Theo ran his hands through his dark hair and then tugged his lip ring. Finally, he shrugged and said, “I guess so.”
“Thank you,” I exclaimed in relief and surprised all of us by hugging him. “Oh … um … sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.” I let my arms drop from around his neck and slowly backed away.
Adelaide smiled, shaking her head as she looked from me to her brother.
“Mark my words, it’s only a matter of time before you two explode like fireworks on the Fourth of July.”
Chapter 12
I BRAIDED THE FRONT PIECE of my hair and then pulled it back into a ponytail. I wore an ivory billowy top and pale rose-colored shorts with a lightweight jacket thrown over in case I got cold. I knew my sudden change in clothing choice was due to my growing feelings for my protector and not some sudden love of fashion. At least in an outfit like this I looked my age. But I still missed my t-shirts and Converse.
I took a deep breath, mentally preparing myself. I felt like I was going to my first day of school and I guess that’s pretty much what it was.
I couldn’t believe I was going to be learning to do magic.
I still felt like I’d stepped into an alternate world or was having some strange dream.
But this wasn’t any dream. This was my life and it was completely and utterly insane.
A knock on the door made me jump. “Just a second,” I called and turned back to the mirror. I swiped some pale pink gloss across my lips. I knew then I couldn’t stall any longer. My whole body vibrated with nerves and I knew they weren’t going away any time soon. In fact, it was probably only going to get worse.
I tugged on my shorts—I wasn’t used to wearing something that exposed my legs this much—and opened the door. Theo was leaning against the wall with a smirk on his face. His black hair curled on the ends and a few droplets of water still clung to it. He wore jeans, an olive-green t-shirt, and a black leather jacket.
“Took you long enough, doll face.”
“Can’t you come up with a better nickname than doll face?” I asked, wrinkling my nose.
He grinned. “Would you prefer princess or boo-bear?”
“I think I’ll stick with doll face,” I groaned.
“Where’s your bag?” he asked, noting the fact I didn’t have one.
“I need a bag?”
He laughed. “Yeah, where else are you going to put your books?”
“Levitate them behind me?” I suggested. “Or make my protector carry them.” I poked his arm and smiled.
He laughed a full belly laugh. I think it was the first time I ever saw him laugh like that. “Oh, how you amuse me.”
“Glad to be of service.”
“Can I come in?” he asked, pointing behind me. “There should be one somewhere.”
“Sure.” I stepped aside so he could come in. I didn’t know why he even bothered to ask. He’d spent most of his time in my room the last week since that’s where I usually was. Sometimes when Adelaide came over she’d kick him out but most of the time he sat quietly in the corner. It was weirder being without him than being with him. In the beginning, I wanted him to leave me alone, but now I felt better with him around. Safer. I had even let him start sleeping on the floor in my room. I knew it wasn’t much better than the floor outside my door but it made me feel better. You’d think he’d be able to magically conjure up a mattress but no dice.
He disappeared into the closet and came back with a messenger bag that he handed to me. It was khaki with random patches sewed on.
“We better hurry. You’ve got Donovan this morning and he’ll be pissed if you’re late.”
I stepped into the hall and Theo followed as I locked my door behind me. Adelaide came out of her room at the same time.
“Ade,” Theo groaned. “You’re going to be late.”
She looked us over and narrowed her blue eyes at her brother. “Hypocrite much?”
“Ugh.” Theo threw his hands in the air. “Let’s go and stop arguing. We’re already late for breakfast.”
“That’s why he’s pissy,” Adelaide whisper-hissed loud enough for him to hear. “He’s hangry.”
“I’m no such thing.” He plucked at his shirt. “Now, let’s go.”
We rushed down the stairs and into the dining hall. The food was already beginning to be cleared away. I grabbed a piece of toast and stuffed it into my mouth. Theo was doing the same with a pancake and Adelaide daintily ate a handful of Cheerios.
“You two better hope I don’t get hungry before lunch. You know I turn into an angry bear,” she warned as we hurried to whatever room Donovan was holding his class in. I was stuffing the last bit of toast in my mouth when my feet went out from under me.
“Mara,” cried Theo and he grabbed me by the arm to help me up. “Are you okay?”
“Uh … yeah.” I looked around for what had caused my fall. Standing a few feet away and glaring daggers at me was Naomi. She smiled and waved before thrusting out her chest for Theo’s benefit. As soon as he wasn’t looking she flipped me the bird. I could tell we were going to get along great. Considering all of us of learning age were grouped together for these lessons, this was going to be loads of fun.
I honestly didn’t even understand Naomi’s obsession with Theo. He wasn’t allowed to date. Maybe she just wanted to bag the unattainable.
“Mara,” I heard called and then saw Winston making his way down the hall. I looked up at Theo and saw him roll his eyes. “I didn’t see you guys at breakfast.”
“Sorry, I was running behind. Nerves, you know,” I supplied. The butterflies were tormenting my stomach. I was thankful for the fact that living here there weren’t many of us learning and it was less of a school vibe. But still, the idea of learning magic was frightening. What if something went wrong? It seemed with magic involved you could burn the whole place down around you, but what did I know?
“You have nothing to worry about, love.”
“That’s easy for you to say, Winston. This isn’t your first day.”
He grinned, showing his crooked teeth. “If it’s that bad just throw out a distress signal and I’ll come running.”
I laughed. “All right, Batman.”
We made our way down the hall and into a room while Winston headed back the way we’d come. Maybe he’d forgotten something.
Someone bumped my shoulder before I could enter the room and I wasn’t surprised to see Naomi. “Oops,” she said in a falsely sweet voice.
“Bitch,” Adelaide hissed under her breath, having seen the whole thing. Theo was oblivious as he watched her sashay away. Some protector he was. “Want me to kick her?” Adelaide whispered in my ear and I giggled.
“I think she needs more than a kick.”
“Agreed,” said Adelaide with a glint in her eye I wasn’t sure I liked.
“Come on, you two,” Theo snapped.
“Yes, Dad.” Adelaide rolled her eyes. Looking at me and shaking her head, she muttered, “He’s so annoying.”
“I’m standing right here.”
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t notice you,” she said sarcastically to her brother.
We entered the room and it reminded me of a church with the tile floors, funky roof lines, stained glass windows, and dark wood everywhere. Even the seats reminded me of pews. For all I knew it was used for church services when we weren’t getting tutored.
The teacher, probably in his thirties, eyed us with irritation. I guess maybe we should’ve heeded Theo’s warnings more seriously.
The man leaned against a chalkboard that was on wheels and made eye contact with each of us. His eyes were a pale green which were startling with his mocha skin.
“I’m Perseus Donovan. You will all call me Donovan or Sir.”
“This sounds very BDSM to me,” Theo whispered from behind me where he stood.
Donovan continued, not having heard him, “You are all here to learn about your origins as an enchanter. You will not learn magic with me and you
will not use it. If I catch you using magic here you will not be permitted through my doors ever again.”
“He’s got a stick up his butt,” Adelaide muttered on my other side. I wanted to giggle and placed a hand over my mouth so he wouldn’t see. I kicked Adelaide’s leg beside me.
Theo snickered in the back and caught Donovan’s attention.
“Ah, Mr. Meyers, we meet again,” said Donovan. I had no idea which student he had cornered until I followed his gaze and found Theo at the receiving end.
Theodore Meyers.
“Donovan,” greeted Theo.
“I understand the situation you and Miss Pryce are in so I cannot ask you to leave but you will not lean against the wall and toy with that piece of metal in your lip like a common hooligan. Stand up straight, Mr. Meyers.”
Theo rolled his eyes but complied. He shoved his hands in his pockets.
Donovan narrowed his green eyes. “Hands out of your pockets. Take your job seriously, Mr. Meyers.”
“I do,” I heard Theo mutter.
“Care to share, Mr. Meyers?” Donovan asked.
“I do take my job seriously,” he said with more volume, his eyes glinting with irritation.
“Good,” said Donovan but it sounded more like an insult. “Now—” he clapped his hands together “—first pew, stand and collect your books.” He pointed to a table along the side where the books sat. “Second pew, collect your books when the first row sits back down.”
He strode to his desk and sat. It was a small table with a chair that didn’t match. His eyes roamed the room and gave me the chills. Maybe I was being paranoid, but he rubbed me the wrong way.
The second row collected their books and then it was our turn. Adelaide stood, and I followed her to the bookshelf. The book itself was large and thick. It was bound in red velvet. The title was in another language, one I’d never seen before, so I had no idea what it said. I could only assume it wasn’t a spell book. Otherwise, Theo would have snatched it from me—plus, Donovan himself seemed pretty anti-magic for whatever reason. Adelaide and I sat back down.
Once everyone was seated with their books, Donovan stood and leaned against his desk with his arms crossed over his chest.
“I am aware that most of you already know the history of enchanters but some of you do not. And, as with any history, there is information you are only beginning to know and understand. You see, enchanters have a dark history,” he droned. My eyes became heavy.
Do not fall asleep, Mara, I scolded myself. This is important.
“Our origins were first recorded in Rome around the time of Julius Caesar but alas,” he laughed, “we enchanters have been around much, much, longer.” His pale green eyes met mine and I felt a shiver run down my spine. The guy seriously gave me the creeps. “As long as there have been humans there have been enchanters, vampires, shifters, and fairies. Our lives are tied to theirs. It’s always been that way. All the stories are true.”
“But why are we tied to them, Donovan?” spoke up a fair-haired boy from the front. “The humans, I mean.”
“What is your name?” asked Donovan.
“Owen,” he answered hesitantly.
“Thank you for participating in the discussion, Owen,” he said, flashing a smile at the boy. “To answer your question, we are tied to humans because we have evolved from them. Without them, we would not exist. Fairies are the least tied to humans since angel blood runs through their veins. It may be diluted but its presence keeps them from getting sick or dying young. They live unnaturally long lives. And of course, vampires can live forever if they are not killed. Enchanters and shifters live a normal human life span although we both tend to die young due to battles.”
“Are there many battles?” I asked. “Sir,” I added.
He grinned, his gaze swinging to me. “Miss Pryce, you were raised as a human, correct?”
“Yes.”
“So you’re a little lost, are you not?”
“I wouldn’t say I’m lost, merely curious.”
Donovan sighed. “Enchanters engage within many battles against The Iniquitous. Lives being lost has become unfortunately normal. We die young as do many shifters. They tend to fight within their clans, savage beasts that they are.”
Theo snorted in the back.
Oh, no.
“Yes, Mr. Meyers?”
“You make shifters sound violent. They’re anything but.”
“How would you know, Mr. Meyers?”
“I didn’t always live inside these pretentious walls. I used to live on the outside, as do many, and I knew a family of shifters. They were some of the nicest people I ever met. Much nicer than some enchanters that I know,” sneered Theo as his eyes darkened.
“Get out of my classroom,” yelled Donovan, spittle flying.
“No,” said Theo and his eyes turned black.
“Now, and take Miss Pryce with you.” His glare could’ve lit me on fire.
I sat stunned.
“Come on, Mara,” said Theo as he strode to where I sat. He grabbed my bag and slung it over his shoulder. When I didn’t move, he grabbed me by the arm and hauled me up. “Stay in class,” I heard him whisper in Adelaide’s ear. “And don’t do anything stupid,” he added. “Later, Donnie.” Theo saluted the teacher.
Donovan growled.
Theo’s hand slid down my arm before it entwined with my hand. My whole arm felt like it was on fire now. How could one person’s touch do this to me? I turned my face to the side so he couldn’t see. I knew I shouldn’t have these feelings, especially when he only thought of me as a nuisance.
I heard Naomi shriek in irritation as Theo left with me in tow.
He dragged me to the center of the manor, past the staircase, and into the dining hall. It was empty.
“What was that about?” I demanded as I took a seat. Theo sat across from me and slid the messenger bag across the table to me.
“Donovan pisses me off. He talks the talk, but he can’t walk the walk. He preaches about things he knows nothing about.”
“He does act like a jerk,” I agreed with a huff. “What’s his problem? There must be a reason.”
Theo sighed and rubbed his face. “First off, let me apologize for my behavior. I didn’t mean to get you kicked out of class. I hope it’s not permanent.”
I laughed. “Are you saying you wouldn’t be happy if you never saw Donovan again?”
He grinned. “Never would be too soon in my opinion. But you need his class. If he won’t let you back in then you’ll be stuck with me as a teacher. At least you’ll have something nice to look at.” He waggled his eyebrows. Unlike when I first met him, he was only trying to get me to laugh. In the beginning, he was, well … a jerk.
“You never answered my question,” I prompted.
“Donovan’s a prick because he has no magic.” Theo toyed with one of his curls, like his words were no big deal.
“What?” I gasped. “Is that even possible?”
“Clearly, it’s possible.” He rolled his eyes. “No one knows what happened. Both his parents are enchanters but Donovan has no magic. He’s … dormant. So, he’s stuck teaching our origin. He lives here all the time too, because some would kill him for being an abomination.”
“So, is that why he doesn’t want anyone to use magic in his classroom? He’s jealous?”
Theo shrugged. “That seems like the logical assumption.”
“Jeez, if the guy wasn’t such a jerk I’d feel sorry for him.”
Theo shook his head and smiled. His gray eyes peeked out beneath his dark hair and he stole my breath. I shook my head. I’d heard enough to know that a relationship between a protector and, well, anyone was off limits. Besides, Theo didn’t see me that way.
Then why did my heart speed up whenever he looked my way?
Stupid Mara, he doesn’t even like you and you shouldn’t like him, either. He can be such a jerk.
But I knew there was more to him than his persona. I knew at hi
s core he was loyal to a fault. I knew he was so much more than he appeared to be. But he could never be mine. And he’d never be interested in me anyway. If he wasn’t my protector he wouldn’t even talk to me. I looked like a child while he was an Adonis. And if Theo would be interested in anyone it would be Naomi. The thought sickened me. I’d never look like her and frankly, I didn’t want to. She might’ve been beautiful but her insides were black like tar.
“No, not even then.” Theo broke me out of my thoughts.
“Huh? What?” I said, fearing he’d somehow heard my thoughts.
“I thought you had zoned out on me.” His lips lifted in a small smile. “I was saying that even if Donovan wasn’t a jerk I still wouldn’t like him.”
“Oh.”
“Sometimes, I’d love to jump inside your head.”
“Why?” I asked, looking at him up through my lashes.
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “You seem like a deep thinker.”
If he only knew what I was thinking about; he’d steer clear of me then.
Theo looked at his watch. “Time for botany lessons.”
“Plants?” I questioned.
“Don’t worry, it’s actually a fun class.”
“I’m not sure you and I share the same opinion on fun.” I slung my messenger bag over my shoulder. It was heavier than before. I hadn’t thought about the book Donovan had given me but Theo must have shoved it in there. I’d thank him but he’d get too much satisfaction out of that and his head honestly didn’t need to get any bigger.
“Stop lagging. Do I need to carry you?” He held his arms out.
Yes, please.
“No,” I mumbled, ducking my head so he couldn’t see my face. “I’m fine.”
One minute the boy drove me nuts and the next I was thinking about being in his tattooed arms. I was officially bipolar.
Theo hadn’t been lying. Botany wasn’t bad at all. The little bird of a woman that taught the lesson, Diana Coleman, was surprisingly nice after the encounter I had with Donovan. She spent the time telling us what to expect to learn with her. The gist, which could’ve taken three minutes instead of an hour, was that we would be learning about a variety of human plants and enchanted plants that might help us, whether with healing or with the memory, or any other number of things. Apparently, plants were more than pretty things to look at.
Enchant (The Enchanted Book 1) Page 11