Academy of the Elites: Unbound Magic

by Alexis Calder

  Luka was already at a table in the library when I walked in and he did a good job of ignoring me when I entered. If the creep who threatened Raven did his homework, seeing her mates in here would probably tip him off. I almost hoped it was enough to scare him away. Though, we did need to catch him. I didn’t want Raven being cornered in the locker room again. My whole body tensed at the thought. Whoever this guy was, he was sneaking into a women’s locker room. It wasn’t right.

  I grabbed a book from a random shelf and settled into a table not too far from Luka. After opening the book, I looked around the library and saw the twins seated nearby, also with books on their desks.

  I knew none of us were actually reading. We were all waiting for Raven. Despite the fact that I wasn’t fond of sharing her, I was grateful for her other mates right now. The twins were powerful mages. I’d heard stories about them and the things their family could do. Luka’s powers were rumored to be stronger than most other demons, and I knew my wolf could be out in a heartbeat if needed.

  Raven was still putting herself at more risk than I wanted her to, but we had her back. And I was glad that the four of us could be here for her.

  I looked down at the book I had and couldn’t help but smile. I didn’t even know what it was about because it was written in what looked like ancient runes. Probably some old dwarf history.

  Flipping through the pages, I skimmed the pictures. At least I could figure those out on my own.

  A tingle shot through me and I knew Raven was approaching. I could feel her.

  Forcing myself to stay glued to my book, I felt the hair on my arms stand on edge as I caught her scent. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Raven take a seat at a table in the middle of the room. She had the decoy book with her and I could sense her nervousness from here.

  It was probably good that she was nervous. That meant she’d be cautious. My Raven had a history of running headfirst into things without thinking and a little hesitation might keep her alive.

  I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was midnight on the dot. Any second now that asshole was going to stroll in here and approach Raven. Or he’d see us and bolt. Either way, it was time to stop pretending I was reading.

  Scanning the room, I looked for anyone I didn’t recognize. Any signs of movement from behind the shelves drew my attention. But so far, all I saw was a handful of other students who looked like they were legitimately studying. And one couple that ducked behind a long bookshelf.

  Nothing looked out of the ordinary.

  The twins had also given up reading at this point. The books on their desks were closed and they were looking around the library just as I was. None of us were doing a great job of stealth but I think we were too worried about Raven to pretend we weren’t here.

  A sizzling sound came from above me and I glanced skyward just as the lights went out.

  Surprised murmurs and a few startled cries sounded from around the library and my heart raced. This was not what we had planned.

  My eyes adjusted enough that I could see the outlines of the tables and some movement but in unshifted form, my vision wasn’t much better than a normal human.

  Fuck it. I was not going to wait around for some asshole to come and grab my girl. “Raven?”

  I stood, knocking the chair to the ground. I made my way around the table, my hands in front of me to feel for anything that might catch me off guard as I walked toward her table.

  “Raven? Move toward my voice.”

  I bumped against other desks as I moved closer to her.

  “Raven, answer him,” Luka called. “I can’t see you anymore. Raven? Where did you go?”

  “What do you mean you can’t see her?” One of the twins called, I had no idea which one, but I could hear the panic in his tone.

  “Demon, you had eyes on her?” I called.

  “I did, wolf, but she’s gone now. Her table is empty,” Luka said.

  “Fuck,” I said.

  “My magic won’t light,” one of the twins called. “It’s like the trials. I can’t make fire.”

  “Don’t tell me we’ve got another monster on the loose,” I said, a shiver going down my spine. That thing was awful.

  “No, I don’t think so,” Luka said. “This is something else.”

  Someone screamed and my wolf clawed at my insides, begging for release. The only reason I kept it at bay was that I knew the voice didn’t belong to Raven. So far, she wasn’t crying for our help and I couldn’t sense that she was in danger. Whatever was happening either muted my connection with her or she was actually doing okay. I somehow doubted in was the latter.

  I stumbled forward, following the faint scent I found in the air. Finally, I reached the table where she’d been sitting. A book sat on the table.

  “He must be here,” Luka said from right next to me.

  I nearly jumped. “Warn a guy.”

  “I thought shifters could see in the dark,” he said.

  “When I’m a wolf, sure,” I said.

  “Sorry, mate,” Luka said. “The decoy book is still on the table, but she’s gone.”

  “He’s here and he has her,” I said.

  7

  Raven

  My hands were clammy and I could feel my pulse pounding in my ears. It was time and I didn’t know what to expect. All four of my mates were at tables around me. I could feel them with me and it gave me comfort. but I was still terrified.

  Who was this person who’d threatened me? And why was my life always in danger? It was getting really, really annoying.

  Something sizzled and I looked up, startled by the sound. Then everything went black.

  Shit. This was not good.

  Quickly, I called to my fire.

  Nothing happened.

  I tried again.

  Nothing.

  Fuck, no. I was not going to play this game. I stood, ready to get the hell out of here. The second I opened my mouth to call to my mates, a hand covered it. My eyes widened and I reached to pull the hand away but my arms were restrained within a heartbeat.

  “Shhhh,” a voice whispered in my ear.

  Tears burned behind my eyes. I knew I couldn’t fight this guy. I’d tried before and failed. And apparently my magic wasn’t working either. For a moment, I just stood there, feeling defeated.

  Then he started dragging me away from the table and every nerve fired at once. I wasn’t going to let him take me anywhere. Grunting, I tried to break his grip, twisting and turning in his arms.

  When that didn’t work, I dug my heels into the ground, trying to plant myself in place. If I could keep myself here long enough, I was certain one of my mates would find me and help me.

  He kept dragging me.

  Shit.

  I was running out of ideas. No matter how much I struggled, it didn’t seem to slow my captor down. I had to get away from him, but how? I stopped struggling and went limp. If I showed him I wasn’t going to fight, maybe he’d ease up and I could make a run for it.

  I heard a door open and panic surged through me. He was taking me out of the library. I twisted again, pulling my arms and kicking my legs. I did everything I could to free myself from his grasp. I didn’t budge. Who the fuck was this guy?

  Then all at once, he let go of me and shoved me to the floor. I jumped to my feet and ran for the direction I thought the door was, finding the handle quickly. I turned it and it didn’t budge. I pounded on the door. “Help me, please!”

  I jiggled the door handle again and kept pounding. “Someone help!” I kept screaming until my throat was sore and then I pressed my forehead to the door, as utter and total defeat washed over me.

  “Are you finished?” a male voice asked.

  I turned and leaned against the door, staring into the darkness. Somewhere in whatever room I was in was my captor. Whatever or whoever he was, his magic was powerful. Too powerful.

  “What do you want from me?” I asked.

  “The book,” he said.

&n
bsp; “I brought it for you and you left it on the table,” I said. “So I don’t think this is about a book.”

  “Ah, that’s where you’re wrong,” he said. His voice was chillingly calm. Smooth and clear and devoid of emotion. “I only want the book. That’s it. You give it to me and we’re done. I have no desire to harm you or any of your friends.”

  “I brought you the book,” I said again, following through on my bluff.

  “No, little liar,” he said. “You brought me a book. Not the book. And you brought your mates. All four of them. Which means, you told people about us.”

  My skin felt like it was crawling. “There is no us. I don’t even know who you are.”

  “I’m no-one to be trifled with, I’ll tell you that, little liar.”

  “Stop calling me that,” I said. I could almost hear the smile in his voice. He was enjoying this. Sick fuck.

  “Oh, but you are a liar, dear girl,” he said. “You are not afflicted with the burden of the truth since you are only half fae.”

  The words sent a shockwave through me and my whole body tensed. He hadn’t said it, but he didn’t need to say it. I was dealing with a fae. My last encounter with someone from that realm had nearly gotten me killed and I wasn’t keen on repeating any of that. “So, you’re friends with Halifax.”

  “No,” he said. “She and I are actually on opposite sides, though I can appreciate her handiwork with you.”

  “You do know I’m not going to give you what you want,” I said.

  He scoffed. “Why must the young always make things so much harder on themselves?”

  “Let me go, asshole,” I said.

  “I’ll give you some time to make the right choice,” he said. “I warned you. If you don’t do what I want, your friends will suffer. I’m guessing next time we meet, you’ll be more inclined to assist me.”

  “Don’t count on it,” I said.

  Something clicked. Something that sounded very much like a lock. Without turning my back on the fae, I grabbed the door handle again and turned. This time, it opened.

  I flung open the door. “He’s in here! Come quick!”

  With a buzz the lights flickered back to life and I squinted against the unexpected brightness. I never moved from my position in front of the door but when I looked up, there was nobody in the room.

  I let go of the door handle and took a step into the study room. It had a long table surrounded by chairs and a white board on the wall. There were no other exits. Just the door I came in through. I squatted down and looked under the table even though I could see that nobody was hiding under it.

  I stood and walked in a slow circle around the room, feeling the wells for any seams or signs of hidden doors. It appeared empty.

  “Raven!” Ben shouted.

  I turned just in time for him to slam into me and pull me into an embrace.

  He released me from the hug then held me out at arm’s length. “Are you hurt?”

  I shook my head. “No, I’m okay.”

  “What happened?” Matt asked as he walked into the study room.

  “Was he here?” Luka asked as he joined us.

  Zach walked in last, his face ashen. “I was so worried we’d lost you.”

  “I’m okay,” I said. “But we’ve got a big problem on our hands.”

  “So he was here?” Luka asked.

  I nodded. “He knew the book was a fake without even touching it. He also knew all four of you were here and that you’re my mates. And he knew about Halifax.”

  “Don’t say it, Raven,” Matt said. “Don’t say this is about some portal again.”

  “I don’t think it is,” I said. “I think he really just wants the book.”

  “Maybe we should just hand it over,” Zach said.

  I shook my head. “We can’t do that.”

  “We need to figure out what’s so important about it,” Matt said.

  “Guys, there’s something you should know,” I said.

  All four of them looked at me and I took a deep breath. “We’re dealing with a fae here. A full blooded, crazy powerful fae. And he’s not going to stop until he has that book.”

  “How do you know?” Ben asked.

  “Well, she is fae,” Zach said.

  “I know that, but I didn’t know they had a thing where they could sense each other,” Ben said.

  “I don’t know if we do,” I said. “But he pretty much told me. Dude was obsessed with the fact that I could tell a lie.”

  “Oh yeah,” Luka said. “They hate that.”

  “So what now?” Matt asked.

  “Well, first I want to get out of this room. Just standing in here is giving me the creeps.” I shivered.

  “Come on,” Ben put his arm around my shoulder and guided me out. “I’ll walk you to your room. You need some rest. We can figure out our next steps tomorrow.”

  “I still think she’d be safer with us,” Zach said.

  “She’s fine in her room,” Ben said.

  “He’ll take care of her,” Luka said. “You know he will.”

  “We could too,” Zach said.

  “Drop it,” Luka said.

  “All of you stop,” I said. “I’m going to my room and I’m going to sleep. Tomorrow, we’ll figure this out.”

  8

  Raven

  By morning, I was even more on edge than I had been the night before. The fae who threatened me didn’t give me a timeline or a plan. He just said he wanted the book.

  I tested the drawer and it still sent a shock through my fingertips. The book was still safe. For now.

  It should have made me feel better knowing I had kept the book out of his hands, but I was wavering. The magic he already possessed was insane. He’d managed to extinguish all the light and remove my ability to do magic. How was that even possible?

  Part of me wanted to give him the book to send him away. But I knew I couldn’t. If he was already that strong, what else could the book add to his magic skills? The thought was terrifying.

  He’d warned me not to tell anyone, but I couldn’t think of a single solution where I could outsmart him without giving in. I had to go to Dr. Green. He’d shown his cards and I was pretty sure he was on the straight and narrow. Besides, he’d never tried to kill me so he had that going for him.

  It was the only option. I couldn’t do this on my own, and I couldn’t expect my mates to help. He already knew all of them and had managed to affect all their magic too.

  Feeling determined, I slid my backpack over my shoulders and headed for a late breakfast. I had gym first, which I did not want to be late for, so Dr. Green would wait until lunch. I was hoping that if the fae was watching me, he’d see that I was going about my day as normal. It wasn’t unheard of for me to visit Dr. Green. In fact, attending meetings in his office had been a requirement for a while.

  It was a risk, but it felt like the best option.

  The cafeteria was nearly empty when I arrived, but I spotted Makayla at our usual table. She stood and waved when she saw me, then sprinted over. Oddly, she was alone. It was later than I thought.

  “Hey,” she said. “I was starting to worry. It’s not like you to skip breakfast.”

  “Late night,” I said.

  “I heard,” she said.

  I cocked an eyebrow. “You heard?”

  She shrugged. “Ben gave me the short version. You know, Raven’s life is in danger again. Please watch over her if I’m not around again.”

  I grinned. Of course he did. “Sorry about that.

  She slid her arm into my elbow and guided me toward the lunch line. “It’s fine. I fully expect you to protect me from life or death one of these days, though. It’s only fair.”

  “Any time,” I said.

  She pulled her arm away so I could grab a foil wrapped breakfast sandwich. I also picked up a bottle of water and then thanked the lunch ladies. They really did make the best food in the world and they were always so friendly.

&nb
sp; “You sure you don’t want two sandwiches, Raven?” One of them called.

  “No thanks, I’ve got gym first,” I said.

  “Alright, something extra at lunch then,” she said with a wink.

  “Thanks,” I said, giving her a wave.

  I unwrapped the sandwich and ate as I walked, Makayla at my side.

  “Ben didn’t tell me the details as to who or what is trying to kill you this time,” she said. “Care to enlighten me?”

  I swallowed my bite of sandwich. “Sorry. Can’t give you that.”

  She sighed. “I didn’t think so. You will tell me when it’s over, though, right?”

  “Definitely,” I said. “We’ll have a girls night, order pizza and I’ll tell you everything.”

  “You still owe me that to tell me about what went down at the trials. And I need the details about how the hell you managed to snag both of the Obscura twins,” she said.

  I stopped walking. “You know, you’re right. Tomorrow. My room this time. Pizza and catching up.”

  “Deal,” she said just as the bell rang. “See ya at lunch.”

  “Bye,” I said, my mouth full.

  I quickly finished the rest of the sandwich and threw the foil in the recycle bin. Then I hurried to the gym. The sooner I got this over with, the sooner I got to spill everything to Dr. Green.

  As soon as I stepped into the locker room, I knew something was wrong. Tension was thick in the air and the usual conversation and laugher was missing. Most of the women in the room were sitting on benches and none of them were dressed in gym clothes. Their expressions were grim and eyes downcast. A few girls were wiping tears from their faces.

  I scanned the room for Violet and didn’t see her so I walked over to Megan, a mage who had always been nice to me. “What’s going on?” I asked as I took a seat on the bench next to her.

  She sucked in a breath and then turned to look at me. Her cheeks were red and I could see the lines from tears on her face. “You didn’t hear yet?”

  I shook my head. “What?”

  “It’s Violet,” she said. “Scarlett found her this morning.”