by L. C. Mawson
Still, I remained tense, sure that I was in for another rejection.
Naveen eventually stirred, groggily blinking his eyes open before staring at me with a confused frown.
So, it seemed he didn’t remember me being there the night before...
“Um, hey. So... I might have been sitting on your bed when you came in last night. I was going to leave, I swear, but then in your sleep, you put your arm around me and...”
He cringed before glancing over to Elizabeth’s bed, though the sound of the shower running in the bathroom told me that she wasn’t there to back up my story.
He turned back to me and I braced for him to push me away.
But then he gave me a sheepish look. “I’m sorry, Skye. I was so exhausted, I didn’t realise you were there, but I should have. You shouldn’t have been trapped here all night...”
I shrugged, my heart thundering in my chest as my nerves surged through me, words spilling forth in a weird ramble. “It’s okay. I didn’t mind. Really. It... It was actually kind of nice...”
He just stared at me and I cursed myself. Why had I said that?
But before I could question it further, he leaned closer, his lips claiming my own in a soft and reassuring kiss.
I melted into the kiss immediately, instinct driving my movements as fire crackled just beneath my skin, every moment of pining after him bursting forth, breaking free from the walls I’d tried to bury them behind.
Creator, he really liked me. All this time, I’d thought my feelings were all one-sided.
Continuing to move on instinct, I straddled him, kissing him with everything I had.
A small remnant of anxiety worried that it would be too much, and he’d push me away, but then his hands were on my waist, pulling me close as I wondered how fast we could get rid of the fabric barriers between us.
But then he stopped dead, pulling away as if burned.
I frowned. Had he just been acting on sleepy instinct? Had he just realised who he was kissing and that he didn’t actually want this?
But then he gave me an apologetic look before nodding to the bathroom door. “Elizabeth’s too close.”
Heat flushed through me, though this had more to do with embarrassment than anything else. “Did... Did she just feel all of that through your bond?”
“Don’t worry, dampening the bond is second nature, so she didn’t feel much.”
“But she still felt something?”
“Unfortunately. It’s only this strong because we’re so physically close, though. If she wasn’t here...”
I groaned. “Even if she couldn’t feel us through your bond, I’m not sure I’d be up for doing anything with the chance of her walking in on us.” My cheeks heated further, and I was sure that I was bright red. “Assuming that you would want that. I mean... I didn’t think... I didn’t think that you would want to kiss me, and then you were...”
His eyes widened with panic. “I’m sorry. I–”
“No, no, don’t apologise!” I said quickly, seeing where his thoughts were going. As if I hadn’t been returning his kiss, and straddling him with every intent of... Creator, what had gotten into me? I usually needed a crap-ton of alcohol to get this brazen. “I didn’t mean... I didn’t mean that I didn’t like it, I just... I’m confused. I never... I didn’t think that you liked me like that.”
He gave me an awkward half-shrug. “Well, you never asked. And... Well, I figured that you wouldn’t want to be with someone who was away most of the year.”
“Oh... I always assumed... I mean, I just thought that maybe you wouldn’t be interested in someone who didn’t have their magic yet, so that’s why I never said anything.”
He sighed. “Skye... I don’t care about that. I wouldn’t care if you were Human. I really just thought that you wouldn’t want to do the long-distance thing.”
“You could have asked me.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Just as you could have asked me if I was actually bothered by your lack of magic.”
I just stared at him, taking a few moments for my mind to process his words. “So... You really like me?”
He smiled. “I really do.”
I kissed him once more, but he pulled away and I frowned for a moment before remembering that his sister was still just in the bathroom.
I sighed. “I thought that giving us roommates was supposed to be to help us make friends, but is it really just to stop the students from screwing?”
He smirked. “That assumes it’s not the roommates doing the screwing. But even so, I don’t think they care with us older students. But the roommate thing does make things inconvenient.”
I huffed, having to agree with that. “Well... I have some free time this afternoon.”
He smiled, his fingers going to gently brush a few stray locks of hair from my face. “As do I. So, why don’t we meet up for a date? A real one. And... Well, we don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, but Elizabeth is going to be in lectures all day.”
I grinned. “That sounds wonderful.”
I leaned forward with another, quick kiss, hoping to leave him in anticipation of what exactly awaited him this afternoon.
His hands went to my waist once more, however, keeping me close.
But then the door from the bathroom opened, and steam filled the room, making Elizabeth’s appearance impossible to ignore.
I turned to see her smirking at us as I quickly pulled away from her brother.
As much as she’d been teasing me about liking him, I wasn’t sure that she wanted to see us making out...
“Umm, hey,” I managed after a moment of searching for my words.
Elizabeth grinned. “Well, it’s about time. Do you know how many years I’ve been waiting for you two to get over yourselves and finally get together?”
My blush deepened. “I... I should probably get going so that I can get dressed before my first lesson.”
Before I could leave, however, Naveen leaned forward and gently kissed me on the cheek before pulling away with a soft smile. “I’ll see you later.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, I’ll see you later.”
As I headed towards the door, Elizabeth turned to me. “Do you need back-up for dealing with Lorelei?”
I shook my head. “No. I can handle one bitchy Mermaid.”
At that, I left the room, wearing a grin that lasted all the way over to my room.
But it didn’t survive me opening the door to see everything I owned dripping with water.
Lorelei’s side of the room was dry, but mine... Everything from the carpet to my bed was soaked through.
Thankfully, I’d had my bag with me, along with my laptop and phone, but my headphones were still sitting on the table, and water dripped from them.
Fire surged through me, though stayed just beneath my skin. They had been a birthday present from my dads, and I now doubted that they would work again.
Fire finally broke through to flicker over my skin as I glared at Lorelei.
“What the hell?” I demanded through my teeth.
Lorelei, infuriatingly, just gave me a disinterested shrug. “I needed to practice with my element. It’s not my fault that you didn’t protect your things.”
She picked up her bag and moved past me, though she stopped to turn to me as she reached the door. “You could always go to Ms Griffin and take up her offer to move rooms.”
My fire surged forth, and Lorelei stumbled back. It was just a small step before she regained her composure, but I would take it as she stared at me in shock, though that also lasted for only a moment before she turned on her heel and left.
I glared at the door for a moment before realising that my fire was still flaring.
“Shit,” I muttered as I took a deep breath, calming myself and letting the flames lapse. The last thing I needed was to exhaust myself before going to my class with Nyssa.
I glared back at the door again. I should have known that staying in the r
oom would mean war with Lorelei, but there was no way that I was going to cave.
If anything, I was even more certain of that than before.
But I didn’t have time to worry about it further. After waking up with Naveen, I was running late, and I just needed to get dressed.
I hurried over to my wardrobe and opened it, only to see water dripping from every single item of clothing in there.
Which meant that I had nothing to wear.
Back in undergrad, some students had just rocked up to lectures in their pyjamas, but I didn’t think Auntie Nyssa would let that slide.
And James... I didn’t even want to think about what he would think about me showing up in a hoodie and pyjama bottoms.
I took one of my sturdier looking pairs of jeans in one hand and lit my other in flames.
Well, if I wanted to get to class on time...
I pressed my flaming hand as close to the jeans as I dared, and steam billowed forth.
I spun away as the scalding steam hit my face and obscured my vision, adrenaline shooting through me.
But then it wasn’t steam, but smoke.
Shit.
In my panic, my flames may have flared.
I dropped the burning garment on the floor, the soaked carpet quickly putting it out.
But now it was both soggy and burned...
I turned back to my wardrobe.
I didn’t have time for anything else, so I pulled out another pair of jeans, though I kept my flaming hand further back, and I braced myself for the steam.
Eventually, I at least had jeans, though no top. Still, I figured my hoodie would at least look semi-presentable.
Or at least it would hide the pyjama top and lack of bra beneath.
I sprinted off towards my lesson, hoping that I made out on time.
Chapter Nine
I raced into the room just before the clock turned nine.
James, frustratingly, was already there and looking impeccably put together.
He stared at me as I entered, and my fire flared again, still simmering from my encounter with Lorelei.
I glared at him. “What?”
He just shook his head, turning away as Auntie Nyssa appeared.
“Hatchlings,” she greeted. “It’s good to see you both here on time.”
I shifted awkwardly, hyper aware of the fact that I looked like I’d just rolled out of bed. The last thing I wanted was for Auntie Nyssa to think that I wasn’t taking this seriously. “Sorry about my clothes, Auntie– High Priestess Nyssa. There was... I had an issue with my washing.”
Shit, I thought as I glanced over to James. Had he noticed my slip-up?
I cringed. Giving the way that he was staring at me, I’d say yes...
I turned back to Auntie Nyssa to see her looking between us before shaking her head. “With the stress of yesterday, I had not told you, between practising with fire and shapeshifting, you should wear clothes that are loose fitting and that you don’t mind sacrificing. If you don’t have room in your budget to sacrifice clothes, there is a small budget for replacements.”
She then turned to James. “I also find trust to be an important aspect of the student-teacher relationship, and I had not meant to obscure my relationship with Skye. She is not my blood relation, but I did tutor her father and his siblings in their magic and have therefore known Skye since she was young. I will not, however, show favour in this class. You are both now students of mine, just as Skye’s father once was, and you can expect exactly the same treatment, in every way. Understood?”
I waited with bated breath, hoping that James accepted Nyssa’s terms. I’d grown up knowing just how close she was with her students – with my father and Auncle Hell – but I didn’t know if James had seen that relationship first-hand. Had he spent any time around other Dragons before?
James hesitated and Nyssa regarded him carefully before continuing. “I know that neither of you have spent any time around other Dragons and I also know that the structure at the rest of Ember Academy is not like this, but back in the Vulcan Plains, we children of the Great Dragons never knew those who sired us. We only knew our Human mothers. And once we came into our magic, our orders – the Priestesses, the Wyverns or the Drake’s – would take us in and become our new families. Obviously, that is not the same now, but it is not so different, either. You might not leave your Human families behind, but as your mentor, I will still treat you as I have done all of the Hatchlings in my care since the first.”
Eventually, James nodded.
“Well, if that’s understood, we should get back to our practice from yesterday. But carefully today. This is about building our muscles slowly, not reaching to be the best.”
“ALL RIGHT, I THINK that’s enough for today.”
I groaned as I finally let go of my fire. How long had we been working for?
I pulled my phone from my pocket only to groan again.
Only twenty minutes.
And yet, I felt as if I was going to pass out.
I glanced over to James, only to see that he seemed just fine. As if using his magic had barely drained him.
And on top of that, I’d bet that his fire was more consistent than mine, just like it had been yesterday.
Creator, he probably thought that I was pathetic.
And then with me accidentally calling Nyssa ‘Auntie’ before, there was every chance that he would now put any success I did gain in this class, no matter how well earned, down to nepotism, despite Nyssa’s attempt to smooth things over.
Though, that assumed that I ever did any better in this class...
I silently chided myself. Why did I even care what he thought?
But I couldn’t shake the fact that I did, and I was sure that he didn’t like me. Which was probably justified, given that the fact that I was about to pass out was probably the reason why Nyssa had cut the lesson short, halting James’ education, despite the fact that he could probably continue for another hour or so.
James picked up his bag, heading for the door, and as he went, Auntie Nyssa turned to me.
“Skye, could I have a moment before you go?”
I nodded, glancing over to James, only to see him scowling slightly at me before he left.
Yeah, a private chat with the teacher definitely wasn’t gaining me any favour with him.
I turned to Auntie Nyssa, my stomach twisting. Was she about to tell me that I wasn’t powerful enough to continue in her class? That she was sending me away, even from here?
“Something wrong?” I managed, putting all of my effort into keeping my tone even and calm.
“No,” Nyssa said with a small, reassuring smile. “Nothing’s wrong, I just wanted to talk to you about your shape-shifting. Have you noticed any signs of it happening, aside from your eyes? Any changes in your body that seem too rapid or drastic to be natural?”
I frowned. “No, not that I’ve noticed.”
“All of your clothes fit fine?”
“Yes. Should they not?”
She gave a slight half-shrug. “Not necessarily. Many Priestesses and Drakes first use their shape-shifting powers through changing their Human form, but if you’re content with yours, that might not happen. Others first change their eyes, like you, and perhaps replace their skin with scales when they feel the need for something a little more durable.”
“Well, I’ve definitely not noticed scales. Though, I can’t say that I’ve felt the need for anything durable. I’ve always showered with scalding water, so I’d probably need something pretty extreme to need scales.”
Auntie Nyssa frowned slightly. “After so many weeks, I would expect something...”
I bit my lip for a moment before finding the courage to ask, “Do you think that something’s wrong?”
She sighed. “Nothing drastic, just something I’ve been concerned about for some time. Magic is influenced by your emotions, Skye, and as I’ve prepared to teach you, I have noticed that you... Well, you’re quiet.”
“Quiet?”
“It’s difficult for me to tell when you’re upset or frustrated. Or at least it was, until I started paying attention to your eating or drinking habits.”
My cheeks flushed at the comment. “I... What does that have to do with my magic?”
“Magic runs on emotions, Skye, and if you’re used to burying yours... Well, you will struggle to be in-tune with your magic, and you will struggle to connect to your Dragon form.”
I looked away, not sure how exactly she wanted me to go about fixing something that I wasn’t even sure she was right about. After all, hadn’t I snapped at James after our last lesson? My stomach twisted with shame at the memory. If I was so quiet, wouldn’t I have been able to rein in my worst impulses and not snapped? Even if he wasn’t friendly, that probably hadn’t been warranted.
Auntie Nyssa gave me a soft smile, pulling me from my thoughts. “Don’t worry, Skye, this isn’t something you will have to figure out alone. Alongside your lessons with James, I will also help you with this so that you can safely use your Dragon-form when you’re ready. Though, for now, I believe that you have a lecture scheduled for after this class and you should take some time to recuperate and get some food before then.”
I DID AS AUNTIE NYSSA advised and headed to one of the cafés on campus to pick up a good chunk of food before heading to my first Basics of Spellcraft lecture.
I still had a bag of mini doughnuts in my bag and a large coffee, as I headed to the lecture, hoping that the lecturer wouldn’t mind if I ate while they talked.
Hopefully, having to recover from practical classes wasn’t too unusual in a magical university.
I thankfully found it fairly easy to find the lecture theatre, though I frowned as I entered, only to see that written on the board was, “Find the seat with your name on it.”
I looked at the seats, seeing that the benches in front of them had names glowing in front of what was presumably someone’s seat.
It took me several moments to find my name.
Right next to the name Lorelei Smith, and the Mermaid in question at her seat.
She glared at me as I approached, but I just shrugged. What did she want me to do? Disobey the lecturer?
