. In a they-were-going-to-kill-me way. “Fuck.”
“Yeah, thanks a lot stupid mage,” one girl behind me said.
“I’m so sorry,” I said, not willing to look back at them. We were screwed. “How do we do this? Is it like a point per touch or something?”
“This isn’t the human world, noob, it’s last person standing.”
Luka’s brow was furrowed, and he mouthed the word, sorry to me. I could feel the tears already brewing behind my eyes. I didn’t even know the rules but I had a feeling asking would be worse than just letting it happen, whatever it was.
Luka pulled his shirt off and tossed it aside. A warm flush rose through me and flutters filled my chest. I had almost forgotten how beautiful he was and how badly I wanted to finish what we had started in my dream. Did he remember that? Did he even care? Or was he visiting every woman he could find to fill his appetite?
I shook my head and forced the thought away. Now was not the time to focus on Luka’s body. His amazingly chiseled abs or his unrealistically sculpted six-pack. Fuck. I neede
d to focus. Why was I doing this? The three guys behind Luka fanned out behind him. All of them flexing their biceps as they got into what I could only describe as ready positions. Ready for what though, I had no idea. All I knew was that I should embrace myself for pain.
“Go,” the snake guy yelled.
I glanced behind me to see the three girls backing away from me and when I turned back to look at Luka, he was advancing.
The other three behind him waited, teeth bared. I could almost sense the bloodlust coming from them. It filled the air with a tension that was palpable. Everyone here wanted this. They wanted to see the fight. They were hungry for it.
Everyone except for me.
My heart pounded so loudly in my ears it nearly drowned out the cheers of the students gathered around me. Sweat formed on my brow. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion.
No, strike that. Not seemed to be. It was.
Holding my breath, I focused on the sound. It had slowed to a roar like an ocean wave, the surrounding students nearly frozen in place as they moved so slowly I had to pay attention to notice it.
I moved my hand out in front of me. I was moving at normal speed. Or at least it appeared that way.
Luka was still moving toward me, though it would take him an hour to reach me at his current pace. Confused, I walked toward him and waved my hand in front of his face. He didn’t react. He either wasn’t aware of this happening or he was moving too slowly to register the change.
Why was this happening? Did I make this happen or was it someone else? It didn’t seem to be Luka’s doing since he was trapped in the same slow motion as everyone else.
What if I made this happen? What if we were stuck like this forever? My chest tightened and my tongue felt thick in my mouth. This wasn’t supposed to happen. What if I fucked everything up?
I glanced around the room and then made a decision. As panic clawed its way through my insides, I raced toward the doors. I had to find out if the rest of the school was stuck like this or if it was only the gym class.
Academy of the Elites: Untamed Magic Page 10