Wolfgang's hand slid right into mine, as he began to lead the way.
"Hmm? Wolfgang, you don't need to hold my hand,” I noted.
My voice didn't give off any bit of disapproval, and I squeezed his hand back out of a growing habit. I was liking the feeling holding hands gave.
The sense of security it delivered.
We paused when there was a backup in trying to get to the next building. Wolfgang moved super close to me, throwing me off guard. "What?"
He lightly kissed me and grinned. "Nothing. Something was on your lips."
I pouted my lips, giving him a look, but my eyes noticed the pair of purple orbs staring directly at me.
Callister?
His eyes showed how annoyed he was, but his face held a guarded expression that could have appeared as boredom to a stranger. His attention didn't leave me feeling excited or turned on in the slightest, compared to the guys.
It was scary. Like a predator watching its prey, seconds before an ambush.
Wolfgang squeezed my hand and began to move forward, pulling me out of the intense stare down with Callister.
"Let's get going. I think your next class is with Yuriel," Wolfgang declared, tugging me along.
"All right," I replied.
I forced myself to look forward, but I was sure Callister's stern eyes were still on me. I pushed away my fear, locking it back up where it belonged.
He has no control over you anymore. He's with Nikko now. She can deal with him.
That's all I could keep telling myself.
"Silver," Wolfgang whispered. He looked over his shoulder as I lifted my head from staring at the floor while we walked.
"Yes?"
He simply stared at me for a long moment. "Make sure you stick around us during gym, all right?" From the tone of his voice, this request was non-negotiable.
"All right. I wanted to be with you guys anyway." I gave him a small smile. He paused in his stride and I came to a stop, giving him a confused look.
"What?"
"Who's that guy?" He inquired.
"Which..." I trailed off, noticing how his golden orbs darkened. "Ex."
"The asshole?"
"Yeah," I admitted. "Dimitri and Yuriel have already had encounters with him."
"If possible, don't be near him. Understood?"
"Okay." I gave him a firm nod. I wasn't going to argue with him. There wasn't a nerve in my body that wanted to be near Callister. He was old baggage that I wanted to stay in the past where he belonged.
"Good." He gave my hand a squeeze. "If he does bother you, just tell us. I'll let Ryuu turn him into ash."
"You know that's murder," I pointed out.
Wolfgang's lips perked up and he looked like an evil mastermind at that moment.
"Not if it’s an accident."
"That...hmmm."
I shouldn't bother arguing. I feel like if the four of them thought of a plan, they would somehow get away with it. Especially with that other side of Dimitri.
"Guess I'll let you all know," I confirmed.
"Awesome. Let's go before we're late." Wolfgang was back to his usual happy self, tugging me along as we walked faster to reach the meeting point with the others.
These men are so protective of me. Is that how it’s supposed to be? Is this how people love?
I wouldn't be able to answer those questions now, but maybe I'd experience it for myself.
Maybe I'd learn what real love was all about.
24
Shifter Skills Of Survival Level 1
"Silver," Yuriel grumbled.
I took another slow glance at our professor and then just as slowly returned my gaze to Yuriel, who actually looked uncomfortable with my continued back and forth staring match.
Let's be real. It wasn't like I was doing it on purpose or anything.
I and nearly two-thirds of the class kept looking back and forth, and I could totally see why.
"What?" I asked, after a full minute.
"Can you stop staring? I can’t sleep with your attention on me," he whined.
"You're not supposed to sleep in class, first of all. Second, I can't help it," I earnestly replied.
We'd reached class without any incident, having met up with Ryuu, Yuriel, and Dimitri.
Wolfgang had said something about my ex, but I'd been caught up in my own thoughts and missed what they had said.
I wasn't worried when I was around the guys, each of them having some type of protective, 'stay away from us and whoever is near us' aura about them.
I thought Dimitri and Ryuu displayed that, but Wolfgang somehow glided through the sea of students, and when I walked with Yuriel, people just drifted away like he was a walking infection.
We'd gotten a few confused looks, which made me wonder if I had something on my face.
It also could have been because I was holding his hand and apparently angels weren't very affectionate unless they were super relaxed, but I felt that was with almost every shifter here.
Aside from succubi and incubi.
Once we settled into class, sitting close to the back of the small, fifty-desk room, I understood why we received all those looks.
"I don't care about other people, but it makes me feel like you need something," Yuriel admitted.
"I need answers," I proclaimed. "That's why you were allowed to park your bike in the teacher’s lot."
"Maybe." Yuriel shrugged and yawned. "I still get in trouble."
"But not by the school," I concluded.
Our professor cleared his throat, catching our attention. It's not like he needed to.
His presence and very prominent aura demanded it.
"Welcome to Shifter Skills of Survival, Level One. I'm Professor Xin and will be the one to guide you all in discovering the many skills you'll need to be a success both at this school and in your future careers as spies. This is a no bullshit course. My knowledge should be respected and if you piss me off, I'll be happy to kick you out. Take out your notebook and write down the notes I place on the board."
"I'm going to assume he's your older brother," I whispered.
"Yeah. He's an ass," Yuriel concluded.
"You say that, but I don't feel it." I emphasized the 'feel' part.
We put off our conversation, drawn into the lesson. It was definitely fast-paced, and I could already tell from the tense atmosphere that some people weren't getting the magic spells Professor Xin had written and quickly conducted at a lower power level.
Yuriel ended up dozing off, his head on his crossed arms. I figured he probably knew all of this stuff for him to be sleeping, but I made sure my notes were neatly written in case he needed to copy what he didn't understand or missed.
Professor Xin glanced our way a few times, but I kept my calm.
I'm sure he could have been annoyed that his younger brother was sleeping in his class, but he didn't say anything.
"Sir, can you go a bit slower? I didn't get the last spell," a student requested.
"If you hadn't been flirting with the bunny shifter next to you, maybe you could have written it down," Professor Xin replied back.
He was still facing the board while his hand with the magical chalk was gliding along the black surface, finishing the next spell incantation.
A number of us gawked at him, turning to the student whose whole face was red, while the girl next to him glanced at her notebook.
"T-that's not true," the guy countered.
"I don't need to turn around to confirm it. Your face is as red as a tomato. The last spell was Intrada Lo Sha Monda. A spell that triples the user’s magic for a short period of time. Now stop interrupting my class," Professor Xin grumbled.
"Sir. You have a student sleeping in your class and you haven't said anything," a guy from our right side revealed.
I gave him an intense glare and he shrieked, looking as though I'd zapped him with my eyes alone.
What a snitch!
Professor Xin paus
ed in his writing, turning to give the student with blond hair and dark blue eyes an icy glare.
"If you're referring to the male two desks down from your row — who just so happens to be my younger brother — I'm well aware of his sleeping habits, just like the rest of the professors in this school. Why don't you learn how to pay attention to your own problems instead of being a snitch everyone hates?" Professor Xin snapped.
The student paled and looked back down to his book. Professor Xin rolled his eyes. Looking at our desk, his teal eyes that had little silver stars in them landed on Yuriel.
"Yuriel," Mr. Xin called out.
Yuriel opened one eye, lifting his head to look at his brother. "Hmm?"
"What was the last spell I just wrote on the board?"
Yuriel blinked, staring at his brother for five seconds. "Intrada Lo Sha Monda. It enhances the caster's power by three for ten to fifteen seconds, sometimes longer depending on how strong the shifter is. Do I need to walk up there and draw it?"
Everyone was completely silent.
Professor Xin turned his attention back to the snitch student. "Nope. Why don't you come up here and draw it, Mr. Snitch? Suitable last name, by the way."
Everyone nervously looked back to the student, whose face was red.
"Y-you can't talk to students that way!" he huffed.
Professor Xin lowered his chalk and with a blink was right in front of the student's desk.
A cool shiver went through me, and from the fearful looks that flooded everyone else's faces, we all could feel his frigid wrath.
"This is my classroom. My space, my rules. I can talk to you in whatever manner I like. Do you think this is high school, where you can go home to your rich parents and complain about the teacher picking on you? Snitches don't make it through this school. Neither do shifters who don't pay attention to their own paper in front of them. I'll only warn you once because this is the first day of classes. Don't test, annoy, or even think about pissing me off. Or I'll be the reason you're kicked out of this school. I've had it done plenty of times before and the Dean always trusts my judgment. Keep that in mind before you walk into my class and barely pay attention, but think you can drag another student down in the dirt."
He rose back up from Mr. Snitch, who was shivering like he was taking part in the lead role of a scary movie.
Professor Xin glanced around the rest of us as if making sure everyone understood his words.
"Make sure everyone takes my warning seriously. This isn't a playground. Keep your eyes on your own paper because you'll surely need to if you want to pass my class."
He walked up to our desk, glancing at my hand first before looking straight into my eyes. Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay C-
"Mewr!"
Aww, fuck.
Star poofed out of nowhere once again, but Professor Xin took a step to his left side, lifting his hand in time to catch Star, who landed right into the palm of his hand.
She blinked and stretched out in his hand, giving him one of her happy looks.
"Mewr?"
Professor Xin stared at Star, who maintained his gaze.
"Cute." His monotone voice matched his effortless shrug.
He lowered Star to Yuriel's side of the desk and looked at his brother. He picked up the course outline, rolled it up, and lightly hit Yuriel's head.
No one said a word, but Yuriel gave his brother a calm expression while he mumbled, "Ow."
"I know you know all of this, but don't sleep in my class," Professor Xin scolded. His voice didn't have even a quarter of the scary tone he'd used on the other students.
"Yes, sir," Yuriel respectfully replied.
"And stop parking in my spot," he grumbled.
Yuriel smirked but didn't say anything.
Professor Xin unrolled Yuriel's outline and placed it back in place. Star moved to inspect the paper and sat on it like she now owned it. Professor Xin moved back to the front of the class.
"Now. Mr. Snitch, come up here and write the previous incantation on the board. Write, spell, and draw out the magic circle."
Mr. Snitch looked tense, but he slowly got out of his seat to head to the board. I looked at Yuriel, who met my gaze. "I wanna sleep, though."
"I don't know how you're going to sleep tonight." I shook my head.
He worked on cracking his neck as we both checked on Mr. Snitch's very slow progress.
"I will. Let's talk after class. I don't want another head hit from my brother. He was nice this time. Next time, lightning will come from the sky and strike me."
"How loving of him," I replied, not wanting to be caught talking after his display of power.
My instincts told me his aura alone wasn't anything compared to his true capabilities.
I'll have to gather all my questions for after class.
The bell rang, and I worked on gathering my things. We had fifteen minutes to get to the gym, but I wasn't sure if we'd have to change into gym attire.
Everyone else in the class seemed to scurry out of the room, grateful that our almost two-hour class was finally done.
It was definitely an interesting class, but I could tell this was going to be one of the hardest compared to the others.
Professor Xin approached us when the last student had left the door, closing it behind them. "Why are you in my class anyway?" Professor Xin asked Yuriel, who shrugged.
"I didn't make the schedule."
"Hmph. It's a conflict of interest."
"Does that count in shifter school?" Yuriel questioned.
"Stop sleeping in class. I already had your other professors whine to me."
"But they're boring," Yuriel countered.
I continued looking between the two of them. I felt like they had forgotten I was right there. Star, who'd been quietly sitting on my notebook, walked over to sit on Yuriel's hands.
"Mewr."
Yuriel and Professor Xin blinked, the two of them shifting their attention to me.
"Hi, Silver,” Yuriel greeted.
"I never left, you know?" I gave him a smile anyway. "Hi. Are we heading to gym now?"
"The others said they would meet us up here since we're pretty close to it," Yuriel pointed out.
"They did?" I tried to recall when it was brought up, but I was getting a full blank.
"You were thinking." Yuriel gave me a troubled look. "We told you, but you were staring at Star at the time. It was before we separated to get to class."
"Right," I replied. "Must have been deep in thought."
"Hmm." Professor Xin looked between us. "You never said you had a girlfriend."
I began to blush while Yuriel shrugged again. "You never asked."
"Hmph." Professor Xin shrugged in return. "Whatever. At least she gets you to talk."
"I do talk on the regular," Yuriel grumbled.
"That's an overestimate regarding your communication skills. Your daily workout is from all the shrugging you do," Professor Xin countered.
"Go away, Daichi. Don't you have a class to teach or something?"
Professor Xin lightly karate chopped Yuriel's head. "Don't call me by my first name at school."
"But class is done and no one is here,”
I waved my hands. "Hello?"
"Silver doesn't count," Yuriel elaborated. "She's special."
Professor Xin rolled his eyes. "You're actually interested, huh." He turned his attention to me and then looked down to the ring. "The ring really does cloak the human in you."
My mouth fell open, but I didn't know what to say. I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact Yuriel had said I was special.
"She feels like an angel now," Yuriel pointed out.
I guess the cat is out of the bag among the professors?
"I can tell. Her magic is still strong, but many angels have great magic and mana control. Not suspicious at all," Professor Xin commented. "Though, I do suggest you look into the ring some more. I also suggest you begin to train."
"Train?" I questioned.
"You'll understand once second semester begins," Professor Xin noted. Star moved away from Yuriel to get a better look at Professor Xin, her little head looking between the two of them before she sat down and stared.
Professor Xin gave Star a look but gave in and petted her head. "Why is this thing annoyingly cute?"
"She's a uni-kitten," Yuriel answered. "She's meant to be cute."
"Blossom! Yuriel, we're here!" Dimitri called out. "Damn. It smells like death, life, and cherry blossoms!"
"Life doesn't have a damn scent," Ryuu argued, the two of them entering the room first. They were about to go at it but their eyes landed on Professor Xin and then slowly looked to Yuriel.
"Shit," they said in unison.
"Why are you two swearing?" Wolfgang asked, walking into the room and following their gaze. "Huh? Hey. There's two Yuriels!"
I hadn't really focused on it, but Professor Xin really did look exactly like Yuriel.
Their silver to black hair was the same length, and they stood at the same height of 6’3”. They also shared a slim build, and gave off the same 'I really don't care' attitude.
The only difference was that Professor Xin's eyes were light teal with silver stars, whereas Yuriel's were navy with silver stars.
"Go to the gym," Professor Xin encouraged. "And move your damn bike."
"But I have nowhere to park it during class...or after."
"You just park it there because everyone thinks it’s mine so no one does shit to it. What about if I want to drive to work?" Professor Xin argued.
"I'll drive you."
"No."
"At least I offered."
"Very angel of you," Professor Xin muttered. "Get going. I'm going home."
"Okay. Bye, Daichi."
"Stop calling me by my first name." Professor Xin ruffled Yuriel's hair.
"You're ruining my perfection," Yuriel noted.
"Good. Annoying brother," Professor Xin scoffed and looked to me. "Make sure he doesn't sleep in gym either. Actually, all of you make sure he doesn't sleep period. Sleep at home."
"Uh..." Ryuu, Wolfgang, and Dimitri looked at each other. "Sure."
Professor Xin nodded, walking to his desk to grab his bag and a black notebook. He headed to the door and paused.
SSS: Year One (Supernatural Spy School Book 1) Page 27