“I’ll be there,” I said lamely.
She walked to the stairs with a brisk step. There was absolutely nothing unintentional about her. From her hair to her clothes and then down to her shoes, she was so put-together that everything was immaculate. I wondered what trouble her and my mother got up to when they were students.
Did they play tricks on people? Gossip about the cutest warlocks in school? As much as I tried to picture them together, it just didn’t seem to fit. My mother was pretty much the exact opposite of the professor.
Weird.
My alarm sounded. My laundry was ready.
I spent the afternoon hiding in the library. The only person who found me was Cress. She plonked down onto the armchair beside me and sighed loudly.
“I get the feeling you really live here,” she said. “You just keep your things in my dorm.”
“It’s more of a timeshare agreement. If you count sleeping time, I probably live fifty-fifty,” I joked. Except, it was probably the truth. My life was that exciting. Definitely not the academy experience I was expecting.
“That’s the saddest thing I’ve ever heard. You are coming out with me tonight. I am not accepting any arguments and you will have fun.”
“I’ve got a lot of reading—”
She crossed her arms. “Nope, not buying it. You will come to a party and you will enjoy yourself. Surely you are allowed one night off?”
A dozen more excuses sat on the end of my tongue but I could tell she wouldn’t change her mind. I’d turned down every single invitation she’d given me. Perhaps one night off wouldn’t kill me.
“Fine,” I said with a dramatic sigh. “I’ll go to your party and I’ll try to have fun.”
“You will have fun.”
“Okay, okay.” Maybe it really would be fun. I’d never been to a supernatural party before. But then reality crashed down on me. “I don’t have anything to wear. You’ve seen my suitcase, it’s just the essentials only.”
“Didn’t you have sexy party clothes in your life before coming here?”
“Yeah, but I never expected to stay so long. I thought I’d only be here for a few days.”
That sobered her up. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think.”
“It’s okay,” I assured her. “Trust me, if I thought I’d be partying, I would have brought the cutest outfits. I’d knock ’em all dead.”
“I bet you would. You can borrow some of my clothes.”
We shared a smiled before she pulled me out of the library and back to the dorm room. From there, I was subjected to a transformation curtesy of the werewolf.
By eight o’clock I was wearing a skin-tight blue dress and my hair was perfectly styled in a sleeked-back ponytail. I felt better than I had in ages.
Cress drove us to the nearest town—Brushwood—and pulled into the parking lot of a warehouse. There were absolutely no signs of a party, nightclub, or bar. The whole place looked like it had been abandoned years earlier.
“Are you sure we’re in the right place?” I asked. She had psyched me up so much that disappointment was settling in.
She opened her car door. “Trust me, this is definitely the right place.”
I followed her along a dark alleyway. It felt like the beginning of every teenage horror film I’d ever seen. This was how the party girls got killed every damn time. I’d always told them to run and here I was, tottering along in heels that were not designed for running.
“Just a little further,” Cress said.
The cold wind whipped my bare legs to shreds. My chest was covered in goosepimples. All my senses were on high alert as I jumped at every shadow.
We were in the middle of nowhere. Alone. We were going to get ourselves killed. This was prime serial killer territory.
Cress stopped abruptly in front of a door. I didn’t see her in time and collided into her. We both almost went crashing to the ground.
“This is it,” she declared.
“We’re not seriously going inside this place, are we? It’s probably full of angry squatters. They won’t appreciate the interruption.”
She waved me away before gripping the door handle. With one great tug, she pulled it open.
Maybe I was wrong about the place.
Chapter 7
Strobe lights flashed every color as they danced back and forth around the large room. Music blared from dozens of oversized speakers. People moved to the beat with reckless abandonment.
It was so noisy inside yet there was absolute silence outside. It might have been spelled with some kind of noise-cancelling or shielding charm. With this sized building, it must have been a strong one.
Cress waved at a bunch of people our age as she danced her way into the crowd. I followed along awkwardly, wishing I was back in the library. It had been so long since I’d let my hair down that it now seemed foreign.
She went into the arms of a guy and gave him a hug. They didn’t kiss, so he couldn’t have been a boyfriend I’d never heard about.
“Eden, this is Bray,” she pointed to the hug guy and then went around the group, “that’s Cohen, Sully, and Matt.”
We exchanged some “hey’s” as they sized me up. I couldn’t tell what faction they were just by looking. If they were friends with Cress, chances were they were werewolves but it wasn’t a given.
Cohen stepped forward and offered me his hand. “Wanna dance?”
Did I even remember how? I looked at Cress and she gave me a wave that said ‘go’. It was probably rude to refuse one of her friends.
“Sure,” I said.
Cohen’s hand was far too warm. That ruled out vampire. He pulled me into the throng of people thrashing with the beat of the music. It was so loud I could feel the vibrations in my ribcage.
“Cress said you’re a witch,” Cohan yelled to be heard over the music.
“Yeah. What are you?”
“Wolf, baby. I’m all wolf.”
That was the moment I remembered that I didn’t like picking up guys at nightclubs. It was for that very reason. I gave him a smile and prayed it looked genuine. I wasn’t going to disrespect Cress and be rude to him.
I danced to the music as best as I could. Cohan kept winking at me and talking. It was easier to smile and nod instead of trying to hear everything he said over the music. He seemed to enjoy himself.
The moment the song ended, I took my chance to escape. “Thanks. I’m going to get a drink.”
He nodded and then spun around to find another unsuspecting woman. I was glad he didn’t try to be chivalrous and follow me.
I caught a glimpse of Cress dancing with a different guy than the one she hugged. They must have just been friends. Surely she would have told me about having a boyfriend if he meant more to her.
I’d never been to a supernatural nightclub before and it was certainly eye opening. The whole place was dark but balls of light hung in the air and sparkled with enchantment. They must seriously save on their electric bill when running things with magic.
A DJ was set up in the middle of the whole thing. She worked on a platform that was so high it was easy for everyone to see her no matter where they were. She bopped her head to the beat and constantly adjusted dials on the table in front of her.
She was also a shapeshifter and taking the form of a giant cat but with a human face. Her gray and black fur swayed with her movements. Her pointy ears barely fit underneath the headphones.
It was much easier to spot the shapeshifters over the other factions. Vampires were second easiest with their impossibly white skin that made them look half-frozen. Werewolves were difficult, but they were usually the ones with the biggest muscles. Anyone buff was probably one of the wolves.
The witches and seers were the hardest to tell. We didn’t have anything outward that screamed of our faction. We were just…normal, with powers beyond that of a normal person.
It took forever to get served. Once I made my way through the queue to the bar, my drink magically appea
red in front of me. A single warlock was behind the bar, using his magic to conjure drinks out of nowhere. He was getting through a lot of customers by himself.
I’d ordered a lemonade which was cold and tasty. Anything alcoholic would have gone straight to my head. I needed to keep my wits about me in a place so full of supernaturals. I started heading back to where I’d last seen Cress.
“Hey, cutie.” The male voice came from a guy that was blocking my path. He was very pale—vampire.
“Hi,” I replied. “Can I get past?”
“How about a dance?” He wiggled his hips which was probably supposed to be sexy. I found it the exact opposite.
“I need to find my friend.”
He tugged on his ear as if he couldn’t hear me. I repeated myself again but louder. So loud everyone in our vicinity should have been able to hear.
He tried to grab my hands. “I said no, thank you,” I said, snatching them back from his sweaty palms. He was strong, definitely vampire. They may have looked sickly pale but they were even stronger than the werewolves—just without the muscle mass.
“I said dance with me,” he snarled.
I dealt with him how I would any guy that wouldn’t take no for an answer. I stomped on his foot with the heel of my stiletto.
He jumped backwards. “Bitch!”
“That’s me,” I replied and finally was able to step around him.
I tried to see through the crowd so I could find Cress. It was like she’d disappeared. There were too many people on the dancefloor and the strobe lighting made it way too difficult to see anything very well.
The sea of people swallowed me up and made getting anywhere really hard. I’d spilled most of my drink but there was nowhere to leave my glass. I also might have broken Cress’s stiletto on the douche’s foot.
I limped along as elbows hit me and feet threatened to trip me up. Maybe I should have just left. I could send a text to Cress when I got outside to let her know.
But then how would I get back to Shadow Academy? I didn’t have a car and I didn’t have magic. The warehouse was in the middle of nowhere. Walking was out and I doubted any buses would be around. I couldn’t exactly call an Uber to take me home, the academy didn’t appear on any maps.
I was stuck and powerless. There was no way I wanted to walk around the neighborhood without magic to protect me. It was a situation my mother always told me not to get myself into.
Waiting for Cress was my only real option. I just needed to find her.
“Didn’t expect to see you here,” Liam’s voice cut through the music to filter directly into my ears. “Are you lost?”
I turned to my right to see Liam standing there. Just the sight of him took my breath away. He was wearing all black—jeans, shirt, jacket. The lighting only made the blue of his eyes pop even brighter. His hair was slicked back like he’d actually tried to style it.
“I kinda am, actually,” I replied. “I’m looking for Cress. You haven’t seen her around, have you?”
“Nope.”
“Well, if you see her, tell her I’m looking for her. Okay?”
“I can help you look.”
“You don’t need to do that.” Why was he still being so nice to me? How many times did I have to reject him before he stopped?
“Come on, we’ll check out the dance floor.” He held one hand out for me and took my empty glass with the other. He lifted it into the air and it floated away in the direction of the bar.
That was impressive. And helpful.
I allowed him to guide me toward the center of the room. I did keep an eye out for Cress but I was distracted by Liam. The way he moved. The way people stepped out of his way to allow him through. He had a presence to him that I’d never seen before.
My hand was so warm in his. It was giving me electric jolts, little reminders that we were touching. I’d felt the same thing when we’d kissed in the forest. Just that one memory was enough to send my heartbeat into overdrive.
He stopped in the middle of the dance floor and spun around to face me. At the same time he pulled me closer to him so we were nose to nose. His eyes were…right there and looking directly into mine.
My goddess, all I could see were those eyes.
I stared like a stupid schoolgirl as he moved his body against me. His hips were in line with mine, so close there wasn’t a breath of a gap between us. His arms encircled me, holding me there as a willing prisoner.
The song changed as it slowed down. Seductive crooning surrounded us now, melting into rhythms that we rejoiced in with our bodies. This level of bewitching melody should have been reserved for the clubs in Havana, not an abandoned warehouse in Brushwood, full of supernaturals.
My hips swayed against him. His hand burned a patch on my back as he held me close. My breaths came in short gasps, making my chest press against his.
He leaned in so I could no longer see his face. I looked over his shoulder to see everyone else was gone. Darkness surrounded us. We were dancing in our own private room with a spotlight overhead.
Somehow, it made sense. I didn’t know what happened, but I assumed it was a spell of some kind. Maybe it was the song, enchanted so everyone experienced it differently or something. Whatever it was, I couldn’t find the desire to work it out.
Liam’s body felt hard against mine. The muscles in his biceps flexed as he held me. I was certain his clothes were hiding a smoking hot physique underneath. I really wanted to find out.
I was intoxicatingly drunk on his cologne. It was all I could smell and filled my nostrils with the hint of the forest and everything masculine. It was his signature, I’d never smelled it on anyone else before.
“You’re looking very hot tonight,” he whispered against my ear. The soft tendrils of his breath caressed my neck and left goosebumps in its wake.
All the words I could have said all left me barren. They could never compare to the words he’d just whispered to me.
He pulled back to look me in the eyes again. I may as well have been his puppet. There was nothing I could do to resist him. All the logic and sense in the world wasn’t enough to make me move.
My gaze flicked to his lips. I wanted to taste them so badly. They were right there. All I had to do was tilt my head upwards just a little bit. A little bit and he would be mine.
I lifted my head until our mouths barely had a sliver of air between them. Liam brushed his lips against mine, so softly I might even have imagined it.
I yearned for the kiss. I wanted it more than anything else in the world. I couldn’t go on without it. I couldn’t even think straight until I got it.
My patience ran out. I pushed my lips against him and fell into his embrace. He was still moving our bodies to the music but my mind was somewhere else entirely. I was lost in the man. I wanted more kisses. Harder kisses. Enough kisses to last me a lifetime.
It felt so…right.
I’d been denying myself this pure bliss for weeks and I forgot why in the moment. I couldn’t imagine being without him again. That kiss could sustain me for as long I needed it to. All I had to do all this time was surrender to him.
He released me, leaving my mouth open and my lips wanting more. My goddess, there had to be a million more kisses like that in my future or there was nothing worth living for.
The music switched to a fast one again. I took a deep breath as I came back to my body. Liam still held me but I was no longer fully engulfed by him. The crowds had returned around us once more. Everything seemed too packed and loud.
“I need some air,” I managed to stutter out.
I had no idea where the doors were so I blindly charged through the people, pushing where I had to. I couldn’t breathe anymore. If I didn’t get some fresh air soon, I was going to pass out.
I’d only had a lemonade, I knew I wasn’t drunk, but it felt like I was. All I could focus on was finding a door and would do whatever I had to until I found it. Nothing else mattered but getting outside.
&n
bsp; Finally, I spotted a neon green EXIT sign. I rushed for it and broke through the door. The cold air rushed toward me outside. It instantly covered me in goosepimples. I crossed my arms over my chest to keep some of the warmth in.
I took several gulps of air before I could start thinking again. It was then that I realized I wasn’t alone. I quickly turned around, ready for anything, when I saw Liam.
Sweat was beading in his temples. His face was flushed. He shoved his hands into his pockets and pinned me with those amazing eyes of his.
But the spell was broken. “What did you do to me in there?” I demanded.
“What do you mean? We danced.”
“No, you did something to me. You…you…cast some kind of lust spell on me. You made me forget—” I stopped myself just time before I spilled my secret.
He took his hands out of his pockets and shrugged. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. It was just a dance. I promise you that I didn’t do anything to you. Just danced.”
He was so good at lying. I could see that now. All those intense feelings I had toward him when we were dancing, that was not nothing. He had made me feel that. It couldn’t have been anything else except a spell.
“You’re lying,” I said. My hands were shaking now. I wasn’t entirely sure it was just from the chilly weather. My head still swam all over the place.
“Eden, I’m not. We just danced.”
“And kissed. You made me kiss you.”
“You kissed me. I thought that’s what you wanted.” He sounded so innocent. He was a good actor. I would have to remember that. He wouldn’t trap me again. I wouldn’t let him.
There was no point arguing with him. He was never going to admit to what he did. I didn’t have the strength to keep fighting with him either. I needed to sit down. I needed to lie down before I passed out.
“I need to find Cress,” I said.
“I’ll help you look,” he replied.
My head shook side to side. “No. No, you’ve done enough. Leave me alone.”
I ran for the door that led back inside the club.
If I didn’t find Cress soon, I was going to pass out.
Magic Bound (Shadow Academy Book 2) Page 5
