This was a test.
It’s just a test.
“Easy, boy,” I said. It probably wasn’t a good idea to jump straight into attacking a wolf. Especially if the wolf was a shifter. Killing another supernatural was a one-way ticket to jail. So if you ever went hunting, you damn well better be sure you’re not hunting someone you might know.
The wolf’s hackles were raised and it growled at me again, showing its sharp yellow teeth. That jaw could snap me in half.
“Hey, I don’t mean you any harm.” I quickly muttered a calming spell, sending what I hoped was a rush of warmth and comfort toward the angry creature.
It snapped its jaws at me, seemingly more pissed after that. Time to try another tactic.
I’d been working on a forced shifting spell for a while. It wasn’t something that was usually taught and it was very controversial. But it would allow me to force a shifter back into their human form rather than have to harm them.
Quickly, I called my magic. Tiny shockwaves ran through my arms and blue sparks formed on my fingertips. I released the spell, hitting the wolf with everything I had.
To my surprise, the wolf whimpered and fell to its side, then vanished in a cloud of smoke.
I blew out a breath. It was all pretend. None of this was real.
Then, suddenly Ben was standing where the wolf had been. “What the fuck, Zach?”
“Ben?” I looked around the room. The door was still locked. Ben wasn’t even in this class. Why was he here? “Are you really here or is this another illusion?’
“You need to stay away from Raven,” he said, walking toward me. His steps were powerful, purposeful and he moved much in the same way the wolf did.
“You’re not real. You’re not here,” I said. “This must be some trick of my subconscious.”
“Did you hear me, mage?” He was still approaching me. “Wolves don’t share. We don’t like it. And now that Raven is safe, she doesn’t need you. Stay away from her. She was mine first.”
“Dude,” I said. “Not cool. Raven chose all of us.”
He growled and his eyes flashed yellow. I swore his canines were the size of fangs. What the fuck is going on? “If you won’t back down, I’ll make you back down.”
Ben dissolved and all at once, I was facing another wolf. This one was gray and still huge. I stepped back away from him. This isn’t real.
I called my magic again, sending the same spell to force his shift. The sparks came quickly and struck true. But the wolf didn’t back up. Instead, he lunged for me. Claws dug into my chest as I was knocked to the ground.
I yelled as searing pain burned in my chest from the puncture. His claws were still in me as he pinned me to the ground. This wolf was heavy as hell and I struggled to breathe under the pressure.
Hot breath hit my face as the wolf’s jaws snapped in front of my face. I tried to pull away but the claws tore at my skin and I screamed again. The wolf growled and snapped its jaws again.
This didn’t feel like an illusion.
Pain made my vision blur but I fought against it, willing myself to call a spell. My magic flared and faded, as if it didn’t want to release. I took a deep breath and screamed as I reached for the magic and held it, forcing it through.
A sphere of electricity shot from around me, sending the wolf flying off me. I pulled myself back, wincing against the searing pain. Wolf claws fucking hurt.
The creature was already on its feet, growling again. It raced toward me just as I got to standing.
Extending my hands in front of me, I called another burst of electricity and it slammed into the beast. He whined as the magic hit him, knocking him down again.
This time, in another cloud of smoke, the wolf vanished and Ben was on the ground. He was unconscious and covered in bruises. His upper lip was bleeding and one of his eyes was already black.
Had I done all that?
I ran to him and knelt down next to him. This wasn’t supposed to be real. None of this was supposed to be real.
What the hell kind of test was this?
I pressed my fingers to his neck, feeling for a pulse. I’d used too much force in that last burst. Panic seeped in as I pushed my fingers in harder. I couldn’t feel his heart.
Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit.
“Professor!” I called. Where the hell was she?
Black tendrils of smoke wrapped around my wrists and encircled Ben’s fallen form. A moment later, he was swallowed by the clouds and he was gone.
I stood and stumbled backward, confused and shaken by what had just happened.
“Well done,” Professor Flora’s voice called. She was standing near her desk now. Or had she always been there?
“What the hell was that?” I asked. “Why would you make Ben the shifter I had to fight?”
“I didn’t choose Ben,” she said. “The magic was set up for you to call the shifter you most feared. It could have been anyone. But apparently, the shifter you’re the most concerned about is the one who often shares a bed with your mate.”
“Why?” I asked. This wasn’t right. I shouldn’t have had to fight him even if it wasn’t real.
“I told you,” she said.
“Why shifters? Why did you give me shifters?” I asked.
She shook her head. “You were there when I let you draw. You chose shifters. And you chose to fight Ben.”
My nostrils flared and I clenched my jaw. It didn’t make sense. Ben was supposed to be on my side. But he was a shifter. And they were known for being rash and reckless. This might have been fake, but it was a window into a possible future. What would we do if Ben ever lost control and shifted into his wolf form? I didn’t think I was afraid of him, or afraid of him being around Raven. But now I had to wonder.
“Why didn’t my spell work on him? The forced shifting spell?” I asked.
“He’s an alpha,” she said. “You can’t force an alpha back to human form.”
I swallowed hard. It was the one trick up my sleeve after weeks of research. It was the one thing I thought I could use in case I ever needed it. And it wouldn’t work on Ben.
Professor Flora clasped her hands in front of her, as if waiting for me to say something.
I wasn’t sure what to say. I thought I trusted Ben. But now I didn’t know what I thought.
“Do you want to know how you did?” she asked, finally breaking the long silence.
“Sure,” I said.
“You passed,” she said. “Well done.”
“Thanks,” I said. I’d never had such mixed feelings after taking an exam.
And now I needed to decide what to tell Raven.
19
Raven
Zach didn’t show up at dinner but Matt didn’t seem concerned. It was difficult to focus on anything without knowing how he did on that test. Professor Flora was still difficult to figure out and we’d never had a test where we were put in a situation. I still wasn’t even sure what that meant.
“Raven?” Makayla elbowed me. “You with us?”
“Sorry,” I said. “I’m just worried about Zach.” I turned to Matt. “How are you not worried?”
He shrugged. “I’m sure he’s fine.”
I frowned. There was no way I could concentrate until I knew he was okay. After my last experience with a fae professor - in Spellcasting no less - my mind was filled with all sorts of worst case scenarios. What if she released a shifter in the room with him and had him fight someone? What if she wasn’t who she said she was and was trying something weird? Why was he the first to go? She made it look like it was random, but I knew enough about magic to know that almost nothing was an accident around here.
“I’m going to go check on him,” I said.
“Does that mean you won’t be finishing your French fries?” Makayla asked.
I pushed my plate over to her. “All yours.”
“I’ll walk with you,” Matt said.
“It’s okay,” I said. “You finish your dinner.�
�
“You sure?” he asked.
“I’m sure.” I stood and waved to the rest of the table. Surprisingly, Ben and Luka were deep in conversation. It was nice to see them getting along but still a little alarming. I wasn’t going to question it, though. Every so often, we deserved to have some good things happen, right?
The hallways were dotted with people making their way to or from dinner. Some of them were already out of uniforms and changed into party clothes. It was a Friday night and some students would make their way to town or to dorm parties. In the shifter dorm, Friday night meant poker night. Luka and the twins had even joined us recently.
Plus, there was always the option of the vampire parties that were held every few weeks. The whole school had an open invitation to those, but they had a reputation for getting wild. One of these days, I’d head back to one. But I still felt too guilty about what happened to Violet. She wasn’t going to parties again yet and had a pass to miss gym until she was fully recovered. I missed her but during our visit a few days ago, she’d assured me she was improving.
The worst part was not being able to tell her why she’d been attacked. Or being able to admit to her that I was partially responsible.
That thought nagged at me as I walked through the halls toward the mage dorms. The shadow fae still hadn’t shown his face and while the others kept saying that maybe he’d given up and left, I knew he was still out there. I just had no idea what he was waiting for.
I climbed the stairs to the Obscura dorm room and waved to a couple of mages I passed on the way. They were polite to me, but none of them stopped to talk. I wasn’t exactly part of the mage world. Especially since finding out I was half fae. At first, it was the fact that I lived in the shifter dorm that seemed to keep other mages from connecting with me. Now, it seemed like they were all a little afraid of me.
They were probably justified, too. Especially after seeing what the shadow fae could do.
I stopped in front of Zach’s door and tried to push the thought of evil fae out of my mind. The last thing I wanted to consider was that Professor Flora was up to something nefarious. I knocked on the door. “Zach? Are you in there?”
My heart hammered in my chest. If he wasn’t here, where could he be? There’d been other Spellcasting classes after ours. Normally, I’d have been in that room for my independent study, but that was waiting till next week.
I knocked again. “Zach?” Please be in there.
The door opened and a pale, sleepy looking Zach stared down at me. He managed a weak smile. “Hey, Raven.”
He looked awful. Like he’d been sick for days and hadn’t left his room. Fear gripped my chest. Something was very wrong. “What happened? Do you need to see the nurse?”
“No, no nurse,” he said. “I actually already went. It’s why I missed class this afternoon.”
“When you didn’t come to dinner I was so worried,” I said. “Did she hurt you?”
“No, but the test was brutal,” he said. “It wasn’t real, but apparently the illusions can feel real.”
“What does that even mean?” I asked as I walked into his entry way.
Zach closed the door behind me and the two of us walked toward the couch. He sat down and I took the seat next to him.
“Well, I had to fight an illusion of a shifter and when it landed on me, I could feel it,” he said, lifting his shirt.
I gasped as I saw the bandages on his chest. Blood was seeping through them. “That is not okay.”
“I’m fine. The nurse says the wounds are real but they’ll heal magically tonight since they were inflicted by a magical source or something like that,” he said. “I’m not quite sure I understand it, but either way, I’m supposed to be better tomorrow.”
“Want me to try to heal you?” I asked. “You did it for me. I can do it for you if you teach me.”
“No,” he said. “We did that to help you regain your full magic. If you heal me, you’ll lose too much of yours. You’re probably still recovering from confinement.”
I gently touched the skin near the bandage. “It looks awful. How could she let that happen?”
“It’s alright,” he said. “I’m actually sort of glad I went through it. It was very eye opening and I got to practice some real-life skills. We never get that chance.”
“Isn’t that the point of the trials?” I asked.
“Sure, but we don’t get to try anything till the trials themselves and if we fail there, we really fail, you know?”
“I guess,” I said.
“Hey, I’m okay.” Zach lowered his shirt and took hold of my hands in his. “I’m going to be just fine.”
I sighed. “I hate seeing you in pain.”
“It doesn’t even hurt anymore. It’s probably healing already.” He leaned down and set his forehead against mine. “Try not to worry about me.”
“I always worry about you,” I said. “I worry about all of you.”
I could feel the heat of his warm breath on my face. My breaths were timed with his, coming in unison. Our bodies were already responding to one another, the closeness sending a shiver of desire through me.
Tilting up my chin, I pressed my lips to his. That was all it took. His hands slid under my shirt and we worked to peel each other’s clothes off as we kissed. I broke away from the kiss long enough to lift his shirt over his head and he pulled my shirt off. Then our lips returned to each other. His tongue slid into my mouth and I met it with mine, deepening the kiss. Pants came off in a rush of movement. My hands were all over his firm stomach, his smooth back, his strong arms. His hands slid to my ass and he lifted me.
I threw my legs around his waist, my mouth still on his. He stumbled and nearly lost his grip, but caught me. We both laughed.
“I should probably keep my eyes open while I walk,” he said.
I bit down on my lower lip, staring into his eyes. My whole body felt like it was on fire. “No more walking. Just stop here.”
I wasn’t even sure where here was, but he listened, setting me down. To my surprise we were in front of the dining room table.
“Works for me,” he said.
I pulled myself up on the table and grabbed his hands, dragging him closer to me. He settled in between my thighs. I could feel the wetness spreading, begging for him.
Zach’s mouth found mine again and he lowered me to the table so I was laying down, my legs still around him. He shifted just enough that I could feel his erection against my inner thigh, and it made me even wetter just knowing how excited he was.
His thumb found my clit, teasing it until I moaned into his mouth. Then a finger slipped into me, then another. I broke free of the kiss, unable to concentrate on anything other than the pleasure building inside me.
I tried to grab at the table for leverage, but my hands slipped. Instead, I dug my fingers into Zach’s back. He teased my clit with one hand, while curving his fingers as he went in and out of my center.
My back arched as the pleasure built. I gasped and moaned until I couldn’t take it anymore. Wetness spread as I climaxed, screaming in pleasure.
Zach removed his fingers and I stayed on the table, feeling exhausted and satisfied. Our eyes met and I knew the look he was giving me. He wasn’t done yet.
I grinned. “You are amazing.”
“Just wait,” he said as he grabbed my legs. He pulled my hips off the edge of the table and this time, his cock was lined up with my entrance.
I held my breath in anticipation as he teased me by rubbing the head along my slit. When I felt like I couldn’t take it anymore, he entered me, holding on to my hips as he thrust.
I slid on the table with each movement, each movement making me gasp. Zach repositioned my legs so my ankles were on his shoulders, making my hips angle up. I gasped as his cock hit me in a new place. A place that instantly had me crying his name. I’d never felt anything like it.
“Oh my god,” I gasped. Orgasm came quickly with another building on its heels
. Zach continued to thrust and I squealed as pleasure peaked again and again.
I lost track of how many times I came and by the time Zach finished, I was gasping for air.
My legs felt like jelly when I climbed off the table. “Whatever that was, it was amazing.”
“I’m never going to be able to eat at this table again without thinking of you,” he said.
I laughed and covered my face in my hands. We’d just had sex on the table where I’d had lunch with his mother. It felt a little naughty. But shit, that was some of the best sex I’d ever had.
“We can clean it for them,” I said. “And then maybe we can try it again next time you’re alone?”
“I like the way you think,” he said, leaning in for a kiss.
My hands slid up his chest and I felt the bandages, reminding me about his injury. In the heat of the moment, I hadn’t stopped to think about how all that physical activity might have affected him.
I pulled away from the kiss. “How’s your chest?”
He lifted off the bandage and the wound underneath wasn’t bleeding anymore. In fact, it looked nearly healed.
“That was fast,” he said. “I guess she was right.”
“I’m glad,” I said. “I don’t know what I do if anything ever happened to you.”
“I love hearing you say that,” he said.
“It’s true,” I said.
“You know what you mean to me, don’t you, Raven?” He brushed a loose strand of hair away from my face.
“I do,” I said.
“I just want you to be safe,” he said.
“I know,” I said. “And we’ll have this whole thing figured out soon.”
“It’s not just the fae thing,” he said. “I worry about you.”
I frowned. “I’m doing pretty good at taking care of myself.”
“You do,” he agreed. “But just don’t forget to ask for help when you need it. Next time that fae shows up, promise me you’ll tell me right away?”
“I promise,” I said, already not sure if I could keep the promise. It was a really good thing I wasn’t cursed with the fae inability to lie.
Academy of the Elites: Unbound Magic Page 10