by G. Bailey
“You’re all old enough to drink whatever the fuck you want.”
I gasp in horror. “Professor Gale! Did you just swear?”
“He does a lot more than that,” Sage whispers, nudging me on the shoulder and winking. “A lot more. He can do this thing with his to—”
“Out of school, call me David,” he quickly intervenes, his cheeks heating up at whatever Sage was about to say. “You owe me a drink.”
I watch him drag Sage off to one of the makeshift bars. Izora follows them, though she gets sidetracked by her best friend on the dance floor. Nobody seems to bother about a teacher being here. Maybe he’s a regular at these kinds of parties? Who knows. That guy must have some serious skills because he’s managed to make Sage like him, and he’s chilling out with everybody like he’s just another student.
Ronan taps me on the shoulder. “Do you like beer?”
I accept the proffered bottle and take a sip. “Not really, but damn, do I need it.”
“Hard day, huh?”
I think about Echo, and my heart sinks into the pit of my stomach. “Yeah. You could say that. I wonder what Izora is doing.” I smoothly try to divert the conversation.
I don’t want to tell Ronan that I broke every rule in the Book of Zorya to bring Echo back last night. I also still don’t know how he died, but I have a hunch it wasn’t natural causes. I know Zander had no part in it. He was so shaken over the ordeal, and while he might be a Shadow Warden, I don’t think he’s a killer. He’s not like me.
“She’s over there, dancing.”
I follow Ronan’s finger to the crowd of students moving to the music. She’s dancing with another girl who I think is her best friend from the year above. Kione is making out with a cute boy next to them, and Willow Greene and a bunch of scantily-clad girls are dishing out their best white girl moves. Willow looks like she’s trying to find her keys.
Once I finish my beer, Ronan goes to grab some more and I join Izora on the dancefloor. Her black, off-the-shoulder dress is quite similar to what I’m wearing, except mine is royal blue with gold laces around the waist that form a corset.
I have always loved to dance, for as long as I can remember. Today has been so crazy that right now, all I want to do is dance with friends and lose myself to the music. I lift my arms and allow my thoughts to drift until all I can think about is how to move my body in time with the beat.
Sage and Ronan quickly join us, bearing drinks. The way Sage’s silver sequin dress moves against her body as she dances reminds me of the moon shimmering against water. It’s so good to see her smiling like this again, so free and uninhibited.
I dance with her and the others until my feet are aching and I need to sit down. As a slower song comes on, my friends turn away to get more drinks, and I follow them.
“You’re a sick dancer,” Jonah says, appearing in front of me and blocking my path. “Wannna dance with me?”
I run my gaze up and down his body. Fuck, he looks hot in his dark blue shirt, the buttons all left undone so you have no choice but to stare at his six pack and toned chest. His trousers fall low on his hips, and I gulp at the happy trail that disappears into them. But no. I can’t. He’s a bit of an asshole and I really don’t have time right now to date assholes.
“Thanks, but no thanks.”
I slide by him and try to walk away, but Jonah grabs my arm and spins me around. His other hand finds purchase on the small of my back and he pulls me close to him, so close his aftershave wraps around my senses.
“What do you want?” I snarl, wriggling my hand free from his grip.
But the asshole tightens his hold on my waist and pins me to his chest. “I just wanna talk.”
“About what?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Skipping tryouts. Performing necromancy. What will Greyhorn say to those, shadow raven? I wonder if there’s something you could do for me that would, let’s say, keep my mouth shut for you?”
My blood runs cold in my veins. “Are you blackmailing me?”
“More like forming a truce.”
I clench my jaw, narrowing my eyes at him. “Fine. I’m listening.”
“I’ll keep your secrets if you help me in return.”
I roll my eyes, ducking under his arm. “Sounds like blackmail. What do you want me to do?”
Jonah twirls me around and holds me closer. “I want you to help me cast a spell.”
Another twirl, and I scrunch my face at him. “Just a spell?”
“Just a spell to help my sister. She was a shadowborn,” he confirms, a small grin tugging at his lips. “Help me or you’ll regret it.”
The song ends and Jonah lets me go. White-hot fury surges through me as I glare at the back of his skull, watching him walk away until he’s swallowed up by the crowd. It’s not that he wants my help that pisses me off so much. It’s the threatening that really just pushes my fucking buttons.
“You look like you’re about to kill someone,” Zander comments, and I snap my head around, glaring as he approaches me. For once, he’s not wearing his leather warden uniform, apart from the coat, which he’s pulled over a bottle-green shirt. His navy jeans are rolled up at the bottom, showing off his ankles, and his shoes are the same rich brown as his slightly mussed hair. “That was a poor choice of words.”
I smile at him. “How is Echo doing?”
“He’s been sleeping most of today. Turns out he’s more nocturnal.”
“Like his mum,” I wink at him. “I’m glad. You look…”
“Sexy?” Zander proposes, wiggling his eyebrows. “I know.”
I roll my eyes, more at the fact that he’s not wrong. “Are you going to stand there looking pretty or get me a drink?”
His face lights up like a puppy who’s just been told they’re the best boy in the world. Little cutie. He offers me his arm, and I take it, following him away from the crowd towards all the booze. Professor…David and Sage, I notice, are slipping away from the party and into the trees.
“Rumour has it they’re dating,” Zander says, gesturing to them as he opens two bottles of beer with inhuman speed. “Is it true?”
I nearly admit the truth, but even in the magical world, I’m not sure if teachers are allowed to date students without any repercussions.
“I’m not really sure,” I answer instead, taking a beer from Zander.
I wrap my lips around the rim of the bottle, very aware of Zander watching me take a drink. His unique eyes follow the droplet of liquid that slips out from my mouth and trickles down my throat. A strange sense of desire fills me as I lock eyes with him, but I quickly wipe my mouth with the back of my hand.
Finally, his eyes trail up to meet my own, and he swallows, his Adam’s apple jerking nervously in his throat. “Corvina…”
“I’d love to dance!” I squeeze in before he says anything that’ll make me blush.
I like Zander, probably a lot more than I should, but I don’t want him to know that.
Right now, all I can afford to do is dance with the sexy Shadow Warden.
Dance…and drink…and hopefully not do anything stupid.
I feel like I’m flying as Zander carries my drunk ass back through the forest back to the academy. I’m not sure why he isn’t using his shadow-teleportation-whatever-the-hell-you-wanna-call-it-thingy, but it feels nice to be held by a sexy Shadow Warden that smells of marshmallows and peppermint. Mmmm. Candy canes. Gods, I could do with something to nibble on. Why are there no takeaways in the Enchanted Forest? Haven’t they ever heard of a fish and chip shop?
Zander looks down at me, catching me staring up at him. “What?”
“I’m hungry.” I chomp down on his pectoral, just grazing his nipple with my teeth before letting go. “Bleh!”
“The fuck, Vina! Did you just bite me?”
“I did. You don’t taste very nice. But you smell good. Also, you have weird eyes, but like, sexy weird. That kind of weird. Is your dad or mum a snake?”
He chuckle
s, the sound vibrating against my ears. “Neither.”
“Cool, cool, cool. Have I told you that you smell good?”
“Just a second ago,” he sighs.
“Oh.” I wriggle slightly in his arms, clasping my hands around his neck and nuzzling into him. “So warm and marshmallowy.”
“What?”
“Nothing. Sweet Jesus! Put me down, Zander—put me the fuck down!”
He wisely settles me on the ground, and I rush over to the solitary weed poking out from the earth. I stumble a little, but I manage to pull the weed out and hide it behind my back. Zander, bathed in nothing but the moonlight, watches me closely.
I stumble over and hold the weed out. “It’s a dandelion. Back home, in the humany world, you blow the little white thingies out and make… you make a wish.” Zander stares at me like I’ve lost my marbles, so I gently—yup, that’s it, riiiight next to his lips—shove the weed into his face. “Go on. Make one.”
After a pause, Zander closes his eyes and blows on the weed. All the little seed heads float away and I giggle, placing the weed in his shirt pocket as a souvenir.
“You keep that f-for later,” I say, swaying as I try to take a step forward.
Zander catches me and lifts me effortlessly into his arms again, bringing our faces close. He leans forward to kiss me, but then I hiccup and close my eyes. When I open them again, Zander is entering my room, and he lays me down on my bed and gently tucks me in. I feel his lips softly brush my forehead, but when I reach out to touch him, he’s gone, enveloped by the shadows, and I fall into a wonderful dream about a boy with emerald eyes kissing me on the lips…
“I’m going to stay at Professor’s Gale’s tonight. Are you okay to cover for me?” Sage whispers as we head out of magical defense. The headmaster is missing, so Gage gave us spells to practice, but I know all of them already. They are super basic ones, which is a relief because I’ve got a devil of a hangover from yesterday.
“Sleeping with the teacher after only being at the academy for four months?” I murmur, teasing her. “Tut. Tut.”
“What can I say? He is really good with his tongue,” she whispers back, and I laugh as she hugs me goodbye.
Left to my own devices, I head off to one of my favourite lessons. Therapy with Gage. Gage has long given up on asking me questions about my past, and he’s trying a new tactic of being my friend to win me over. Every lesson he gives me a gift, from sweets to books to a potion to help me sleep better. I never got any birthday or Christmas presents after my parents died, so while these might appear mediocre to others, they mean the world to me.
But I’m still playing my cards close to my chest when it comes to any of the teachers in this academy. I don’t think Gage has noticed that I know he’s still trying to play me behind all the little gifts. Being my friend doesn’t mean I’m going to open up about my past in the way that he wants. Hell, I haven’t even told Sage about my past yet, what really happened, but she has the decency not to pry. Every single one of Gage’s lessons finishes with a question that is simple but it’s like a tiny crack in the wall of glass surrounding my heart. I hate it. And yet I keep going back, adding more cracks with every session. By the time Gage has found out everything he wants, my heart will be open and broken on a floor full of glass.
I jump back as a door opens in front of me, and I wasn’t even looking where I was going. A young student walks out of the headmaster’s door, locking eyes with me, and she looks exhausted. Her skin is pale, her hollow cheeks sucked in and her dark eyes almost seem in a daze as she passes by me and carries on walking without a word. I walk past the open door, holding the handle on instinct as I look into the room.
Headmaster Greyhorn is wiping his mouth with a handkerchief as if he’s just eaten.
“Corvina Charles, why are you loitering around and holding my door open? I don’t believe I invited you here.”
Coming up with the quickest lie I can, I step over the threshold and say, “I wanted to ask you a question, sir.”
“Hurry up with it then,” he snaps, though his eyes stare at me like he can see into my soul. It makes me uncomfortable and I struggle not to avert my gaze and get the hell out of there. I almost think I smell something strange lingering in the air, something sweet and tangy, but when I blink again, it’s gone.
“Has the missing student been found? I was getting worried, you see, sir.”
His eyes narrow. “Are you an investigator for the capitals? Are you a warden?” I shake my head and he curls the edge of his lip. “Then I suggest you stick to your own studies and get out of my office.”
“Yes, sir,” I say, nodding once and quickly getting myself the hell out of here. I try to shrug off the weird way the headmaster doesn’t seem to care about the missing student. That’s not very headmasterly of him.
It takes me a few wrong turns until I find Gage’s office. I knock on his office door three times before I hear him call me in. I like Gage’s office, how simple and warm it is in here. I still long to mess the books up a little, or move the cushion out of its perfect position on the chair. But I definitely don’t feel the urge to leave the instant I come in.
“How are you today, Corvina?” he asks, leaning against the desk, his arms tightly crossed. Every day Gage somehow looks more handsome, and today is no exception. Trails of light flicker through the window, shining on his hair and face, like the God of Light has blessed him somehow. His tight green shirt compliments his complexion perfectly, and at the same time, it’s tight enough to showcase his body.
And the six-pack I swear I can just about see.
“Why are you looking at me so strangely?”
“No reason,” I quickly reply, and his eyes look amused as he changes the subject.
“I wondered if we could talk about the new friends you’ve made in your time at the academy so far?” he asks as I sit down on the sofa, crossing my legs.
“I have Sage, but we have been friends since we met in the foster home,” I answer, knowing he won’t drop it. He nods, knowing I’ve picked the safest topic of all.
“I believe Warden Sabhain will be disappointed to hear he is not counted as one of your friends,” Gage comments as he pushes off the desk and comes over to me. Dammit, I should have known he wouldn’t be happy just talking about Sage.
“How do you know Zander?” I ask as he sits next to me, keeping a respectful distance I just want to close.
“We grew up in similar circles, and we were the only two that weren’t fans of the lives our parents live,” he explains. “Every Friday I chill out with him in his apartment and he talks about you. A lot.”
“And yet neither of you can escape your lives, huh?” I say, ignoring the end part of his comment.
“Why do you think we want to escape?”
“Call it a hunch,” I reply dryly.
“What about your friendship with Jonah Vicent?” he probes, his eyes flashing in the light.
“I wouldn’t call him a friend. He’s more of an enemy I have no choice but to keep close,” I answer, and it’s near enough the truth.
“You only tell yourself that because you don’t want to admit how similar you both are,” he says and chuckles at my frown. “At least that’s my opinion of why you and he are drawn to each other.”
I don’t answer that because it’s not true. Jonah and I are nothing alike.
He’s an asshole, for one.
And I know I can be nice…which I don’t think he knows how to do.
“Why don’t we do a fun exercise today?” Gage suggests into the silence. “Meditation is always relaxing. What do you say?”
“Sure, why not,” I can’t help but grumble. Meditation is the kind of nonsense Sage likes to do and forces me to join in, but I love her so I try not to protest too much.
“Come sit by the fire with me,” he says, walking over to sit by the hearth.
I follow him and cross my legs on the floor. “Just don’t start talking about chakras,” I warn.
He chuckles. “No, no. Just do me a favour and close your eyes. That’s it. Now take a really deep breath in through your nose. Think of yourself like a dragon. Take all that air into your lungs, and when you let it out of your nose slowly, yes, like that, it’s really fire coming out. Who are you burning into ash?”
I lose concentration and laugh. “Does it have to be just one person? I got a whole list.”
“Close your eyes, Vina. I was just joking. Sorry. I’ll be more serious.”
“I like when you’re not serious,” I tell him, and maybe it’s the heat from the fire, but my cheeks feel incredibly warm.
“Well, I can be a lot of things. Not just a handsome man, you know.”
I peek through one lid at him. “I think your head just grew an extra few inches.”
I laugh at my own joke, but Gage doesn’t. He just watches me, his eyes flickering with the flames of the fire. There’s something powerfully magnetic about the way he’s gazing at me. It’s like that moment in a love story when time just suddenly stops as two strangers pass their soul mates for the first time.
My breath hitches in my throat and my pulse spikes in my ears as I lean closer, just an inch, to see if the feeling is mutual. And it is. Gage gently laces his fingers around the back of my neck, pulling me against him and kissing me with such urgency that it takes my breath away. I’m boneless in his arms, unable to think or breathe, only capable of feeling, and the feelings of desire that fill me now are catastrophically overwhelming.
When he parts for air, his cheeks have turned a slight shade of pink, and he, too, is breathless.
“Does this mean our sessions have become even more awkward now?” I grin against his lips.
He smirks at me, rubbing the back of my neck with his thumb. “It would seem so.”
“And you don’t care about breaking the rules?”
Now he laughs, shaking his head. “There are no rules at Shadowborn Academy. Only risks.”
I kiss him once more before he lets me go. “And this is a risk I’m willing to take, Professor.”