We put some distance between us, a Professor Wyvern had requested, and we took the stance he’d showed us. Well, we tried. I wasn’t very convinced myself that I was holding my scythe as I was supposed to, and I could feel all the muscles in my body tensing up, even though the professor was walking between us, correcting out pose, and specifically telling us we needed to relax and trust. Trust... What a funny word. I stole a glance in the nearest mirror, and I did my best to strengthen my back. The gym walls were covered in tall, wide mirrors. They were there to help us, but they only managed to make me feel awkward and self-conscious.
Fuck! How am I supposed to be graceful and gentle, when I’m just... heavy? I swung once, twice. Professor Wyvern watched me with furrowed brows, and I could swear he was about to launch himself in a speech about everything that I was doing wrong, drawing everyone’s attention to me. Instead, he nodded his head almost imperceptibly. I blinked in confusion. He didn’t waste any more time on me, which meant that I was doing okay. He turned around, stole a glance at Jace, who was, of course, doing everything perfectly, like he was born for it, then moved on to Yolanda. He shook his head in dissatisfaction, stopped her, and stepped behind her to show her how to pivot on her left foot. I cocked an eyebrow. I saw nothing wrong with her swing, but then again... what did I know? I went back to my own practice, looking in the mirror from time to time. I caught Ivor’s gaze, and immediately averted my eyes. What the hell? Why was he staring at me? I was just minding my own business, and he should have minded his.
Professor Wyvern left Yolanda alone after spending five minutes trying to show her how to do the perfect swing, then cleared his throat, shot a quick glance around, and finally excused himself.
“You’re all doing great. I’m going to step out for a minute. Keep practicing, and don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone.”
My heart sank. I must have turned pale, but I didn’t want to look in the mirror again. I tried to focus my gaze straight ahead and forget the other students were there. What was Professor Wyvern thinking? Leaving us like that, to our own devices, when we all had our scythes... No. It was going to be fine. He’d be gone for a minute, no more.
“Hayley, you look very tense,” Jace snickered. “Something wrong? Is your uniform too tight?”
I ignored him. A couple of students laughed, but generally, they didn’t seem very impressed with his stupid joke. All his pranks had something to do with my weight. It was getting old even for the bullies.
“Here, let me help you.”
With a flick of his wrist, he made a wave of energy swirl around my legs. I gasped, my left hand going to my skirt to hold it in place. I didn’t understand what was happening. Jace didn’t blow my skirt up, like I’d expected, and when the wave of energy was gone, it all felt normal. Then Ivor chuckled, pointing at my legs, and I looked down. My eyes widened in horror. The mage had cut half of the length of my red skirt. No. More. It was short. Way too short. And he’d also made my black tights disappear. My legs were completely bare, and the skirt barely covered my butt now. A quick glance in the mirror told me everyone could see my white cotton panties. I blushed to the tips of my ears.
“Hey!” Yolanda yelled at Jace.
No, no, no. I couldn’t let her stand up for me again. She’d only make things worse. I caught her gaze and shook my head firmly. She sighed but respected my wish. She went back to her scythe, her eyes eyeing the door every few seconds. I wondered whether she wanted Professor Wyvern to come back in hopes that he’d stop Jace and Ivor, or because she missed him. No one could deny there was some tension between them.
“Jace,” I said in the most confident voice I could muster, “why would you do that? Come on. This is stupid and childish.”
He only laughed harder. “Are you calling me childish, human?”
I rolled my eyes. “Human.” Ha! That was not an insult. Not to me. Not when the world had literally been saved by two humans. Not when I was a dream jumper – a skill that not even the great mage Jace Merlin could ever practice or learn.
“Yes,” I said through gritted teeth. “Cutting my skirt in half is pretty childish, in my book.”
His face darkened. He didn’t like it. He was used to me not fighting back. Now that I was, he probably felt like he wasn’t in control anymore. He was also not getting the reactions he wanted from the other students.
“But I’m just trying to help, normie!” Normie... Another word that was supposed to be an insult. “It seems to me like your clothes are too tight... They don’t allow you to move freely.” And with another flick of his wrist, the bottom half of my top was gone.
I dropped my scythe and covered my belly with both arms. Tears stung at the back of my eyes. They all felt me succumb to my own despair, and like hyenas, they cornered me with laughter and horrible jokes and names. “Fattie.” Now, that was insulting. It was true I didn’t have a flat, perfect belly, but I wasn’t fat, either. Just curvy. Anyway, what did it matter? They didn’t have to look at me, if they didn’t like what they saw. I blinked rapidly, doing my best to keep my tears at bay. I opened my mouth to say something, but when Jace’s menacing gaze challenged me to stand up for myself again, I knew full well that if I did, he’d make things even worse for me. What would be next? Would he make my bra disappear, so my big, round breasts would bounce free underneath the thin uniform shirt? I wouldn’t have put it past him.
I grabbed my scythe off the floor, blushed even harder when Jace whistled to let me know he’d gotten a great view of my panties, and rushed out of there. If nothing else, I didn’t want Professor Wyvern to return and see me like that. What a shame! What an embarrassment. I felt naked. I wasn’t naked, but I wasn’t far from it, either. I ran as fast as I could. I needed to get to my dorm-room, change my skirt and top, put on a new pair of tights, and head back to class. I didn’t want to skip, either. I’d skipped enough classes the day before. I couldn’t keep letting these jerks mess with my mind, my classes, and my very chance at becoming a Grim Reaper.
I took the stairs up the east tower two at a time. There was no one around, so at least I didn’t have to worry about people looking up my skirt as I climbed the stairs in a hurry. On my floor, I stopped for a second to look down the corridor and listen for any noise. Everyone was in class. I was safe. For some reason, though, there was this feeling in the pit of my stomach that I wasn’t alone. It was as if I was being followed or watched. It must have been my paranoia. I shook my head, took out my keys, and walked to the end of the hall, where my dorm-room was. Just as I was getting ready to unlock the door, a whooshing noise came from behind me, and before I knew it, I found myself pinned to the wall. Ivor was hovering over me, his deep green eyes so dark that they were almost black. I’d never seen him like this.
“What are you doing?” I struggled. He had my wrist in his grip. I was still holding my scythe in my other hand, and if push came to shove, at least I wasn’t defenseless. “You shouldn’t be here. This is the NDC tower.” The RDC dorms were in the west one.
“So many rules,” he said in a low voice.
He sounded different, too. Like he wasn’t himself. He leaned in closer, and I instinctively turned my head, which gave him access to my throat. Oh, shit! He’s a vampire, stupid! But it was too late. He was already running his nose up the length of my neck. He reached the back of my ear and inhaled loudly.
“So juicy...”
“Ivor, seriously... This isn’t funny. It’s the worst prank so far. Just let me go.”
“You think this is a prank?” He chuckled against my sensitive skin. “Oh, Hayley... You have no idea.”
“You’re hurting me,” I whimpered. He wasn’t, actually, but I had to make him release me. The strangest thing was happening. His body so close to mine, his breath on my neck, his low, seductive voice in my ear... He was my bully. He was the enemy. Still, my body reacted like it existed in an entirely different reality – a reality where Ivor liked me, wanted me, touched me because... he found me attrac
tive. But no. This was ridiculous. He didn’t find me attractive. Just like his friend, Jace, he thought I was fat and disgusting. This was just an elaborate prank that was supposed to break me once and for all. “Please, Ivor. I bruise easily.”
There was a sharp intake of breath, and I realized my words and the way I struggled against his hold did something to him. To test my theory, I pushed myself away from the wall, and our bodies ended up flat against each other. He was hard. I started trembling. He buried his face in my hair, and I wanted to push him away, but I didn’t have the strength. I didn’t have the resolve. I should have been scared. He wrapped his free hand around my waist, and when his palm touched my exposed skin, I almost melted in this odd embrace we were sharing.
“You smell so good,” he whispered. “No wonder Jace is obsessed with you.”
“He’s not obsessed with me.”
“The way he looks at you...”
“He hates me. Every day, he makes my life a little more unbearable. And he enjoys it.”
He snickered. “Oh, normie, I didn’t say he likes you. I said he is obsessed with you. He spends every minute thinking about you.”
“Thinking about hurting me.”
He shrugged. “Maybe.”
“And why do you care?”
He moved away and held me at arm’s length. His dark eyes bore into mine, and there was so much emotion in them that I couldn’t hold his gaze. I looked at my feet, but he grabbed my chin and made me stare back into his orbs.
“I care because you’re not worthy of his attention.”
I cocked an eyebrow. Was I hallucinating, or...
“As juicy as you may be, you’re not special enough to occupy his mind like this.”
“I don’t understand anymore... I don’t want his attention. I don’t want your attention, either. Just leave me be.”
He grabbed the hand in which I was holding my scythe and squeezed until I released my fist. The scythe clattered on the floor. In a swift motion, he had both my hands pinned behind my back. His chest was flush against mine, and despite everything, I felt my nipples harden.
“Your body says something else,” he grinned.
It was a natural reaction. I couldn’t help it! He was a hot vampire who had me at his mercy, and his hard cock was literally pushing into my soft belly! My panties were soaked, and he could smell me. If I could do anything to escape this horrible situation...
“Let’s see just how juicy you are, shall we? Just a taste... And maybe then I’ll understand what Jace sees in you.”
“N-no...” My protest was too feeble. And it came too late. He lunged forward and dug his fangs in my throat. I moaned, struggled for a minute, then went limp in his arms. I had expected it to hurt, but the bite wasn’t painful. The deeper his fangs dug into my flesh, the more I pressed myself against him. The more I wanted him to suck harder. It was intoxicating! I felt something trickle down my inner thigh, and I realized I was more than wet. I was dripping. And I loved it!
I couldn’t tell how long this lasted. I couldn’t tell when he’d stopped, helped me unlock my door, and carried me in my room. I woke up half an hour later, on my sofa. There was blood on my collar, and my white cotton panties were ruined. They were still there, so at least I knew Ivor hadn’t done more than drink my blood, but... God, I was so embarrassed!
Chapter Four
Somehow, I pulled myself together and made it to the next class. It was Anthropology with Mrs. Po, and it was one of the few classes I didn’t have with neither Jace, nor Ivor. I would have to face them at some point, but not now. Not yet. I didn’t know how I was supposed to feel anymore. Afraid of them? Afraid of what Jace might do next? Afraid that Ivor would get me alone again and feed off my blood?
Contrary to popular myths, vampires didn’t need to drink blood to survive. They could actually eat and digest pretty much anything, with a preference for rare meat. Blood was like a snack to them. The kitchen staff at Grim Reaper Academy made sure there was plenty of animal blood available for the vampire students and professors living here. It wasn’t illegal for a vampire to drink blood directly from a human or supernatural source, as long as there was consent. Which meant that human blood was mostly a big no-no, since very few humans even knew about the existence of supernaturals. And if another supernatural wanted to feed a vampire, it was up to them. Knowing all this, I was confused about what had happened between me and Ivor.
I should tell someone. I should... report him. These thoughts were going through my head over and over. If I did report him to Headmaster Colin, I was sure he would do something about it, about him, and then I wouldn’t have to worry about Ivor Gray anymore. Biting me without my consent was such a huge offense that he could lose his place at the Academy. But... did I want that? Did I want to punish him so harshly for everything he had done to me? No. I won’t be able to live with myself, if I do it. To attend Grim Reaper Academy was a privilege. To be given the chance to become one of the twenty-two Grim Reapers one day was what all supernaturals dreamed of. No matter how awful Ivor had been to me, I couldn’t take that away from him.
So, I went through the motions, went to the next class, then the next, and even found enough courage to go to lunch. I didn’t have much left in my fridge, and I would really have to remember to ask the staff to restock it for me. Before I knew it, I was sitting at the NDC table, completely undisturbed. No one had made fun of me since PE. Jace wasn’t even at the NDC table; he was having lunch with his RDC friends. Watching him and Ivor eat and chat, I wondered whether the vampire had told him what had happened. No. Ivor knows it was wrong. He wouldn’t tell anyone and risk getting exposed to the Headmaster. I was just making assumptions. The truth was I had no idea what was going on, what these two guys actually thought about me, and why they were torturing me like that. Even after that brief encounter with Ivor, I didn’t know what to think. From what he’d told me, it appeared to bother him greatly that Jace Merlin was investing so much time and energy in me, and the fact that it was only because he wanted to make me suffer didn’t count. It was like Ivor would’ve been happier if Jace had simply ignored my existence.
Is it possible that... No. That made no sense. I finished my lunch and hurried to Geography before either of them noticed me and decided I hadn’t been embarrassed enough for one day. Geography was one of my favorite classes. In year one, we studied the geography of Earth – the world of humans and most supernaturals. It was February now, which meant shitty weather in most places around the globe, but starting March, we were going to take field trips and visit some of the most remote locations. A Grim Reaper had to know the world well to travel where he or she was summoned. I paid attention to Professor Maat and allowed Geography to distract me. Ivor was in my class, but aside from exchanging a few awkward glances with him, nothing happened. When the class was over and I made my way to Rhetoric with Mr. Curio, Ivor simply walked behind me without saying a word to me, let alone pull off some stupid joke or prank. Well, that was certainly new. I briefly wondered whether the fact that he’d tasted my blood made him more compassionate toward me. More empathetic...
Crazy thoughts. I made it to the end of the day, skipped dinner in the dining hall as to not spoil my luck, and had breakfast for dinner in my dorm-room – eggs and bacon. As I got ready for bed, I eyed the bottle of sleeping pills I’d hidden in my drawer. The temptation to take one and go visit Hayley in my own dimension was strong.
“No,” I whispered. Sometimes, when I talked to myself, I managed to convince myself of what was good for me. It was an old trick I’d learned years ago, and it had helped me survive so far. “I need to rest. Tomorrow is another day, and who knows what it may bring? Sleep and a clear mind. That’s what I need. Besides... Hayley doesn’t want to hear me complain every night...”
I wasn’t going to be a drama queen and lose the only friend that I had. I was going to make this work.
That night, I had dreams that would’ve made any girl blush. Even a demoness or a s
uccubus. They involved a certain mage and a certain vampire. In these scenarios, however, they didn’t want to make me suffer. On the contrary... When I woke up the next morning, I was panting, sweating, and too mortified to admit it even to myself...
I was falling for them.
They were my bullies.
It was wrong, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t happening.
Chapter Five
Anatomy of Souls worked hand in hand with PE. There were two main differences, though: one, we didn’t need our scythes in Anatomy of Souls, and two, Professor Lesage almost always paired us up. Randomly, I might add.
“We’re going to learn how to see each other’s auras, today,” Professor Lesage announced. He was an incubus, which meant he had a powerful impact on everyone in the room.
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