by Coralee June
“I already told you. The four of us have to take you to one class each.”
“You don’t have to stay in here with me,” I argued. The last thing I wanted was for him or any of the others to sit next to me during every damn class and watch me suck at super life.
Gritt looked at the empty classroom. “Yeah, I do have to stay here with you. I wasn’t there when you took my brother Juda’s wolf and gave it to that bloodsucker. But I’m here now. Every fucking move you make, I’ll be watching you.”
“You know I didn’t mean to do that, right? I’ve seen firsthand when a shifter is ripped from their animal. It’s heartbreaking. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.” I felt lame, but I wasn’t heartless. I realized that what I’d done had major consequences, even if I hadn’t meant to do it.
Gritt stared at me for a moment longer, taking me in. I couldn’t tell if he believed me or not. His eyes softened some, but I wasn’t foolish enough to view it as empathy for me. “The only reason I’m going along with this, is because I want you to figure out your powers and switch them back,” he finally said. “I failed my people before, but I won’t now. Get real used to me, Void. I’ll be pushing you as far as you can go. Consider me your personal tutor.”
I dropped my mouth open in surprise. Mr. Asshole Shifter Dude wanted to personally tutor me? That just sounded like a recipe for disaster. He’d eventually end up killing me. Or I’d end up killing him. Neither of those really sounded like good options. “I don’t know if I can switch them back. It might have been a fluke,” I said quietly, hating that I didn’t understand my own damn powers.
He growled a little, hair and claws peeking out over his skin as he cracked his knuckles and did an angry little hair flip that looked sexy. “For your sake, I hope you can.”
We heard a noise and both turned our attention to the door beside the electronic board at the front of the large room where a man had just entered. He was wearing a gray suit and pink tie. He had red, side swept hair and thick, bushy eyebrows like a caterpillar. “You must be the Void?” he guessed in a clipped tone before walking over to the teacher’s desk and grabbing his messenger bag, slinging it over his shoulder.
“Yes?” I called before sitting in the front of the room. I would have sat in the back, but I figured that everyone would want to keep an eye on me. At least this way they wouldn’t have to twist in their seats to stare.
“Well, class is canceled. Indefinitely.” He picked up a heavy textbook and dropped it down on the desk, the loud bang reverberating through the large lecture hall.
I frowned at him “Canceled? Why?”
He gave me a pointed stare. “I refuse to put my students in danger, Miss Cainson. I do not agree with your presence here, and I will not subject this class to your disruptions.”
“Disruptions? I haven’t even done anything!”
“Your mere presence would be a distraction,” he replied levelly. “I teach supernatural history, which is vital information for my students to learn if they wish to one day help run our society. I will not have you here, disturbing their learning process, nor will I stand by while students are fearful that you will strip them of their powers.”
I clenched my jaw, but what was there to say? That I wouldn’t be distracting? We both knew that wasn’t true. As much as I could’ve tried to stay quiet in my own little corner, there would be whispers and glances wherever I went. And I couldn’t argue that my Void powers wouldn’t come out either. My amulet could fail or fall off or maybe just by being around so many powerful supers, it would stop working altogether.
Gritt stalked forward and grabbed the textbook off Professor Nero’s desk while rolling his eyes. “I’ve seen her in action, Professor. Surprised you’re scared of something so weak.” Gritt was baiting him, but I didn’t know why. Was he...in his own weird way, trying to get this man to agree to teach me? Or was he just naturally demeaning?
“I’ve been to enough council trials to know just how powerful she is, Mr. Boltwright,” Professor Nero hissed before adjusting the strap of his leather messenger bag. The professor gave me one last withering glare before nodding to Gritt and sweeping out of the room. The door slammed shut behind him with a deafening echo.
Chapter 8
My eyes burned, but I refused to cry in front of Gritt.
“Can you please take me back to the cabin?” I sniffled, hating myself for sounding so weak.
Gritt rolled his eyes. “Pathetic. Not even the teachers want you here.” He turned to the door and yanked it open, but when I followed him out, he turned in the opposite direction of the exit.
“Where are you going? My cabin is that way.”
“I already told you, the only reason I’ve agreed to babysitting you is to make sure you learn your shit. You can’t do that by hiding in your fucking cabin. We’re going to see the headmaster.”
I groaned. The headmaster hated me more than that history teacher did. I followed Gritt all the way to the other end of the building and up the long, spiral staircase. But when we got to the headmaster’s corridor, we found people standing around arguing.
Judge Braxton, Headmaster Torne, and a man I’d never seen before all stood there, and it was clear how much they all disliked one another just by their glares and halting body language.
“Doesn’t matter. This is completely unnecessary, and you don’t have my permission, Braxton,” the headmaster snapped.
“I don’t need your permission,” the judge replied. “This is how it’s going to be. Selik is the only person suitable for the job.” He turned to the third man. “Banner?”
Before Banner could answer, all three of their heads swiveled around to look at Gritt and me, our movement having caught their attention.
Headmaster Torne’s face turned red with anger. “What are you doing here, Void? You should be in class.”
I opened my mouth to explain, but to my surprise, Gritt did it for me. “Nero is refusing to teach with her in the class. He canceled history lessons.”
For some reason, this made Judge Braxton smile. “See? Exactly as I said. You need Selik.”
“The only thing I need with Selik is for him to leave. This school is still my jurisdiction, Braxton,” Headmaster Torne growled.
I could tell the judge did not like hearing that. “The school may be under your direction, but don’t forget that your position is appointed by members of the council, and the council is under supervision by me.”
I saw the headmaster’s jaw tic. It looked like the two men were seconds from pummeling each other. I wasn’t sure who I preferred to win since I detested them both.
“And this is what your supervision entails? Bringing in not one but two dangerous supers to my school?”
“My decision is final,” Braxton said with a sharp nod. “Now, the academy is still set to host the ball tonight, is it not?”
The headmaster’s jaw ticked. “Of course.”
“Good. I hope all the arrangements have been made according to my specifications.”
The two of them started going back and forth about things like music and linens—of all fucking things.
The man, Banner Selik, ignored the both of them as they continued to argue, and came walking toward me. He had jet black hair, and was a bit older than me, probably in his late twenties. He had pale skin with dark, nearly black eyes. He was just as tall as Gritt, but had a tapered silhouette with broad shoulders and naturally red lips. He was handsome, in an unconventional sort of way. He stopped in front of me, his body towering over my height. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked over me calculatingly. A strange cooling sensation fluttered over my skin at his proximity. I’d been burning hot with hunger from the Void so long that it felt like balm over my soul.
“Selik?” Judge Braxton pressed, but the man didn’t acknowledge the demanding judge. Selik kept staring, kept searching for something that I didn’t understand.
My eyes darted over to the judge before going back to Selik again. His
eyes had shut, but it still felt like he was assessing me, still searching my powers, and I didn’t understand it. Was he some sort of elemental? Why wasn’t he scared of me like everyone else? I looked down at my amulet, which had been glowing since the moment I arrived at this damn school, and was shocked to find that it was dull and still, no glow to it at all.
After another intense moment of scrutiny, Selik opened his eyes and nodded. “Okay. I’ll teach the girl.”
Judge Braxton sighed in relief and started walking away, despite the pissed off headmaster. “He stays out of my academy when he’s not teaching! I won’t house him!” Headmaster Torne yelled at the judge’s back.
Braxton ignored him. “You’ll find other arrangements, won’t you?” he asked Selik.
Selik simply nodded. I had a feeling that the headmaster’s dislike of him was something he was very used to.
Braxton clapped him on the shoulder as he passed by. “Perfect. Your pay from the council will be pending weekly updates. Good luck.”
With that, the judge breezed past us and down the stairs, disappearing from view. For all his concern about my abilities, it sure bothered me that he didn’t so much as nod in my direction. No sooner had the judge left than Headmaster Torne was at our sides. He gave us both a scathing look. I couldn’t even be sure who he hated more, Selik or me.
“You are to stay in a secluded classroom for your lessons,” he ordered, staring hard at Selik. “The moment you aren’t having a lesson, I want you off school grounds; is that understood?”
Selik looked at him with a bored expression. The two of them couldn’t be more different. Where the headmaster was rotund and angry, Selik was thin and blasé. “Sure thing, Torne,” he said with a cool wave of his hand.
The headmaster’s jaw ticked, but before he could say anything else, Selik looked back at me. “Looks like I’m your new teacher. Shall we get started?”
“Umm, sure.”
Anything to get me away from this awkward situation. I was dying to know the history between the two men, but more than anything, I just wanted to get away from the headmaster’s furious glare.
Selik’s dark eyes swept over Gritt. “Ah. Your paragon chaperone. And you are?”
“Gritt Boltright.”
Selik nodded. “Shifter Paragon. I’ve heard you’re quite powerful. Four animals, is it?”
Gritt just stared at him instead of answering, but my eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You can shift into four different animals?” I asked. That was completely unheard of. The most powerful shifters in our super world could only shift into two, three at the very most.
Gritt didn’t answer me either, and I wondered if he always kept that close to his vest. It was smart. The less other people knew about you, the more advantage you had. “I prefer to keep all four of my animals, if you don’t mind. Hopefully you can get this Void under control,” he replied in a gruff tone, his head tilting in my direction.
“That’s the plan, Mr. Boltright. I trust you have a secluded place in mind where I can help teach Miss Cainson?”
Gritt didn’t even have to stop to think about it. “I know where we can go.”
Selik nodded and turned back to the headmaster. “As always, it was a pleasure, Torne.” He bowed, but it was an overexaggerated move that lacked respect. It felt more theatrical than anything.
The headmaster turned and stalked back to his office, slamming the door behind him. As soon as we were alone, Selik looked down at me with a smirk. “The council offered me an absurd amount of money to teach you,” he admitted before leaning in closer to me. “But between you and me, I would’ve done it for free just to irritate that fucker.”
A laugh bubbled out of me. “He doesn’t like me much, either.”
Selik straightened. “Of course he doesn’t. You’re a threat to power, and that’s what he detests above all else. I should know. It’s why he hates me, too.”
My mouth dropped open, and my heart skipped a beat. “You...You’re a Void? I didn’t think any other Voids existed except for me.”
He shook his head. “No, I’m afraid you’re still alone on that front. I’m not a Void. But I am something that is nearly as threatening to people’s powers.”
I frowned, confused. “What?”
“I’m a neutralizer.”
My mind whirled, pieces clicking into place. “That’s why Judge Braxton brought you in to teach me. You can neutralize my power.”
Selik nodded. “Yes.”
Excitement spread through my chest. Around him, I wouldn’t have to feel so anxious and nervous about hurting someone. With Selik, I wouldn’t have to worry about accidentally letting my Void take over and run rampant. Maybe I’d even get a break from the awful hunger that always hounded me.
“Huh,” he said, looking at me curiously.
“What?”
He shook his head slowly. “Nothing. I’ve just never seen that look on a super’s face before when they realized what I was.”
“What look?”
“Hopeful.”
I swallowed heavily at his words, because I understood completely. When people looked at me, it was with fear and hate, never something good. I guess we had that in common.
Selik echoed my thoughts. “Usually, all I get is the look that says, get the hell away from me.” As if to prove his point, he cocked his head over to Gritt, who, sometime during our conversation, had backed away from us. “See that? I get that a lot,” he said with an amused chuckle.
Gritt scowled, obviously not pleased at having been caught inching away from the neutralizer.
Selik clapped his hands. “Let’s go and get started.”
Gritt led us down the hallway and back down the winding staircase to the front of the building. Classes had just switched, and supes were crowding the hallways, making my breath catch. I watched as they openly stared at me, and I tried not to notice the way my amulet was prickling my skin at the bombardment of powers all around me. When Selik’s hand suddenly came down and clasped mine, the gnawing hunger vanished.
Letting out an exhale, I turned to look up at him with a thankful grin.
“Better?” he asked.
“Much. Thank you.”
“I’m pretty sure teachers aren’t allowed to hold students’ hands,” Gritt snapped.
“Good thing I’m not a real teacher then,” Selik replied cheerfully, shooting me a wink that made my insides flutter.
Gritt scowled behind us like a grumpy fucker.
We passed a group of elementals in the hall, and when one of them spotted me, she smirked and lifted her hand up, a ball of fire in her grasp. She cocked her hand back, getting ready to launch it at me. I didn’t even have time to duck before Banner was snapping his fingers, making her power evaporate into a cloud of smoke. The girl screeched in surprise, and frenzied murmurs spread throughout the halls. Whispers of “the neutralizer” started spreading, and people looked at the pair of us like we were their worst nightmare. There was nothing supers feared more than feeling like a human.
“I never understood bullies,” he murmured as Gritt took us outside.
The Washington sunshine beat down on my back, and I let go of Banner’s hand to remove my blazer, forgetting how small the damn button up shirt was that they’d given me. The spaces between each button were gaping, showing off the pale pink lace bra I wore underneath. Oh well, maybe it would encourage the headmaster to send me something that actually fit, especially now that the skirt was ruined by the one-sided food fight I’d been in this morning at breakfast.
There was a gazebo with blooming flowers in the distance, secluded from the others. Gritt led us over and plopped down on the bench, sitting there with his legs stretched out in front of him, an angry smirk on his face as he observed me.
“The first thing I want to do is see how strong your Void power is. It’s activated by touch, right?” Banner asked while circling me.
“Unless it’s extra...hungry. Then it doesn’t necessarily need touc
h,” I replied while swallowing.
He stopped at my back and ran his fingers along my shoulders and used one hand to lift up my pale blonde hair. Again, I found myself feeling embarrassed by how responsive to touch I was. He was my pseudo-professor, and I was over here panting over a simple brushing of skin. I needed to get in control of this soon, or I was going to be embarrassing myself left and right.
“Let’s see how hungry you are then, hmm?” he asked before tracing the clasp of my necklace with his thumb and undoing it.
I reached my hand up to catch my amulet before it could fall. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” I said quickly. “How do we know that your power will win against mine? Maybe my Void will swallow yours whole.”
“It could,” Banner conceded. “But I don’t think it will. Either way, we’re going to try.”
I wrung my hands together. I was terrified of this. What if I let my Void out and it immediately drained his power? I would be devastated, and there was selfishness in that fear, too. I wouldn’t just feel guilty. I’d hate it because that would mean he couldn’t neutralize me after all, and I was so desperately hoping he could. “But…”
Banner interrupted my worries. “Did you know I wasn’t allowed to come here as a student either,” he said offhandedly, his eyes scanning over the academy building in the distance. “But unlike you, what I do isn’t permanent. I’m really more of a shield. I can block powers from working, but I don’t take them away like you do. Still, no one wanted to teach me. Supers don’t want to risk being without their powers, even for a little while, and I don’t blame them for that. But it meant that I was forced to teach myself. It was difficult, and it took years for me to master it, but I put in the work, because I made it my mission that I would rule my powers; my powers would not rule me.”
My heart slammed against my chest. That was what I wanted more than anything in life.
“So, I learned how to walk through a room without unintentionally shielding powers left and right. I learned to do it with precision and purpose. And that’s exactly what I’m going to help you learn to do, too,” he said, looking at me steadily, like a rock unwilling to be pushed away by the current. “That amulet has been your crutch, Miss Cainson. But if your level of power is any indication, then you don’t need it, because you’re strong on your own. You can master this, and you will.”