Stars are the oldest records in the world. Stories, messages, and lessons hang in the sky above us waiting to be listened to. I wish I was better at reading them. Unfortunately, I never put much stock into star reading until now.
I don’t expect the starts to start spewing answers in their strange, twinkling language. But a sign would be nice. Just the tiniest hint as to how I’m supposed to handle everything. Is that too much to ask?
The stars wink at me. I feel like they’re mocking me.
Energy churns in my gut. My heart pounds. I can’t lay here like this anymore.
I should just go to bed. It has to be after midnight by now. The idea sounds so unappealing that I physically shudder. I can’t be still right now. I clasp my hands together in front of me. Sparks sizzle from my fingers.
Magic.
Of course. The only way I’ll ever get to sleep is if I burn off some magic. It’s no wonder I’m so restless.
I think of the practice rooms dotted throughout the school. There’s one in the east wing that no one ever uses since it’s so far from everything. I pull myself to my feet feeling excited about my plan when I stop dead in my tracks.
The practice room is close to where those students attacked. While I still wasn’t convinced either Wrath or Rhiannon were behind the attack, I didn’t want to take my chances. Besides, by the way the loyal Huntsman have been acting lately, it wouldn’t surprise me if one of them followed me. I didn’t want to explain to them why I suddenly have so much more control over my magic.
My thoughts flit to Leo. We don’t have a lesson scheduled this evening, but that doesn’t mean I can’t go down to our practice room. That’s the only place I can think of where I won’t be spied on.
I come down from the roof and make my way to Leo’s office. I’m extra vigilant, as always. I apply my trusty concealment spell. I’m still skittish about it ever since someone ripped the spell from me in the garden so I take extra precautions. This time, I send out small detection spells just in case anyone’s following me. If there’s anyone within one hundred feet of me, the spell will stick to them like glue and start glowing. One hundred feet isn’t enough to make me feel secure, but it’s better than nothing.
I’m already a little worn out from working two spells at once by the time I enter the room. I plan to do light exercises until I’m ready to sleep. I quickly realize that’s not going to happen.
I’m not alone in the practice room.
Leo’s here.
I stand near the doorway, silent as a mouse. I’m not supposed to be here. Leo’s dangerous even though he’s a great instructor. We haven’t spoken since our disagreement. I’m not sure how to be around him. I feel even more torn than I did on the roof. This was a terrible idea.
“I can sense your heartbeat,” he says without looking up. I freeze.
“I didn’t think you’d be here,” I say. “I’ll go.”
“No need. You’re here for a reason, right?”
I figure there’s no point in lying. Leo will be able to tell.
“I’m not tired enough to sleep.”
“That’s not surprising. There’s magic seeping out of your skin. I can smell it.” He finally looks at me. An electric shock that has nothing to do with magic zips through me. My breath catches in my throat. I pray he doesn’t notice.
“Yeah, that’s it,” I nod.
“Get into your starting position.” He jerks his head toward the center of the room. “I’ll spar with you until you’re ready to sleep.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. Leo’s not holding onto the lingering tension from our fight, so I won’t either. I’m excited to spar. I need the release.
We fire a few simple spells back and forth to warm up. My personal favorite is conjuring an orb of light and passing it back to one another. It’s tricky because it involves transferring energy with each pass. The ball of light starts out as mine, becomes his when he catches it, then becomes mine again. It’s strangely intimate.
When I agreed to take lessons from Leo, I never thought I’d feel what his energy feels like. It doesn’t feel like I imagined it to. I thought he would feel mean, hard, and cold. Instead, he feels warm. I won’t go as far as to say he feels soft. I can feel a bite in his energy through the orb. It’s not a bite that scares me.
“How do you feel about incorporating some physical fighting moves into your magical sparring?” Leo asks after a long stretch of silence. I fumble with the orb. My energy slips out of my control. The light dissolves into nothing once more.
“What do you mean?”
“You don’t expect anyone you fight to stick to the rules of magic dueling, do you?” He smirks.
“I guess not,” I manage a laugh.
“Should you find yourself locked in magical combat, you need to be prepared. You can be the most talented witch in the realm but that won’t stop someone from punching you.”
“Fair point. Okay, show me.”
Leo shows me a stance where I can move my hands to conjure a spell or block a physical attack. I try to mimic it as best I can, but the pose feels strange to me.
“Here. Let me.” He closes the distance between us. He moves behind me and places his hands on my arms to move them into the correct position.
“Are you going to hit me now?” I ask. “You know, to make sure I can block it.”
“That wouldn’t end well for you,” he chuckles. “You’ve barely got the stance down.”
I turn my head to look at him, witty quip at the ready. He’s closer than I thought he was. My nose just barely brushes his jaw when I turn.
He looks down at me, his eyes glitter in the dim light of the training room. I want to say something but my tongue feels clumsy in my mouth.
“Let’s try a few practice rounds.” Leo steps away suddenly. The air around me feels cold now. “I’m not going to punch you.”
“You’ll just spew fire at me, right?” I try to make my voice sound light but it comes out filled with nerves.
“I did that one time and it didn’t even touch you,” he points out. If he notices how weird my voice sounds, he doesn’t say anything.
“Whatever.”
“I thought I taught you to be respectful of your teacher,” he grins and fires his first spell. It’s an easy one, just a ball of harmless energy that I can easily counter. I fire one back. As we spar, it feels less like a fight and more like a dance. I whirl around him, choosing to focus on blocking and evading rather than attacking.
He moves in closer. I flit around him. Our limbs brush. I almost trip over his feet. How did we get so close?
“I’ve got you,” he declares. He fires a spell near my head. It’s harmless, but it catches me off guard. While I’m distracted, he pins me against the wall. I didn’t realize we were so close to the edge of the room.
“You fought dirty,” I accuse.
“I know.” He’s not smiling. His burning eyes roam my face. I have no place to put my hands other than his chest. I feel his heart beating beneath my fingers. “I can be a dirty man if I need to."
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“I can’t keep pretending.” His voice is low and husky. His hand leaves my shoulder and moves toward my face. I initially flinch, prepared for the worst. Instead, he gently places his hand on the side of my head and strokes my cheek with his thumb.
“I don’t understand.”
A lock of hair hangs in front of my face. He tucks it behind my ear with surprising gentleness. I let out a breath and allow my body to relax against his.
“I don’t understand it either, but I want you. I can’t think of anything else. I barely sleep.”
Something surges inside me. It feels hot and dangerous, but amazing.
“I want you too.” I didn’t plan on saying those words. They just came out. But they’re true.
Suddenly, a sick feeling washes over me. I hear Cordelia lecturing me about how I’ll only be safe if I stay pure. I should’ve listened to her.
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Leo tips his head down like he’s going to kiss me. I duck. He doesn’t stop me when I extract myself from his embrace.
“I feel what you’re feeling but it’s wrong,” I tell him. “Everything about me is wrong, don’t you understand? This is why I have to stay away from you. From everyone. It’s the only way. Cordelia was right all along.”
I hurry out of the training room. Leo doesn’t come after me. Deep down, he must know I’m right.
As I run back to my room, I vow to keep my distance from him and from every other man in my life. I’ll bring nothing but ruin if I don’t.
22
Leo
Her leaving hadn’t been my plan. And for her to run off after admitting her feelings for me, that was the final blow.
I don’t bother to chase after her or call out however, as it would be useless and serve no one except myself. When Ebony is decided on something, she sticks to it fervently. My efforts are better served dealing with a more pressing issue.
Cordelia. That woman has been a thorn in my side for some time now, but having heard the falsehoods she’s planted in Ebony’s mind, she needs to be dealt with. Shutting the training room door behind me, I stroll back to my office, deep in thought.
Damn Cordelia. Snooty, meddling Cordelia. Ever since she was given the role of stepmother, she’s been filling Ebony’s head with all sorts of nonsense — telling her she’s wicked, telling her she’s a slut. All of it delays Rhiannon being able to take what’s rightfully hers. It makes me so angry to see Ebony stunted like this.
If Cordelia could only realize the good that could come from Ebony and Rhiannon’s joining, she’d soon change her tune. She’d also scold herself for being so foolish. Unfortunately however, much of the damage inflicted by her has already been done. Now all that’s left is for me to pick up the pieces. Assuming I can fit them together once I manage this. Judging by Ebony’s current state of mind, it’s going to be an arduous task, one I don’t relish.
Waltzing into my study, I kick the door with my heel. It clicks shut, sealing me away from the rest of the school; in here, I find peace. It’s my sanctuary, my haven amidst the perils that come with running a magical school. Or it was, then Wrath had shown up and left his spirit all over my belongings, leaving them tainted and changed. After enough time passes, it’ll become mine again, but for now I have to occupy the space with his lingering essence.
I settle in my chair and lean back. It feels good to rest my weary bones. After all the training, and then the students being hurt, I’ve hardly had time to myself. The training is worthwhile, but the pain of my students is less so. And while I tell myself I shouldn’t be invested in their welfare, I truly am. Every last one of them is important to me, even those idiots who claim to be my fellow huntsman are important.
Reclining further, I rest my head on the cushioned leather of my chair. It cradles me, my body sinking into it. It’s a small luxury I afford myself.
In this position, I once again turn my thoughts to Cordelia and her meddlesome ways. The woman needs a stiff talking to. I sneer. If I’m honest, she could do with a whole lot more, but I don’t want to act rashly when my words will be threatening enough.
Having worked alongside one another since Ebony’s birth, she’s become fearful of the power I wield. I may not have the strength of Wrath or my Queen, but I can still put the fear of God into anyone who crosses me. Pride isn’t an emotion to be underestimated.
Cordelia’s learned that the hard way one too many times.
In the past however, she’s always been subtle in her abuse of Ebony — small comments and quips have been her go to. Never anything substantial. Then when she enrolled her, the woman lost her mind! Baking apple pies and hatching her own plans to save Ebony from her immoral self. It’s noble if you take it out of context, however when you add in Ebony’s life and who she’s become thus far, it soon becomes less noble and more menacing.
Ebony still doesn’t trust me, but at least she knows where I stand. I’ll never take her by surprise, never throw her a curveball. I simply am what I claim to be: I love my Queen, I want her to return. And to do that, I need Ebony at her best. She’s using me as much as I am her, and I firmly believe she knows this.
The problems only started because the two of us can’t keep a handle on our lust for one another.
It’s forbidden. Taboo. A shameful act that shouldn’t ever see the light of day. All of this and more will be said if anyone learns of it. Judging by the way Lucien occasional glares at me, I suspect people are beginning to grow suspicious.
This should make me stop, cause me to take stock of what’s right and what’s wrong. But it doesn’t. Not even close. I want Ebony, I want her in ways she can’t possibly understand until I’m holding her close, taking more than just her body. I’d take her innocence, I’d take it all.
Lucien could stand to learn a trick or two from me. Lust isn’t the only one who can bring passion, not when it comes to my feelings for Ebony.
Oh, the things I’ll show her. I know I will, it’s inevitable the longer we come together like this — she wants me, I want her. You can’t place two people in that situation and except them to resist, even more so when emotions are high and lives are at stake. That being said, we still need to keep our meetings secret, more so now than ever before.
If Lucien starts snooping around, we’re going to have a big problem on our hands.
Some teachers here know of Ebony’s importance, even if they don’t appreciate exactly why she’s to receive special treatment. However, that doesn’t mean I won’t get fired for seeking a sexual relationship with a student. Christ, they’d eat me alive.
The fools. We’ve known each other for 1,000 years, in one form or another, I think it’s safe to say we’re old enough to know what we’re doing. Yet all they see is an older man lusting after a young, naive girl. That’s partly true, but not enough to make my feelings for her perverse.
I’m the headmaster, I should be allowed to do as I please.
I sigh. My emotions are getting the better of me and it’s leading me to stray from my original purpose. I need to put an end to Cordelia’s troublesome beliefs.
It’s too late in the evening for me to call her, nor can I drive over to her house and demand she talk this instant, that’ll rouse skepticism far too quickly. Instead of charging headlong into battle with her, I think it’s best I wait until morning. She’s not going anywhere, nor are her nasty little fallacies that she’s polluted my darling Ebony with.
Somewhere far above, towards the top of the school, I hear a muffled door slamming. Frowning, I lean forward in my chair so that my arms come to rest on the cluttered top of my desk. Who is wandering around at this time of night, could it be Ebony?
Although I try to tell myself it’s possible, she left too long ago for her to only now be reaching her bedroom. And even if she had taken a detour to get there, she wouldn’t be doing so several floors above where the girls’ dormitory sits.
My mind then mulls over the possibility of Wrath skulking around the school, sneaking in and preying upon unsuspecting students. However, that isn’t his usual method. He only keeps to the shadows out of necessity. It’s born of a desire to leave all others unharmed save the one he seeks, and right now, all he seeks is Ebony. If he was truly hunting her, he wouldn’t be slamming doors to alert her to his arrival.
Quieting my mind so that I can listen again, I’m both relieved and disappointed when no further noise is heard. I hope it means all my worries were an overreaction, but only time will tell if that’s the case.
My hands roaming over my papers and opened books, I fumble about for my planner — it must be here somewhere. I only saw it this morning… Ah. Reaching down, I pick it up off of the floor, admiring the spots of blood sprinkled on its pages. Even if I never have Ebony for my own, at least a part of her is with me, no matter how unsavory the methods used to obtain it.
I grimace. Leo, my friend, that’s dark, even for
you. My own mind is repulsed by me, how apt.
Flipping to the next page, I look over the scheduled meetings and various lessons. It seems I’m meant to attend quite a few of them throughout the day. There’s a couple of importance, but nothing major. Provided that I’m smart about this, I can make time to see Cordelia and still make 90 percent of what’s planned, without any disruptions.
Decided on a time, I snap my book shut.
The plan is set, the pawns in place. Cordelia and I will have a little chat so that I can figure out where she factors in now. It’ll only be a small chat. Cordelia will hardly even notice my being there.
23
Leo
As I park up my car, I spy Cordelia standing on her doorstep.
She’s unhappy by my presence, that much is clear. But when I rang earlier, she accepted that I was coming, one way or another. Luckily for the both of us, she’d chosen to be accommodating, even in spite of it going against her sour demeanor.
Before I manage to step out of the car, she’s on me. Tittering in my ears, she incessantly moans about the conditions of the school, how Ebony isn’t safe—
“I mean, really, Leo you should be more on top of the situation.”
“Hello to you too, Cordelia.” I mutter dryly while walking past her and over to the house.
“Don’t hello me, you’re failing at your duty, Leo.” She rushes ahead of me to stand in my way, the kitchen lying beyond as I’m forced to remain in the hallway. The melodrama of it all irks me no end; this is so unnecessary, so unbecoming of a woman her age.
Fixing her with a stern expression, I attempt to find a way to usher our conversation along. If all she intends to do is rant and rave, we’ll be here all day.
“Cordelia, what would you have me do — close the school? Or maybe you’d prefer me to treat everyone with suspension until they prove they’re worthy?”
“It’s a start.”
“You can’t be serious,” I scoff, astounded by her nerve. “I’m running a school, for christ’s sake, I can’t just close it down because one mother thinks it’s best for everyone concerned.”
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