Kiernan put his arm over my shoulder and pulled me close. I was grateful for the show of support and reveled in his body heat. “Hey, can I come see you tonight? You still owe me the story about how you know this guy.”
I nodded, placing my arm around his waist and squeezing. He felt so solid under my hand, it was easy to push the image of the man out of my mind. When we reached the classroom, Kiernan kissed my cheek and found his place next to Julian on the other side of the room.
I searched for Lillian but couldn’t see her. That’s odd. Students at the academy weren’t allowed to skip classes unless they had a very good reason. Like being on their deathbed. I turned around again, surveying the students who’d taken their seats. Just behind me, Sharon was watching me. She quickly dropped her gaze as if I’d caught her doing something untoward.
My eyebrows drew together, but before I could say anything, Lance slipped into his seat next to me. He smiled and poked my cheek with his forefinger. “Hey, you’re looking cute today. How have you been?”
Oh, man. He needs to smile more often. He’s gorgeous. I couldn’t help but react to the sparkle in his gray eyes. Had his cheekbones always been that pronounced? I wanted to ask him about seeing him in the cafeteria with Sharon, but Mrs. Palmer arrived.
“Good afternoon, class,” she said, bouncing up and down on her sensibly soled shoes with excitement. “Today I’m going to demonstrate how to use all five primary elemental powers, one after the other. Then I want you to come up and try to repeat the sequence. Let’s see if you’ve practiced over the last weeks.”
Taking a deep breath, the teacher moved her feet hip-width apart to ground herself. She suddenly seemed heavier, like becoming a larger version of herself. When she exhaled, she lifted her arms and cupped her hands.
An orange glow grew from her palms, morphing from a tiny flame into an orb. She bent her knees and carefully let the ball go. The spere hovered a few inches above a piece of paper on her desk, spinning slowly like a miniature sun.
Next, she drew her fingertips apart. Droplets of moisture appeared on her skin and broke into a fine mist just below the glowing orb. Some of it wafted toward the front row. The mist swept over my face like a cool caress, refreshing, yet so weird inside a classroom.
A chorus of impressed muttering rose in response to a perfect rainbow appearing in the refraction of light. I stared at it in amazement. Every color was clearly delineated, so close to me, I felt like I could touch it. Mrs. Palmer raised an eyebrow to show we were interfering with her concentration, and the noise immediately quieted down.
Once she was sure the elements of fire and water had stabilized, she rubbed her hands together. At first, nothing happened. Then, a small plume of brown dust materialized. Soon, the dirt turned into a flow of rich soil, hitting the paper below.
Mrs. Palmer continued until she had a heap on her desk. She pulled a jam jar from her leather bag with a large stone, like an avocado pit, inside. After sticking the stone into the pile of earth, she placed her hands on top of it. Her fingers glowed, much like when I used to hold a torch in a closed fist.
As we watched spellbound, she lifted her palms slowly, and the stone cracked. A light-green miniature leaf wound its way upwards, increasing in size until it was an inch tall, still winding itself toward the artificial sun above. Another leaf appeared, then another, until the plant was five inches tall with seven leaves forming a tiny crown.
Mrs. Palmer regarded her work. She’d so far demonstrated water, fire, earth, and life magic. Lance had his arms folded, leaning back in his seat as he watched the show. Now he whispered to me, “What is she going to do about air?”
I’d just wondered the same. There seemed to be no space for wind in this scenario, but I was sure the teacher would surprise us yet again. Mrs. Palmer’s gaze met mine, and she winked as if she’d overheard us whispering. Turning back toward her elemental tableau, she moved closer and blew gently while holding her hands protectively over the tiny ball.
We couldn’t see the wind, but something happened. The sun, rainbow, and plant seemed to dull just a tiny bit, as if surrounded by old-fashioned glass. Carefully, Mrs. Palmer put her hands underneath the plant, lifting it out of the soil.
Holding the arrangement in her palms, she took a few steps toward the class and handed it to me. “Here. Pass it around, but be careful not to drop it.”
14
I stared at the elements so skillfully woven by the teacher. Seriously? She wants me to hold it? Won’t it collapse in my hands? My face must have shown my shock because Mrs. Palmer burst out laughing. “It’s okay, Amber. It’s not going to hurt you. Come on now, we don’t have all day.”
With trembling fingers, I took the tableau from her. The feel of it was so foreign, I nearly dropped it right there and then. The air had solidified around the sun, plant, and rainbow. It tickled my skin as it whirled around and around, creating a protective shell. Under the teacher’s watchful gaze, I poked at it. The currents swirled out of the way but closed immediately.
“You can try harder.”
I pushed, trying to reach the rainbow. But the more I shoved, the more the air resisted, until the wind blew so hard against my skin, it hurt.
“Ouch.” Shaking out my finger, I handed the magical elements to Lance. He turned it this way and that before passing it on. Mrs. Palmer waited patiently until all the students had a turn and the tableau was returned to her.
Then she said, “Lillian, let’s see what you can do.”
There was no reply. “Lillian?”
Luke said, “She’s absent, Mrs. Palmer.”
The teacher frowned. “That’s unusual. Does anybody know where she is?”
Luke shook his head.
“Nobody?” After a pause, Mrs. Palmer’s face turned serious. “I’m going to have to report this. If anybody sees Lillian today, please let her know I want to see her as soon as possible, no matter what time. You’re all aware of the punishment for skipping class. Let’s hope Lillian has a good excuse.”
I nodded along with everybody else in the room. It was one of the first rules we’d learned at the academy. All classes were mandatory, even for the students who were here voluntarily. But for delinquent kids like me, it was literally the difference between a life sentence and possible release back into the community at the end of our studies.
For the rest of the class, one student after the other stepped forward, attempting to recreate Mrs. Palmer’s example. Some got as far as the tiny sun and the mist, but nobody came even close to conjuring up the rainbow. The rest of us watching tried valiantly to suppress our snickers.
When Luke, whose primary talent was fire magic, accidentally blew up the glowing orb to the size of his head and singed his eyebrows, Mrs. Palmer called an end to it. “Let’s stop here. Your homework is to practice all the elements one after another. I want to see some definite improvement by tomorrow.”
Relieved, I put my notes into my bag. Lance picked it up.
“Am I glad she didn’t call on me today,” he said with feeling.
I grinned. “No kidding. Your primary power is air, right? So the final bit should be easy for you.”
He shook his head. “No, not really. Air is hard to control. I’m good at creating gusts of wind and warm breezes, but doing an air cage like that? That’s seriously advanced magic. I didn’t think we were supposed to learn how to do that until Year Three.”
Julian and Kiernan had walked over and joined us. Julian put his arm over my shoulders, and Kiernan kissed my cheek while fist-bumping Lance. I glanced at Julian, but he seemed to have gotten over his bad mood. Just as well. I didn’t want to fight with him.
As the boys were bantering easily, I basked in the feeling of being part of a group. They couldn’t have been more different, yet got on so well. Julian, the earnest goth with his perpetually black outfits and lipstick. Kiernan, the Irish red-head with his soft accent. Not overly tall, but built like a tank. Lance, cool as a cucumber and way too s
erious, but equally gorgeous with his floppy brown hair and geek-chic.
How lucky am I? Kiernan laughed at something Julian had said. I looked up, right at Sharon twenty feet away. She stared at me so intensely, I felt her eyes like a physical force on my face. I stood up straighter, shaking off Julian’s arm in the process. It was impossible to tell from this distance whether she was pissed or just really curious.
Holding my gaze for a moment, she left the room. What the hell was that all about? I shrugged and turned back toward the boys’ conversation. That’s when I noticed Lance wore the weirdest expression as he watched Sharon leave. If I’d had to take a guess, I would have called it longing warring with revulsion. But before I could figure it out, his face smoothed out until he looked perfectly calm.
We had to rush to make it to P.E. Afterwards, I made my way to the girls’ dormitories. I had to ask a few times to get to Lillian’s room, but soon I stood outside, hammering on the door. Where was she?
Nobody had seen her since the morning, and Mr. Castle had been a total asshole about it. He’d shouted about how he’d tell the head witch and how Lillian needed to be taught a lesson. He’d never even wondered if she might be sick. What a nasty man.
Still no answer. I pushed down the handle, and to my surprise, the door opened. Lillian’s family must have been very well-off to afford a single large room at the academy. I looked around, and my jaw dropped. Either Lillian was the messiest girl ever, or somebody had searched for something and turned the place upside-down.
I entered, taking care not to step onto anything breakable, although the crunching under my feet didn’t bide well. The room was much smaller than mine, but then Lillian didn’t have to share with two others. Everything on her desk had been swept to the ground. Her mattress was on the floor, flipped upside down.
Whatever they’d been looking for, they likely hadn’t found it. The room was destroyed as if in a fit of anger. Did this have to do with the man I’d seen for the third time today?
I stood and stared at the mess, my mind racing a million miles an hour. What was I supposed to do? After the way Ms. Farkas had brushed me off about Matt, I wasn’t sure there was much point going to her. Julian couldn’t keep his mouth shut and would insist on telling her, so he was out. Maybe Kiernan or Lance would have a better idea.
Stepping into the hallway, I made sure I pulled the door closed behind me. Might as well talk to the boys now before lunch. Their dormitories were on the way.
I was about to leave the building when Slug appeared out of nowhere. Yelping with fright, I pressed my hand to my heart. I struggled to get enough breath into me to shout at him. “For God’s sake, you stupid cat. Were you hiding in the shadows just to scare me to death? What have I ever done to you?”
I tried to walk straight past him through the door onto the campus green outside. Slug yowled and clawed at my jeans, stopping me dead. In all the time we’d been together, he’d never acted like this. I bent down and gently disentangled his needle-sharp talons from the thick fabric. “What’s going on, Slug? What’s got you so riled up?”
Just then, the large shadow of a man passed the half-glass door. I glanced up from my position and looked straight at the profiles of the two men who’d taken Matt at the orders of the head of Farkas Academy security.
I gasped, “Holy crap,” before dropping to my knees, curling over my pet. “What are they doing here? Are they following me?”
Slug couldn’t understand me, of course, but he had to have picked up on my sudden panic. His tongue swept over my cheek like sandpaper, so rough it hurt. It would leave a red stripe, but I didn’t mind. If it hadn’t been for him literally holding on to me, I would have walked straight into Lawson’s goons.
It was too much of a coincidence to think they’d just happen to pop up on campus when Lillian had disappeared. Hugging Slug against my chest, I murmured, “Do you think they took her?”
And what if they had? Were they after me as well? Maybe they’d seen me with Lance when I’d helped him to his feet, or maybe they knew I’d talked to Lillian only recently. I had a really bad feeling about this. Slug struggled against my hold, and when I lifted my head and peeked out of the glass portion of the door, the men had gone.
I opened the door and bent down to pick up Slug. But before I could get a grip on him, he’d wiggled away and escaped down the path in the same direction Lawson’s goons had gone. I called after him, but he didn’t stop. Feeling an irrational sense of abandonment, I set out to my dorm room.
Stupid cat. See if I care if he’s eaten by a coyote or something. My irritation got much worse when I opened the door and found Sharon flirting with Lance.
15
I stopped and took in the scene before me. A broad grin stretched my mouth from ear to ear. Cool, collected Lance seemed a bit flustered. He sat on my bed, his face displaying his discomfort, with Sharon making goo-goo eyes at him. When he saw me, he jumped up and pulled me into a tight hug.
“Save me,” he whispered into my hair. Sharon stared daggers at me before storming out. There goes the ceasefire. Time to clear this up once and for all.
I untangled myself and took a step back. “So, I’ve got to ask. Are you into her? Because if you are, I won’t get in the way. I saw you talk to her at lunch today, and you looked pretty cozy.”
Lance’s eyes grew big, as if he were shocked by my words. He rushed to say, “No. Definitely not. She asked me for some advice on homework. I know she’s interested in me, but I’m not into her.”
I nodded, slightly mollified. “So why are you here? To help with her homework again?”
He grinned and took my hand. “Not exactly. Kiernan sends his apologies. He’s gotten delayed working on his project. But mainly, I was hoping to see you.”
The moment our skin touched, the air seemed to become more charged. My smile trembled on my lips, and I was suddenly unsure of what to say, what to do.
He stepped close until our chests collided. Lance towered over me, taller even than Julian, and I tilted my head back. Where Julian had a runner’s body, lean and toned, Lance was solid and wide. I’d seen many expressions on his face over the last months. Most of them had been stern and cold. But now, his gaze was heated as he stared into mine.
His intensity was intimidating. He didn’t allow me to retreat. His hands were clamped around my arms, and he held me in position as he dropped his head. I gasped when his lips touched mine. Then my eyes fell closed, and I surrendered. He tasted like cinnamon chewing gum, so spicy and sweet I couldn’t hold back a moan of pleasure.
His body pushed me backwards until the mattress hit my legs, and then he lowered me onto my creaky bed while his lips were attached to mine. His hand trapped my wrists above my head, and still his tongue explored my mouth. A pleasant haze descended on me the more we kissed.
Eventually, he pulled away, and we stared at each other for a few seconds. “I’ve been wanting to do this for so long.”
I read nothing but honesty in his slate-gray eyes. They could be cold as a winter lake, but now they were as warm as stones heated by the sun. I felt comforted just looking at him. How many people have seen him like this?
We kissed again, and I molded my body against his, wrapping my legs around his waist. He didn’t take it further than that. There was no hand under my top or in my pants. And yet he incited a fire inside of me that needed him like oxygen. Every lick of his tongue made the flames flare higher until I moaned continuously and ground my pelvis against the bulge in his pants.
“Christ, I want you so much.” He groaned amid a full body shiver.
I tipped my head back and inhaled deeply, wanting to get my fill of his scent. He smelled of the tang of snow, of the freshness of the air after a storm. For the first time all day, I relaxed into a state of pure bliss. I let go of the irritation at Julian’s behavior, the shock of finding Lillian gone, and finally, I let go of the fear of those men following me.
Instead, I allowed my senses to be overwhel
med by Lance’s presence, his body pressed so closely against me. He seemed to touch every inch of me, his legs intertwined with mine, his mouth anchoring me in the here and now.
We didn’t need to go any further. There was no urgency in his caresses, in the way my tongue tangled with his. It was perfect as it was. I could never have imagined being with Lance only a few weeks ago. I’d completely misjudged him. When I’d first met him, he’d been cold and mean, but even then I’d suspected there was much more to him than his prickly behavior had indicated.
I was so curious to find out more about him, about his background. Was he here voluntarily? Or had the government decided he needed to stay here like they had with me? I pulled back to look in his eyes. His pupils were blown, and he had a dazed expression. Cupping his cheek, I smiled. “I’m glad you came over tonight.”
He kissed the tip of my nose. “So am I. I hadn’t planned on ending on your bed with you, but you looked so cute, I couldn’t resist.”
I laughed. “Corny, but I’ll take it.”
He shrugged. “I may not be original, but I mean it. There’s something about you that drives me crazy. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. And when you helped me back then, I thought, ‘This is my chance.’ I was hoping you might be interested as well.”
He sounded so sure of himself, but his eyes reflected a deep insecurity, an expectation to be rejected. When he’d finished speaking, he waited. I could feel his heart beating faster against my body, his breath puffing against my face.
Instead of answering immediately, I stretched up and kissed him gently. The urge to protect this guy knocked the breath out of my chest. I had to swallow once before saying, “I am. Interested, that is. But to be clear, you know I’m dating Julian and Kiernan as well?”
Saying it out loud still gave me a thrill. I’d had a few months to get used to a concept magical-born folks grew up with, but I hadn’t internalized the idea of having more than one partner. I went from wild elation to half-expecting moral outrage whenever I walked hand-in-hand with my boys. Adding a third to the mix was a big step, even though I hadn’t had sex with any of them yet. Unless allowing them to touch me until I came counted? And there was the uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach again, like I’d done something wrong.
Second Chance Soul: a paranormal reverse harem steamy slow burn academy adventure (Second Chance Academy Book 2) Page 7
