Academy of Sorcery: Term 1: Unleashing Trials

by Alexa B. James

“I’ll just steer clear of him and do my work.”

  “Wise choice,” the vampire says, turning back to face the stove and resuming his task of feeding the beast that is my boss.

  Armed with my cleaning supplies, I sneak back down the stairs and return to the bathroom I was cleaning earlier. After a short wipe-down, I come out to find Silas standing there staring at me.

  His eyes look… different. Like he’s actually interested in me for reasons other than lording his position over me and making my life miserable. I never thought I’d miss the Silas of lording and life-misery making, but the change is a disturbingly unwelcome one.

  “What are you doing here?” he demands.

  “Um… working?” I respond. “What else would I be doing?”

  Rather than saying anything, he simply stares at me.

  “I’m just going to clean the rest of the bathrooms,” I say, gloves on and basket of supplies in hand. I start to edge past him.

  Silas says nothing. Given the creeper vibes I’m getting from him, he doesn’t have to speak for me to know what he’s thinking.

  Maybe coming back here wasn’t such a good idea after all.

  For the next couple of hours, I move from one bathroom to another. All the while, Silas lurks in the shadows somewhere close enough for me to feel his icky vibe but not close enough for me to see him when I look up from my task. Occasionally, he peeks his head inside, stares at me with greedy eyes, and asks how it’s coming along. The job always sucks, but now it’s downright unbearable.

  Finally, ten o’clock rolls around, and I’ve made up for my missed hours. As I put my cleaning basket back in the closet and close the door, Silas is standing in the doorway that leads out of the kitchen into his dining room.

  “I’m going home now,” I announce to him and Robert as I grab my raincoat off the hook and sling it over my arm. No need to put it on now. The rain stopped hours ago, and it’s muggy as always outside. Silas gives me a calculating look, but then he nods that I’m released from my duties for the day. As I step out the back door, I’ve never been so happy in all my life to be out of that man’s sight.

  “You really aren’t very bright, are you?” A voice says from behind me, reminding me of how I got here in the first place. Turning around, I’m faced with my clunky sedan, the shiny town car I stole, and three very unhappy sorcerers.

  “What the hell were you thinking?” Thorn demands as he, Rocco, and Ryker stand in front of me.

  “Nothing,” Ryker says shaking his head, arms crossed over his muscular chest. “If she’s even capable of thought.”

  “Dumb blonde,” Rocco says, tugging my hair like a five-year-old.

  I slap his hand away. “There’s only one situation that calls for hair-pulling, and this isn’t it.”

  “Damn,” Rocco says, licking his lips. And even though he’s being an ass, I can’t help but stare as his tongue glides along his full, gorgeous lip.

  “Professor Darius is fuming over this,” Thorn says, grabbing my arm. “And nice stunt with the car. You’re racking up points already. Keep this up, and you’ll be expelled before the year starts.”

  As they haul me toward the town car, a beautiful raven-haired women suddenly appears out of thin air, blocking our way. Before I can blink, Ryker has leapt between us and holds up a hand, and a sword materializes in his grip. Impressive as fuck, I have to admit.

  “Stand down,” he commands.

  “Jade.” The woman’s full, red lips curve into a smile. She appears completely unfazed by the weapon. “Finally we meet.”

  “What do you want?” Ryker barks.

  “Well, hello boys.” She smirks at Ryker, then turns her gaze to Thorn and then Rocco. Thorn drops my arm, and Rocco stares at her, transfixed.

  The woman’s gaze fixes on me next, and a strange tingling starts at the base of my skull and works its way down my spine. My muscles instantly relax. “You don’t really want to go to the academy, do you?” she croons.

  I want to speak, but I’m as mesmerized as the rest of them.

  “You have a choice. Go with them, or do magic for me. I will buy your contract from that mongrel you serve, and you’ll never have to work for him again.”

  Freedom. The one thing I’ve dreamed of, the thing I never thought I’d have.

  “Really?” I manage. “How?”

  “Simple. I have the means to procure your contract from your slave master. You can use your magic for great things in this world, or you can scrub floors for the rest of your life. It’s your choice, child.”

  I know something too good to be true when I hear it. “Who are you?” I ask. “And if you’re buying my contract, does that mean I’m bound to you instead?”

  Although I don’t know this woman from Adam, I have to admit, I’m intrigued. More than that. I’m tempted. My contract with Silas is something that even the academy can’t take away. Could I be free, no longer a servant to Silas? Or would I be trading one master for another?

  “Jade, don’t trust her,” Thorn says, moving in front of me like he’s trying to protect me.

  Ryker shakes his head as if clearing his thoughts. He points his sword at the woman’s beautiful face again. “This woman is using dark magic,” he accuses. “She’ll use you for evil, Jade. Don’t listen to her.”

  “Don’t you use dark magic?” I ask, remembering the explanation Thorn gave me this morning. Sorcerers fell into the dark magic category.

  Before he can answer, the woman sidesteps Ryker and makes a grab at me. I’m so not having that. It’s one thing to ask me if I’ll go with her, another to grab me. I duck her groping hand, using my position to yank my switchblade free of my boot. Like I said, Jacksonville post-disaster era is no vacation resort. I’ve used a blade before, and I’m not afraid to use it again. I lash out at the woman, barely nicking the skin, but she leaps away from me.

  “Stay back,” Thorn barks at me, throwing out a hand to block me. His palm flattens over my chest, and he holds me back while Ryker jumps in with his dagger. Rocco swirls his hands in the air, summoning some kind of magic. I wish I could stop and watch, since I’ve never seen a sorcerer do magic except on TV. But I’m busy ducking around Thorn and trying to get at this lady. She started this, and I’m going to end it.

  Before I can reach her, though, Rocco throws both of his thick, muscular arms out toward the woman, throwing a ball of magic that looks like a swirling distortion in the air with sparks spiraling inside it. The woman leaps backward, but Rocco turns, his arms still outstretched, and the ball of magic connects. With a furious howl, the woman crumples to the ground. Black smoke billows around her, and a second later, when it sweeps off in the wind, nothing remains but a sooty spot on the pavement.

  “Holy fuck,” I say, swallowing hard. “Did you just…vaporize someone?”

  “Get in the car,” Ryker barks, grabbing my arm and manhandling me into the town car. The other two slide into the front and close the doors, Rocco already starting the engine.

  “I need to go home and see my dad,” I say, trying to pull free. “And get my stuff.”

  “Hell no,” Ryker retorts as he pushes me across the seat and hops in beside me. “You lost that privilege.”

  “What about my car?” I grab at the door handle, but it’s locked.

  Rocco chuckles as he pulls out of the lot.

  “Did you just trap me with child-safe locks?” I huff, crossing my arms over my chest.

  “Don’t act like a child, and I won’t have to,” Rocco shoots back, lowering a pair of designer shades over his eyes before adjusting the mirror to look back at me.

  Refusing to acknowledge how freaking hot he looks in them, I stare out the window. For the next fifteen minutes, I ignore the three stooges and go back to worrying about my dad. These guys don’t get it. They think they’ll simply send a note to Silas, and he’ll obey. But I know my boss better than that. If I don’t come to work, he’ll go straight to my house. And if I don’t warn my dad first…


  I swallow hard, not wanting to admit the possibility of what he’ll do. Thinking of all the times he told me I’m all he has to live for. If I suddenly disappear without a trace…

  When we roll to a silent stop at a light, I grab the door handle and yank so hard I’m surprised it doesn’t come off.

  Rocco laughs again, sending murderous thoughts rolling through my brain. “I can see why she never graduated high school,” he says. “Do you really think I’m going to let you run that easily again? We’ve got an eye on you now, Cinderella.”

  “Let me out,” I growl.

  “Not a chance.”

  “I’ll scream,” I say, because what do I have to lose? Nothing.

  Ryker scoffs. “What are you, five?”

  “I have a very high-pitched scream,” I warn.

  “Most girls save the screaming for the end of the first date, if you know what I mean,” Rocco says.

  I open my mouth and let out my deafening, don’t-need-an-attack-whistle shriek.

  The guys all flinch, and Rocco swerves into the next lane for a second.

  “Jesus Christ, you psycho,” Ryker growls.

  I take a deep breath to belt out the next one when my throat seems to close. I nearly choke on the scream, trying to force it out, but no sound comes even when I strain. I turn to stare at Ryker, my hand flying to my throat. I’m breathing just fine, but when I open my mouth to cuss him out, no words come.

  Rocco cracks up again. “You look like a fish out of water.”

  “That’s better,” Ryker says, turning to the window as I silently plot their deaths.

  He stole my freaking voice!

  Rage is like a hot coal pressed against my heart, stoking it into flames of hatred by the time we reach the Academy. There has to be somebody higher up the food chain that I can talk to about this. All I wanted was to go home. To see my dad and get my stuff like every other student. They all got to say their goodbyes. It’s not just unfair to me, but unfair to my dad. He didn’t ask for any of this. He doesn’t even have magic.

  These guys are more interested in my obedience than hearing anything I have to say. One way or another, somebody’s going to listen to me, though.

  After a deathly silent drive to the academy, the car stops. “Oh look, we’re home. Time to get Cinderella to her closet under the stairs.”

  “That’s Harry Potter, dumbass,” Thorn says, breaking his silence for the first time since we got in the car.

  The car doors unlock, so I fling mine open and make a run for it. This time, I’m not so lucky. Ryker is standing in front of me the next second, though I don’t know how he got there. I slam into him, and he grabs me in a steel embrace.

  “Welcome home, sweetheart,” he says, his voice so flat it makes a mockery of the word. “Your room is all set up and ready for you.”

  “I have to go see my dad,” I argue. “He’s not safe with Silas losing his servant.”

  Ignoring my protests, Thorn takes my hand firmly in his large, warm one. I try not to gasp at the sensation of his skin against mine. I’m not a toucher. Not since back when we had a normal family, before my sister died and my mom turned into a run-ragged, overworked zombie. The four of us would sit piled up on the couch reading books or playing games. But since then? Human contact is a rarity, and I’m not sure how I feel about it.

  On the one hand, it feels like vulnerability and intimacy that I don’t want with this asshole. On the other… Oh my god, I never knew how many nerve endings existed in just one little hand. It makes me want to hold on forever, to make my whole body fit where my hand is, so every inch of my skin can feel this amazing sensation coursing though me.

  Thorn strides up a set of concrete steps, dragging me into a small stone building. We step into a large but cozy common room with brown leather furniture, potted plants, a huge TV mounted on the wall, and a fireplace on one side. Down a hallway I can see doors standing open, people calling back and forth to each other, decorating their doors, talking, and laughing.

  They fall silent at the sight of three swoon-worthy sorcerers dragging new meat down the hall. We stop in front of a door. Thorn pulls out a key, unlocks the door, and shoves me inside with enough force that it’s clear who’s in charge here—and that he’s done with my antics.

  “Wait.” I grab the door as he starts to pull it closed. “Please. I have to go home. My dad…” My throat closes on its own this time, and to my horror, tears threaten behind my eyes.

  “I’m sorry,” Thorn murmurs. His eyes are unreadable, his face a complete blank as his piercing emerald gaze searches mine through the crack in the door. For a second, neither of us move. Then I realize how close we’re standing, just inches apart. So close I can smell the peppermint on his breath as it caresses my cheek.

  “This is your home now,” Rocco interrupts, pushing the door all the way open to pass his friend and step into my room. “There are clothes already in your drawers and closets. School uniforms, that sort of thing. You might want to shower and get out of those rags before the Bellas have you for tomorrow’s breakfast.”

  He pauses, his eyes skating over my curves before returning to mine. “Or, you know, I could do that,” he says with a sexy grin.

  “Don’t play with the new recruits,” Ryker admonishes his brother. “They’re not here for your entertainment.”

  “And yet, they’re endlessly entertaining,” Rocco says, giving me a quick wink before sauntering out of my room.

  Thorn pauses instead of following the other two. “Your father is a grown man,” he says. “He can take care of himself.”

  “You don’t understand,” I say, that stupid, painful tightness rising to my throat again.

  Thorn crosses his arms and glares. “Try me.”

  “Yeah, right,” I blurt out before I can stop myself. But I’m not about to spill my sob story to this jerk who will just use it for ammunition. His eyes are anything but kind and understanding. He may be asking for information, but he sure as hell isn’t going to use it for altruistic purposes.

  “Then I can’t help you,” he says, pivoting to leave the room.

  “Wait,” I cry, grabbing a handful of his shirt before I think better of it.

  He tenses, his whole body going rigid, but he doesn’t turn back to me.

  “He’ll need protection from Silas,” I say quietly, hoping the other two can’t overhear. Even if they do, no amount of taunting or bullying from them is worth risking Dad’s safety. Let them know. Let them come at me with their best shot. I can handle all three of them.

  What I can’t handle is thinking I didn’t do everything in my power to protect the only family I have left in this world.

  Without a word, Thorn steps out of the room and pulls the door closed behind him. I sigh and rest my forehead against the heavy wood, closing my eyes and trying to get my emotions under control. I consider trying to bolt again, but when I try the knob, it won’t budge. I can’t tell if it’s locked or if magic has sealed it shut.

  “Dammit.”

  I bang my fist on the door once, but I don’t expect anyone to open it. Slowly letting out a breath, I look around what will apparently be my room for the foreseeable future. The room, like the common room downstairs, is cozy, almost quaint. The bedframes are oak four-posters, each mattress covered with a light, cream-colored comforter with pale pink roses along the scalloped edge. A matching bedroom set, complete with a nightstand and small wooden dresser, sits on each side of the room.

  Guilt overcomes me as I sit on one of the twin beds. This is so much nicer than what Dad has. There’s not a mouse-chewed, synthetic blanket in sight. The floor is hardwood with a subtly patterned rug laid between the two beds instead of stained carpet. Bright afternoon sun streams through the matching curtains instead of struggling through dusty, broken blinds.

  I get up to look out the window. A pretty green orchid plant in a pot sits on the sill. The window overlooks a field going into the woods. There are people hanging out even this late,
talking, laughing like life doesn’t suck.

  I take a deep breath. Maybe mine doesn’t have to, either. It’s not like I’m in prison, locked door notwithstanding. It’s actually a really nice room, and I don’t even have to share it with a roommate. They probably don’t trust anyone with the key, but hey, privacy. If they can guarantee me Dad’s safety, I could really get behind this. I’ve always dreamed of having magic, and now I do. I’m not going to waste it pouting.

  I turn to explore the rest of the new room. There’s a closet and another closed door that I find attached to a bathroom with another door. I try to open it, but it’s also sealed shut.

  “Assholes,” I mutter.

  Smart assholes, but still assholes.

  The bathroom, like the rest of the room, is old-fashioned but way nicer than the one at home, with a clawfoot tub, a plush rug beside it, and delicate pink, cream, and tan tiles. It appears fully stocked and ready for its new magical guests, with everything from shampoo, toothpaste, and body lotion to towels, blow dryers, and hairbrushes.

  After thoroughly exploring the little bathroom, I return to my room and notice the mini fridge for the first time. Opening it up, I find cans of soda and an assortment of snacks. I’m so freaking hungry I tear into a bag of trail mix and scarf it down. Silas doesn’t exactly feed me during workdays. Robert sneaks me food when he can, but today, I haven’t eaten anything but the burnt toast I had for breakfast. I’m starving, so I polish off a bag of chips next, then gulp down a soda in no time. This girl knows how to feed herself. Feeling a bit better, I let my mind wander back to what the guys said when they stuck me in here.

  Looking at my “rags” as Rocco called them, I want to huff, but he has a point. A shower would be a welcome distraction, too. Dad and I often compete for the hot water, so it’ll be nice to see how long the hot water lasts here. I’m guessing no one will be using the shower this late, anyway.

  Since I didn’t get to pack a bag and bring my own clothes, I open the closet to see if there’s anything I can wear in the meantime. Inside, I find five pristine school uniforms hanging in a row. I literally laugh out loud. It’s a stereotypical schoolgirl uniform: plaid, pleated skirt, white shirt, tie and knee socks. So not my style.