Academy of the Elites: Fated Magic

by Alexis Calder

  I glanced behind me to see Matt preparing to enter me. He moved slowly, taking time for me to adjust as he did. I was grateful he wasn’t as large as Ben. With each inch he pressed into me, I felt fuller and was surprised to find I was more aroused. I gasped as his full length slid into me and slowed my movements.

  I turned to Zach and took his cock in my mouth, flicking my tongue along the head and down the shaft until he came.

  After a few thrusts, Matt groaned as he came, sending me into a full body climax. Shaking and panting, I leaned into Ben, kissing him. He thrust a few more times and came with a groan.

  Sweaty and exhausted, I climbed off of Ben and collapsed on the couch, snuggling into my wolf shifter. Luka sat on the other side of me, resting his head on my breasts. Matt and Zach were on the floor, on either side of my legs.

  At this moment, all of us were physically connected. Each one of my mates was touching me. Even though the post sex haze, I could feel their magic working in time with mine. I could feel their satisfaction and a little bit of unease.

  The meld had bonded us even stronger than we had been before it happened. And I had never been more grateful in my life.

  31

  Raven

  The rest of the week flew by in a blur of classes, stolen moments with each of my mates and bouts of nervous pacing at the thoughts of the upcoming trials.

  Tomorrow, everything would change.

  But tonight, I wasn’t going to let it get to me. Or at least I was trying not to. Makayla was propped on a pile of pillows on her bed and I sat in the squishy hot pink chair next to her bed.

  Tonight was about relaxing and trying not to let the impending doom of the trials create too heavy of a fog around us.

  So far, it wasn’t working well. We were both wound tight, our conversations always coming back to the trials.

  “Your partners aren’t going to let you down, right?” I asked Makayla again. She’d been paired with two wolf shifters, a mage, and a demon. It was an odd group, though I suppose no weirder than my own.

  “We’ll be fine,” she said. “Besides, I’m much more worried about you.”

  “Me?” I was surprised to hear her say that. I had told her far too many details about the last week. “I’m pretty sure I’m going to be just fine.”

  “You’re in a unique situation, for sure,” she said. “Paired with your four mates is good and all, you know they’ll do anything for you but at what risk?”

  “I know,” I said. “We discussed that. I’m the weak link in the group.”

  She shook her head. “You’re not the weak link. Don’t ever say that. Nothing about you is weak. You’re the bond that holds them all together. You’re also the one the others would do something stupid to protect if they don’t trust you.”

  “They trust me,” I said.

  “But can they trust you to take care of yourself?” She threw a pillow at me and I caught it. “If I were in your group, I’d worry about myself and know that you were fine. You can take care of yourself. If they’re too busy watching what you’re doing because they feel like they have to swoop in and rescue you, they won’t pay attention to what they’re doing.”

  “You’re right,” I said. “But I think they get that. I hope.”

  “I hope so too,” she said. “There’s nobody in my group that I’m emotionally attached to. We’ll help each other, sure, cause we have a vested interested in passing. Not cause we care if the other survives.”

  “Brutal,” I said, tossing the pillow back to her.

  “It’s the point of the trials, though.” She pulled the pillow to her chest and held it tight. “To weed out the supernaturals who can’t hack it. That’s why they do it. It’s some kind of left over Spartan thing. But they don’t put us out in the cold as babies. They wait till we’re so-called adults.”

  “We’re going to be fine,” I said, not believing my own words. I knew I could count on my mates and I knew we prepared the best we could, but it still seemed overwhelming. I mean, the practice trails had a dragon. How were they going to top that? “What do you think it’ll be like?”

  “No idea,” she said. “This is the first time they’ve ever moved it up or done it in groups.”

  A knock sounded on the door and Makayla jumped off her bed and raced to the door. I wondered if Remi was here for a booty call. She was still seeing him but still not willing to call it anything other than a casual fling.

  “Anyone in the mood for a pizza?” A familiar male voice called.

  I turned to see Luka standing in the doorway, a cardboard box in his hands. To my surprise, he was accompanied by Ben, Matt, and Zach.

  My brow furrowed. Why were all four of them together? Without me? I wasn’t sure that had ever happened before.

  “Pizza?” I asked suspiciously as I walked to the door.

  Makayla took it from Luka. “Thanks. But you’re still not invited. Girls only tonight.”

  “We’re not trying to intrude,” Matt said. “We just wanted to drop some things off for the two of you.”

  “Together?” I asked, a hand on my hip.

  “Well, if we’re going to have to work together tomorrow, we have to be civil at least,” Luka said.

  “We’re trying to lock down how each of us feels, you know with the bond,” Ben said.

  “Oh.” I nodded. That made sense. It was easy for me to grasp which of my mates I felt with the new emotional bond we’d forged, but I was mated with each of them. They weren’t mated with each other. Just me. It was still a strange thing knowing they could communicate and feel each other after our magic meld.

  “Offerings,” Zach said, holding up a box of Swiss Cake Rolls.

  I grinned. “Thank you.”

  Makayla took the box from him and set it on her desk next to the pizza box. Luka passed a six pack of Coke to her also.

  “We’ll let you two get back to makeovers and pillow fights.” Luka winked.

  “Right,” I said. “I’ll write all about it in my diary later.”

  Ben cracked a smile at that one and I was glad to see him letting down his guard a little.

  “Sleep well,” Zach said.

  “You too.” I felt a little wistful as Makayla closed the door. While I was glad that I didn’t have to choose one of them to be with tonight, I did miss them when they weren’t with me.

  “You know, maybe I’m wrong about this whole boyfriend thing,” she said. “I didn’t realize you could get them to bring you things.”

  I laughed. “I didn’t either.”

  She grabbed the food and set it on the middle of the floor. The two of us sat cross-legged on the rug and then grabbed a slice of pizza.

  “You know, Remi wants me to meet his mom,” she said.

  “No.” My mouth dropped open in surprise. “Does that mean the two of you are getting more serious?”

  She shrugged. “Maybe.”

  For the next hour we ate junk food and giggled about boys. If it weren’t for the trials tomorrow, it might have been one of the most fun nights of my life. Instead, the conversation eventually came full circle, back to the weight of tomorrow.

  “I suppose we should get some sleep,” she said.

  “Yeah,” I agreed.

  We cleaned up the food and I gave her a quick hug before heading to my room.

  My bed was cold and lonely tonight. I knew Luka wouldn’t visit me in my dreams. We needed to be rested and prepared for tomorrow. That didn’t mean I couldn’t have a great dream of my own, though.

  I imagined myself on an island as golden sunshine warmed my skin. Nearby, was the sound of the ocean waves lapping against the shore. I could almost smell the sunscreen I imagined Ben was rubbing on my back. Luka was blending drinks while Matt and Zach played volleyball.

  Then, I imagined that we all got naked. I fell asleep before I got to the good part.

  32

  Raven

  None of us knew what to expect as we waited in the men’s locker room. We w
ere the only group here right now and I knew Violet’s group was after us. Makayla’s group was in the women’s locker room, with a start time ten minutes before ours. I wondered how she was doing.

  I wasn’t sure if the fact that we were only staggered ten minutes apart was good or bad. I was betting on bad.

  “Remember to use the bond,” Matt reminded us.

  “We know,” Ben said. He still sounded like he was pissed that he had to have the others in his head.

  “Also remember that they’re probably going to try to use me as bait or something,” I said.

  A rush of emotions surged through me. Mild panic mingled with anger and fear. My mates were worried about me already.

  “I can take care of myself,” I reminded them.

  “Yes, but you can’t go out there expecting to be the hero,” Luka said. “You could have died last time.”

  “You would have,” I said.

  “It’s time,” Ms. Halifax said from the doorway. I hadn’t even heard her open the door or walk in. That wasn’t good. We hadn’t even started yet and I was already letting my emotions distract me.

  I had to stay focused.

  Ben grabbed my hand and gave it a quick squeeze. “We can do this.”

  I nodded and tried to force down the wave of fear rising in the pit of my stomach. I had to stay calm to help them stay calm.

  They would all try to protect me, but they were also counting on me. And I wasn’t about to let them down. Lifting my chin, I gave Ben’s hand a squeeze before letting go. “We’re ready.”

  Professor Halifax opened the door to the gym wide for us, leaning against it to hold it open.

  Beyond her was nothing.

  Just darkness.

  My palms felt damp already, but I forced myself forward. One foot in front of the other.

  As soon as I stepped into the gym, the darkness seemed to collapse around me with crushing force. I turned back toward the locker room, intent on grabbing hold of whichever mate was nearest but the light from the door was gone.

  “Ben?” I called. “Luka? Matt?”

  No answer.

  “Zach?”

  My words echoed through what seemed like an endless expanse of nothing. I extended my arms in front of me, feeling blindly for anything. Slowly, arms still out in front of me, I turned in a slow circle.

  There was nothing there.

  It was just me.

  Where had the others gone?

  My heart pounded against my ribs as fear made my chest constrict. I was alone and in a dark empty room, similar to the recurring nightmares I’d had since I was a kid. The only thing missing was the sound of dripping water and the bars of the cell.

  Only, this wasn’t a dream. It was real. And it was terrifying.

  I tried to relax and take a few deep breaths. My mates and I had a connection. I should be able to find my way to them through that bond. Closing my eyes, I searched for the emotional ties that bound us. I should have some kind of flicker of emotion. Some way to feel them, to reach them.

  The only thing I could sense was the beating of my own heart.

  I opened my eyes and tried to adjust to the dark. This shouldn’t be happening. What did they do to us? Where were we and how was I cut off from them?

  I suddenly felt like I was suffocating. There wasn’t enough air. I dropped to my knees and took more breaths to steady myself. There had to be a way out of this. What was I supposed to do?

  They told us this was a team event, but what if we were actually on our own? What if my mates were already through this? What if by sitting here, I was failing the trial?

  Determined to fight through this, I forced myself to standing. Balling my hands into fists, I lifted my chin and took a few cautious steps forward. Nothing happened. The ground felt stable.

  Was this just the gym with all the lights off? What kind of trial was that?

  That’s when I heard it.

  A roar that made my hair stand on edge.

  I wasn’t alone.

  I was in the dark with a monster.

  How had the others vanished so quickly? Where did Professor Halifax go? My pulse raced and I could feel tension spreading through my body. None of this made sense. Then again, I was in a school with magic. What did I expect?

  The practice trials had dragons. Honest to god, fire breathing, trying to kill me dragons.

  What the fuck kind of creature could be worse?

  33

  Ben

  The light went out from behind us almost instantly and I turned to see the door was closed. I couldn’t sense Professor Halifax anymore. She must have gone into the locker room, leaving us alone in the dark gymnasium.

  Not even the emergency lights were on, making the space feel both small and endless all at once.

  I reached for where Raven should be and my fingers met with nothing but air. Brow furrowed, I took a careful step forward, reaching out with my hands.

  I expected to run into someone. I did not expect to still be standing here alone. “Raven?”

  No response.

  “Anyone there?”

  Nothing.

  Fear began to build, a sensation I wasn’t comfortable with. I had to be the one in control, I had to be brave at all times. That was my job. It was something I excelled at.

  I wasn’t used to being afraid.

  But I wasn’t used to having something I was afraid to lose. My own life on the line wasn’t enough to cause me anxiety. It was the fear of not knowing if Raven was safe.

  She’d been right here next to me. And now she was gone.

  Everyone seemed to be gone.

  I didn’t like that I could sense the emotions of the others or that I could feel when they were near, but now I was grateful for it. I should be able to find Raven and the others based on the bond from our magic meld.

  I shook out my hands and tried to clear my thoughts. Magic like this wasn’t so different from what we did with the pack, but that was with wolves. And only while we were in our wolf form. While human, I couldn’t feel the others.

  Quietly, I waited. There should be something here. A sense of fear the wasn’t mine or a flicker of hope from someone who had found a way out.

  Instead, it was just me and my wolf. At least I could feel both sides of myself in this desolate darkness.

  Frowning, I spun in a slow circle, looking for any light I could use as a guide. This was just the gym, after all. And if the practice trials were any indication, we simply had to get to the other side. Find the exit, win the trials.

  It shouldn’t be so hard.

  It also shouldn’t be so easy.

  Because as of right now, there were no obstacles I could tell other than the fact that it was dark and that they’d separated us from our group. So much for a group challenge. They built that up and then divided us first chance they had.

  That was probably part of the plan but we’d talked about this and we knew what to do. If anyone was separated or if we had a chance to get through on our own, we were to take it.

  Though, I never intended to follow that plan solo. I always assumed I’d have Raven with me. She was the one thing that could change the plan. If I knew she was safe, I could keep going. She was strong, I knew that. But how could I cut through here without her when I didn’t even know where she was?

  “Raven?” I tried again, hoping she’d hear me. I just wanted some sign that she was alright.

  Again, I was greeted with silence.

  Shaking my head, I slowly moved forward, keeping my guard up. I had to find her. There was no way I could go for the exit until I had her with me.

  Suddenly, the ground rumbled and something roared. It was a screeching kind of roar, the kind that made you wince against the sound.

  I wasn’t sure what it was, but it was big.

  34

  Luka

  The creature screamed into the darkness, shattering the silence with its cry. I knew that sound. I would recognize it anywhere.


  But how the fuck did they get a malacoda here?

  The evil serpent like creatures that guarded the depths of hell were notorious for their insatiable appetites and fierceness. They could walk on two legs like men but were four times the size of a normal man. Their claws and the huge spiked tail could slice through most objects, flesh and bone included.

  They were carnivores who chewed on the bones of their victims until they devoured the body whole.

  These were not the creatures that you should be letting out of hell. They were not to be trusted. How did they pull this off? Did my mom send one here? If she did, what was she playing at? Even she didn’t go near the malacodas unless she had a sacrifice to offer them.

  And I was not in the mood to be a sacrifice.

  “Raven?” I whispered her name. She had to be close. We all came through the same door. I’d been feeling around in the dark for several minutes, but none of this made sense.

  What had they done to the gym to cause this separation between us? What kind of magic had they used? Whatever they did, they blocked our connection and they left no traces of magic in the air.

  It was as if we were in a vacuum where magic didn’t exist.

  The malacoda screamed again, setting my teeth on edge. That beast made my head hurt just from its cry.

  Fuck. We were in trouble.

  There was no facing off against one of these beasts. Our only chance was to get past them to the exit.

  “Raven?” I attempted again, not wanting to go too far from where we’d come in. I knew I should go, that was our plan. Get to the exit no matter what. But how was I supposed to leave her?

  The scent of sulfur and rotten flesh filled my nostrils and though I couldn’t see it, I knew the malacoda was close.

  Quietly, I moved away from the smell, arms out in front of me to feel for any obstacles.