Behind that are a few dresses and a pantsuit. Since I’m more of a jeans-and-leather jacket kind of girl, I leave the closet and head for the dresser. Digging through the drawers, I find T-shirts, shorts, sweats, socks and underwear, all in my size. How long have they known I was coming?
Since I can’t ask right now, I shrug it off and head to the bathroom. In the shower, the water is hot. Oh my god, it feels so good, too. I close my eyes and lean my head back, letting the water wash away the stress of the crazy day. When I feel sufficiently relaxed considering the situation, I turn off the water, dry off, and toss on a T-shirt. I eye the underwear suspiciously. What if they saw that I didn’t come with my own things and just filled my drawers with stuff other people left behind? Wrinkling my nose at the thought that I have no idea where the underwear came, I decide to pass.
After blow drying my hair, I step back into my room. And nearly scream.
Professor Darius is standing in the middle of the floor.
Adrenaline shoots through me, and I barely keep myself from jumping three feet into the air in shock.
“Holy fuck,” I gasp, pressing a hand to my stampeding heart.
“Not sure I’ve ever been described that way,” Professor Darius says, rubbing his hand over the bottom half of his face and smiling a little. God, he’s sexy. As his eyes roam over me, from my eyes to my nipples poking at the thin fabric of the T-shirt, over the curve of my hips, down my long, bare legs, his smile melts away, and something indecipherable replaces it. My pulse quickens when he wets his lips as his gaze sweeps back up, and a tremor starts deep inside me when our eyes meet again.
No, no, no, you cannot be attracted to your professor…
Squeezing my eyes shut for a second, I can feel my cheeks turning ten shades of red as I realize I’m not wearing any underwear. I scurry over to sit on my bed and pull the T-shirt down over my knees, fighting the urge to press my knees together against the juicy tingle going on between them.
“What are you doing in here?” I ask, my voice sharp to cover my embarrassment. “What, don’t I get privacy, either?”
Professor Darius appears momentarily speechless. Well, this is new. I didn’t think I’d recover my senses before him. And then a thought hits me. Maybe my priestess juju is getting to him. Which gives me another quick thought, this one sending a thrill of excitement through me.
Maybe I can learn to use it to my advantage. I mean, it’s not like I have anything else to work with here.
Professor Darius finally clears his throat, and his tan cheeks actually go a tiny bit pink, which makes him totally adorable in ways I wish I’d never noticed.
“I just came to tell you that the sorcery students spoke to me,” he says, clearing his throat and clasping his hands in front of himself in an oddly formal gesture, as if he’s addressing a judge. “I’ll talk to your boss and take care of that. In the meantime, we’ll send someone to watch over your father until we can work out something with Silas.”
“Oh my god, thank you,” I say, so much relief washing through me that I want to jump up and throw my arms around him, toucher or not. But then I remember I’m wearing nothing but a t-shirt.
Professor Darius makes a gesture that’s halfway between a nod and a slight bow. “We want you to feel comfortable here and be able to focus on your studies.”
“Thank you,” I say, tugging on the hem of my T-shirt.
A glimmer of a smile has returned to his eyes. “Until then, don’t try to run away, and let us train you. Deal?”
“Are you sure he’ll be safe?”
“He’ll be safe, Jade. I promise. We may even be able to let you go home to say goodbye and gather your things in a few days.”
“Really?”
His eyes drop to my legs, and he swallows before jerking his gaze away. “Provided you take your full escort.”
I groan, but I can’t hide my smile. It’s the first time all day when I feel like I can breathe easy. “Can I call my dad, at least?”
“I’ll make that happen if you behave. No more running. Got it?”
“Got it.”
“That’s dangerous to everyone involved—most of all you,” he says. “We can’t have that, can we?”
I can’t help but smiling back at him. “Sorry. If Dad’s safe, you have nothing to worry about.”
“You, more than anyone here, need to learn about your magic and how to control it. Right now, we’re all you’ve got.”
Chapter 6
“You know, it’s a real shame they let the janitors around here wear the same uniforms as the students.” Blonde Bella cackles as she and her posse of beauty school dropouts walk past me in the cafeteria the next morning.
Looks like day one of magic school is already starting off with a bang, but I don’t let the bitches get me down. I don’t even respond. After a night of sleep so deep it makes me feel almost guilty, I’m positively giddy at the prospect of going to class today instead of trudging into Silas’s mansion, a luxury I haven’t been afforded in two years. Surrounded by a mixture of excited newbies and pre-established cliques from high school, I spend breakfast people-watching… And noticing how many people are watching me.
After the day before, I don’t really blame them. Half of them look mortified and hurry away, as if I intentionally made them do crazy sex acts in the Great Hall. The rest give me looks that range from curious glances to pitying looks, from scorn and disgust to hungry lust. One thing’s for sure. For better or worse, everyone knows who I am today.
As upperclassmen finish breakfast, they shoulder their bags, pick up weapons, and head off in groups and pairs. At last, the only people left in the cafeteria are those in the new class—freshmen.
I can’t stop the giddy grin from breaking across my face when I realize I’m one of them. I’m a freshman student of magic at the Academy of Sorcery. I can hardly keep from jumping up and doing a happy dance. I’m literally living my dream.
“You got laid,” Asher cries, sliding into the chair opposite mine. Elowen slips silently into the chair beside him and nibbles at the edge of the Pop-Tart in her hand.
“What?” I ask, looking back and forth between them. “No, I didn’t.”
Asher arches one black, penciled and pierced eyebrow. “You sure about that? You’re sitting alone and smiling like a loon.”
“Oh,” I say with a little laugh. “I’m just… Really happy to be here.”
“Same,” he admits with a grin. Then he shoots a guilty glance at Elowen and wipes off his smile. “Sorry, girl. I know you’re not happy about being in the House of Necromancy, but we’ll figure it out. We’ll be right here with you the whole way.”
“It’ll turn me dark,” Elowen says, barely speaking above a whisper. “Everyone is already staring at me like I’m evil. There’s no way I’m strong enough to make it through four years of practicing the dark arts without it turning me bad.”
“Dark magic isn’t necessarily evil,” Asher says.
Elowen sets down her pastry and stares at it like she’s about to cry. The scattered groups in the cafeteria have started to shift restlessly when the door swings open and in strides the tall, lean, gorgeous professor from the day before. In a pair of grey pinstripe pants and a lavender dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to show off the bottom half of his tan forearms, he looks even more swoon-worthy than the day before. Judging from the sighs that echo around the room, I’m not the only one to notice.
“Good morning,” Professor Darius addresses the crowd, which immediately quiets the second he starts to speak. His gaze flickers over the other students and lands on me. Our eyes lock, and something in my chest does a funny little flip.
Professor Darius drags his gaze from mine and speaks to the whole room. “Welcome to your first day at the Academy of Sorcery. Yesterday, you learned that you all have magical powers. Over the next four years, you will study and practice until you have full mastery over your magic and are ready to go out into the world and use your gifts
for good. Starting today, the entire freshman class will begin to learn about basic magic and how to control it. The first step in learning that control is choosing a vessel in which to safekeep your untrained magic.”
“You think I can put all my magic in there and just leave it?” Elowen whispers.
I don’t have the answer to that or any other part of her predicament, so I just give her hand a quick squeeze to show her I care.
“Since newly vested magical students cannot contain all that power within themselves and still maintain balance, we each have a vessel that will hold that power,” Professor Darius goes on. “From here we will go to the armory, which holds all the available vessels.”
A murmur of excitement goes up around the room.
“Our weapons,” Asher says, nudging me and shooting me a giddy grin.
I already have a knife, so I’m a little less impressed with that aspect, but I make up for it with excitement about having somewhere to store my embarrassing magic when it recharges.
“Yes, the vessel that helps carry and wield your magic is a weapon,” Professor Darius says. “You will choose from those available. Or rather, one of those available will choose you. Keep your senses on full alert, taking your time with each one that interests you. When you find your vessel, it will call to the magic of your soul.”
A shiver of excitement races through me. The magic of my soul. The words make me almost burst. I have magic in my very soul. It’s part of me, as it always has been, but now it’s ready to come out and play. Ready to be weaponized and mastered. I’m vibrating with readiness.
We all stand up and file out the door, following Professor Darius toward the armory.
“How much should we bet that Jade here gets a trash can for her weapon?” Blonde Bella says to her friends as they walk past me.
“Maybe she can use the lid for a shield,” says Black-Haired Bella.
“Considering her magic, she’ll probably get a dildo,” says Brunette Bella, and they all burst into peals of laughter.
I’ve had more than enough of their crap already. Before I can stop myself, my anger boils over, and I shove a Bella from behind, knocking her into the students in front of her.
She turns around and glares as her friends help steady her and cast disgusted looks my way.
I grin. “Oh gosh, I’m sorry. I must have tripped.”
“You must have a death wish.” Blonde Bella steps up to me, inches from my face.
“You don’t scare me,” I say, stepping closer, until we’re toe to toe. “You want a fight, you got one.”
“Whoa there, Rocky.” Asher grabs my arm and pulls me away from Bella. “Don’t waste your priestess energy on those ugly ducklings.”
“You’re lucky my friend is such a pacifist,” I call to the Bellas as Asher drags me ahead.
“Don’t incite her wrath,” Asher says. “You’ll just make more trouble for yourself.”
“You’re too nice,” I say. “I swear, the next time she fucks with me, I’m going to put that bitch in her place.”
“Take the high road,” Asher says. “We’re better than that.”
“I’m not,” I say. “She needs to learn what happens when you cross a girl who grew up in the bad part of town. I carry a knife for a reason.”
“No shanking on the first day of school,” Asher says with a grin. We reach the armory, a separate building with a crackle of magic surrounding it. When we step through the door, I feel it tickle across my skin. Though I can’t see the magic, it’s a palpable sensation, as real as feeling the sun’s rays when stepping from the shade into the sunshine.
We blink in the dim interior, waiting for our eyes to adjust. When they do, we see a long row of tables set up in the center of the room. Beyond the tables, along the wall, glass cases stand open. Inside, an assortment of larger weapons is displayed—swords, staffs, bows, clubs, and other items of various sizes and materials. On the tables lie smaller instruments like knives, daggers, and throwing stars. There are other odd choices, too, like a grenade, a golden compass, and a long purple crystal along with some other random items.
The Bellas push by me, flipping their hair and casting scathing looks as they go. “Slut witch,” one of them hisses as they go.
Asher links his elbow through mine, steering me away from them. “Those twats are just jealous because you’re gorgeous, and you have sexy magic.”
I roll my eyes. “Lucky me.”
“Are you seriously telling me you don’t realize how fabulous your magic is? Who wouldn’t want to be irresistible to everyone?”
“Pfft. They hate me.”
“Oh, please, girl,” Asher says, bumping my hip with his. “You are so naïve. Your magic rocks. You just need to learn how to use it to your advantage.”
“Hey, you guys,” a small voice interrupts our debate. Elowen is standing there alone, and a pang of guilt goes through me. I don’t know when we lost her, but somewhere along the way, she fell behind. She’s so quiet I hadn’t even noticed, and now I feel like shit.
“What’s wrong, girlfriend?” Asher sets his hand on her shoulder.
“I don’t want to be here,” she says, letting out a sigh. “I just want to go home.”
“You have dark magic,” Asher says. “You can’t go home without learning to use it. That would be even more dangerous than ours.”
It’s not like she’d be allowed to go home with untrained magic and live as if nothing had happened. If she left, she’d face the same fate as anyone kicked out. She’d have to work for someone more powerful than her, someone who could siphon off her magic for the rest of her life and use it for themselves. That’s what happens to people who prove they’re incapable of mastering and using their magic responsibly.
“I know,” Elowen says, scuffing her toe on the floor. “But I don’t fit in with the dark magic students.”
“I’m sorry,” Asher says, giving her a hug. “I know you’re shy, babe. It’ll take you a minute, but I’m sure you’ll make friends.”
“Yeah,” she says, staring at the floor.
“On the bright side, you look amazing in that uniform,” I say.
She doesn’t even break a smile. “I don’t think I can do this.”
“You can do this,” I say, trying to encourage her. “Screw those dark magic jerks. You do you. I know there’s a strong woman in there, even if you don’t show it.”
Elowen gives a quiet scoff. “Yeah, right.”
“You know how I know?” I say. “You could have cut me down like all those other girls who think they have to make me look bad so they can feel better about themselves. But you stuck by me even when you knew it would put you in their path. I just met you, and I already know you’re worth more than all of them put together.”
Elowen nods and gives me a little smile. “Thanks.”
“Less chit-chat,” growls a voice from behind us. “More concentration.”
I turn to see Ryker prowling through the students, a sword and scabbard on his hip. I roll my eyes at my new friends, but they’re gaping at Ryker like he’s some kind of rock star. Super.
“One weapon, and only one weapon, is meant for you,” Professor Darius says as he also wanders through the groups of students, overlooking their choices. “It will know your magic and call out to you.”
I turn back to the table, trying to focus on what’s there. Some of the weapons are gleaming and beautiful, while others are crude but daunting, speaking their purpose all too clearly—violence.
My fingers twitch, and I turn back to the table, a funny little thrill going through me. I scan the table, reaching for a gleaming silver dagger. But before I touch it, a shrinking feeling grips my hand, and I draw back. I scan the table, but the only thing that calls to me at all is a funny eating utensil, a mixture of a spoon and a fork. Definitely not a weapon.
I’m distracted by a breathy sigh beside me. Elowen had hefted a grisly mace that looks so heavy I’m not sure how she’s going to wield it. She s
tares at it morosely. “This looks evil. Like my soul will be by the time I’ve been here four years.”
She follows Asher and I as we continue searching while other students choose cool, scary weapons. So far, nothing’s speaking to me.
“These are mine,” Asher says, plucking up a set of nunchucks. “Perfect for this witch.”
I raise my eyebrows at him. “Don’t you mean wizard?”
“Bitch, please. I’m as much a witch as you are a sex goddess.” With a dramatic flick of his fingers, he swooshes his hair across his forehead.
“I’m the furthest thing from a sex goddess,” I say with a laugh at his antics.
Elowen laughs, too, which is a relief since I don’t know how to help her gloomy mood.
Asher throws an arm around each of us. “Come on, girlfriend. Isn’t there anything calling to you?”
There is, but I don’t want to admit it yet because the thing calling to me is totally lame and embarrassing. I keep walking past it in hopes that something else will hold my attention, that it’ll take something more badass than a spork to hold my supposedly special magic.
After walking in circles for another ten minutes, I’m one of the last students still without a weapon. Though there is this gnarly ax beside the spork… It must be that.
I reach out to grab it, but Blonde Bella swipes it first, pulling the ax into her hand, hissing at me like a snake.
“Back off, Dumpster,” Bella says, cradling the ax like a baby. She raises her voice and screeches, “This bitch is trying to steal my weapon!”
Thorn appears at our side, though I hadn’t even seen him in the room before. “Is there a problem?”
“She tried to steal my weapon,” Bella says, her voice all gaspy and high, like I picked up the ax and threatened her with it instead of just reaching in its direction. She leans into Thorn, whose lips tighten in an expression of distaste for just one second before she looks up at him with big, moony eyes.
That bitch is barking up the wrong tree. Thorn obviously has zero interest in her damsel in distress routine.
Academy of Sorcery: Term 1: Unleashing Trials Page 6