"Why not?" I asked. "It's where I sleep every night."
"They hate us, you know that right?" Zach asked.
"They don't hate me," I said.
"True," Zach said. "So they'll just shift and bite our heads off and leave you be."
I narrowed my eyes. "You don't really think they'd do that?"
He shrugged. "You don't know all the things my mom has said publicly over the years."
"If there's one thing I'm starting to notice it's that everyone hates their parents. And none of us are our parents. If we were who raised us, I'd be a crazy alcoholic living off government assistance."
Zach's brow furrowed. "I thought your parents were dead."
"My aunt raised me. If you can call what she did raising me. Basically, she kept me clothed, fed, and a roof over my head. Most of the time," I said.
"I'm so sorry," Matt said.
"I know, poor little troubled mage," I said, rolling my eyes. "I really don't want sympathy from the rich kids."
"Hey, we get that same thing on us, you know?" Matt said. "Just because we were raised with money doesn't mean our lives were easy."
"I'll take your word for it," I said.
"I'm serious," he said. "We didn't struggle, that's true. But I wouldn't wish our life on anyone."
"You mean that?" I asked, thinking back to Professor Halifax's comment about why my tuition was being paid.
"I do," he said.
"Sorry," I said. "You didn't get to choose your parents any more than I did."
"It's okay," Zach said. "We get that a lot. Spoiled rich kids, which we are."
"Time's ticking," Professor Halifax said.
"Come on, I've always wanted to see the shifter dorm," Matt said.
17
Zach
Raven seemed confident as she led us down the dingy stairs to the dungeon. It was hard to believe that a mage of her abilities had been thrown down here with the shifters. She could have thrown a fit and demanded a different room. But the whole thing made no sense to begin with. Why had they put her down here?
While we'd been with our family, I'd discovered that my mom had been paying her tuition. Something about a favor she owed her parents. I didn't get more details than that from her but I did know she was interested in meeting Raven. How was I supposed to drop that truth-bomb on her? It was bad enough that she was dealing with all of this right now. No magic, dorm in the shifter dungeon. She didn't need the most powerful mage in the supernatural world nagging her about her grades or her life. Though, I knew it was inevitable. My mother got whatever she wanted.
Torches flickered along the stairway and my fingers traced over the damp walls. Nothing about this was what I expected. Sure, it was called the dungeon, but I thought it was a clever nick name since it was in the basement. I'd been in the vampire dorm a few times and theirs was almost as nice as the mage dorms.
We left the stairs and passed through a common room. A couple of students were sprawled out on the couches, but we didn't linger. Ignoring their inquisitive looks, we moved on, following Raven.
Finally, we stopped outside of a door and she used her key card to enter.
She flipped on a light then walked over to a lamp and turned it on. "Can you turn that one off?" She pointed to the light switch by the door. I flipped it down and the blinding fluorescent lights went out leaving us in a dim room lit by her small lamp.
"It's not as nice as the Obscura suite," she said, "but it's far superior to anywhere I've ever lived before."
She picked up some laundry off the floor and tossed it into the bathroom. "Sorry for the mess."
"Don't worry," Matt said. "I'm guessing you don't get maid service down here?"
She lifted an eyebrow and glared at Matt, her green eyes flashing. "Seriously? You need a maid? You can't even take care of your own room?"
"We can, we just don't have to," Matt said with a cocky grin.
I knew that wasn't going to work on her. She wasn't the kind of girl who was impressed by our wealth. In fact, I think it had the opposite effect on her. I tried not to grin too much knowing that all Matt was doing was killing any chance he had of scoring with her.
"Your room is great," I said. "Thanks for letting us use the space to try this."
She turned her gaze on me, her stance tense. She ran a hand through her hair and let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm sorry. I should be thanking you both for helping with this. Professor Halifax said you can probably help bring more of my magic back.
"What have you done so far?" I asked.
"She worked with me to get me to light a candle. Some kind of fae magic involving portals, I think."
"Portals?" Matt asked. "That's dangerous stuff."
"So are magic melds," I reminded him.
"Yeah, but we've already done it once, right?" he asked.
"True," I said, then I turned to Raven. "Where do you want to sit?"
"I guess right here," she pointed to the floor.
I extended my hand, offering it to her. "Ready?"
To my surprise, she took my hand. "I don't really have a choice."
I hated that she viewed us as a necessity. I wondered if I'd ever get a shot at her if not for this. For a brief moment, I was thankful she'd lost her magic. I needed more time with her. Guilt swam through me at the thought. I knew she was going through a terrible time but the selfish part of me that wanted her seemed to take over.
She sat cross-legged on the ground and I followed her lead. Matt sat next to her close enough that his thigh touched hers. Heat filled my chest as jealousy flared. I wanted to be alone with her. I didn't want him here.
Taking a deep breath, I pushed the thoughts away. This wasn't like me at all. I'd never felt this way about a woman. Especially a woman I hardly knew. Sure, she was sexy as hell, and I knew she was a knockout even under her clothes, thanks to her setting herself on fire. But I typically had more self-control than this.
"So last time we did this, we were trying to find out about your magic," Matt said.
"Which we never really did," she responded. "Cause the whole using time magic thing would have been helpful."
"Yeah, sorry," he said.
"Today, let's focus on trying to find your magic and coax it out. Once we find it, we can see if we can learn more about it," I suggested.
"Alright," she said, extending her hands on either side.
I pushed down the jealous thoughts as Matt took hold of her and grabbed his other hand, not letting go of hers.
"Close your eyes," I said. "Deep breaths."
I closed my eyes and sent my magic toward Raven, urging it to find hers and connect us the way it had last time. I didn't have to wait long.
Tiny pinpricks of pain traveled up my arm. They were so sudden and intense that I nearly cried out. None of them stayed in one place long enough to cause lingering pain but they were annoying. Sort of like when your foot falls asleep. Though, instead of staying in one area, the pain traveled up my arm, across my shoulders and down my back.
As the pain eased, I could feel her. It was impossible to explain, but there was something there that wasn't just my magic. It called to me, urging me toward it. Internally, I encouraged my magic to go to it.
A rush of overwhelming emotion surged through me as if I'd been given a shot of adrenaline after jumping off a cliff. It was surprise mixed with fear and awe. I couldn't fully explain it, but I wanted it. I craved it.
Then, just as quickly as it had arrived, it left, and Raven tugged her hand away breaking the connection.
I looked over at her. She was gasping for breath and her hair was standing on edge as if she'd walked through a static field. Her eyes were wide and her full lips were parted. I never wanted to tear someone's clothes off more.
"What the hell was that?" Matt asked. "Did you feel that?"
"I don't know what happened. It was right there. I could feel my magic. It was right there and then it was gone." Raven's brow furrowed and I was pretty sure I could se
e tears pooling in her eyes.
"I felt something," I said. "It was like it was calling to me."
"More like dragging me in," Matt said. "Was that your magic?"
"I think so," she said. "Maybe."
"Try to make fire," I said.
"I don't know," she said. "That didn't go so well for me last time."
"We found your magic," Matt said. "It's still there or it's coming back or something. You should try it."
She nodded and then extended her hand, going through the motions of the trick we'd taught her to make fire.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then a tiny blue flame flickered to life in her palm.
I leaned closer to her. "Blue."
She looked up at me, locking those green eyes on me. I felt like my insides turned to goo. She could throw that fire at me and I wouldn't even move away from her. She had me completely under her spell. I would do anything to be with her.
"Your magic is still in there," Matt said.
She tore her gaze off me and closed her hand, extinguishing the flame. "It doesn't feel the same as it did before."
"It's probably still healing," I said. "We can try again." All I wanted to do was touch her. Even if it was just holding her hand as we attempted a magic meld. I just needed her. Any part of her would do. For now.
"No," Matt said. "We're lucky nothing bad happened. You need to recover. We can try again later."
Raven stood and I quickly got to my feet. I wanted to grab her and drag her to my bed.
"Thank you both," she said. "Hopefully I'll be fixed by Friday when we give our presentation."
"Don't worry about that," I said. "We'll be fine."
"Not all of us have rich parents to bail us out," she said.
"Well, actually, you kind of do," I said.
"I know your mom is paying my tuition," she said.
"That kind of makes you honorary Obsucra," Matt said.
I wrinkled my nose. I didn't want to think about her like that. I wanted to fuck her not adopt her.
"I still need to be able to defend myself," she said.
"You know, there's enough room in our room for company," Matt said.
She glared at him.
He put his hands up in mock surrender. "Just saying it can't hurt to have some people nearby who can help you if needed.
"It's not a bad idea," I said.
"I think I’m fine here," she said.
A knock sounded on the door and she walked over to answer it.
"Ben," she said, sounding surprised.
I turned to see the huge shifter standing in her doorway. I knew the expression on my face made it clear he was unwelcome. I didn't care. I didn't want him sniffing around my girl.
"Study session?" he asked.
"Something like that," she said. "Trying to get my magic back."
The shifter's expression softened. "It still hasn't returned?"
"No," she said.
Ben looked at me then at Matt. He quickly returned his attention to Raven. "I heard there were some people in your room and I wanted to make sure you were safe."
"I'm fine," she said. "Thank you for checking on me."
He stepped back from the door. "I'm going back to my room," he looked up at me and Matt, "next door. Let me know if you need anything."
"I guess you do have help around if you need it," Matt said.
"Yeah," she said, sounding surprised. "I guess I do."
18
Raven
Things seemed to be looking up for the first time in a long time. I was still confined to the main building and I was still spending several days a week in private lessons with Professor Halifax. But Ben was speaking to me again. And the twins helped me learn how to demonstrate fire. My magic was finally returning and while Professor Halifax said it wasn't fully back, it was good enough to fake my way through the presentation so I didn't fuck over Matt and Zach's grades.
Plus, tonight there was going to be a rather epic party. All week, Makayla had been telling me how amazing the wolf moon party was. All the shifters would be there. They'd take over the entire common room and flood into the dorm rooms.
I was looking forward to a night of drinking too much and honestly, I was hoping Ben would be there. Now that we were talking again, maybe we could do something besides just talk.
Because to be honest, I was finding him sexier and more irresistible every time he smiled at me. The thought of that smile made me weak in the knees. I had a serious problem.
I should be satisfied with my incubus, but I couldn't keep my head out of the gutter when it came to Ben.
That was the one bad thing about my life right now, though. There hadn't been any time to connect with Luka in real life. My after school and weekend tutoring sessions along with studying for the upcoming exams was making my social life nonexistent.
But tonight was a holiday so there was no homework given. And the party of the year was taking place in my dorm. There was no way I was going to be able to skip it even if I wanted to.
"Ms. Winters, can you tell me the formula for the spell?" Professor Halifax asked.
I shook myself out of my distraction. I'd been so busy thinking about the fun I was going to have tonight that I hadn't heard a word she said.
Zach pushed his notebook over to me and I glanced down at the word he'd circled.
"Two candles, a full moon, and a live fern?" I asked.
She pursed her lips. "It's lucky for you that your lab partner is paying attention."
I swallowed hard and ignored the heat in my cheeks. I could feel the eyes of my classmates boring into the back of my head. "Sorry, Professor."
She shook her head then went back to teaching.
I tried to pay better attention the rest of the period. It was painful. I'd been so focused on being a good student the last couple of months that I'd rarely let go. I needed this party. I needed to feel normal.
Finally, it was time to pack up.
"You want to practice again tonight?" Zach asked.
We'd worked on bringing my magic back every night this week. Every time we melded our magic, I felt a little stronger after. I also felt a deeper connection to both twins after, too. Though, I was trying to ignore that. It was complicated enough as it was balancing the feelings I had for both Luka and Ben.
"Not tonight," I said. "It's the Wolf Moon."
"But you're not a shifter," Matt said.
"All her friends are," Zach said.
"Most of my friends are," I said. "But it is in my dorm so I might as well go. Besides, I haven't been to a party in a long time."
"And you won't be attending tonight, Ms. Winters," Professor Halifax cut in.
I turned around to stare at her, my mouth open, ready to protest.
"Your magic is not fully functioning yet and Dr. Green wants you ready to take the practice trials before Yule. You don't have time to go to a party." She crossed her arms over her chest.
"Surely one night off won't kill me," I said.
"Won't it?" she asked. "I'm not the one who has a thief hunting me."
I scowled. She had me there. It was irresponsible of me to go to a party when the alternative was staying alive. Fuck. "Fine."
"In here right after dinner," she glanced at Matt and Zach, "you two can join her."
"They don't have to do that," I said.
"We don't mind," Zach said.
"Really, you don't need to give up your Friday night," I said.
"Raven, it's fine," Matt said.
A rush of warmth spread low in my belly as he locked his gaze on me. His smile was confident and warm. There was not even a slight sense of being upset about being asked to help me. How were these two so selfless? I hadn't stopped to really think about it before. Professor Halifax had threatened their grade but now that I knew who their mother was, I knew that was never a valid threat. They were helping me because they wanted to.
None of the other mages wanted anything to do with me. They went out
of their way to help. Shit. The thought brought me right back to the crazy dream I'd had last night. With both of them. At the same time.
For a second, I was back in that dream. Matt's tongue in my mouth as Zach's tongue was in a far more intimate place. I shivered, sending the memory of the dream away.
I did not have the emotional energy to be thinking about them like this. I knew there was a connection between the three of us from the magic meld, but I kept trying to tell myself it wasn't real. It was the magic that bonded us, not anything else. It wasn't the same way I was attracted to Luka or Ben. Was it?
"I'll see you all here after dinner," Professor Halifax said.
I forced a smile on my face as I tossed my backpack over my shoulder. "Can't wait."
The rest of the day dragged by. The worst part had been telling Makayla that I wasn't going to make it to the party.
"She can't keep you all night," Makayla said as she took a bite of her hamburger.
"That's true," I said. "How late do you usually go for this party?"
"Oh, easily till dawn," she said.
I straightened in my chair, feeling a resurgence of joy. There was no way our tutoring session would go all night. "I'm sure I'll make it then. I just won't be there right away."
"Fashionably late," Makayla said. "Like the mysterious mage you are."
I laughed. "Right. I'm super mysterious."
"You really are, though," she said. "Think about it. You live in the shifter dorm, you had it out with a magic thief, you don't know your parents..."
"I get it," I said. I was still annoyed about the parents thing. It seemed Dr. Green and Ms. Obscura both knew my parents. The Obscura family well enough to feel like they owed a favor in the form of my tuition. Yet, no matter what I asked, I didn't get any information. It was beyond frustrating.
"Go to your tutoring. I'll stash a bottle of vodka in the back somewhere so we can do shots when you join us," she said.
"Better make it tequila," I said with a grin.
"Perfect. I'll hide a couple of limes and we'll be good to go." She leaned in closer to me and lowered her voice. "Hey, maybe you can ask Ben if he wants to lick the salt off of you."
Academy of the Elites: Broken Magic Page 8
