Academy of Sorcery: Term 1: Unleashing Trials

by Alexa B. James

  “What happened?” he whispers as our teacher starts going on about the newest spell we’re supposed to learn.

  “My spork is missing,” I say.

  “Again?”

  “Not again,” I say, shooting him some stink eye. “Last time was different. This time… What if someone stole it?”

  “Considering how stubborn it is, I don’t think they’ll get far with it,” Asher says.

  That makes me feel a little better. I mean, if Cleo wouldn’t work with me for an entire month, and I’m the one she chose, I doubt she’s going to cooperate with a stranger.

  After a while, I turn to Asher. “Is there any way… I mean, you don’t think Elowen would ever do something like that in a million years, right?”

  Instead of answering with the adamant loyalty I expected, he twists his lips to the side and focuses on the sprout we’re supposed to be making grow. After a minute, he says, “Honestly? I don’t know, Jade. I want to say no, but maybe it’s possible.”

  “Really?”

  “Elowen’s my best friend,” he says slowly. “But she’s been acting different ever since we got here. This necromancy stuff has really gotten to her. She thinks she’s going dark. I mean, I love the girl, and I don’t want to think she did it, but I wouldn’t say it’s absolutely impossible. Not anymore.”

  “Well, shit. I just bet my virginity on it.”

  “Girl. You didn’t.”

  “I still don’t think she’d do that to me. Not after I let her move in. She’s been so much happier,” I say, thinking of how we stayed up late giggling over the ridiculousness of My Fairytale Life and arguing who was the hottest shifter in the world.

  “Elowen has a good heart, but she can definitely be pushed around,” Asher says. “I’m surprised she’s held on this long without going totally dark. Her magic is part of her, just like ours. Can you honestly say your magic hasn’t affected you since it was Unleashed?”

  “Okay,” I say slowly, my heart sinking. “I’ll ask her, but I’m giving her the benefit of the doubt. She hasn’t given me any reason to think she’s untrustworthy.”

  The next few hours pass with painful slowness as I try to construct a conversation with Elowen that won’t have her running away in tears and thinking I’m accusing her of being a thief.

  By dinnertime, I have my speech memorized.

  After we all sit down at our table in the cafeteria, I gather my nerve and go for broke. I turn to my friend and clear my throat. “Can I ask you something?”

  She takes a bite of her spaghetti and wipes her mouth. “Yeah?”

  “You haven’t seen my spork around, have you?”

  Elowen swallows in a gulp, her eyes widening. “No, why?”

  “I can’t find it.”

  “And you think I took it,” she says, her shoulders slumping in defeat.

  My heart tugs for her. She’s so down on herself. “I didn’t say that,” I say gently. “I was just asking if you’ve seen it anywhere. I mean, we do share a room. If you saw it lying around somewhere…”

  She sets her fork down with trembling fingers. “Don’t you think if I had, I’d give it to you?”

  “Elowen, I didn’t say you had it,” I say. “I only asked if you’d seen it.”

  “Everyone already thinks I’m evil. Even you. Admit it. You think I’d stab you in the back.”

  “I don’t think you’re evil,” I say. “I know you have dark magic, but just like all of us, you can choose how to use that magic.”

  “But I can’t choose,” she says, a tear sliding down her cheek. “I’m dark. I can feel the darkness taking me over every day. You’re right not to trust me. I’m not good.” She jumps up and runs from the room.

  “Elowen,” I call, jumping to my feet.

  Asher puts a hand on my arm to stop me. “You can’t keep hiding her and taking care of her, Jade. She can’t run away from her magic any more than you can.”

  “Seems to be the theme of the day,” I mutter, casting one more longing glance at the door before returning to my seat. I push my food away, unable to eat after fighting with a friend.

  “Maybe this is a good thing,” Asher reasons. “She’ll have to sort out her magic for herself, just like everyone else. I’ll text and let her know we’re here for her, but we can’t do this for her.”

  “Tell her I’m sorry, and I don’t think she took it,” I say, nodding across the room at the table of mean girls. “My money’s on one of the Bellas. I have swordplay class with Brunette Bella. Maybe she took it out of my bag.”

  “Asking her will probably go over even worse than asking Elowen.”

  We look across the room to the bitches I love to loathe, sitting with their bitchy friends on the other side of the cafeteria.

  “Trust me, they’re always first on my list of suspects.”

  Asher and I empty our trays and head back to our rooms for the evening.

  Not five feet out of the cafeteria, Rocco’s on my heels. “Why are you still eating with the necromancer?” he asks. “If you won’t listen to me about who to hang out with, maybe you should take care of yourself and see how that goes.”

  “Fine by me,” I say. “I didn’t ask for your company.”

  He draws back, and the look on his face is… Hurt.

  Fuck. I’m on a roll tonight.

  We’ve gotten used to each other, and I thought our back-and-forth banter was fun for both of us, but for whatever reason, I’ve struck a nerve.

  “Sorry,” I mutter. Eating crow is not my style, but I’m a big girl, and I can apologize when I’ve hurt someone, even if he doesn’t offer the same courtesy.

  “No worries,” he says. “I don’t have feelings.”

  He drops back and follows from a distance as I walk with Asher back to the dorm, still mulling over my fight with Elowen.

  “Do you think it’s possible to get Elowen out of the House of Necromancy?” I ask.

  “I don’t know,” Asher admits. “I mean, that’s her magic. She has to learn to control it.”

  “I’ll talk to Darius,” I say. “There has to be something we can do. Surely necromancy can be used for good, and not just evil. Maybe we can convince them that Elowen can use her magic for light purposes.”

  “You’re on a first name basis with Professor Hottie-Pants?” Asher asks with a grin.

  “Shut up,” I say, rolling my eyes.

  “No, I think it’s a great idea,” he says. “Maybe you can bring it up next time you stay the night with him.”

  Chapter 16

  I’m thankful that I have a friend like Asher who can make me laugh in the worst circumstances, but it doesn’t last long. I hear Rocco take his place outside my room, working double duty after his classes to keep me safe. I offended him twice now, but I’m not sure how to deal with it. He’s obviously more than the asshole I pegged him as.

  And then there’s Elowen. I should have handled that more delicately, knowing how sensitive she is. Direct might be my style, but it clearly isn’t hers. As I lie in bed, I listen for her returning, but she doesn’t come back. After getting used to her quiet snores, the room is too quiet without her. I send her a quick text apologizing, but I get nothing back but silence.

  After a while, I get up and open the window, as if she’s going to be hanging out on the fire escape waiting for an invite. Of course she’s not.

  With a sigh, I pull the window closed and sit on the edge of my bed staring at the door. Wanting to do something I’m sure I’ll regret. But he’s just outside the door. I can feel his presence there, as if he’s just waiting for me to make the first move. I’m not sure I want to get involved with him any deeper than I am. I have enough on my plate with school, and Cleo, and knowing that when this is all over, I can’t have a normal life. When everyone else goes off to start their lives after mastering their magic, I’ll go back to Silas.

  But of all the guys, Rocco is the one who won’t care. It would mean something to Thorn, whether or not he’d adm
it it. He’s been avoiding me since our night excursion, anyway. Ryker’s too much of an asshole, and Darius… Well, that’ll never happen.

  But Rocco? He could definitely sleep in my bed without meaning or attachment. I can lay down the boundaries before we even start. I’m not planning on having sex, but if we get carried away because of my magic, well, he could handle that without attachment, too.

  Taking a deep breath, I decide to go for it. I need some company tonight, and Rocco’s the best one to do it. And just my luck, he’s on guard duty. I crack open the door and peer out. Rocco is standing against the wall with a book open in one hand, a pencil stuck behind his ear. It’s such a strange sight that I almost laugh. He looks up and quirks an eyebrow. “Planning another escape?”

  “I’m lonely,” I admit, giving him a hopeful look.

  He gives a silent little snort. “I’ve got no advice for that one, Cinderella. I’ve never been lonely in my life.”

  “Liar.”

  He quirks an eyebrow again, closing his thick textbook this time. “What do you want, Jade?”

  I take a breath and blurt out the truth. “I was hoping you’d come in.”

  A slow smile spreads over his gorgeous lips. “I thought you’d never ask,” he says, swaggering across the hall and into my room. He drops his textbook—Advanced Sorcery—on the desk and kicks off his shoes before I’ve even shut the door.

  Now that he’s in my room, taking it over with his huge presence, I don’t know what to do with myself. “So, how does this work?” I ask.

  “Well, see, a man has this thing called a penis…” He stops at my desk to examine my dead orchid plant for a second, his eyes flicking to my family picture. I suddenly wish I hadn’t invited him in.

  “Not that,” I say, rolling my eyes. “I’m not that naïve.”

  “Hey, you’re still a virgin at eighteen,” he says, holding up both hands and turning away from my desk. “For all I know you were raised by some crazy cult who had to sign off on it when it was cherry-popping time.”

  “Oh my god,” I say, laughing through my embarrassment.

  Rocco flops down on my bed and pats the space beside him. “Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle.”

  “Hey, you didn’t win the bet yet,” I say.

  “Yet,” he says with a Cheshire grin. “So, you admit I’m right. Your friend is the culprit.”

  “No,” I say, taking a seat beside him. “How do I know you’re not the one who stole it?”

  “Why would I take your weapon?” he asks, his brows shooting up in surprise. It looks genuine.

  “I don’t know,” I admit. It doesn’t make sense. Why would the guys want my magic? They’re around it enough already, and they certainly don’t need any help finding girls.

  “I don’t need your sex magic, baby,” Rocco says. “I got plenty of my own.”

  I shake my head to clear my thoughts. Being so close to him is doing funny things to me. “I’m just telling you that sex isn’t on the table tonight, so you won’t accuse me of being a tease when I stop you.”

  “You don’t have a table, so I figured as much,” he says, propping himself up on one elbow. “We can use the bed tonight. We’ll save sex on the table for another night.”

  “I’m already regretting letting you step through my door.”

  “That’s because I haven’t gotten started,” he says in a low rumble, running the back of his fingers down my arm. “Talking isn’t where I excel.”

  Warm shivers race through my entire body at his touch. “And I thought I had the seductive magic,” I say, closing my eyes.

  “This isn’t magic. It’s one hundred percent me, baby.” He lifts my hand and brings it to his lips. Our eyes meet, and when he presses a warm kiss to my skin, I sigh out loud. Maybe this is why I don’t touch people. I seriously cannot handle it if a kiss on the hand can send me into a swoon.

  “Then I think you better dial it back to like fifty percent,” I breathe.

  Rocco laughs and tugs at me to lie down. “I’ll be good,” he says, adjusting his position as I lift my feet and lie next to him on the bed.

  “What if you can’t?” I ask. “What if some of my magic escapes and…”

  “And I can’t control myself?” he asks, looking down at me from where he’s still propped on his elbow.

  “Well…”

  “I want to say it’s not a possibility,” he says. “That I’d never hurt you. But… The truth is, with you, I don’t know.”

  “Stupid magic,” I mutter.

  “I don’t know if it’s just the magic,” he says. “You’ve been hard to resist since the second I laid eyes on you.”

  “You mean when I was elbow deep in a toilet, wearing my janitor clothes?”

  “Never underestimate the power of janitor clothes,” he says, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips as his fingers tickle my belly with gentle strokes.

  “If I recall correctly, the only power they had was to make everyone treat me like shit,” I say. “Including you.”

  “Ahh, I wasn’t that bad, was I? I gotta rag on the new class a little. It’s my right as a third-year student.”

  I roll my eyes. “Of course. You couldn’t lose your reputation as a tough guy.”

  “Hey, I took so much shit as a freshman, you have no idea. Now it’s my turn to dish it out. I earned it. One day you’ll see all those baby-faced freshmen coming in, and you’ll give them a hard time, too.”

  “That’s a terrible excuse for treating people like shit.”

  “How about the fact that it freaked me out how much I wanted you,” he says, leaning down to nuzzle my cheek. “And maybe I was a little butt hurt that you didn’t seem to return the feeling.”

  “Even worse.”

  “Then I’m sorry,” he says, scooting down beside me and sliding an arm around my waist. He wiggles his eyebrows and runs his tongue slowly along his lower lip. “How about you let me make it up to you?”

  A shiver of pure lust shoots through me, swelling between my legs with a pressure that’s now all too familiar. Damn it. If I get aroused, and my magic starts escaping…

  Rocco leans down, his full lips brushing over mine. My hand slides around the back of his neck, pulling his mouth lower. I press my lips to his, relishing the softness of his mouth as it caressed mine. His mouth is confident and hungry on mine, moving quickly as he devours my kisses, tasting my lips and my tongue, running his tongue along the sharp edges of my teeth and swiping across the roof of my mouth. I moan against him, into him, my hands curling into fists in the back of his shirt.

  “Take this off,” I say, panting through the words as I tug at his shirt. He strips it off in two seconds flat, tossing it to the floor and resuming his position next to me. I run my fingers over his hot skin, the muscles under it dancing for my touch. God, even his muscles have muscles.

  “You like that?” he asks, laughter in his voice. I’m too awed to give him shit about his ego. Because yeah, I like it. He looks like a freaking body builder. I’ve moved up in the world since the last time I made out with a guy—a scrawny freshman in high school who felt me up behind the field house. I’m more than happy to let Rocco know exactly how sexy he is, even if he already knows it.

  After a minute, he rolls over onto me, rocking his hips gently against mine as he leans on his elbows and smiles down at me. “Say yes, Cinderella,” he whispers. “Let me make you feel like a princess.”

  I nod, biting at my lower lip as our eyes meet. I’ve never done what he’s suggesting, and I’m a little self-conscious at the thought. But when his lips graze mine again, and a shiver shoots straight to my core, I forget all about it. My clit throbs at the thought of those soft lips teasing it the way he’s teasing my lips. He moves down, pressing my chin up and angling his mouth to my throat. His tongue swirls over my skin, his lips tugging as his tongue tastes. I run my fingers through his short, soft hair, my body alive with pleasure as his mouth moves lower, his scratchy chin nuzzling aside the nec
k of my T-shirt.

  His lips close around my peaked nipple, and I gasp with pleasure. It feels as if a chord runs straight from my nipple to my clit, and when he gives a hard suck, I arch up, almost crying out. His mouth wets the fabric over my nipple, his tongue flicking at the sensitive nub.

  I bite back a whimper as he slides down further. My core throbs for him, aching to be filled, and my legs part for his massive form as he moves lower, his hot mouth on my belly. He pushes up my T-shirt, his tongue flicking into my belly button, making me squirm for more as his thumbs skim across the tickling spot inside my hipbones. He grabs my hips, holding onto my curves as he descends even lower, mouthing my mound through the thin fabric of my panties. He doesn’t have to wet those. They’re already soaked, and he moans as he sucks at me through them, tasting my juices.

  “Jade,” he moans from between my thighs. “I’m going to lick your pussy until you scream my name.”

  Before I can begin to answer, he tugs my panties aside and thrusts his tongue into my wetness. I gasp, the sensation so deliciously sudden and shocking that I sit bolt upright.

  Rocco’s hand stops me, pushing me back as his mouth burrows against me, his hot tongue thrusting between my folds. Without stopping, he grabs my panties and tears them off, tossing the shredded cotton to the floor and driving his mouth deeper between my legs. He moans against me, his hands spreading my thighs, spreading my lips, his tongue going straight for the center of me.

  My head drops back, and a little cry escapes my lips as he forces his tongue past my opening.

  Oh. God.

  No one has ever touched me here before, and the sensation is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. I can’t hold back the cries as his tongue plunges into me again and again. His fingers slide through my wetness, pinching my clit while his tongue fucks me, and heat explodes through my body. His name tears from my lips, and waves of shimmering light rip through my whole body, gripping me in the helpless clutch of climax.

  I’m still in a daze, pulses flicking through my center, when Rocco jumps off the bed like there’s a snake in it.

  He looks at me for one second, his eyes glazed and crazy, and then turns and blasts out the door so fast it bangs back open.