Bitten Magic (Bloodborn Academy Book 1)

by Emera Rose

  “Don’t tell me you have a thing for the teacher already.” I roll my eyes.

  “Of course, I do. I mean, have you seen him? With his glossy, straight, black hair, strong jaw, and those drop-dead sexy eyes.” Paola fans herself playfully.

  “I don’t know. I think Professor Softhowler may have your guy beat,” Kori replies to her and I quickly zone out. Or rather my attention is ripped away from them and onto the two boys who walk into the room at the moment.

  I know Jasper from all the orientations, but the boy next to him I haven’t been introduced to yet. But if memory serves me, he’s the new one. The boy everyone’s talking about. The one who was going crazy in the main foyer. The same one who we all were sure wouldn’t make it to any class at all, let alone the very first one, looking perfectly healthy and in control of his entire self. How peculiar.

  Jasper and the new kid walk without paying me any mind, but the very corner of the new kid’s elbow tips my books off my desk, the loud bang of the textbooks hitting the floor enough to break me out of the trance I was in.

  Fucking oaf. What is he even still doing here? The savage. They shouldn’t let someone as untrained as him in the same classes as us.

  He turns, startled by his mistake. I can see that he is getting ready to pick them up but it angers me that he isn’t moving faster. I don’t have all fucking day. God. I don’t even want to be around him for longer than necessary.

  “You going to pick them up or what?” I snap at him. I lean forward, on guard and waiting for his retort.

  He opens his mouth but shuts it quickly, his eyebrow hitches up and he bends down to retrieve my books. He places them softly on my desk. “Here you go, princess.” He rolls his eyes and continues on his way.

  A bit of my tension falls away as I realize he doesn’t plan on fighting me.

  What kind of pussy shit is that? So weak. I can’t stand him.

  I clench my fists on top of the table, all this unreleased anger.

  Kori looks at me, and just like a good friend, she knows when she needs to take some of the heat off. I can feel everyone staring at me.

  “Well, there goes bets that he was going to be dead,” Kori speaks loudly as she jumps off her chair and saunters to the center of our aisle. “Come on, boys, pay up!” She puts both of her hands out and beckons people toward her. Kori is a gambler and she usually always wins. Lots of the students who happened to be in the hall yesterday and saw the new kid bet that he would be dead.

  I laugh as Kori dances while everyone in the room who bet pays up. She walks past me and stops right behind me to talk to Jasper and his new lab partner. “Thanks for not dying. You made me loads of money.”

  I don’t want to turn around, but I can tell by the sound of her voice that she’s showing off. Kori comes back and sits in her chair as she rolls up the cash she got and stuffs it in her pocket. “Next shopping trip is on me.” She smiles.

  I roll my eyes and bump her softly. I open up my notebook as it looks like the teacher is going to start soon.

  “Shut the hell up,” the boy behind me says before he bursts out laughing. Apparently, Jasper said something funny.

  My hands clench back into fists again. Just the sound of his voice is enough to put my entire body on edge. I have never felt an anger like this before. I know it’s irrational for me to act this way, but I just want to get up and ram his head through the stone-topped table he is sitting at. It almost makes me a bit giddy to think about his blood splattering over his books. Books he shouldn’t have even been allowed to get. He laughs one more time and I feel my shoulder inch up to my ears as I cringe in disgust.

  Fucking hell, why is he so damn annoying? I wish Kori would’ve lost that bet. He should just drop dead.

  “Hey, girls.” A man’s hand is on the table in my line of vision. I blink a few times to get myself under control. When I refocus and look up, I can see Barrett. He is close, very close. I move back in my chair, putting a bit of distance between us.

  “So, I don’t know if you heard, but the fraternity is having its annual welcome back kegger tonight and I have some pull, you know, since I’m a brother.” He smirks at me before he looks over to Kori, giving her the same look. “We usually don’t invite underclassmen, but I told them you two would be cool to invite.” He shrugs like he’s doing us a favor.

  My first instinct is to tell him to fuck off. Something about Barrett really rubs me the wrong way. Probably has something to do with the fact that my father basically tried to set up an arranged marriage between the two of us. He thinks Barrett and I would make a good match. It’s clearly only because of his bloodline. I’m no idiot.

  “Oh, that sounds so cool. Can Paola come too,” Kori asks, clearly excited.

  I cut my eyes in her direction, my stare trying to convey how out of her mind I think she is right now.

  Barrett turns and looks at our friend at the next table over. “Yeah, she should be alright too.”

  Both Kori and Paola give each other air high fives, while I sink further into my chair.

  “You’ll be there too, right?”

  “Yeah, I guess I will,” I comment, not seeing much of a choice.

  The music blasts. The bass seems to catapult off the walls and straight into my head. I can feel the start of a headache coming on. I didn’t want to come to this stupid party, but Kori wouldn’t let me out of it. She told me I needed to start having some fun.

  This is not my idea of fun.

  I rub my fingers on my temples, trying to dull the ache, but it does nothing. A strong hand grabs my arm, and just as I’m about to swing, Barrett’s face comes into view.

  “You don’t look like you’re enjoying yourself,” he basically yells directly into my ear.

  I shake my head and cover my ears to show that it’s too loud. He nods his head before taking another sip of whatever he has in the red Solo cup in his hand. He leans back down to my ear. “You want to come upstairs? Much quieter.” He leans back to wait for my answer.

  Another song comes on, the insane high-pitched squeal of an electric guitar answering for me. I nod my head.

  He grabs my hand and we make our way upstairs A few people give me dirty looks, but it’s nothing that I’m not used to. When your family is as powerful as mine is, dirty looks are a mandatory part of my day.

  He leads us to a room that’s a bit messy, but nothing too crazy. The second he closes the door behind us, I feel better. There is a slight buffer between my eardrums and the aggressive music. I sit on the bed and Barrett sits down next to me. The second he does, I feel a bit uneasy. He sits very close. He always seems like he’s too close to me.

  “How’s your dad?” he asks.

  “He’s good. Busy like always,” I answer politely.

  “Yeah, yeah. You remember that time we all had dinner? They were so sure that we would hit it off then.” He laughs, but it’s clipped and phony.

  “Yeah.” It’s the only reply I can think of. I want to get up, but every time I move even an inch, it seems like he gets closer. I’ve never been one to be intimidated, but his whole vibe is off.

  “You know, I think maybe they could’ve been right,” Barrett says, putting the cup in his hands down on the floor.

  “What?” My eyes find his. Maybe he’s drunker than he seems. “No way.”

  “Yes way. I’ve always thought you were so beautiful. Our families think we make a great match. Our bodies ache for one another. I know you feel it too.” His face moves in closer.

  He’s out of his mind. I have no such feelings for him. In fact, he’s disgusting to me. I lean back to keep him from kissing me. “Barr—” His tongue’s in my mouth before I can get his name out. He pushes me down on the bed and I can feel his hands trying to pull at my clothing. I push with everything I have, but he’s too strong.

  I rip my face to the side so I can speak. “Barrett, get off of me! No, stop! I don’t want this,” I yell, quickly panicked that I might not get the chance to again. Hi
s cock is hard and even through his pants I can feel it digging into my thigh.

  “Oh, yes, you do. I know you do. I can feel your body calling for me. I’m going to mate with you and then you’ll have no choice but to be mine. This tight purebred Lycan body mine for the taking, whenever I want,” he growls right in my ear.

  “No! Get off!” I push again, my feet kicking but finding nothing to connect with. His rough hand finds its way under my shirt and he squeezes my nipple hard, no pleasure in the act at all. My heart’s racing a million miles a minute and I can feel the tears getting ready to flow from my eyes. “I’ll scream. I’ll fucking scream bloody murder if you don’t get off right now,” I threaten.

  “No, baby, we can’t have that. It’ll only hurt this one time. I promise.” He shoots me that same smirk, but now I place the reason it made me so uneasy. His sinister side’s showing. He dips his face down to my neck and bites down on me hard, just as he clamps his large hand over my mouth and nose.

  I can’t breathe! Oh god, I can’t breathe! Help . . . help!

  My vision starts to go dark and the room starts spinning as I fight to stay conscious.

  A battle I’m losing quickly.

  Chapter Nine

  Zev

  “You really wanna go in?” I know the answer to my question before I even ask, but I’m going to ask Jasper anyway.

  “Hell yeah. I heard Barrett talking about the party and there’s no way I’m missing out on a chance to kick back and relax.”

  “Didn’t he say only upperclassmen were invited,” I ask, cocking a brow.

  Jasper snickers lightly. “I thought you said you weren’t listening.”

  “I wasn’t, but I remember that part,” I reply, shrugging my shoulders as we walk up the stone path to the house where they’re having the party.

  “We’ll get in, Zev, if that’s what you’re even worried about,” Jasper retorts, walking ahead of me.

  Two guys are standing on the porch of the house, chatting with each other, but as soon as we enter their view, they’re staring down at us. “Jasper, what’re you doing here? Only upperclassmen are allowed.”

  Jasper raises a brow. “How about we skip the games, shall we, Xavier? You’re going to let me in, and you damn well know it.” Something in Jasper’s tone seems threatening, but I don’t question him on it. Even if I’m going to, now wouldn’t be the time. I’ll bring it up later when we’re in private, but I figure this is typical. I’m the new guy here after all.

  “Fine, get your ass in there, and if someone asks you how you got in, we weren’t here. Got it?” Xavier growls, moving away from the door.

  Jasper passes the guys and I stick close to him, but the second I walk through the door, an anxiety unlike I’ve ever felt rushes through me. So much so that I stop right in my tracks, causing Jasper to turn back and look at me.

  “Yo, what’s going on, dude?”

  I’m not sure how to answer him, so I’m honest. “I don’t know. Something doesn’t feel right.” So much has changed inside my body that I feel like this is becoming normal, discovering new things about me through this change nonsense everyone has been talking about. My heart rate increases and my palms grow sweaty. Something deep within me is pulling me toward the stairwell, and before I know it, I feel like I’m not even in control of my body. Jasper follows close behind me as I go up the stairs. A guy’s standing at the top of the stairs, but I don’t give a fuck about him. I push and shove him into the wall, his body leaving an impression in the drywall.

  The pull continues to lead me to the second door on the right, and upon pushing the door open, I see an ungodly sight. Barrett has one hand over her mouth and nose, while the other’s pawing at her pants, trying to pull them down.

  Outrage isn’t an accurate term for what I feel in this moment, ready to rip his head off his fucking body. How dare he touch her! How dare he!

  Before I even realize what I’m doing, I have a hand around his throat and I’m pulling him back and shoving him forward with the mightiest push I can muster up. His body crashes through the window and goes out of my sight. I walk over to the window and see him on the ground, brushing his knees off. Oh no, he’s going to hurt for what he’s done. I’m making damn sure of it.

  I still feel as though I’m not in control of my own body while I move through the opening of the window, not even giving a care in the world as my skin is being cut by the jagged glass. My fury is blinding everything else.

  I walk on the roof of the porch and jump to the ground, charging up to Barrett. “What the fuck is the matter with you?!” I snarl, wrapping my hands around his throat, but he kicks my feet out from under me and I fall on my ass. Barrett moves quickly, trying to kick me in the face, but I roll over and jump up, grab a stray log I see on the ground, and chuck it at him like a frisbee.

  He scoffs with a smirk, wiping away the blood pooling at the corner of his lip. “You’re going to pay for this, mutt,” he seethes, completely avoiding my question.

  “You’re the only one going to pay,” I roar, charging at him again, feeling my bones snap and crack. My nose elongates and I realize I’ve half shifted and my razor-sharp teeth are lined up right at his pitiful eyes. There’s nothing stopping me from snapping his weak little head off. Absolutely nothing.

  “Zev!” Jasper yells my name, but I don’t dare look away.

  A growl comes out from the pit of my throat. A warning.

  But before I make another move, a flash of red hair running down the stone path causes me to avert my eyes. It’s Roxana. But she isn’t alone—I see a blonde running with her. It must be that girl, Kori, with her.

  Good. She isn’t alone.

  Make sure she is okay.

  An inner voice speaks to me, shocking me a bit at first, but this must be my wolf, right? Regardless, I listen to it and back away from Barrett, walking in the direction Roxana and Kori were just headed.

  “Dude, where are you going,” Jasper comments as he rushes up beside me, but I have no reason to respond right now. Instead, I look past him at Barrett, who’s on the ground breathing in and out deeply.

  “Next time, I won’t refrain from snapping your fucking neck, so there’d best not be a next time.”

  Chapter Ten

  Roxana

  I ditched Kori without any regrets. I managed to convince her a drink would help me calm down, so she went back inside to get me one, but I just want to be alone and hopefully she’ll understand that. I hope she doesn’t worry too much. I make my way over to the clearing on the other side of the property. I just need to think.

  I can’t believe I could be so stupid. I know what the hell happens at these frat parties. I know better than to ignore my instincts. I wrap my arms around myself tighter. I can’t get the shaking to stop. It’s been a long while since I felt fear. If it hadn’t been for Zev . . .

  Zev?

  How did he know where I was? I don’t know what it is about him that makes me feel like I need to be near him. There’s something strange about him, something that makes me feel like I never felt before.

  “Roxana!” I nearly jump out of my skin when I hear Zev calling my name.

  “What the hell!” I turn around with my hand on my chest as I try to get my heart to stop beating so fast.

  “Are you alright?” His eyes are trained on me and I can see his hands are balled into tight fists. The tension is rolling off his body in vicious waves.

  “Don’t worry about it. Go back inside and enjoy the party.” I turn my gaze back toward the scenery. The forest provides a great backdrop for the college and sorority row, it’s almost tranquil.

  Zev lunges in my direction and grabs me, turning me around to face him. I rip my arm out of his grasp and lean back. He is so close to me. “Are you okay?” he asks again through gritted teeth.

  “What does it matter?” I ask, my voice only a whisper. It’s very rare that people actually care about my wellbeing.

  “It’s the only thing that matters,
” Zev replies with his eyes closed. A look of anguish crosses over his darkened features. The simplicity of those words scares me more than Barrett ever could.

  “I’m fine, Zev.” I look up to his face as his eyes open back up and he stares me down, searching for the truth. His hand inches up like he’s going to touch my face, and my body seems revved with need. “Truly, I am,” I say breaking the spell that he seems to be under.

  His hand drops down, and he takes a few steps back.

  My body aches for his touch, and now since it’s clear that he isn’t going to follow through, a fresh wave of anger rushes through me. “Are you finished snooping around now? I was having a good time out here by myself before you came and disturbed me. Be gone.” I flip my hand in his direction and roll my eyes, willing him to just turn around and leave.

  “Wow. You sure have a way of surprising me, Roxana. I’ve been around my share of bitches, but you by far are the biggest, most inconsiderate one I’ve ever met,” he replies.

  I plaster on a smirk to hide my shock. “Thank you.”

  “Not a selling point, Roxana. You think pushing me away is going to change what you feel? I just saved your ass. I think a little gratitude would work better than you being a stuck-up brat.”

  “A brat? How dare you! You don’t know me!” I stomp my foot, and even I know I’m acting like a child, but I can’t control myself. “Furthermore, mutt, you should learn your place. I’m one of the last remaining—”

  “Purebred Lycans, blah blah. What in the fuck should that mean to me? I’m a Capricorn. Does that give me some clout?” Zev steps back, but I won’t be disrespected like this. That feeling I had moments ago of wanting him to touch me is long gone. Now, I just want to put my fist through his smug face.

  “You can’t talk to me like this. I can have you expelled.”

  “I will talk to you any damn way I please. You want to get me expelled, do it, it won’t change anything between us,” he baits me again.