by Coralee June
“A fight you started!” he yelled again, and this time, water started pouring from his mouth as his elemental power leaked out of him uncontrollably. Choking on the liquid, he was forced to pick up his waste bin to let it pour from his throat in hacking sputters while I watched with wide, shocked eyes. Torne was the epitome of control, and seeing his elements go berserk had me on edge.
“I didn’t start it,” I promised, though I knew my words wouldn’t matter.
“Blaire Lawrence informed me that she saw you arguing with Quade Sandwood when Gritt Boltwright intercepted you. I’ve heard rumors that you’ve started a mate bond with my Shifter Paragon, and I know that these things aren’t preventable, but as you can imagine, I’m not pleased,” he said, gripping the edge of his desk so hard that his knuckles turned white from the pressure.
After he took a few steadying breaths, his fire and water elements finally calmed down and my amulet stopped flashing. Letting my power out earlier had only made me want more. I’d denied it a banquet, and now it wanted to feed.
“That’s not what happened,” I told him.
“Then enlighten me!” Torne ordered, slamming down in his leather chair and crossing his arms over his chest.
How could I possibly explain to the man that was once my idol that I’d been kissing one super while my bonded shifter was watching? “I was...kissing Quade. And Gritt saw. He got jealous…” My voice trailed off at the end, and I realized that in some ways, I did cause the fight. Shifters were notoriously territorial, and I was doing nothing to help that. But really, why should I? He ditched me after sealing the bond. He made his choices.
“But I didn’t know,” I rushed out. “Gritt has been acting like he doesn’t want me, and Quade and I have history, but then Render seems to be attracted to my blood, and Hyde—well—is just Hyde.”
Headmaster Torne’s eyes widened as I spilled my love problems at his feet. I felt like a teenaged idiot. How come, in the moment, it had all felt so inevitable and right, but saying it out loud made me feel dirty?
“So you’re saying that you’re involved romantically with all my paragons, Miss Cainson? That’s what you’re telling me?” Headmaster Torne asked. He didn’t seem angry though. Mostly curious.
“I wouldn’t say that,” I said, remembering the look of their guilty expressions in the dining hall. “But there’s a pull I don’t understand. It’s been driving all of us a little crazy.”
“Hmm.” Headmaster Torne stood up and circled his desk before stopping in front of me. He leaned against the wood, crossing his arms over his chest and staring speculatively at me. “Take off your amulet,” he ordered, and my eyes widened in shock.
“What? No, I can’t. It’s already feral from being in the dining hall. I could hurt you,” I replied, clutching the armrests at my seat.
“I want to test something. Perhaps your Void has a trapping quality. Maybe it entices powerful supers to you so that you have the opportunity to feed. I want to make sure this isn’t something that will harm my students.”
“I don’t think that’s happening,” I said lamely, although I really had no idea.
“There’s one way to test it. I’m the most powerful elemental in existence apart from Quade Sandwood. If my hypothesis is correct, then I’ll feel the same pull when your power comes out.”
I scrunched my nose up in disgust. The idea of Headmaster Torne feeling attracted to me the way the other guys were...that did not sit well with me. What if he was right, and then I was attracted to him too? I swallowed hard. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” I asked warily.
“Yes. We need to know if Voids have the ability to put out some sort of mate calling to lure powerful supers in. This is the easiest way to determine that,” Torne replied while rolling his neck.
My father’s and Banner’s warnings rang through my head. Don’t trust anyone, don’t trust anyone, don’t trust anyone.
At my hesitancy, Torne shook his head at me. “If you’re refusing to test the theory, then I’ll have no choice but to expel you right this instant. I can’t have you collecting my students with some siren song against their wills.”
I heard what he was saying, but that’s not what it had felt like. It hadn’t felt like a compulsion we couldn’t resist. Just something we shouldn’t.
“Decide, Miss Cainson.”
“Fine,” I relented.
With shaky fingers, I reached up and unclasped my necklace. I was worried as hell that the pull would appear between us. Immediately, my smoke flooded the room, escaping my nose and ears, flooding out of me with a vengeance and stopping at Headmaster Torne’s feet. His knees buckled on impact, and I watched with rapt attention as it started to feed.
“How does it feel?” I asked him. “Does it feel...good?” I winced at the question, hoping like hell that he said no.
He opened his mouth to answer, but then started coughing up water again. As soon as I saw the flicker of pain cross his features, I yanked back my power into me and slammed my internal walls shut.
He coughed and tried to right himself as I put my amulet back on. The moment the smoke dissipated, he let out a hiss of air and slowly stumbled over to his cart of potions. He mixed something quickly and then downed the creamy, white liquid in one go.
“Did you feel a pull?” I asked again. I hadn’t felt anything but hunger, and he didn’t taste nearly as good as Gritt always did, but I had to be sure. I didn’t want to be luring anyone. The connection with my paragons was just...different. It wasn’t malicious or for the sole purpose of feeding. I just knew it. I wish those assholes knew that too.
Wait. When did I start thinking of them as my paragons? I needed to get my thoughts under control.
“It was painful. I could feel you draining me,” he said before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “You must not be luring in every powerful super. It must be something different.” He looked over at me, studying me like I was a new book. “I don’t believe you’re doing anything with virulent intent,” he admitted, shocking me.
“It’s definitely not something I would’ve chosen for myself,” I replied, though I knew it was a lie. I liked them despite the cruelty and the animosity. I liked Gritt’s fearless devotion to his brother. I appreciated Quade’s intelligence and charisma. I was drawn to Render’s challenging stare and found myself feeling comfortable with Hyde. I wished things had been different and that all of my progress with them had been genuine. I was such a fucking fool.
“Tell me how you felt when you let your Void out in the dining room,” he offered before sitting down at his desk. He was staring at me now, and I wasn’t sure what to make of his expression. It didn’t necessarily feel overwhelming or vicious. It was like he genuinely wanted to know. “I felt...protective? Like my Void wanted to eliminate any threat to my paragons. I was hungry, of course, but it was manageable.” For the most part, I wanted to add, feeling shame at how my power had threatened to take over. Remembering that the paragons had probably planned for me to lose control so that I’d get kicked out of the school sent my stomach into a tailspin of acidic bile and burning heartache. The betrayal was too sharp to focus on yet.
“Interesting, very interesting,” he said, tapping a finger against his lips. “And does Gritt have a mate mark?” His eyes flashed back up to me.
I blinked at him in surprise. “A mate mark? I don’t know. To be honest, I didn’t even remember that shifters got that. I haven’t seen Gritt since we...uh…” My cheeks flamed with a bright, devastating blush. “Since we became bonded?” It sounded like a question.
“Ah, yes. I can imagine Mr. Boltright doesn’t know how to handle this predicament. His shifters are territorial and loyal to a fault, but they might not accept this union. Shifters can be skittish at the oddest things,” Headmaster Torne chuckled, and I gaped, wondering if I had slipped somehow into an entirely different dimension.
“He’s afraid of my undead pet mouse,” I added with a cautious chuckle, not sure where th
e lines were.
“Undead mouse?”
“Hyde,” I supplied.
“Ah,” he said, as if no further explanation was needed. “Speaking of, please tell him next time he wants to borrow my guitar not to leave bones in my office afterward.”
My eyes widened at the small smile that played over his lips. I would have laughed that Hyde was busted, but I was too busy waiting for the scales to tip, for the bomb to drop in my lap and remind me that I was a dirty Void, a blemish on society, not worth the gum under Headmaster Torne’s shoe. But for some reason...something seemed to have changed.
“I’m sorry, are you going to send me to Council Prison now?” I asked, confused as to what we were doing. “If you are, can I just make a phone call first?” I asked before kicking myself for giving him the idea in the first place. I should have started with expulsion.
His steady eyes watched me. “No. I think your abilities are interesting. I’d like to take a more active role in your studies, Miss Cainson. It seems even I could use a little more educating.”
My dry mouth dropped open in shock. This couldn’t be real, could it? “Y-you do?” I stuttered before leaning forward. If it wouldn’t have been too obvious, I would have pinched myself to make sure I wasn’t sleeping.
“I think we could learn a lot from this. You’re obviously showing signs of bonding, similar to shifters, but your hunger mimics that of a vampire. You have control over the Void now and seem to direct it like an elemental would, and yet there is something deadly about it, too. This doesn’t mean I won’t be holding you to any lesser of a standard, Miss Cainson. But I won’t deny that I am curious about these new developments. I think it’s in everyone’s best interest if we give you a fair shot and try to figure this out. Especially if it makes you a more formidable threat.”
At the word threat, my heart plummeted into my stomach. I didn’t want to keep being just a threat. I thought, just now, he and I’d had a pivotal breakthrough.
“Of course,” I choked out.
“Don’t look downtrodden, Miss Cainson,” Headmaster Torne said, this time in a softer voice. “If it’s any consolation, I hope to find that your powers can be used for good. I’ll admit that I didn’t want you here. I didn’t agree with the danger that it was putting my students in. And even though most won’t agree with me, and I’ll admit, my initial shock at seeing you unleash in my dining hall wasn’t welcome...you stopped the fighting. Things could very well have escalated, but you stopped it in its tracks. And despite what happened today, you’ve shown great restraint. I believe you that you aren’t the kind of Void everyone seems to think you are. I believe that you might actually be different because you try to be different. And maybe it’s time that we applaud that instead of doubt it.”
A bud of hope popped out of my rubbled foundation.
“I’ll be organizing something soon to test your limits, so be prepared. Now go. And get those damn paragons under control. Any more incidents, and my hands will be tied.”
Considering the fact that the paragons probably set me up, that was unlikely. Not that I was going to say that to him. “Yes, Headmaster Torne,” I nodded before quickly standing up. I was afraid if I stayed any longer, he’d change his mind.
I didn’t know what to feel by the time I got back to my cabin. Hope at the idea of Headmaster Torne giving me a chance. Depressed because of what had happened with the paragons in the cafeteria. I couldn’t stop seeing the gnashing teeth and elemental power displayed between Quade and Gritt as they fought. It had been terrifying, and seeing them be at odds made me feel incredibly unsettled.
Then of course, I was bothered by the whole thing with Quade. I was kicking myself for wanting to hope that it was real, that the thing between us meant something. I’d known him my entire life, had compared myself to him, missed him, hated him.
Loved him.
He’d said his declaration with such truth that I’d felt it in my soul, or at least whatever soul I had left. I wanted to go to him, but I didn’t know what to say. I wanted to talk to all of them. To make them look me in the eye and tell me why.
And then there was Banner. He was an entirely different clusterfuck all on its own. His hot and cold nature gravitated around intense disinterest and then flirtatious compassion, which had me feeling like I was on a tightrope, not knowing which side I would fall onto.
I turned the handle to my cabin and let myself inside, flicking on the light as I went. As soon as I had the door shut behind me, I unbuttoned my shirt and started pushing down my skirt.
“I wasn’t expecting a strip tease when I got here, but please don’t stop,” a charming, husky voice said from the corner, making me jump.
Quade was sitting in my chair, his tie loosened and the top buttons of his shirt undone, as his eyes dragged up and down my body. I crossed my arms in front of my chest. “What are you doing here?” I asked, my eyes landing on the cut on his lip. “Come to gloat?”
He frowned with confusion. “What?”
“Don’t be dumb. That’s what my role was, right? Be the dumb girl who falls for your shit. Trick the Void into thinking you all care, and then make her snap in front of the entire school? That was your plan all along, to get me kicked out.”
Shock crossed his dark features, and he got to his feet. “Devi, you’ve got this all wrong.”
Only the honest look on his face and the conviction in his voice made me pause. I knew Quade. I knew what he sounded like when he lied. I knew the way his eyes tightened when he was putting on fake charm. “You guys...didn’t do that on purpose? It wasn’t some elaborate plan to get me kicked out?”
“Fuck, no!” he said in a rush. “Yeah, we wanted to screw with you in the beginning and get you to leave, but that changed, I swear.”
I blinked at him, feeling the sudden appearance of relieved tears coat my irises. “Oh.”
Quade shook his head. “Gods, Devi. Everything I told you, I meant. I want to do this. We are doing this. And I can’t speak for the other guys, but based on Gritt’s fucking temper tantrum earlier, I’m guessing he wants to do this with you, too.”
“I swear to gods, Quade, if you’re lying…” My voice choked up, unable to finish.
He was across the room in a second, pulling me against his chest. “No lies. No elaborate plans. I’m on your side, Devi. I don’t want you to leave.”
I’d never felt such relief as I did right then. A couple of tears fell out of the corner of my eyes, landing on his shirt.
“Are you okay?” I asked quietly. “From the fight?”
Quade grunted like he was irritated about the whole thing. “Yeah, I’m fine. We’re all fine. Gritt is such a jealous prick sometimes. It’s a shifter thing. I’m surprised he hasn’t tried to piss on you yet to mark his territory.”
I chuckled and lifted my head, wiping my wet cheeks with my hands. I was all too aware that I was standing with him in my underwear, but I was too comfortable with him to care.
“I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Are you? What did Torne say?”
“I get another chance,” I said simply, because I suddenly didn’t want to talk about the headmaster. I just wanted to be here, in this moment with Quade, and relish in the fact that my paragons hadn’t actually betrayed me. I lightly touched his jaw before trailing a finger down his chest, stopping at the fastened button on his shirt.
“Good,” Quade said, his voice low as he watched my every movement. “If anything, we all were responsible. We should’ve stopped things before you had to step in.”
“Yeah, but you were too busy blasting Gritt with water.” I tsked before unbuttoning the rest of the buttons on his shirt. He tilted his head down to watch my nimble fingers work to remove the crisp, white shirt from his body. Once he shrugged it off his arms, I tossed it across the room.
“He started it,” Quade grumbled before I pushed him onto the chair. He went down easily, and I sat on his lap, straddling his thighs.
“I ended
it,” I whispered, feeling equal parts empowered and terrified that I’d taken such a risk. What scared me most, though, was that I realized I’d do it a million times over if it meant I could stop them from getting hurt.
“You did good. You were in control. I’m proud of you,” he said, his hands gripping my bare thighs. “We can work around his bond. I’ve heard of shifters breaking it before. I won’t let anything get in the way of us anymore,” Quade said in his self-assured voice before moving his hands up to wrap around my rib cage, his thumbs grazing my bra.
I pulled away slightly. “I’m not sure I want to break my bond with him. He’s an asshole, yes, but there’s something about him I’m drawn to. Render and Hyde, too. I feel the same pull with them as I do with you,” I admitted. I wasn’t going to lie to him.
“Oh,” he said, somewhat deflated. But then he seemed to bolster himself with his own thoughts as he sent me a sexy smirk. “Guess I’ll just have to work extra hard to win your full attention then, won’t I?” He stood up suddenly, picking me up with him. I wrapped my legs around his waist with a gasp and leaned forward to kiss him but stopped when a toxic thought assaulted me, filling me with doubt.
“If we do this, you can’t go back to hating me again,” I said while cupping his cheeks. I forced him to look me right in the eye. “You have to promise, okay? I can’t handle any more emotional whiplash. I refuse to be a train track and let you steamroll over me.”
He stared back at me for a moment, determination in his dark eyes. “Devi, I’m not going anywhere. Never again,” he promised before slamming me down on the mattress. I bounced up a bit, but his body was there to push me back down. Prying my thighs open, he used his teeth to pull my black thong down, and the only assistance I gave him was to lift up my hips. After tossing the scrap of fabric across the room, he looked me in the eye as I lifted my head up to meet him head on.