by Emma Dean
Mika cleared her throat and followed Audrey through the forest to the stadium looming in the distance. “They don’t test for battle magic on the practical exam.”
“Holy shit,” Audrey laughed. “So you do have a specialty!”
It wasn’t her specialty, but Mika kept her mouth shut about it and let Audrey think what she wanted.
“I don’t want other people to know,” Mika murmured. “Witches are neutral. You know that. There hasn’t been a warrior witch for centuries.”
“Since Morgana le Fay,” Audrey mused. “You think she’d be disappointed in what we’ve become?”
“Do you want the training or not?” Mika asked, trying not to panic when she saw people gathering as the trees thinned and the stadium came into view.
“Of course! This will really help, thanks Mika.” Audrey sped up and pulled her towards the stadium. “Now let’s see last year’s team. I heard the boys train with their shirts off even in the dead of winter. ‘Character building’ or something like that.”
Mika thought it sounded idiotic, but she didn’t say anything about it, and just barely managed to keep up with Audrey.
Despite everything she liked her dorm mate. And if training her for a week put Mika in her good graces…maybe it would make the next five years easier on both of them.
4
The stadium was just as old and gothic as the actual university. Mika followed Audrey inside to sit in the bleachers and watch. What surprised her was how many people were there just to observe the players training. Maybe they were all bored after the Welcome Back Week festivities.
Twenty people were on the platform going through different strategies together. Mika saw that the water surrounding that platform was covered with metal plating. She could still hear the slosh of water and see it through the metal mesh. Falling into that in the winter would be brutal.
“So you’ve played before?” Audrey asked, scooting closer so she could whisper into Mika’s ear.
Mika nodded and noticed one of the players was actually shirtless. What an idiot. But…she could see why. A gaggle of girls sat as close to the field as they could, giggling as they watched the players.
“Why aren’t there more girls on the team?” Mika asked.
It was a co-ed sport. Seemed weird to her there was only one girl.
“A girl died last semester,” Audrey whispered. “I guess they thought she could swim and when she got knocked off the platform into the water she just…drowned.”
Mika just barely managed to refrain from rolling her eyes. “That doesn’t explain why there aren’t more female witches on the team. And who the hell is the coach that they didn’t ask if their players can swim?”
Something wasn’t adding up. Had whatever infected her coven made it to this place as well?
Maybe she was just jumping to conclusions.
“There is no coach,” Audrey said, giving her a funny look. “At university level the captain of the team runs things.”
Mika studied the biggest, and of course shirtless, male player. His dark brown skin shone under the winter sun. “Him?” she asked, pointing.
“Yeah, that’s Malachi,” Audrey told her. “He’s the youngest captain in fifty years. He’s only a year ahead of us.”
They watched in silence as the team huddled and then ran scrimmages, splitting up to play against each other. The magic flared and exploded. The crowd gasped and cheered like they would if it was an actual game.
Mika watched Malachi closely, but he seemed innocent enough. An all American boy, from the Midwest no doubt for him to get that kind of musculature and actually be able to use it. He watched out for his teammates and shielded them when he could.
And he was beautiful. Dark brown skin, rippling muscles, and piercing eyes…Mika refocused on the actual game.
Even when the players on the opposite side were hit with something hard enough to fling them into what would have been the water had it been uncovered, he’d stop and make sure they were okay, dodging attacks the whole time.
A natural born leader.
Did he think men should rule covens?
Mika tapped her finger on the bench.
If men were as powerful as women in magic she could understand it. But hundreds of years ago there were just a handful of male witches. They went by wizards then, but…there was a reason the university was named after Morgana and not Merlin.
Mika wondered sometimes…what would the world look like today if they hadn’t been called pagans and evil doers and shoved into hiding.
The world used to be accepting of magic, but not anymore.
And now the human culture was poisoning theirs. She supposed she should be grateful they’d held it off for as long as they had.
“He’s in our Shifter Studies class,” Audrey told her, giving Mika a Look. “Do you think he’s hot?”
“I was actually wondering if he’d killed that girl for a modicum more of power,” Mika snapped, irritated everything always had to be about boys.
This wasn’t the way to make friends. Lashing out wasn’t going to help her in the long run.
“Geez, I was just asking.” Audrey’s voice was too loud.
Mika had to leave or she was going to say something else she would regret. Standing up made her hands shake as it felt like everyone in the stadium turned to look at her. Even the players stopped to see what was going on.
“Look, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” Audrey said, grabbing her hand so she was stuck in place.
Mika yanked her hand out of Audrey’s and started to panic as the moment went on indefinitely – as murmurs grew louder.
“Hey! Is everything okay?” Malachi called up from the field, jogging over to the ledge.
Mika hoped the girl would forgive her later. But she couldn’t let anyone touch her. She had to get out of here.
“Audrey, you okay?” Malachi asked.
Of course they knew each other well enough for him to ask her directly. This just kept getting better and better. Mika tried to get around Audrey but the girl was a fucking rock so Mika was trapped between her and a hard place.
She was going to end up looking like a full on bitch if she couldn’t get out of here before someone directed the conversation toward her.
“Oh yeah, this is my dorm mate,” Audrey called back. “She’s going to train me in battle magic.”
Aaaaaand there it was.
Fucking fuck.
Everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at her. Her white-blonde hair was a dead giveaway – ‘look at me!’ Maybe she should dye it black.
“Really?” Malachi asked. “I thought you were going to train with us, Audrey.”
Mika was amazed he hadn’t instantly turned the conversation to her. It gave her the opportunity to start walking away.
Audrey grabbed her hand again and the grip was surprisingly strong. Yank away too hard and she might just send the other witch tumbling down the bleachers.
Her hands started to tingle as she became more panicked and Mika felt bile rise in her throat. “Please, let go, Audrey,” she whispered. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
Then the shirtless boy—really, he was a man—made it to their seats. Mika pulled her hand out of Audrey’s as the other witch stood to hug Malachi.
“Is she going to be your new girlfriend?” Malachi asked, eyeing Mika up and down as she rubbed her hands on her coat.
Thank the Fates she’d been wearing gloves.
Audrey smiled and gave Malachi a little push. “Well, if she was, she’s probably not going to now that you’ve said that.”
Mika turned and stared at Audrey. Well…she’d read all those signs wrong. Had Audrey just been flirting with her and she’d missed it, or was she trying to cover for her now?
“What do you say?” Malachi studied her closer than Mika would prefer.
“Aren’t you cold?” she asked instead, purposefully keeping her eyes on his face.
“I don’t n
eed a wing man Malachi, for fuck sake.” Audrey pushed him again and he gave Audrey a kiss on the cheek.
It was fucking adorable.
“I hope to see you both at tryouts then,” Malachi said, giving Mika a wink. “But no canoodling during my practices.”
Then he was jogging back down to the field and Mika felt like she could breathe again. Instantly she was climbing the stairs up to the top of the stadium seating so she could get the hell out of this place.
For the last three years she’d done everything she could to become nothing – to become invisible. Mika didn’t like people looking too closely at her – what if they saw? What if they could somehow tell there was something wrong with her deep down?
“Mika! I’m sorry about that,” Audrey called, running after her. “Girl, slow down. I’m not going to try and turn you gay or anything.”
Despite having the intense urge to clarify she didn’t care about that at all, Mika sped up and practically ran down the stairs on the other side of the hall. Damn stadium was built like a maze. She just wanted to get out.
Coming here had been a mistake. She should have stayed home – taken online herbology classes. Tending the family greenhouse could be her thing. That’s how she could earn her keep. Mika had always been really good with the poisonous plants and flowers.
Her green thumb was even better than her sister’s.
“Mika!”
The only way Audrey could catch up with her was…
Dammit, she was lost.
“Hey! I didn’t mean to make things extra awkward, but you were being super weird and I just don’t get it. Hey, are you okay?” Audrey asked, grabbing Mika’s arms to steady her.
“Where are we? Stop touching me!”
The look of hurt that crossed Audrey’s face was like a slap. Mika bent over and put her hands on her knees. She breathed deep, trying to soothe the panic attack before it became too much for her to handle.
“It’s not you,” Mika whispered. “I promise. Just…give me a minute.”
Audrey didn’t say anything but she didn’t leave either.
So many people staring at her shouldn’t have set her off so badly. But if they knew…if they knew how good she was at battle magic they would wonder about the rest of her magic. Why couldn’t she light a candle without needing to catch her breath? Why did she avoid using magic whenever possible? Why was she so good at offensive magic?
What else was she hiding?
All because Mika wanted to make friends and be a normal witch at a university that was supposed to make all her dreams come true.
“Hey, it’s okay. Whatever it is, it’s okay.” Audrey didn’t touch her though, and Mika was grateful for that.
It gave her the strength to stand and she took one last cleansing breath. “It’s not you,” Mika repeated, shoving her gloved hands in her coat pockets. “I have anxiety. Getting called out like that in front of so many people set it off. I’m…a very private person normally.”
Audrey still looked hurt, her arms crossed over her chest.
She needed to clarify or this was going to ruin any chance they had at friendship.
“I wouldn’t date you, not because you’re a girl,” Mika said. “But because I don’t want to date anyone. Plus…we’re dorm mates. If it didn’t work out it would be weird.”
Audrey slowly smiled. “You’re not even my type,” she teased. “Malachi just has zero gaydar and makes assumptions. Don’t worry, I know you’re mostly straight.”
Mika breathed a sigh of relief and the tingling in her hands started to fade. “I still want to train you, but I have no plans of trying out for the team.”
“Whatever you want, weirdo. If you’re up for it, then just let me know what sets off your anxiety. I’ll do what I can.” Audrey bumped her shoulder with hers. “The dorms are back that way,” she said with a jerk of her chin. “But the bookstore is that way – where the main university is. Let’s go get your books and then watch Bewitched.”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay,” Mika agreed. “That sounds good.”
Maybe this hadn’t been a mistake after all.
5
Mika leaned against one of the tables in the massive greenhouse and watched as students filtered in. There weren’t many taking Advanced Poisons but the ones who were, were fascinating.
The first two classes of the day had gone pretty well. Audrey had both Advanced Latin and Shifter Studies with her on Mondays and Wednesdays. But she was alone in her Poisons class.
The other witch was great at diverting attention away from Mika since she already knew so many people as outgoing as she was. They were fairly normal first days – a general reviewing of the schedule and then getting right into it. None of the classes Mika was taking were easy.
But she could already tell this class was going to be different.
It was quiet in the conservatory with the black metal scrollwork holding the glass in place. The massive greenhouse was nearly an entire wing of the university and three stories tall. Mika knew this was going to be one of her favorite places.
The humidity was suffocating in her coveralls. But handling these kinds of plants required her to take safety measures. It was something she’d been taught from the moment she’d been able to walk. Wear clothes that could be washed and covered every inch of skin.
Mika had her black coveralls that she’d brought from home on over her regular clothes, boots that sealed the coveralls and didn’t allow anything to touch her skin, special gloves that could be washed but protected her from any oils that might be secreted from the plants. A scarf around her neck would cover her nose and mouth if they had to do any cutting or crushing – it was generally a good idea, even just smelling some poisonous plants could make someone faint.
Everything else was in the locker rooms specifically set up for herbology students. Cream that protected skin was everywhere, both magical and non. This portion of the greenhouse was under lock and key; only students with a pass or teachers could access these plants.
She surveyed the other students and dismissed them immediately. All except one.
Honestly, she was surprised to see a male witch in this class. Most never made it to Advanced Poisons. It wasn’t really their thing. But this one – he was tall and mysterious. So tall he would probably tower about a foot over her.
Mika had a weakness for tall guys.
His gorgeous brown hair was messy and slightly curled, falling in his face just a little. The green in his light-bluish green eyes seemed magnified with all the plants around him. Mika couldn’t help but notice how muscular his arms were with the way his coveralls hung from his waist, showing off his tank top.
Despite her vow to avoid men and any potential boyfriends throughout her university career, Mika’s heart started beating just a little bit faster. When he looked up, his gaze went right to her like he knew she’d been watching him, her stomach flipped and Mika had to look away.
She glanced at her watch. Only two more minutes and the class would start.
Professor Hayes waltzed in a minute later in custom coveralls that looked a lot like Mika’s just in a faded green instead. The professor had her long blonde hair up in a severe bun and she wore glasses. There would be no room for bullshit with her.
Mika looked up at the glass ceiling as the silvery light filtering in seemed to change somehow. She blinked and realized it was snowing. It had been a long time since she’d been around snow, and the way it fell in whispers on the glass added to the magic of the conservatory.
“Welcome class. The reason you are here is because you’ve either met the pre-requisites or you’ve tested into this class. Congratulations. Most never make it this far.” Professor Hayes had a hard gleam in her eye as she studied each of them.
It was like she was assessing who was going to mess up and potentially kill themselves, or perhaps someone else.
“People have died in this class. Murderers have used what is learned here. I guarantee
you’ll end up with some kind of burn at the very least. So if you want to make it out alive you listen to me and follow the rules. Do you understand?”
Mika nodded, remembering a similar conversation her mother had had with her when she was about five and touched a plant that had left a burn mark for weeks. “Be smart, Mika,” she’d said. “If you’re not smart, you’ll die.”
It was advice she’d taken to heart and applied to her entire life. Mika had made sure she was smart. Even if she had to study twice as hard as everyone else. She wasn’t going to make a stupid mistake and die.
Not when it was so easy to end up dead.
“Any questions?”
“Professor Hayes?” some quiet girl with black hair asked. “Will there be opportunities for extra credit?”
Mika couldn’t stop herself from rolling her eyes. Couldn’t they get on with this already?
“We’ll see,” the professor said, eyeing the girl like she’d probably be the first to head to the infirmary. “Now I’m going to pair you up, and you will be partners for the rest of the semester. We’re going to start with every day poisonous plants and flowers and their uses.”
Professor Hayes took her phone out of her pocket and read off names. Mika felt that same flutter in her stomach when her name was called and the professor pointed to the guy who had caught her attention. “Mika Marshall, you’re with Ethan Ellington.”
She didn’t even have the opportunity to be shocked that the professor had pronounced her name correctly. Ethan was already headed toward her and the way he looked at her…it was almost a glare but not quite.
Somehow it made him even more attractive.
He didn’t say anything as he jerked his chin toward one of the work tables. Mika followed after him and wondered what his deal was. Maybe he was annoyed she was a freshman. This was a higher level class after all. Freshmen weren’t usually allowed.
But they’d made an exception for her of course – she was a Marshall with an affinity for poison.
