“Our knights are delicious. I mean, look at Brax. He’s a gentle giant until he decides he doesn’t want to be gentle anymore.” Nova wagged her eyebrows. “Interesting combo.”
I chuckled. “My best friend Elle has a huge crush on Brax. I think he might like her, too.”
“Welcome to Potions. Let’s everyone settle in.” Professor Davis stood at the front of the room, her wild salt-and-pepper hair standing up in frizzed madness. Her clothing was a mix of tie-dyed colors, with black cats running across her shirt and broomstick earrings. From where I sat, it looked like her head was a bit too small for her body. She pointed directly at me. “Miss Heart, I presume.”
I nodded and waved. “That’s right.”
“Come, come down, my dear.” She waved me forward, and for a minute, I debated how long it would take me to make a run for the door. Being the center of attention, standing in front of a classroom, was never my thing.
Instead of making a run for it, I sucked in a deep breath and walked over to her. My hands shook at my sides, and I could barely make eye contact with her, let alone the class.
She pushed her frizzy hair out of her face. “I understand you’re a Siphon Witch.”
I nodded. “So I’ve been told.”
“Excellent, excellent. Now I’d like you to siphon off the magic from this potion I have here and disburse it into the other cauldrons around the classroom.” She motioned to the rest of the class. “I’m sure I speak for everyone else when I say I’d love to see how this works.”
I shuffled from one foot to the other. “Um, I’ve never really used my powers. I mean, only when I’ve been attacked. And only twice. I’m not really sure…maybe I should sit down.”
“Professor Davis.” Beckett raised his hand, drawing her attention. “Zinnia hasn’t even ascended yet. What magic she does possess could be…chaotic.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “What’s ascending?”
The class grew completely silent and stared at me with wide eyes. A girl in the back of the room pressed her hand over her mouth, holding in a giggle. Her shoulders shook with each surprised laugh, and her round face began to turn bright red. I wanted to march up the stairs to her table and demand to know what she was laughing at, but I didn’t.
I curled my fists against my legs and held still. “Did I ask something wrong?”
“No, no dear.” Professor Davis paused and hunched in on herself. “Ascending is when a witch comes of age. They get the full strength of their power all at once. It’s an intense but wonderfully ancient tradition.”
“Oh, okay that sounds…like fun. At what age does this happen?” Again, the girl was laughing so hard into her fist she almost fell off her chair. I ground my teeth together, trying not to snap at her. As calmly as I could manage, I added, “Some of us are completely new to this, so these are the kinds of question that should be answered before say, one becomes the most powerful witch in her cast.”
The girl’s face went pale white, and she stopped laughing. Serves you right. An awkward silence fell over the class then Adrianne cleared her throat. “I learned only a couple of weeks ago that the age of ascension is sixteen.”
“I’ll be sixteen in three days.” What was going to happen to me? I glanced at the floor, feeling unsure of myself. Should I be doing this? Could I even do it? Was I going to make a fool of myself in front of the class and the other queens? A cold sweat broke out across my back.
Beckett raised his hand once more. “Perhaps we should have one of the other queens do this? Zinnia might not be ready.”
Was Beckett trying to help me or embarrass me? Either way, I squared my shoulders and faced Professor Davis. “I could try.”
She clapped her hands together, then came to stand behind me. When she placed her cool hands on my shoulders, I stiffened. The smell of moth balls and coffee assailed my nose when she leaned in closer and spoke into my ear. “Close your eyes.”
I sucked in a deep, calming breath and closed my eyes.
She patted my shoulder. “Good, very good. Now try to feel the magic in the room. Open up your other senses, find the points of power all around you.”
I opened my fists at my sides and turned my hands so my palms faced outward. In my mind, I could see spots of magic in the dark. In front of me, where Tabi sat, was a bright yellow; next to her, where Nova sat, there was a deep purple, and across the table, where Serrina sat, she was dazzling red. Further back was Beckett’s brighter blue. I saw them all. The other witches in the room were much fainter hues of pinks and blues. The cauldrons were lighter still. A tingling started in the tips of my fingers then moved into my palms. I hear a sharp shocked breath sucked in, and my eyes flashed wide open. In the corner of the room where that group had been making smoke animals now had an empty cauldron. The power swirled in the palm of my hand now, a rainbow of magic.
I held my hand out in front of me, watching the magic dance and move to my every whim. “Hey, I did it.”
Professor Davis removed her hands from my shoulders and clapped them together. “Very good, now if you will—”
“Hold on. I just want to try something.” I held my hands out to my sides and, one by one, every cauldron emptied, and the magic joined the balls I had swirling around me. I pulled the magic closer and let it run up my arms.
“Zinnia, I really think that’s quite enough.” Her voice wavered nervously.
“I can do more.” And I felt I really could. I unfurled all my senses, feeling the power flowing through me. The contents of the large cauldron behind me drifted toward me in streams of green glittering magic. I pictured a scene from one of my favorite childhood movies, and I forced the magic to circle around my legs, then up my body and down my arms. My hair stood on end and twisted up around itself. I smiled. “Bippity boppity boo mother fu—”
“Miss Heart, that is quite enough.” Professor Davis came to stand in front of me. Her face was red with anger. “Put it all back now.”
“Say what now? Put it back? I can’t.”
She crossed her hands over her chest. “Well, you must. Otherwise you will blow up the classroom with all that magic mixing together.”
My pulse raced in my veins. The magic swirled around me faster and faster, spinning out of control.
Professor Davis squeaked and took a step back. “Now calm down, my girl. Everything will be okay.”
“How can everything be okay? You said I was going to blow up the class.” My breaths came in panicked puffs. Was I going to kill someone?
Tabi, Nova and Serrina shot to their feet and came toward me. They each held their hands out in front of them, creating a small shield around me. I could see the pink bubble forming from the ground up and around me.
Serrina bumped Professor Davis out of the way. “Zin, you’re not going to hurt anyone, do you hear me? Look at the shield we’ve got. The only person you can hurt now is yourself.”
My arms and legs shook like a leaf in the wind. “Not making me feel any better.”
Beckett jumped from the top step and placed his hand on Nova’s shoulder. “Let me in. I’ve got this.”
I shook my head. “You said this was a bad idea. I should’ve listened to you. Don’t come in here. I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
“It’ll be okay.” He turned to Nova. “Open it now.”
A piece of the bubble slid to the side like an automatic door in a department store. Beckett stepped inside and came face to face with me. “Are you good?” The door slid shut behind him.
“Um, not really. What if I hurt someone?” My eyes darted around the room, looking at all the students I could potentially injure.
Beckett placed his hands on my arms. “Look at me, Zin.”
I drew my gaze away from the class and focused on Beckett’s ice-blue eyes. They were calm, like the waves of the Caribbean. When he smiled, a small dimple appeared at the corner of his mouth. “Good, now focus.”
“I am.” Was I whining?
A soft chuckle ru
mbled in his chest. “No, you’re not. Find the points of magic like you did before.”
I tapped into that side of me that knew where the magic was, and one by one I felt the different spells around me moving as one. All I had to do was take them apart, piece by piece. “Okay.”
“Now pick one.”
The colorful one with the animals. I saw it perfectly in my mind, and a small glittering ball rose up out of the swirling tornado to float calmly beside my cheek. It illuminated his face in hues of silver, and for a moment I swear he looked like a fairy.
He looked at the ball. “Very good. Now tell it were you want it to go. Girls, drop the shield. She’s got this,” he called out to the others.
The bubble pealed back from me, like a shell opening to reveal a pearl. “Are you sure I’ve got this?”
He dropped his hands from my arms and took a step back. “I’m sure.”
I closed my eyes and felt each and every magic potion I’d gathered. One by one, I sent them back to their respective cauldrons. I saved Professor Davis’ for last. It floated around my legs and down my arms in a stream of silver, leaving a trail behind it. With the flick of my wrist, back into the pot it went. A small hiss and pop followed, and everyone in the room sat stunned, including me. I couldn’t believe I’d done it. I’d actually controlled my powers in a setting where I wasn’t being attacked.
The other students began to clap and cheer, and a smile spread across my face. Without thinking, I launched myself forward and wrapped my arms around Beckett’s neck, dragging him in for a hug. “Thank you!”
“It was no—”
The door flew open, and Tuck charged in with Adrienne hot on his heels. He froze in place. His eyes went from me to Beckett and back to me. He stood up straight and adjusted the collar of his jacket. His dark hair was wet and falling around his chiseled features. “I can see I’m not needed.”
Under her breath, Tabitha leaned in closer to Nova. “See, what did I tell you? Everyone should want to get Tuckered.”
Nova elbowed her. “Shut up.”
I dropped my arms and stepped away from Beckett. “Tuck, I didn’t mean…”
Before I could get the words out, he turned on his heels and walked out of the room. I pressed my hand to my forehead, feeling like I’d just done something very very wrong. Shit.
Chapter 12
Tucker
I threw my shoulders back and strode down the hallway. There was no reason for me to be jealous, yet it burned in me worse than any flame I’d ever felt. Adrienne came and got me the moment Zinnia’s powers started to spin out of control. I ran headlong into that classroom, expecting the worst, and boy did I get it. Her in Beckett’s arms, smiling and hugging each other like they’d just conquered the world. My stomach rolled, and anger fired hot and heavy in my chest.
“Tuck, wait,” she called out after me.
I froze in place. I couldn’t act jealous or angry at her—I had no right to. But I wanted to. I turned to face her, and for the first time, I gave her the impassive look I used when I was at the training center back home in Cindelore. “Yes?”
She ran down the hall to catch up to me. Once she reached me, she hunched over, sucking in deep breaths. “I really gotta work on my cardio.”
“I’ll arrange a fitness plan for you.” I turned away. I didn’t want her to see me like this, so angry…so hurt. She was my soulmate, and I was the only one who knew it. Would this be any easier if she knew, too? No, this had to stay a secret. If it ever came out, they’d send me away from her.
She reached out and placed her hand on my shoulder. “That’s not why I came out here.”
“Then why did you?” Tell me you want me like I want you. Tell me it’s not freaking Beckett who’s caught your attention. When she hesitated, I crossed my arms over my chest. “Yes?”
“I just…I don’t know.” She glanced over her shoulder and back toward me. Her long midnight locks flew in different directions, and the sweet scent of peaches smacked into me like a ton of bricks. “You seemed upset.”
“Did I?” In the future, I’d be sure not to be so unguarded. I’d been trained to be a soldier, and damn it, I could act like one.
She narrowed those stunning sapphire eyes at me. “Yeah, you did.”
I shrugged. “I’m not.” I am.
“Oh, really?” Sparks of anger threaded through her tone.
“I’m fine.” I’m not fine at all. I stepped to the side to let a student pass us by. I turned and pressed my back into one of the stone archways that sat just outside the courtyard. If classes weren’t in session, we would’ve caused a scene. But there were only a few students meandering around to witness it.
She pointed a finger at my chest. “You know, most people say they’re fine when they’re really not. Being fine is just so middle of the road—it means you feel neither happy nor sad. It’s so blah. So which is it? Are you fine or are you actually okay?”
“I have no idea what you just said. Whatever it was, I can assure you I’m fine.” I moved to step around her.
Zinnia stepped to the side, blocking my path. “Well, you don’t look fine.”
“Don’t I?” I smoothed my face to completely impassive.
“Like that face of yours is gonna fool me.” She flipped her hand. “Oh, please.”
No one, not even my family, could read me this way. Was it the flowing of emotion between soulmates she was feeling, or was she just that good at reading me? “Zinnia, I’m good. It’s that simple.”
“Fine, but for the record, I don’t believe you.” She leaned her hip up against the railing.
I took a minute to study her beautiful face and her full lips. She was perfect in all the right ways. Before I said anything else, I moved to step around her again. “I have to go. I have a meeting with Niche.”
“I though you were going to meet me after class.”
Was that disappointment I heard in her voice? Couldn’t be.
“Have Beckett walk with you.” The words left my mouth before I could take them back.
“Ha! You are jealous.” A little smile played on her lips.
“Of him? I don’t think so.” Yep, I’m jealous. Why did you leap into his arms and never mine?
“If you say so.” She stepped away and began walking down the hall. She called over her shoulder. “I’ll be sure to ask him to walk me to my next class then.”
I ground my teeth together. “Just remember, anything with him is forbidden.”
She spun around and smiled. “As much as it is forbidden with you.”
“Maybe you should relax for tonight. You have a big trip tomorrow,” I pointed out, hoping she’d agree to stay in her dorm room rather than be out and about with him.
“Maybe.” She spun away, her hips rolled with every step she took, and I found myself watching them.
“What do you mean, maybe?”
“I guess you’ll have to find out…later.”
Chapter 13
Zinnia
This morning, I woke up feeling all sorts of confused. Tucker was colder to me yesterday in the hall than ever before, and instead of trying to comfort him, I decided it was better to tease him a little. Maybe if he’d admitted to being jealous, I wouldn’t have felt the need to poke the phoenix. But he didn’t, and so I teased him. Now I was standing amongst my fellow witches, preparing to visit the last free witch kingdom, Hexia. Beckett, Nova, Tabi, Serrina, Gray and Adrienne all stood around me. Somehow over the course of one day, I’d grown comfortable with them. It wasn’t the kind of comfort I had with Elle, and even now I missed her. But this was the first group of friends I’d ever had at any school. Together, we were going to see what we were born to protect. Excitement ran through me, and I could not stop smiling.
From what I’d read in my history book last night, Hexia was the fifth witch kingdom. Before the others fell, it housed all the Siphon Witches. Now it held all the Elder Witches who were left from each cast and any witch seeking asylum from Al
ataris’s rule over the other four kingdoms. There was only one way in or out of Hexia, and it was through a portal that led to Evermore Academy. Talk about precautions. Not even Beckett’s magic could get us in there.
Niche stood on her tiptoes in front of the class and waved her hands. “Now, everyone must stick together at all times. Please keep in mind we will be in the Alpine mountains, so if you try to step out of the barrier for even a moment, I guarantee you’ll freeze.” She looked at Grayson. “Mister Shade, please keep in mind, the witches do not usually entertain vampires in Hexia, so do be on your best behavior.”
He gave Niche a toothy smile, then saluted. “Right you are, boss. Best behavior, I promise.”
She rolled her eyes and turned around muttering, “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
Deep in the basement of Evermore Academy stood a solitary worn-down wooden door. From the outside, it looked like it’d be some kind of broom closet. But when Niche reached forward and opened it, a moving pool stood within it. It illuminated the whole windowless room with blue reflections. It reminded me of the time I went night swimming at Elle’s parents’ house. Something about it was just so beautiful.
Matteaus stood next to the door with his arms crossed over his chest. “Just remember there is only one way in or out and this is it. When it is time for you to return I will be here waiting.”
I raised my hand. “Aren’t you coming with us?”
“Didn’t you here what I said yesterday? I have two thousand students trying to save the world in some way. I can’t be there with you all the time. Niche has got this well in hand.” He turned grabbed the door knob. “In you go.”
Niche stepped to the side of the door with her clipboard in hand and white coat pressed to within an inch of its life. “Right okay, step through, single-file line. Don’t push each other, and wait for me on the other side.”
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