Academy of the Elites: Fated Magic

by Alexis Calder

  “Ten seconds in between. Everyone runs,” Coach called.

  As I watched the people in front of me begin their run, I realized how tall the stairs really were. They looked even worse up close. I was going to feel this tomorrow.

  “Just keep an even pace and move your arms like you’re running so you always look like you’re running,” Luka said.

  “Good advice,” I said. “At least I get to look at your ass while we’re running.”

  “Oh yeah, you got the best seat in the house.” He winked, then he took off up the massive staircase.

  I counted to ten, then I started up. Halfway, my calves were already burning. My pulse quickened and my breathing got more difficult. By the time I reached the top, I was ready to bend over and catch my breath. But I knew that wasn’t an option. So I tried to catch my breath - and not fall on my ass - as I took on the decline.

  Having Luka setting the pace in front of me helped. And he did have a fantastic ass. Especially in his gym shorts. I was going to need alone time with him after this.

  Wondering if Luka and I could squeeze in a quickie during lunch kept me distracted for the first few rounds. I followed his advice, pumping my arms as if I were running even if I had to walk a couple steps here and there.

  So far, I seemed to be avoiding drawing any attention to myself. I winced as Coach Miller grabbed a couple of people and pulled them to the side before sending them back into the line. He was making good on his threat.

  I did not want to spend my time after dinner on this stairway to hell. I was pretty sure I’d throw up on the first round so at least it would be over quickly, but that did not sound like a good way to start your evening.

  Someone’s shoe caught mine and I picked up the pace, worried I was dragging too slow.

  Everything hurt.

  I could feel my body wearing out. How much time had we been at this?

  “Don’t stop,” Luka called. “I’ll rub every inch of your skin down for your tonight.”

  I was breathing too hard to respond, but I flashed him a smile. When we got down and were waiting in line to go back up, I tapped him on the shoulder. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

  “I can’t wait,” he said, then he darted up the stairs as if he weren’t tired at all.

  I pouted to myself and whimpered a little as I slowly walked toward the step. As soon as I got to ten, I climbed, swinging my arms as if I was running. But the run had gone out of me. It was all acting at this point.

  Suddenly, someone grabbed my leg and I went down, knocking my jaw on the step as I fell.

  Pain shot through my face and I cried out as I desperately tried to regain my balance.

  I failed.

  My shoulder knocked against another stair as my body slid down. I landed hard. My head cracking against the wood floor.

  I sat up slowly. Blackness blurred the corners of my vision and the room spun. Sounds were muted, as if they were coming from very far away.

  Then, someone punched me in the face.

  I fell backward to the ground again, and I’m pretty sure I lost consciousness for a second. All at once, noise surrounded me, and someone was helping me sit up.

  “That’s for taking more than your share,” someone said in my ear. I didn’t know who it was but it was a female voice.

  I turned toward the speaker and saw two of the same siren snarling down at me. I narrowed my eyes, trying to steady my vision.

  Finally, she returned to one figure.

  “Stay away from Zach,” she said. “He’s taken. Stick to your demon and your wolf, selfish whore.”

  I sputtered out something nonsensical as I grappled with the fuzzy vision and screaming pain in my head.

  “What the hell is going on over here?” Coach Miller asked.

  “She stopped and I ran into her,” Delores said.

  “That’s not true,” I managed.

  “It is, if she moved her lazy ass, none of this would have happened,” Delores added.

  “It’s true, coach, I saw the whole thing,” Melody, another siren said.

  “No, I was moving,” I said, starting to wonder if I had stopped. Nothing seemed very clear right now. Then I remembered her threat. “She was trying to hurt me.”

  “I’ll see you both after dinner,” Coach Miller said.

  “Raven,” Luka set his hand on my knee. “What happened?”

  “I fell,” I managed.

  “You’re bleeding,” he said. “Coach, she has to go to the hospital.”

  “She’s fine,” Delores said. “I’m sure she’s faking it. Mages can do all sorts of things with magic.”

  “This isn’t magic, and you know it,” Luka said.

  “Down, boy,” Delores said.

  “Is it getting hot in here or is just me?” Melody added.

  “Get the fuck away from her,” Luka said.

  “Luka, I think I’m going to throw up,” I said. I wasn’t really following the conversation. I just knew that my head felt like someone had taken a hammer to it and the whole room was spinning.

  “She’s not throwing up in here,” Coach Miller said. “Get her to the hospital.”

  Luka helped me up, and threw my arm over his shoulder, bearing most of my weight on him. “Come on, Raven.”

  My eyelids grew heavy and I felt my chin drop.

  “Stay with me, Raven,” Luka said. “No sleeping yet.”

  I focused on his voice, trying to stay awake. I was vaguely aware of the fact that I probably had a concussion. Leaning on him for support, Luka and I managed to make it out of the gym.

  10

  Luka

  I paced the hall in front of the hospital. Fuck them and their stupid rules about no visitors.

  I knew where the rule came from, of course. And I knew it was made to keep the students in there safe. But just because one rogue vampire used to use it as his own personal blood bank didn’t mean the rest of us were going to try something.

  Another reason to be wary of the bloodsuckers.

  I heard footsteps and turned to see Ben jogging down the hall. Like this day could get any worse. Of course I was going to have to deal with Raven’s other boyfriend.

  I wasn’t opposed to sharing, but usually sharing involved a one-time thing. And sex. Now, I was sharing my mate and I still wasn’t sure what that meant in terms of how I was supposed to relate to this wolf.

  “Tell me she’s okay,” Ben said.

  To his credit, he looked pale with worry. And he didn’t add in any digs at my being here. “She’s probably got a concussion. There was some blood from her fall, maybe a broken nose, but they won’t let me in.”

  “Did you tell them you’re her mate?” he asked.

  I blinked at him. Had he just admitted that? “No. I don’t think they care.”

  Ben walked past me and pounded on the door. “Anyone there?”

  A few seconds later, the door opened and a nurse in a crisp white dress greeted us with her hand on her hips. “I already told him. No visitors.”

  “But we’re her mates,” Ben said.

  The nurse’s brow furrowed briefly, then she pursed her lips. “No visitors.”

  “At least tell us how she’s doing,” I said.

  She closed the door a little, but paused, as if debating how much she should say. Finally, she opened the door again and let out a heavy sigh. “I can’t let you in.”

  “Then I’ll push my way in,” Ben said, moving toward the door.

  I grabbed him and pulled him back. “No, you won’t.”

  The nurse looked pissed rather than afraid. No telling what kind of supernatural she was, but I was guessing she could handle a wolf shifter if she didn’t even flinch at Ben’s aggression.

  “Can you just give us an update?”

  She glared at Ben. “Are you going to be calm?”

  “Fine,” he said.

  She turned back to me. “She’s got a concussion and a fracture in her cheek. We’re healing it and keepi
ng her tonight. She should be back to normal tomorrow.”

  I gently pushed Ben away from the door. “Thank you.”

  Ben let out a low growl.

  “Hey, she’s safe there and they’re fixing it,” I said.

  The nurse closed the door and Ben’s shoulders dropped. He took a few steps away, then turned back to me. “What happened?”

  “Someone pushed her down the stairs, I think.” I debated if I should tell him about the punch in the face. Then I realized he might already know. I wasn’t sure what his bond was like with her, but I knew that he could sense her pain. How much did he know when they weren’t together?

  “Another female punched her when she was down,” I said.

  Ben’s hands balled into fists. “Tell me the name.”

  “Raven’s going to be pissed if you go vigilante, you know that, right?” I said.

  His jaw tensed and I could almost feel him considering his options. He glanced back at the closed door, then looked at me. “I’ll wait till I get word from her tomorrow. But if she asks me to, I’ll kill the person who punched her.”

  “That’s fair.” I doubted that Raven would want that, but who was I to explain that to a pissed shifter?

  “Now what?” I asked, looking toward the door again.

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “Where does this leave us?” I asked. “We’ve never talked about how this works. Both of us formed a mating bond with Raven.”

  “And today isn’t the day we’re going to start taking about it,” Ben said. “We’re not girlfriends.”

  “I know that,” I said. “But this could be complicated.”

  “It’s not complicated,” Ben said. “You stay away from her while I’m with her.”

  “And when I’m with her?” I asked.

  He growled.

  “Yeah, I’m not a wolf. That alpha shit doesn’t work on me.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “When I’m with her, you stay away if you want me to return the favor. Unless you want to join in?”

  “That is never happening again.” He was already walking away before I could say anything else.

  For a wolf shifter, it was actually a pretty touchy-feely conversation. Not one I ever thought I’d have. I was an incubus. Sharing didn’t bother me, not when it came to sex at least. I wondered what Raven’s thoughts were on the whole situation. We’d never discussed that night in the shower.

  I watched as Ben walked away and laughed to myself. My life had taken some strange turns since Raven arrived.

  And I knew I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

  With one last glance at the door, I walked away. I might not be able to get into the hospital, but there were other ways of checking in on her.

  All I needed was for her to fall asleep.

  11

  Raven

  Everything was dark. Dripping sounded nearby and I turned toward it, trying to find the source of the sound. Or some light. Any light.

  I worked to steady my breathing, forcing myself to stay calm. It wasn’t easy. I could feel a clammy sweat on my palms.

  This has to be a dream. It’s only a dream.

  It was a dream, wasn’t it? I spun in a slow circle, afraid to move too far just in case I really was in a black room. What if there was furniture around me. Or something worse?

  Was I unconscious? Was this what that felt like? I’d never been punched before. Maybe I blacked out. Maybe this was why they called it blacking out.

  Footsteps sounded and my heart raced. “Who’s there?”

  “Raven?” Luka’s voice called into the blackness.

  My shoulders dropped as relief rolled over me. If Luka was here, this had to be a dream. “I’m here. Luka, can you turn on some lights?”

  A shimmer of light sparkled overhead as if the room had been painted in stardust. I held my hand up, my fingers brushing against some of the flickering lights. They seemed to move and shimmer like fireflies, not staying put in one place for long.

  The dark space was illuminated now and I could see Luka walking toward me. I was happy to see him, but disappointed at the circumstances. Once again, I was in the dungeon. The same room I’d been going to in my nightmares since I was a child. Why was I always drawn to this place? And why wasn’t it lit today? That was new.

  Luka’s fingers gently touched my arm and I smiled at him. “Thanks for coming.”

  “Of course,” he said. “How are you doing? What did the nurse say?”

  “Concussion,” I said, recalling the throbbing pain in my head. “Fractured cheek. That hurt like a mother.”

  “I bet,” Luka said. “I broke my nose once. Well, I didn’t, my cousin popped me in the nose.”

  “Ouch,” I said, reaching up to touch my own nose, then I reached for Luka’s. Now that he mentioned it, I could see the slight bump on an otherwise perfect profile. I slid my fingertip over it, surprised I never noticed it before. If anything, the minor imperfection made him even more handsome.

  “They told me it would make me look tough but it healed so well most people can’t tell.” He shrugged. “It was a long time ago. I’m worried about you right now. Not me.”

  “I’ll be fine,” I said. “At least that’s what the nurse said.”

  “Did she use magic to heal you?” He slid his fingers through my hair, cradling the side of my head as if checking for injury.

  “Yes,” I said. “Don’t worry so much.”

  He scowled for a brief second, his eyes flashing red before returning to blue. “She shouldn’t have hurt you. Why did she do that?”

  “Um,” I fidgeted, then stepped away from his touch. “I was with someone else over the weekend.”

  “I know,” he said.

  “You know?” I asked.

  He frowned. “I could smell him on you.”

  My cheeks heated. “Why didn’t you say anything? Don’t get me wrong, I’m kind of glad you didn’t, but still.”

  “Cause I don’t own you, Raven,” he said. “You’re my mate and I’d do anything for you, but I need you to be happy.”

  “Wow,” I said, blinking up at him. That wasn’t what I expected.

  “So she hit you because you fucked her boyfriend?”

  “Not exactly,” I said.

  “Her girlfriend?” He straightened and his lips curved. “Cause I’m on board with that just so you know. I mean, I’m good with a boyfriend too, but you and me haven’t tried it with another girl yet.”

  “No!” I said. “It wasn’t her boyfriend, it was her brother’s boyfriend and I guess she’s threatened.”

  “Ah,” he said, nodding sagely. “You finally fucked one of the twins.”

  “How did you know?” I asked.

  “Raven, I feed off sex. When you’re around them, it’s literally in the air.”

  I turned away from him and scrubbed my face with my hand. He was taking this so well and I should be thrilled, but I was still having trouble adjusting to the fact that my romantic life went from zero to …. Three. Maybe four?

  Fuck.

  How the hell did that happen?

  I turned back to Luka. “Is it normal in this world to have multiple mates?”

  He shook his head. “No. It’s actually rare to even have one. But it can happen.”

  I swallowed. I’d heard that before but I wasn’t ready to believe it based on how my luck had gone. Every one of them, even the twins, felt like part of me. I couldn’t even imagine life without them. And I didn’t want to know what a life without them looked like. But I had to admit, it would be simpler if I hadn’t mated with three males. Probably four if I let myself be honest.

  Because as we talked, I was suddenly sure that what I felt with Luka and Ben was a mating bond. And what I felt with Matt and Zach was the same thing. It felt different, but the pull was there. The lust was there. The need to have them in my life - and inside me - was there.

  It was a lot to take in for someone who grew up in the human world.

&nbs
p; Luka set his hand on my upper arm. “Want me to go?”

  I shook my head. “No.” Then, I grinned at him as I thought back to the last good memory I had. It was his ass in front of me climbing those stairs.

  “I want you to stay. I want all of you to stay.” I set my hand on his hip, then slid it around to his cock, cupping it with my hand.

  “You don’t have to ask me twice,” he said as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close.

  Suddenly, the room was blurring past me and I buried my face in his chest until everything stilled.

  When I looked up, we were in a field of soft grass dotted with tiny white flowers. The landscape was nearly monochromatic in the light of the full moon.

  A gentle breeze rustled the grass and nearby, an owl hooted softly. Crickets sang and I could taste the tang of the sea in the air.

  My whole body relaxed, taking in the sweetness of the fresh air and the empty quiet of nature. It was the two of us, surrounded by the less complicated creatures of the earth.

  I’d never felt so at peace or so connected to a place in my whole life. “It’s beautiful.”

  “I thought you’d like this,” he said.

  “What is it? Is this a memory?” I asked.

  “Of sorts,” he said. “It was a place my grandmother showed me in dreams. It’s a meadow in Faerie.”

  My chest tightened. Faerie. This was my heritage. Where half of my family was from. A place I’d never see in real life.

  And it felt like home.

  12

  Luka

  Raven’s face was practically glowing with awe as she looked around at the landscape I’d created for her. I wasn’t sure if she’d like it. I knew she had some fae blood and since finding that out, I’d practiced recreating this place in my own dreams until I got it as close as I could to what it looked like when my grandmother did it.

  It wasn’t quite the same, there was something missing in my execution, but it was made up for by the company I had.

  I reached for her hand, taking it in mine as she continued to look around.