If I could just knock the succubus out, I wouldn’t have to use the sacred incantation. I wouldn’t have to risk expulsion or imprisonment.
Eva slammed another spell into the succubus’ chest, and the demon fell. In my hand, my crimson magic blazed with pride. Eva prowled forward, ready to deliver a more powerful blow.
I might be off the hoo—
My stomach plummeted as I watched a rope of green power surge up from the fallen succubus. It rippled through the air, as fast as a snake missiling itself at prey, smacking Eva in the face. A scream ripped from my partner’s lips as she fell to the ground and seized.
What the hell?
I blinked, not understanding what had happened. How had the situation turned upside-down in a second? The healer in me wanted to rush forward and save my partner. However, when the succubus shot up and pushed a cloud of glass toward me, self-preservation kicked in. I retreated within inches of the flames.
Poisonous green gas chased me across the room, away from Eva. My partner had started to spasm so hard that I feared she’d crack her skull. My heart slammed into my throat. She wouldn’t survive long within the gas. I had to retrieve her.
Even if it meant risking everything that my parents and I had worked years for.
Not allowing myself to think about that, I twisted and leapt toward the succubus. My feet hadn’t even landed on the ground again when a wash of green magic swooped my way, and I slammed right into it.
A shield. No!
“Hard to believe that you’re the foretold one.” The demon’s glowing eyes narrowed as they took me in, my fist pounding against her protections like a fly against a window. Not even my magic made a dent, a fact that caused rage to bubble inside me. “What a weak, pitiful boy.”
My muscles tightened. I didn’t understand who she thought I was, and I despised being called a boy. But none of that truly mattered right now. All that mattered was getting past this shield—which seemed impervious to both my fists and the magic I flung at it.
Eva had let out a shriek of pain. My heart raced. She was on the other side of the demon’s shield, untouchable.
Dammit!
I wasn’t powerful enough to beat the succubus, so I needed to be smarter. What would disarm her?
Eva screamed again. The demon’s eyes snapped to lock on my partner. A tendril of magic wrapped around Eva and lifted her off the ground.
“And you, ginger. You’re just a cog in the wheel—but that can change. Come to our side. Fight for my master. He’d have a use for a pretty girl like you.” The purr in her voice drew me to her as much as it infuriated me.
My heart stilled. That was it! Succubi were masters at seduction. She wouldn’t be surprised at all if her power worked on me. And if I could get her to lower her defenses for even a second, I could fight more effectively. Slowly, I blinked and my arms fell to my side as I stopped fighting and arranged my features in a lovesick expression. The succubus shot me a glance and her smile grew. As I’d suspected, she wasn’t surprised—but she didn’t release her shield either.
It was sheer agony, standing there and watching Eva’s fight back, her face contorted in pain.
“Ohhh, witchling, you’ll never beat me,” the succubus mocked Eva who tried to blast magic at the demon. “I have his blessing—his power at my disposal. If you came to our side, you might too. Final offer?”
Eva spit in the demon’s face, making my heart sink. If my plan worked, would there be anything left of her to collect?
“Never!” my partner screamed. “I’ll never join you!”
“We’ll see about that,” the succubus’ seductive voice rumbled as she lifted a finger and pressed one manicured nail into Eva’s cheek.
A gut-wrenching scream filled the air and Eva’s pale skin parted as the demoness drew her claw across Eva’s cheek and green magic seeped into her body. She glowed, soaking up the vile dark magic. Then, my partner began to jerk within the succubus’ grip. The devil laughed, relishing the pain she brought Eva. I tensed. My plan had been reasonable, but this succubus was not reasonable.
“No!” I thrust my hands out, and a deluge of crimson magic shot at the shield.
It shattered. I was so shocked it worked that I almost forgot to move, but Eva’s cries of pain ripped me back to the moment. I launched myself at the succubus and took aim.
“Morsultimus!” I roared. The spell soared toward the succubus and struck her in the heart. Her thickly lashed eyes widened for a beat before she shriveled in on herself as the death spell sucked the life from her.
Eva collapsed on the floor with a hard thud. I rushed over to my partner, scooping her up and away from the devil. Her thin frame weighed next to nothing. I moved through the house, dodging growing fires as I looked for safety. We needed to leave, but before that, I needed to check that she was okay and that none of her injuries were life-threatening. As my father always said, in matters of healing, one could never be too careful.
Once we were in the kitchen, I darted over to an alcove that was farthest away from the smoke and flame. Gently, I laid her on top of a counter. “Eva? Are you okay?”
Why did I waste breath asking? A large scar blighted her face and her skin was cold. Much too cold. I needed to act now, or she might not survive long enough for me to get her to the infirmary.
I pulled my healing magic from deep within. It was a skill that had not been taught in our Culling-year basic healing class. I learned it from training with my parents for years. Although, admittedly, when I attempted the technique before, it had only worked half the time. I knew that my magic wouldn’t be able to stop whatever vile power the succubus planted in Eva. Only an advanced specialist could do that. Still, I might slow the demon’s power from stealing Eva’s life and keep her stable while I transported her. Slowing the demon’s power was worth a shot.
Please… Let this work.
Crimson magic flowed out of my fingertips into Eva’s skin, pulsing below the surface. I pushed it into her, forcing it to give her life. Then I watched with bated breath. Exactly fifteen agonizing seconds passed before she sucked in air and her eyelids fluttered open before closing again. I touched her face. She felt slightly warmer.
A breath left me in a rush. It had worked. Thank the gods. I—
A burst of flame caught the corner of my eye. I whipped around to find a lesser demon, another ifrit, at the door. His fiery hands lifted and he smiled maliciously, allowing smoke to seep from his mouth. The next thing I knew, a wall of flame surged towards us.
“Nex!” The killing curse for lesser demons left my lips without hesitation. It hit its target, and the demon crumbled to ash. His fire, however, did not. It rushed towards us, hotter by the second.
Shit! I had pinned us into a freaking corner. Frantically, I looked at the closest window. It was much too small. Even if we fit, I wouldn’t be able to shove us both through in time. The warphole was our only chance.
Please let the wards have died with the succubus.
My fingers flew to the pin Headmistress Wake had given us in case we needed to abort our mission. It hadn’t worked while the succubus lived, but I had to try again. I pressed the pin and a massive wave of relief rushed through me as a warphole opened.
I hauled Eva into my arms and stepped through the black portal. Heat engulfed us, then chilling cold, all of it normal, but we still weren’t in the clear. Before the warphole could close inside the house, flames entered our escape route to lick my back. Blisters rose. The pain was so intense that I stumbled. Thankfully, I caught myself and stabilized Eva. I pressed on, desperate to leave the flaming house behind.
I emerged into Merlin Amphitheater to find the student body in complete chaos. They were out of their seats and running down the stairs to the nearest exits. Screams rang from everyone’s lips. Had they been able to see what was happening the whole time? Had they seen the succubus? How the warphole had not come to our aid? They must have. Otherwise, their reactions made little sense.
&nbs
p; Professors rushed closer, forming a circle around us. The barrier protected Eva and me from the stampede of students as they called me over.
I was nearly there when Odette Dane, wild-eyed with fear, smashed through the line of professors. Her gaze latched on to me before dragging down to Eva, hanging limp in my arms.
“Eva! Eva!” she shrieked. “What happened?”
My stomach dropped at the reaction. Odette had entered her trial at the same time as Eva and me. She must have just returned from her challenge too. And when she’d come back, the amphitheater had been in chaos. At least I understood why people were terrified. Odette wouldn’t have had that benefit.
“Miss Dane. Stand back!” Our Battle Magic professor tried to put his large body between Odette and me.
“No! That’s Eva!” Odette snapped at the professor and darted around him. “Dammit, let me through!”
“Miss Dane, you need to exit the amphitheater. A challenge has been hijacked. Return to the academy,” de Spina, our Demonology professor, wrapped his hand around her arm and tried to force her back.
Odette’s chin jutted up and her dark gaze blazed with defiance. “I won’t. She’s my best friend. Let go of me!”
My mouth fell open. Eva and Odette were friends. I would expect her to be upset, but this was something more. As I watched the professors push Odette back, I realized that I was seeing a new side to the witch. One I hadn’t imagined before. My shoulders grew heavy and it had nothing to do with Eva’s slight weight in my arms.
“Come here, Alexander.” Headmistress Wake waved for me to fall in line behind her.
I blinked, still unsure what to think about Odette, but Eva couldn’t wait any longer. Trusting that the headmistress could help me get Eva to the infirmary faster than anyone else, I followed her. The leader of Spellcasters conjured a shield. We wound our way through Merlin Amphitheater, through the screaming peers and harried professors, out the back exit, and all the way to the academy’s infirmary.
The moment I laid Eva on the bed the academy healers shooed me away so they could see to her injuries. I wanted to stay and help.
“Oh no, Mr. Wardwell. We need to talk.” Headmistress Wake guided me out of the infirmary. She stopped a few feet past the door and after glancing down the hallway to assure that no one was there, spoke. “Tell me everything that happened during your trial.”
While I wanted to help Eva, this was important too. I told our tale, starting with the moment I woke up from being knocked out. With every detail, the headmistress paled. As I’d suspected, there should not have been a greater demon involved in our Samhain trial.
“I’m sorry this happened to you,” Headmistress Wake said after I finished telling her the story. “It shouldn’t have played out that way. Rest assured, there will be an investigation. In the meantime, if there’s anything I can do, anything at all, please let me know.”
Behind the school’s leader, a motion caught my attention. I peered around her to find Odette Dane peeking around the corner. Her eyes were rimmed red, but her face was hard, still defiant. It was obvious that she was trying to sneak into the infirmary to be with Eva.
Guilt washed through me. I didn’t understand why her reaction struck me so hard when the girl annoyed the shit out of me. But it had. She clearly was not taking no for an answer and there was something about that resonated deeply with me.
This must be what they mean by near-death experiences changing you.
“Mr. Wardwell?” the headmistress’ tone softened. “Are you feeling okay? Do you need a healer? Did the succubus strike you too?”
I blinked, my gaze darting to the headmistress for a moment. When it veered to the hallway again, Odette was nowhere to be seen. I shook myself and focused on the woman in front of me.
“No, thank you. I’d like to go to my room. I have a lot to think about.”
We parted, and I walked through the corridors. Along the way people stared and pointed, but no one approached me. That suited me. I didn’t want to talk about what had happened. I wanted to return to my dorm room, shower, collapse on my bed, and think. Sleep would be nice, but I wasn’t counting on it—not tonight.
I made it to the first-year dorm and climbed the spiral staircase. When I got to the sixth floor of the circular dormitory tower, relief flooded me. The easier sensation stayed with me until I passed Odette’s door and heard the sobs coming from inside.
My stomach tightened. Her best friend was in bad shape, and while I’d never liked the Dane girl, I felt an urge to comfort her. The desire confused me, but I put it down to my years of training. I was a healer; it was what we did. I lifted a hand to knock, to see if she needed anything when a door on the other side of the tower hallway opened.
“Alex.” A masculine voice rang out. “Can we talk?”
My hand fell, and my mouth twisted as I turned to find my sandy-haired cousin, Hunter Wardwell, standing at the door to his room. While my heart had softened for Odette, it hardened once again. Generations worth of distrust permeated the air.
Odette frustrated me with her entitlement, but Hunter had done a lot to hurt me over the years. His part of the Wardwell bloodline had kept me deep down. Keeping my armor up against my cousin was imperative.
“What?” I asked as I moved toward my door. If we had to talk, it would be only a few words.
“How’s Eva?”
My spine straightened. Of course, he wanted an update on Eva. Hunter and Eva were dating—in secret, though it was obvious to all in our class that they were together. I had no idea why they kept up the charade.
I twisted away from the door and ambled toward the balcony that looked down upon the common area. With each step, my eyes raked over my cousin.
I shouldn’t tell him. It would serve him right for what his family did to mine.
“We saw what happened through the hole. A greater demon!” Hunter’s voice lowered in anger. Then he shook his head. “They won’t let me see her. The professors won’t even let me get near the infirmary, but you carried her in there. And you know things about healing . . . please, tell me how she is.”
His green gaze was pleading, and guilt stabbed through me. My cousin was a dick, but that didn’t mean that I should be petty too. A true healer would never think that way, and if I was destined to be anything in this life, it was a healer. I rolled my shoulders back, drawing on the professionalism I’d seen my parents exhibit with difficult or even vile patients. If they could be civil in the face of unpleasantness, I could too.
“She’s being attended to by academy healers. The succubus got her good, but Eva woke up when we were in the house. She’s alive, but . . .” I doubted that Eva would survive this event without severe PTSD. It was simply too much to ask of a person. “She’ll need someone to talk to and help her get through what she experienced.”
Hunter’s face hardened. I’d seen that look on the faces of many people whose loved ones were going through something difficult. Hunter and Eva might not even be out about their relationship, but I had no doubt that he’d be strong for her.
“Thanks,” Hunter said. “I’ll be there for her.”
“I know,” I replied, to which Hunter’s eyes widened. To be honest, I’d surprised even myself. My cousin and I didn’t usually put any stock in each other.
“Well, night,” Hunter said, and then, clearly at a loss about what had happened between us, he pulled the door to his room closed.
I stared at his door for a moment, before opening mine and shutting myself in for a good, long think.
Chapter Two
I sat in Demonology and stared at the back of Odette’s head. Now that the Samhain Trials were over, classes resumed and Hunter and I had returned to avoiding each other and exchanging glowers. That was fine. I didn’t expect a family feud to vanish because of one short, amicable talk. Only a fool would. Everything was back to normal, except for two things.
Eva was still unconscious, and I felt increasingly conflicted over Odette.
But after coming close to death, things looked different to me. I might not be totally wrong about her—she had skipped out on the entrance exam and her magic was not up to Spellcasters’ standards—but I wasn’t totally right either.
I had judged her, boxed her out, and ignored her, without really giving her a chance. She’d tried repeatedly to make amends, but I wouldn’t have it. And as far as I could tell she put a lot of effort into our classes too. Just because her magic still sucked wasn’t totally her fault. Maybe she just wasn’t destined to be a powerful witch.
And I’d told her that much to her face. Told her that she didn’t belong. Who the hell did that to someone they barely knew?
I hated myself for how I’d acted.
I’d been a jerk, all because Odette reminded me of Hunter. My mother would be incensed if she heard how I’d been acting. The need to apologize festered within me and grew more powerful each day. But Odette was proving hard to pin down for a talk.
After classes, she always rushed out of the room so fast. I suspected that she was on the verge of tears. I didn’t want to approach her when she was upset, and I never saw her in the hallways. The young woman who stood out for her beauty, if not her magical skill, was MIA more often than not. Where was she hiding?
I didn’t know, but after days of seeking a private spot to speak with Odette and failing to find one, ambushing her after class was my only hope. I planned to do it today, right after Demonology.
Starlight & Shadows: A Limited Edition Academy Collection by Laura Greenwood, Arizona Tape, Juliana Haygert, Kat Parrish, Ashley McLeo, L.C. Mawson, Leigh Kelsey, Bre Lockhart, Zelda Knight Page 15