Matteaus pressed his hand to his forehead. “Mister Brand, my office now…and bring the girl.”
How many new schools would I start in before I finally settled into one for the rest of my education? Two schools in one day was a lot even for me. My mother had bounced me around for years, and now I suspected it wasn’t because of her job. Sitting in the middle of Matteaus’s office, I couldn’t decide if I should be thanking her for keeping me safe all this time or if I should be pissed she didn’t tell me anything about this life. A life I now was taking a swan dive into. There were only two other seats in the office besides the one behind the huge desk. The floor-to-ceiling dark oak shelving held books I’d never seen in languages I’d never heard of. These volumes looked to be thousands of years old.
I moved to go look at them, but Tucker shook his head. “I wouldn’t touch anything in here if I were you.”
Waiting for Matteaus to show up was worse than waiting for a normal principal of a new school to tell me I was kicked out within the first hour of getting there. I put my head in my hands. “I can’t believe…” I sat back in the chair. “Well…any of this. And seriously, was that an angel?”
A light chuckle rumbled in his chest. “Yes, the one and only Matteaus, to be exact.”
“What’s his deal?” I had to know more about this world I was joining, how it worked and what exactly I was getting myself into.
“Matteaus is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, supernatural being to walk the earth. All of the citizens of Evermore bow down to him.” He motioned to walls around us. “He founded this school and now runs it along with the others.”
I raised my eyebrows. “There’s others?”
“Seven more.” He leaned in closer to me. “No one knows why they’re on earth, but I think they got kicked out. He’s no saint…I mean, did you see the scars on his body? And he definitely doesn’t have the attitude of a saint. He’s more a badass than blessing.”
“Kicked out of what? Heaven?” I shoved my hand into my hair, and it instantly snagged on a knot. I yanked on it, dislodging my finger but also pulling out some of my own hair. “Ouch! So, you’re telling me there are real-life witches and angels?”
“And vampires, and shifters, and the mythological Greeks gods, although technically they aren’t gods. But don’t tell them that. They’re just very old and powerful supernaturals. Evermore is full of anything else you could possibly think of. All the myths are true. We live them every day. And well, Matteaus, he rules all of Evermore.”
I put my head in my hands. “I can’t handle this.”
When Tuck turned toward me, the leather seat squeaked. “You’re handling it well.”
“How am I handling this well? I’m not talking to my mom, I set a guy on fire, blew up a truck and nearly killed a girl.”
“You forgot you had a car wreck in the middle of the courtyard of Evermore Academy.” A smile tugged at the side of his lips.
“That was all you.” I crossed my arms over my chest and sat back in the chair. “I was just along for the ride. And what a ride it was.”
“I could think of much better rides.” His eyes turned to liquid heat when he looked at me.
I need this all to stop. For a moment, I wanted only to hang out with him and go to a movie. Not run for our lives for days on end. The more time I spent with him, the more I didn’t want to leave his side. There was an electric pulse between us that I couldn’t deny, and didn’t want to.
“Are you flirting with me?” I tilted my head to the side to study him.
He hesitated. “It’s strictly forbidden for a knight to be involved with the queen he protects.”
That’s not an answer. “What makes you think I want to be a queen?”
A bleak look crossed his face. “Zin, it’s not something we choose. I no more put this phoenix on my neck than you put that crescent moon on your shoulder.”
I pulled the neck of my shirt down and examined the birthmark I’d had since I was born. “That? It’s just a birthmark.”
“No, it a right of passage. It tells all of Evermore exactly who you are. That mark is a mark of destiny.” He leaned back in the chair and sighed.
“You think because I have this tiny thing on my shoulder, my whole life is planned out for me? That’s not fair. Don’t I get to choose what direction I want to go in?” Annoyance flared in my chest. How was this even possible? Because of a little mark, there was an evil king after me, and he was sending any and all of his followers to do his bidding.
“None of us got to choose.” There was something both sad and angry behind Tuck’s expression. Had his life been dictated to him as well? Had he lost family? Lost someone he loved, perhaps a girlfriend? The thought of that put me on edge, and maybe made me just a little jealous.
“I’ll get it removed, simple enough.”
“You most certainly will not.” A woman strode into the room wearing a white lab coat over a black pencil skirt and emerald green top. Her oversized glasses nearly took up her whole face and were sliding down her too-small nose. She piled her fire-engine red hair atop her head in a winding bun.
Who was this woman to tell me what I could and couldn’t do with my body? This was my life, and queen or not. I wouldn’t be answering to anyone from now on.
Tucker sat up straight in his chair. “Niche, this is Zinnia Heart.”
She pushed her glasses up her nose and leaned her hip against the desk. “I’m aware. What I’m still trying to figure out is why you crashed two…and a half cars into the courtyard. Why was she in one of those cars? And what made you think to bring Tabitha with you for this mission?”
Was she scolding him? I sat forward in my chair. “He saved my life. If you want to be annoyed at anyone, be annoyed at me.”
“Regardless of whether your life was saved or not, he endangered many others in doing so.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “I expected better of you, Tucker.”
How dare she? A surge of protectiveness overcame me. Who was she to criticize how Tuck handled a very difficult situation? “I’m sorry, who are you? You weren’t there. You don’t know what happened.”
“Zinnia,” Tuck chided.
I shrugged. “What? You’ve been risking your ass to keep me safe. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”
“I beg your pardon. I happen to be your mentor.” Niche looked down her nose at me.
I sat back in the chair. My jeans slid over the leather, and it groaned. “I thought mentors were supposed to be chosen?”
She bristled. “Well, in this school I am the Head Mistress of Magic. Which means I will be teaching you about all things relating to the magic you hold inside of you. As well as spells, potions, conjuring, divination, magical artifacts and control. Which, from what I hear, you need a lot of practice with.”
Heat flooded my cheeks. “Oh.”
“Come on, Niche, don’t be so hard on her. She only found out she’s a witch today.” Tucker sighed. “And if you ask me, she’s handling it very well.”
The truth was, I wasn’t handling it at all. Part of me was still in denial about all of this. The anger I felt toward my mom for keeping secrets was helping me to manage my fear. I was overwhelmed and completely out of my element. To top it all off, there was something between Tuck and me that I didn’t quite understand. But every time I was near him, I didn’t want to blend in like I normally did or hide. I felt brave, strong and sure of myself whenever he was around.
Niche threw her hands up. “I didn’t ask you, did I?”
“None of that was meant to happen. I was trying to get her used to us and then we were attacked…twice.” He ran his hands through his auburn locks.
The door burst open, and I startled in my seat, then turned back to see Matteaus taking up the whole doorway. His black wings were tucked close to his body, yet they stood high above his shoulders and dragged along the floor. When he stalked into the room, it struck me how unlike a principal he was. I’d been in over a dozen sch
ools, so I would know. He didn’t even wear the standard suit and tie. No, Matteaus was not a suit-and-tie kind of man. Instead, he wore black combat pants and a tight black tank top that barely contained his arms.
Matteaus lumbered behind his heavy mahogany desk and dropped into the oversized chair. His wings hung down past the armrest and across some of the floor. “Want to tell me what is happening?”
All at once, we opened our mouths to talk. “See what had happened was this guy…”
He held his hand up, silencing all of us. He pointed at Tuck. “And go…”
“I was with Zinnia when Alataris’s followers attacked us. They wanted to stop her from reaching the school and from joining with the other queens. If that happened, Evermore would fall to him. That’d be the end of it all as we know it. I couldn’t let it play out like that.”
Matteaus rocked back in his chair, and the hinges creaked under his weight. “You do understand you could’ve hurt one of the students here?”
“I understand.” Tuck looked down at his hands.
“Does no one in this room recognize that he saved my life?” Why was I speaking up so much? I was sitting across from an immortal angel and a powerful witch, arguing with them. What was wrong with me? From the corner of my eye, I saw that tattoo on my wrist begin to faintly glow. I quickly pulled my sleeve tighter around it. I cleared my throat. “What I mean to say is—”
“You meant to say you were sorry for speaking out of turn.” The muscles in Matteaus’s jaw flexed. “And that you’ll keep quiet until asked to speak from now on.”
I pressed my lips together and nodded.
Matteaus pulled a stack of papers from the top drawer in his desk and slammed them on his desk. “I have over a thousand students in this school, and trust me, you aren’t the only ones trying to save the world and fight off the big bad guy. A little discretion next time, if you please.”
Tuck leaned toward me, his fingers flexed at his side. Did he want to reach out to me? To touch my hand? He balled his hand into a fist. “I understand.”
Matteaus nodded. “Good. Now here are your schedules.” He pulled two papers off the top of the pile and handed one to each of us. “As you can see, you are together for your core classes. I understand you have to keep an eye on her. It’s your job. And for her magic classes, she will be with Niche, Adrianne, and the rest of the queens.”
Tucker reached forward and grabbed the paper. “The knights and I can rotate protecting the queens. Everyone will be covered.”
Matteaus nodded. “Very good.”
I grabbed up my schedule and studied it. “Who is Adrianne?”
Tuck whispered under his breath, “She is a knight you haven’t met yet. The daughter of Athena. She’s been working closely with Niche to resolve a…problem we have.”
My eyes went round. “There are Greek gods here?”
Matteaus made a sound of disgust. “They are not gods. Trust me.” He shook his head. “They wish they were, but once that rumor began amongst the humans, it was hard to put a stop to it. They’re just very powerful supernaturals, that’s all. Pain in my ass powerful beings.”
“Like you?” The question shot from my mouth before I could take it back.
“Most definitely not like me.” He rose to his feet. “I trust you will not almost blow up the school again this week.” He motioned toward the door to send us out.
When Tuck rose to his feet, I followed his lead. “Wait. You’re still letting me stay in the school after all that’s happened?”
Matteaus put his hands on his hips. “If I expelled a student every time they almost killed someone or blew something up, I’d have no students in my school. Now off you go.”
Tuck reached out and wrapped his hand around my elbow. His touch scorched my skin, and I stepped in closer to him. He guided me toward the door. “Let’s go before he changes his mind.”
I hesitated at the door. “Um, Mr. Matteaus, thank you for taking me in.”
A half smile spread across his chiseled face. “You’re very welcome. Tuck will show you where to bring your things.”
I had nothing but the cloths on my back. I shifted from one foot to the other. “I don’t have things. But I’ll manage. Maybe I could work in the school cafeteria so I could purchase things?”
Niche pressed her hand to her chest, then looked me up and down. She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t think so.” She held her finger up and gave it a quick twirl. “There, now your things will be in your room.”
I’d believe that when I saw it. “Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome, and I’ve notified your mother of your arrival. If you wish to speak with her, you can write to her. She’s already written to you.” Niche pulled an envelope from the pocket of her lab coat and handed it to me.
“How did it get here so fast?” I looked down at her sprawling writing across the front of it with my name on it.
Niche raised her eyebrows. “We witches have our ways…plus, fire messages are almost instant.”
I wasn’t ready to hear what my mother had to say. She’d lied to me my whole life, and right now I needed a moment away from her. I shoved the letter into my back pocket. “I’ll give her a call later.”
Niche waved her finger. “Tut tut, you’ll see cell phones don’t work in the Academy.”
“Oh, um, is there a rule banning them?” I’d had my own phone since I turned eight years old. This was going to be difficult. The withdrawal alone was going to suck.
“No, you all can have them. But the magic swirling around the school makes it a dead zone. When you leave, you can use it, though I’m afraid you can’t leave the safe zones until you can protect yourself. So it’s pen and paper.”
I nodded. “Thank you. I think for now I’d like to focus on my studies.”
I turned to leave with Tuck, but Niche called after me. “Oh, and Zin, be ready. Two days from now, we have a field trip planned.”
How could I be ready for anything? This was a magical school. Whoever heard of such a thing? A nervous ball sat in the pit of my stomach, and to think I was worried about starting a normal high school. “I will.”
Before I could say another word, Tuck escorted me through the door. He leaned in closer to me, so close I could feel the tickle of his breath on my ear. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I think so.” I looked down at my new schedule. “Do you know what dorm room I’m staying in?”
He chuckled. “Yes, you’ll be right next door to mine.”
Two words came to mind… easy access.
Chapter 10
Zinnia
After tossing and turning all night, I came to the conclusion that I was all too painfully aware of Tuck. The wall between our dorm rooms was so thin that each time he rolled in his bed or walked around his room, my eyes would flash wide open. My stomach would flutter, and I’d lie awake just listening to his every move. It was like I could feel his mood as though it were my own. Last night he was restless and worried over something. Too bad these feelings didn’t come with a guild as to what was causing them. If anything, I knew I had to learn my magic completely so I could get some answers.
Rather than sleep, I began unpacking all the boxes Niche had sent to my room. She wasn’t kidding. Everything from my old house had arrived, down to my favorite pillow and blanket. Now I stood in front of the mirror in the fifth outfit I’d tried on that morning. What does one wear on their first day of magic school? There were no uniforms at Evermore Academy, so did I go full witchy goth? Earthen hippie witch? Smart business witch, like Niche? Or did I just go as plain old me?
The best part about my dorm room was I didn’t have to share it with anyone, and it came with an en suite bathroom. I suspected that in any other school, things would be different. But this was Evermore Academy, and it seemed they could have room for whatever they wanted. Dark wood paneling covered the walls and floor, and there was shelving for books and a small desk against the wall. I was so used to sleeping in a
twin-sized bed that I felt like royalty in the queen-sized bed.
Looking down at myself, I decided to dress as plain old me. Which meant I wore my black tank with white pin stripes, black leggings, leather jacket and knee-high boots. I left my hair down around my shoulders, allowing the wild tangles to manage themselves. I could blend in like I had in my other schools, keep my head down and do my work to become the best witch I could. I’m a witch. I couldn’t help but smile; this had the potential to be fun. I reached for the door and pulled it open.
Tucker leaned up against the wall across from my door, with one foot propped up behind him and his hair falling into his smoldering honey colored eyes. “Hi.”
I wanted to walk right up to him and throw my arms around his neck and pull his full lips down to meet mine. Instead, I closed the door behind me, hiked my backpack up on my shoulder and waved. “Hey.”
He pushed away from the wall and came to stand before me. “Did you sleep well?”
Not at all. You were distracting me all night long. “Yes. Did you?”
“Like a baby.” Liar. He reached up and pulled a lock of my hair out of my face. “You ready for class?”
“I think so. I found a lot of the books that matched my class schedule in my room already.” The books looked to be older than I was, with broken bindings and fraying pages. Still, I found the soft pages and the smell of the old volumes comforting.
“Good.” He waved me down the hallway.
When I started walking the long hall, he fell into step beside me. I glanced at him with raised eyebrows. “Are you walking me to class?”
“I’m your knight, remember?” When Tucker smiled, it was utterly beautiful, but when he didn’t and his face became hard as stone, it was hotter than any other guy I’d seen before. Everything about him was compelling to me, from his blackish auburn hair down to his combat boots. And yet he’d said so little to me this whole time.
Wicked Witch (The Royals: Witch Court Book 1) Page 8
