Foreseen (Suoja Guild Book 2)

by AJ Anders

  This place was weird.

  Hoping she chose the right one, Evie sighed as she opened the door. Students filled the classroom almost to capacity. At Orientation, Mrs. Solomon mentioned that all forty-three camp members would attend this specific class; it was one of the mandatory ones assigned to them. She mistakenly assumed there would be numerous classes offered at different times, so she wouldn’t be stuck in the same room with all of them.

  She assumed wrong.

  From the looks of it, most of the forty-three already sat in their seats, frowns in place and bored expressions on their faces. Some still looked angry, while others appeared wary. They sat clustered together like a swarm of insects, feasting on each others’ emotions. Evie searched for a seat amongst the ones who appeared bored. They were the safest choice.

  The classroom was a typical college lecture hall, albeit a lot smaller. The front of the room held a desk with a projection screen behind it and a lecturing podium off to one side. Stadium seating, the kind with desktops attached, went up ten rows. Based on the number of seats, a hundred students could fit in the room, not the typical two hundred or more traditional universities offered.

  The emptiness in the front of the classroom told Evie she wasn’t as late as she thought. She made her way toward a seat halfway up at the edge of the row closest to the door. The ability for a quick exit relieved her. As she settled into her seat, a backpack was flung noisily into the seat beside her.

  “Hi, doll. Did you miss me?” Dominick leered at her as he sat. He reached over and took one of Evie’s hands in his, squeezing it tightly.

  Like a bullet finding its mark, fear shot through her. Not wanting to cause a scene, she didn’t say anything as she yanked her hand from his grip and tried her best to ignore him. Surveying the rest of the room, Evie noted all the exit points. Normally, a second exit would be situated at the top of the stairs of the lecture room, but the wall was empty, nothing but cinder blocks. No posters, pictures, or anything hung to offset the stark gray color. Evie spotted a second door located behind and off to the left of the projector, but she assumed it led to the professor’s office.

  At exactly nine, the second door opened, and in walked a man a little older than Evie. She estimated his age in the mid-twenties. At his entrance, all the female students shifted in their seats, straining for a better view. Their bodies turned at the perfect angle to put their cleavages on display.

  Evie snorted in disgust. Catty girls in high school were catty girls in college with skimpier clothes and a more experienced aura to broadcast their interest.

  The man who Evie assumed to be the class’s professor walked coolly over to the podium and placed a stack of papers on it. She took in his outfit, surprised a professor at such an elite school would dress casually. Dark khaki pants, white button-down shirt, and a pair of loafers gave the illusion he should be lounging at an exclusive yacht club, not standing in front of a classroom. In need of a trim, his russet-colored hair, short on top, curled slightly around his ears. He glanced up and bright cerulean blue eyes collided with hers. Her professor was a Surmata.

  Surmata liked to play human, holding their true image a secret. No human, at least the ones in the general population, knew what their true form looked like. Stories said that if you saw a Surmata in his or her natural state, it’s the last thing you will ever see before they take your head.

  “Good afternoon,” a stiff voice rang out, dryness coating every word. “I am Soturi Aaron, and this is Introduction to Surmata History. This class is designed to give our new students a brief introduction to the Surmata culture as well as our laws. This course is mandatory for all humans. Since the school term started several weeks ago,” he surveyed the room, his glasses slipping down his nose, “and you started here late, we will need to cover a lot of material in a short amount of time.

  “I need to gauge your knowledge of Surmata culture in order to tailor a teaching plan to best suit your needs. At the end of class, I will give you a questionnaire to complete before the next class. Please bring it with you on Monday.

  “Now, as an icebreaker, I thought it would be nice to open the floor to a discussion on what some of your current beliefs are and whether they’re correct. I will go around the room, picking a few of you to pose a fact you have heard about my kind. I will try to be as candid as possible when addressing your theories. Now let’s see…” He gazed around the room. “Hmmm, how about we start in the back row? You there, in the blue shirt. Please state your name, and give me one fact you know about the Surmata.”

  Evie turned to look up the rows to the back as the guy in question stood, adjusting his shirt. “Uh, Jase Donnelly. It’s said the Surmata are wicked fast and strong. Stronger than a human.”

  “That’s correct. The human race is not weak, but the Surmata are the apex predators of this planet, and we are naturally stronger. Alright, next question. Let’s see…you in the middle.” Soturi Aaron pointed to the center of the room. As his arm flexed, Evie swore she heard sighs from the girls as well as a few of the men around her.

  A blond woman stood, her breasts barely contained within her too-tight shirt. She twirled her hair and pursed ruby-colored lips. “I’ve heard Surmata men are fantastic lovers.” Her voice was throaty, the invitation in her words clear.

  The professor arched his brows in amusement. “I am sure there are fantastic lovers in both our species, but humans and Surmata are not compatible.”

  “But why, Soturi Aaron?” The girl’s lip, curled in a full pout, bent over her desk, her hand on her hip, still twirling her hair. Evie was surprised she wasn’t on her desk, legs splayed open with a sign saying Come on in, open for business.

  “As I said before, the Surmata are the stronger race. Imagine Superman trying to get it on with Lois Lane. It’s physically impossible. If he lost control even slightly, at best, he would crush her pelvis; worst-case, he would kill her as he reached the pinnacle of his orgasm. The same could be said for a Surmata female and a human male. But the best case for him would be his penis being ripped from his body.”

  Several gasps and a few moans echoed around the room. Guy after guy moved to cup the crotch of their pants, a move born from sympathy.

  “Okay, moving on. You in the front.” Soturi Aaron pointed to a guy in an orange shirt.

  The guy stood up. “Mike Ledford, and I heard that the Surmata aren’t from earth.”

  “That’s a misconception. Even demons are from earth, just a different plane of existence, one we call the demon realm. The Surmata come from another plane, one parallel with the earthen plane. While some demons and all Surmata can pass into other planes, humans cannot because they lack the necessary magic.”

  Soturi Aaron turned to the whiteboard behind him, picking up a marker from the small crevice under the frame. Evie missed what he drew at first, her eyes glued to his firm ass. When he reached up, his shirt rode higher, exposing the top of his pants. Since he wasn’t wearing a belt, his khaki pants rode low on his hips.

  Evie forced her eyes away and tried to focus on his words. He drew one large circle with an intersecting circle on either side. The one on the right, he labeled the Surmata realm, the one on the left the demon realm, and above the one in the middle he wrote earthen realm.

  “As you can see, the earthen realm intersects both of the other realms, but the Surmata and the demon realm do not intersect with each other. Demons are unable to pass directly through to my home realm. They must first pass the earthen. This is one of the reasons why we protect humans so rigorously. In doing so, we protect our home as well. The earthen realm is the battleground everyone is fighting for. It’s the main connecting point for all the other smaller realms as well. And yes, before you ask, there are other realms besides the main ones I mentioned. You will not be covering those for quite some time. Just know they are there for now.”

  “So that’s why you protect humans? Because we’re a buffer between your realm and the demon realm?” Dominick spoke out, his v
oice neutral, no hint at what he truly felt on the subject.

  “That is part of the reason. There are many more, but once again, we shall save those for another day. Alright, let’s continue.”

  Evie raised her hand impulsively. Soturi Aaron smiled at her, gesturing for her to speak. Standing, she voiced her question clearly. “I’m Evie Saunders. Does your home world differ from ours?”

  “Ah, excellent question. Yes, my world is vastly different from the earthen realm. We don’t have cities with skyscrapers like the ones you do here. We believe in keeping our environment as natural as possible. Smaller dwellings make up population centers. We are also a private race, so we keep our dwellings spaced farther apart, each of us owning the land surrounding our habitat.”

  After Evie sat back down, other students asked more questions. The remainder of class passed quickly. At the end, Soturi Aaron walked around the room, handing out the questionnaire for homework.

  As Evie reached up to take the offered paperwork, her fingers accidently brushed his. The brief contact sparked an electric shock that raced along her skin. Heat spread through her cheeks, her pulse jumping. A sharp intake of breath pulled Evie’s gaze upwards. She watched as Soturi Aaron’s pupils enlarged, taking on a darker hue.

  Quickly taking the pages from his hand, Evie busied herself by stuffing her notebook in her backpack. She hoped he hadn’t witnessed her cheeks reddening in embarrassment. After a half second, the Surmata moved on, approaching the remaining students.

  As everyone stood to leave, he called a halt to the procession. “All the textbooks you need for your classes are waiting to be picked up in the library. Even though you won’t need them today, I expect everyone to have them for the next scheduled class. Now, you are dismissed.”

  Before Dominick could gather his things, Evie rushed from her desk. He tried to grab her arm, to stop her from leaving the class without him, but she dodged his attempt. She barreled toward the exit, bumping her way past a few of the others in her haste. They cast weird glances her way, but she ignored them and kept her head down. Most of her old campmates believed the lies spread about her anyway and would not interfere.

  At the door, she glanced back over her shoulder. Through the crowd, she saw Soturi Aaron leaning against the podium. As if sensing her gaze, his cerulean eyes met hers before the press of the other students pushed her out the room.

  Chapter Eight

  At Farrun Hall, Evie trailed behind a few students who entered ahead of her. The building proved to be the perfect setting for Evie’s next class, Suojata, a combat and defense training program. The building housed a large indoor gymnasium, a free weight and cardio room encased in glass, and separate dressing rooms on either side of the entrance. The main workout area, a wide open room, ran the length of the building, its cathedral ceilings three stories high.

  Students already lined the gym walls, waiting on instruction. At least thirty people, human and Surmata, stood around in smaller groups, talking amongst themselves. Not spotting anyone she wanted to socialize with, she leaned against the cinder block wall, crossed her arms, and waited patiently for class to start.

  Evie passed the time by covertly watching each group, playing a guessing game with herself as she tried to distinguish human from Surmata. With most of the human men at or above six feet tall, it proved difficult with their backs turned, forcing her to focus on body language. The Surmata moved gracefully, precise and lithesome in motion, whereas humans, clunky creatures, almost bulldozed their way through obstacles, no elegance or beauty in their movements.

  More people filed into the room. Attendance in this class was at least double that of her history class. Many new faces Evie didn’t recognize strolled about, talking in small clusters, familiar with one another. Evie assumed the forty-three from her group, well, forty-two since Max failed to make an appearance, would all participate. Evie tensed when Dominick entered the gym, but he sauntered past her without giving her a single glance.

  Hands clapped together to grab everyone’s attention. A Surmata male stood in front of the class. Average in height for a Surmata, barely over six feet tall, he had a runner’s body of lean muscles, narrow at the waist and hips. His eyes, a dark-brown mahogany, accentuated his serious face. The change in outfit, enough to throw Evie off, almost made her not recognize him as the guard from the bus. The same guard who made Evie’s heart warm by his protective display.

  Excited to see him again, Evie almost failed to question his change in appearance. On the bus, Evie believed him to be human, but now his eyes shown with the inner brilliance only the Surmata had. The information she’d been taught at camp was incomplete. Maybe, they could change their appearance at will. This gave credence to what some researchers theorized about the Surmata having more than one form. That their eyes offered a hint at their true appearance.

  “Alright, class. Let’s get started. My name is Soturi Xander, and I will be your primary self-defense instructor. To the right of me are two of my advanced students. They will assist me with your training. When I’m not here, they’re in charge.” Soturi Xander gestured to the men beside him. “Now, the big brute on the end with the horrendous beard is Soturi Brant.”

  Evie glanced at the man Soturi Xander referred to. Huge, almost seven feet tall, with a barrel-shaped chest and muscles on his arms bigger than the circumference of Evie’s body. His eyes, kind and warm with inviting yellow-orange irises, contradicted his size. He reminded Evie of an overgrown teddy bear. With all eyes on him, he seemed ill at ease, uncomfortable with the attention.

  “The shorter, scrawny one next to me is Soturi Lyon. And, I will warn you now his bark is not worse than his bite.” Soturi Xander laughed, amused by his own joke. A loud growl emitted from Soturi Lyon’s chest. Not scrawny by any means, Lyon glared at the class, daring them to laugh at the quip; none did. Both Surmata males were about the same height, but while Soturi Xander was lithe, Soturi Lyon was stocky. Of course, anyone next to Soturi Brant’s giant frame would appear small.

  “You will be divided into three groups. Each group will be assigned an instructor. We will each call out names. If you hear yours, step behind the person who called it. Once we have the groups assigned, we will give you five minutes to change into more appropriate attire.”

  It didn’t take long for them to go through the names. Evie ended up in Soturi Xander’s group and almost jumped with joy when Dominick ended up with Soturi Brant.

  As she ran to the locker room to change, the dull ache in her side returned, becoming a painful throb. Not strong enough, the pills she took earlier were wearing off. The soreness from where Dominick punched her slowly built back up. When she breathed in, the pain intensified, giving evidence to a possible bruised rib, maybe even more than one. She changed carefully, hoping nothing too strenuous would be required in today’s class, and followed her classmates back out to the gym.

  “Okay. We are going to go over some of the basics. Once we get a feel for what level you’re at, we will place you in a class with your peers.” Soturi Xander paced in front of the three groups. “Today, there will be a series of endurance and strength tests. Please perform them to your fullest potential, because once I place you in a class, you will not be allowed to change.”

  ~

  An hour later, exhausted from repeated push-ups, sit-ups, and sprints, Evie wished the class would end soon. She performed well, but made sure to stay in the middle of the group; she didn’t want to call attention to her uniqueness, not here. Over the last year, her increased training schedule allowed her to become stronger and faster than her counterparts at camp. Her increased endurance kept her on her feet while the others in her group sprawled out on the floor, their chests heaving as they caught their breath.

  Evie leaned against the wall, trying to not let her agony show.

  During the tests, it steadily increased, getting progressively worse as the hour went by. It became difficult for her to mask how much pain vibrated through her body as the th
robbing ache disappeared, only to be replaced with a stabbing pain that made her breath catch if she inhaled too deeply.

  “Alright, everyone. This will be the last exercise. We will pair you up and watch how you spar.”

  Soturi Xander methodically chose each partnership. He evaluated each person visually, pairing him or her with someone with roughly the same physical build, or as close as possible. Evie, on the short side, was more lean muscle with a curvy waist. All the other girls were taller and heavier.

  Soturi Xander paired Evie with a girl at least five inches taller in height who easily outweighed her by forty pounds or more. The girl looked vaguely familiar; Evie had seen her around the camp. Her name was Shannon, and she was part of the flock of girls who swarmed around Dominick and his friends, always trying to attract their attention.

  Shannon regarded Evie with contempt, her hate on open display, and Evie knew she wouldn’t hold back. Shannon planned to inflict as much pain on her as possible. Evie sighed. Nothing had changed since leaving the camp. She’d really expected her life to improve upon arriving at the school.

  Now, she knew better.

  “When I blow the whistle, you will each have a go at each other. All hits must be to the torso area only. Keep it clean. I want fair fighting.” Soturi Xander paused to make sure everyone understood the rules. “We will be walking around, looking at your individual maneuvers, and grading you on what we see. Fight dirty and points will be deducted from your overall score, and you’ll start in the beginner’s class with all the other newbies.”

  Soturi Xander held a clipboard. As he spoke, he jotted notes down; his forehead creased in a frown. An urge to reach out and smooth the wrinkle from his skin hit her full force. She wanted his eyes smiling, not darkened in frustration. Evie shuddered as the desire became almost overwhelming. She fisted her hands together to resist the compulsion. Not understanding where the impulse came from, she played it safe and backed away until she skirted the outer edge of the group. By putting space between them, she hoped the desire would diminish.