Academy of Sorcery

Term 2: The Fallen Master

Alexa B. James
 Academy of Sorcery, Term 2: Fallen Master
© 2020 Alexa B. James

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First edition
ISBN-13: 978-1-945780-78-3
Table of Contents
Academy of Sorcery
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Author’s Note
Broken Princess Excerpt
 Chapter One

“Tell me everything,” Asher says, sliding in across from me at the table.

“There’s nothing to tell,” I say with a forced laugh, glancing around
the dining hall. “I worked for Silas over the holiday break. He was a jerk
like usual, with the added bonus that now he leers at me like he wants to
jump my bones.”
“And?” Asher asks, bugging his eyes at me like I’m supposed to
know what he wants to hear.
“And… I got to see my dad, which was great,” I say carefully.
Asher sighs and flicks his black bangs off his forehead, sitting back
in his chair. Elowen scurries across the dining hall and tucks herself into a
chair, glancing between us with a guilty look. “Is this okay?”
“It’s fine,” I say. Yes, she betrayed me in the worst way, but it’s a
new year, a new semester, and I’m trying to move past that.
“How was your break?” she asks.
“She says all she did was work and hang out with her dad,” Asher
says, rolling his eyes. “Girl, don’t hold out on me. I know you got some
sizzling sorcerer sausage in you at some point.”
“No,” I say firmly, glancing sideways at Thorn, who sits at the next
table, pretending not to listen as he eats his own dinner. I’m not about to go
into the story of how the sorcery students took turns guarding me over the
break, and how Dad forced me to go out and invite them in for both
Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner. Especially not since both Thorn and
Ryker refused.
“I’m just saying, if those boys were right outside my door every
night, I’d be getting some of that,” Asher says, wiggling his pierced
eyebrows at me. He turns and gives Thorn a wink, as if I didn’t already
want to murder him. I can’t decide if it’s worse to have silent Thorn
standing guard than to have rude Rocco, who would laugh his ass off and
tease me about Asher’s words.
 “I thought you were already getting some,” I remind Asher.
“I was,” he said. “But once I went home and wasn’t around your
sexy magic, I hit a dry spell.”
“Oh, wow, a whole month without sex,” I say, rolling my eyes.
“That’s a full-on drought.”
“I know, right?” Asher says, ignoring my sarcasm. Before I can
formulate a comeback, he grabs one of my hands and one of Elowen’s. His
eyes widen, fixed on the door behind me.
My heart skips, and I’m sure I’ll turn to see the Bellas, AKA The
Bitch Squad, headed our way. Instead, I spot a smoldering hot stranger with
copper hair combed back from his forehead and a broody frown creasing
his brow.
“Mine,” Asher whispers.
“What?” Elowen asks, giving him a funny look.
“I’m just saying,” Asher protests. “Every guy on campus wants to
bone Jade. Can’t I call dibs on one of them?”
“Yeah, but not him,” Elowen says.
This time, Asher and I both turn to stare at her. “Spill,” he orders.
“What?” she asks, sounding defensive. “I saw him in the House of
Necromancy. He’s a Dark Arts student.”
“Not a student,” Thorn says. “That’s Topher Stephens. He’s a grad
assistant. The necromancer is right. Not him.”
Elowen blanches at being called what she is—or what she will be,
anyway. Right now, she’s a student of necromancy. She hasn’t coaxed
anyone from the dead yet.
“What’s he doing here?” Asher asks, gazing longingly after the guy.
“I’m sure he’s here to be gawked at like all the sorcerers,” Thorn
retorts.
Asher doesn’t seem to notice the dig. “He’s a sorcerer?”
“I don’t know,” Thorn says. “He’s a transfer.”
“From where?” Asher asks with a dramatic sigh. “My dreams?”
“He’s teaching Dark Arts.”
“Want to switch majors?” Asher asks Elowen, his gaze still riveted
on the hot redhead.
“You have him,” Elowen says, nodding toward the door.
 I turn in time to see Professor Darius stride in. My heart flips in my
chest, my belly fills with butterflies, and my head gets a little dizzy. The last
time I saw my Intro to Magic teacher, he was rejecting my offer of sex but
letting me have all the above-the-clothes action I needed to get off.
Heat creeps up my neck as he approaches. His long, lean legs are
clad in a pair of grey slacks, but I remember them pulsing between my
thighs, making me pant for more. His bronze hair is neatly styled, but I
remember it messy after I ran my fingers through it. His chiseled
cheekbones are clean shaven, his eyes alert as they sweep over his students.
Oh my gawd. Was he always that hot? It’s all I can do not to
whimper. My mouth has gone dry, all my juices headed somewhere south of
the border.
I swallow hard and pretend to be engrossed in my salad as Darius
strolls by without so much as a glance in my direction. And even though I
know we can’t exactly gaze into each other’s eyes in public, my heart still
falls a little when he ignores me as completely as if I were a Bella.
“Yeah, Professor Hottiepants is fine,” Asher says. “But see, there’s
one little problem.”
“He’s a teacher,” Thorn supplies, his gaze cutting to me.
“Well, that, too,” Asher says. “But the main problem is he’s not into
dick.”
“And that he’d get fired if he had an affair with a student,” Thorn
says.
Fuck. He totally knows about me and Darius. I’m sure of it. I don’t
know what gave us away, but he’s looking at me like we were gazing into
each other’s eyes just now. Thorn is just too damn observant for his own
good.
“Would he really get fired?” I ask. “I mean, he’s got the strongest
magic of any sorcerer here.”
What I really want to know is if what we did would get him fired. I
mean, we messed around a bit, but it was entirely for magical purposes. It
was a learning experience. He was teaching me to release my magic. I
definitely wouldn’t call it an affair.
But oh god, I can still feel his long fingers straining to go deeper
inside me…
 “Obviously,” Elowen says, oblivious to the whole situation. As far
as she knows, I just think Professor Darius is hot, and that’s not exactly a
shocker. Every girl in the Academy of Sorcery probably wakes up with
damp sheets at least once a week courtesy of the resident hot professor.
“The real question is, what about a grad student?” Asher asks,
peering over his shoulder at Thorn. “Would he be fired for getting busy with
a student?”
“It would be frowned upon,” Thorn says, watching Topher Stephens
make his way through the food line.
“But he wouldn’t get in trouble?” Asher asks, wiggling his brows.
“He probably wouldn’t get hired for a permanent position at the
Academy if he got that reputation,” Thorn says. “But no. Nothing would
happen to him.”
That doesn’t seem fair, but I can’t exactly complain about it to my
friends. All I can do is mentally check anyone who might have seen us
together, hope Thorn can keep his mouth shut, and make sure no one else
finds out.
 Chapter Two

For the next week, I’m careful not to draw attention to myself. Last
semester, I was the sex girl, which is pretty ironic considering I still haven’t
managed to actually have sex. This semester, I’d like to be known for
something other than my magic. And that doesn’t mean I want to be known
as the girl screwing the professor.
Not that we’re screwing.
When we’re settled back into our dorms after the holiday break, I
give Thorn the slip one evening and sneak over to see Professor Darius. I
glance behind me every few steps, sure that my sorcerer guard will have
caught on to my scheme. But a girl doesn’t grow up on the streets of post-
apocalyptic Jacksonville and not learn to make a quick getaway.
I arrive at Darius’s office, check the hall in both directions, and dart
inside. I pull the door closed behind me and bite my lip, smiling at Darius.
“Hello, Jade,” he says, standing from behind his desk.
“Hey,” I say, darting forward from the door and standing on tiptoes
to give him a quick kiss. “I made sure no one followed me. I’m alone.”
He clears his throat and steps back from me. “Did you have
something you needed to discuss with me in private?”
I take a step back, stung. “I mean… Yeah. Of course I want to talk
to you.” I haven’t talked to him since the night after finals, when he brought
me to orgasm and then left my room, telling me he’d set up guards to make
sure I could go home over the holidays like everyone else.
Professor Darius nods. My eyes skim over his sculpted jawline with
the five o’clock shadow, his gentle eyes and full lips. Damn it.
Do not look at his lips. Do not remember them claiming,
commanding, yours.
“What’s up?” Darius asks, folding his arms and leaning against the
edge of his desk.
“So, that’s it?” I ask. “We’re just done?”
 He sighs. “Jade, you know how I feel about you. But we can’t be
together.”
I nod, my throat suddenly tight. Darius has been the one bright spot
among all the guys. When they were complete dicks to me, he was there for
me. Probably in ways he shouldn’t have been, but I wanted it as much as he
did. Apparently more.
“Ever?” I ask, forcing the word out.
“I could lose my job,” he acknowledges. “And I would do that for
you in a heartbeat, except it could put you in danger. You need me here at
the academy with you.”
I know he’s right. If he got fired, he couldn’t be here to protect me.
But the alternative is even worse.
“So… Never,” I say. “We’ll never be together.”
“Jade, what happened before break… That should never have
happened. I should have been stronger.”
Stronger than what? He let me get off on him, sure, but we never
even went under our clothes. It was just a make-out session. Or so I tell
myself to keep from feeling like a complete, pathetic loser for thinking—
hoping—more might come of it this semester. Clearly we both thought
about it over the break, and clearly we came to the opposite conclusion.
“It’s fine,” I say. “It’s not like I expected you to be my boyfriend.”
Secret lover, sure. Sexual release? Yes, please.
Boyfriend? No. That sounds too juvenile for what we are.
Were. What we were.
“I never should have touched you,” Darius says. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” I say, holding up a hand to stop him. It’s bad enough to
get dumped. I don’t need his pity on top of it.
“I shouldn’t have led you on.”
“You didn’t,” I say, raising my chin and meeting his eyes. “I led
myself on. I appreciate you being straight with me. From now on, we’ll be
strictly student and teacher.”
He swallows so hard I can see his Adam’s apple bob up and down.
And as shitty as it is, I’m glad this is hard for him. I know he still wants me
just as much as I want him. But he’d lose his career, and I don’t want that
any more than he does. He’s made for this. He’s a great teacher. I wouldn’t
want him to give that up, not even for me, not even if he offered.
 “That would be best,” Darius says, his eyes softening. “Jade, I don’t
regret what happened. But I’m an adult. I have to be responsible here.”
“I’m an adult, too,” I say, not appreciating his insinuation that I’m
not responsible. “I can take care of myself. Believe it or not, I’ve been
doing it for years.”
Darius’s eyes widen, and I realize what that sounded like. I didn’t
mean it that way, but I don’t correct him. If he wants to think about me
pleasing myself the way he pleased me, I’m not about to stop him. I leave
him with that image and slip out the door.
Thorn is standing in the hall in his usual pose, leaning back against
the wall with one foot propped up on the wall behind him, his arms crossed.
Damn it.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, pulling the door to Professor
Darius’s office closed behind me.
“I had a feeling I might find you here,” Thorn says casually, pushing
away from the wall. “Got any other errands to run while you’re out?”
“You know, I don’t need a guard around campus anymore,” I say,
starting down the hall. “The demonlings were coming from Bella, and I
have Cleo back, and we knocked Lilith back into hell.”
“The spirit world,” Thorn corrects.
“Whatever,” I say, rolling my eyes. “I can walk around campus by
myself.”
“Until Headmaster Orville agrees, you get an escort.”
“Wait, you’re a male escort?” I ask, giving him a wicked grin.
“Damn. I haven’t been getting what I’m paying for.”
“You’re not paying anything.”
“Oh,” I say. “Then I guess I’m getting exactly what I’m paying for.”
“You know, Jade, you don’t need a male hooker. Any guy on
campus would have sex with you. If you’re just looking for a hook up, I
don’t think you’ll have any problem finding someone willing.”
“But not you.”
He pauses, staring straight ahead with a frown. “No,” he agrees at
last. “Not my style.”
Fucking ouch.
“What is your style?” I ask. “Be a complete dick, hook up with a
girl who despises me, tell me it meant nothing and nothing happened, and
then go back to being a dick?”
“I guess you’ve got me all figured out,” he says.
I want to scream with frustration.
“I don’t have you figured out,” I say in a huff. “You’re impossible to
figure out because you go from hot to cold so fast you’re giving me freezer
burn.”
That’s the problem. I thought things were changing between us after
the final trial first semester, but he’s been cold as ice to me ever since. Was
it just my magic making him act so sweet? It’s the only explanation I can
think of.
“Things are complicated enough for you without you trying to
figure me out,” he says. “Trust me on that.”
“Maybe I want to,” I say. “I thought we were… I don’t know.
Friends, or… I don’t know. Maybe more than that?”
“What gave you that idea?”
Okay, then. That’s a big fat nope.
“I don’t know,” I say. “When the trials happened, and…”
“And you were leaking magic, and we all helped you?”
“Thanks for making it sound like I’ve got a runny nose, and I’m
leaking snot or something.”
“Jade, you know what Bella did to us,” he says quietly, staring
straight ahead. “What all three of them did. I know it’s not the same, and
you weren’t trying to manipulate us, but I prefer to keep my own free will.”
If the rejection hurt, this is ten times worse. “I didn’t do anything to
you,” I say through clenched teeth. “If you don’t want to be around my
magic, then leave.”
“I think you’re…Pretty impressive. But I’m not down for being
anyone’s love slave.”
“Then don’t be,” I snap. “I’m not making you stay. I’m not releasing
a drop of magic right now. So why are you still here?”
He’s stone-faced as we arrive at my dorm. He opens the door and
gestures for me to precede him. “I’m your guard, Jade,” he says. “I’m not
going anywhere until I’m dismissed. But don’t worry. I’m not a snitch.”
“What?” I ask, stepping through and eyeing him suspiciously.
“What exactly are you going to not snitch about? I told you, I’m not using
magic to interfere with your free will. I think you’re just afraid to admit that
you might actually have feelings.”
Thorn fixes me with a steady gaze. “I’m not going to go running to
the headmaster when you go visiting men. But you need to tell me what’s
going on so I can keep you safe.”
I cross my arms over my chest and wheel around to face him.
“What’s that supposed to mean? What exactly do you think is going on?”
“I don’t think anything,” he says. “It’s none of my business. I just
need you to stop trying to shake your guard.”
“You’re right,” I say. “It’s not your business. If I need to talk to my
professor about my magic, I should be able to walk across campus and talk
to him without being stalked and judged.”
“I’m not judging,” he says. “It makes sense for someone who has an
absentee father to choose an older man. I don’t think less of you for it.”
My mouth literally falls open in shock and indignation. “What do
you know about absent parents?” I demand. Before I can go off on him for
being such an insufferable ass, I spin around and race up the stairs, praying
the tears in my eyes don’t fall until I’m alone. I throw open the door of my
room, dart inside, slam the door, and slide down the inside of it. I pull my
knees up and cover my face with both hands. Fuck.
What the fuck is wrong with me? And how dare Thorn presume to
know anything about my relationship with my father? Not to mention he’s
way off base.
Isn’t he?
I mean, he definitely is. Professor Darius is the exact opposite of
daddish. Just because he’s older doesn’t mean I have daddy issues.
Okay, I probably have daddy issues. But so what? Lots of people do,
and it’s not like I’m seducing married men. And it’s not like Dad wants to
be absentee. He just didn’t handle Mom’s death very well. Which reminds
me of what I said to Thorn, and that I was a complete bitch. Considering
he’s lost a father completely, I was way out of line.
Super. Now I have to eat crow. So not my favorite flavor.
I stand, take a deep breath, and open the door. Thorn is standing
against the opposite wall in his usual pose. His thick, black hair looks
slightly tousled, as if he’s been tugging at it, and his emerald gaze is
troubled.
 “I’m sorry,” I say. “I was an asshole, and I know I’m not the only
person who’s lost a parent. That was a completely insensitive, shitty thing
to say, and I’m sorry if I hurt you. I hope you can forgive me.”
He crosses his arms, which draws my eyes to his yummy biceps.
Which are off limits, I remind myself. And not at all what I should be
focusing on right now. A stitch pulls between his brows, and he nods. “It’s
okay. You didn’t hurt me.”
I stand there feeling like the world’s biggest tool. “Well, I’m still
sorry,” I say at last. “I shouldn’t have said that. And you can pretend all you
want, but I know you’re more sensitive than you let on.”
“Is that so?” Thorn asks, quirking one black eyebrow.
“Yep,” I say. “And don’t try to distract me with your sexy eyebrow
trick.”
A smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. “My what?”
“You know what,” I say. “And that crooked smile is not going to
work on me, either.”
His mouth twitches like he’s trying not to laugh. “I didn’t know you
found my asymmetrical facial tendencies so alluring.”
“I don’t,” I say, crossing my arms and trying to frown. “I’m not
going to invite you in or anything.”
“Good,” he says. “Because I’m on guard duty, so I couldn’t come in
if you did.”
“But you’d want to?” I ask, raising my brows.
He scowls. “No.”
“Liar.”
“Does it really matter?” His smile is gone, his face serious. Does it
matter if he wants me or not? Am I just a greedy bitch, wanting him and
Professor Darius, too? And maybe even Rocco. Not Ryker, though.
Definitely not him. Never him. He’s such a dick.
Damn it. Now I’m thinking about his dick pressed up against my ass
when he was kissing me.
“I’ve gotta go,” I say, ducking back into my room and slamming the
door. What’s wrong with me? Ryker has been nothing but an impossible
shithead since I met him. Sure, he’s hot, but he’s also infuriating and
impossible to please and just plain hateful.
 I shake the thoughts away and grab a toothbrush, attacking my teeth
like I can rub him out of my mind, forget the pull I have to him, and his
brother, and Thorn, and fuck, my professor.
At least I know one of those doors has closed, and it can never open
again. I would never risk Professor Darius’s job, even if it means I can
never have him. At least with that one, there’s closure, and I can move on
without thinking about him again.
Like that’s going to happen.
 Chapter Three

“We’re getting our schedules today,” Asher says as we head for the Great
Hall. “Maybe you’ll get a class with me.”
“Let’s hope it’s something I’m actually good at, so I can finally kick
your ass at something,” I say, giving him a playful push.
“Girl, don’t you dare,” he says. “You already have the best magic,
and the best guys, and a pretty badass weapon, silly as it looks.”
“Cleo is pretty badass, isn’t she?” I ask, holding aloft my spork and
smiling fondly at her.
“You got the best of Ryker during finals, so yeah, I’d say so,” Asher
says, lowering his voice so my angry guard can’t hear. He strides ahead, his
long legs carrying him further from us with each step, so we have to rush to
keep up. Asher doesn’t seem to mind, as he openly checks out Ryker’s ass.
“Now, how you’re not boning that hunk of meat is beyond me.”
A tremor runs through me when I remember Ryker’s words. He
offered, more than once, but with the warning that he’d ruin me. The truth
is, I’m a little scared of him, attractive as my body finds him. But I will not
be ruled by my body or my magic. Ryker is an asshole—a scary asshole—
and I’m not going there.
“I don’t need that kind of complication in my life,” I say, thinking of
Thorn’s warning to me earlier. Why are all these sorcerers warning me
away from them?
“Girl, everybody needs love,” Asher says. “It’s nothing to be
ashamed of.”
“I’m not ashamed,” I say, darting a look at Ryker, who stands at the
door of the Great Hall, holding it open for us and tapping his foot
impatiently as we approach. “And I have my dad.”
Asher rolls his eyes and steps into the Great Hall. “Not what I
meant, and you know it.”
 “Yeah, well, it’s bad enough that everyone thinks of me as the sex
girl,” I mutter. “This semester, I’d like be known for something that has
absolutely nothing to do with sex. Which means I need to kick ass at
something.”
“Noble goal,” Asher says. “But you’re going to have to ride the
high, hard one eventually.”
“The high, hard one?” I ask, laughing. “That’s what you call it?”
“I could call it a cock, but I thought your head might explode.”
“High, hard one it is,” I say, making my way toward the center of
the huge room where the students are all sitting on folding chairs waiting to
get their schedules. Just as I sit down, my phone goes off in my pocket. I
dig it out, ignoring the snorts of derision from the Bellas and their crew
when they hear my boring ring tone and see the chunky, old-fashioned
phone I inherited from Mom a few years ago when she died. I don’t care if
it was old even then, or if it has to be charged three times a day. It’s a
reminder of my mom.
Speaking of, I see my dad’s grainy picture on the cracked screen. “I
have to take this,” I say to Asher. “I’ll be right back.”
I hurry outside, ignoring Ryker who trails along looking bored.
Stepping out of the building, I squint against the bright morning sunlight
and turn my back toward the entrance to have a bit of privacy.
“Hey, Dad,” I say into the phone. “Everything okay?”
“Yes, fine,” he says, sounding a bit odd but no more than usual.
“What’s going on?” I ask. “You called?”
“Oh, yes,” he says. “I just wanted you to know that I’ve taken a
job.”
“Oh, wow,” I say, clutching the phone to my ear. “That’s great,
Dad.”
Suddenly, a lump rises in my throat. Dad hasn’t had a job, a real
one, since Mom died. Even before that, he was iffy. Since my sister was
killed, he hasn’t been the same, but it was Mom’s death that really broke
him.
“Yeah,” he says. “Yeah, I guess so. A father should look out for his
kids, and you’re all I’ve got left, so I thought I should make sure you didn’t
have to go back to Silas’s. You won’t have to worry about him anymore,
Jade.”
 “Wait, what?” I ask, my heart suddenly hammering. “What did you
do, Dad?”
“I took over your contract.”
“What the—Dad, no. You can’t do that.” My head is swimming,
panic racing through me.
“It’s okay,” he says. “You weren’t doing anything magical. I can do
what you did. It’s just janitorial work.”
“Silas is evil,” I blurt out. “Don’t go anywhere near him. He’ll trick
you into something.”
“Don’t get worked up,” he says. “It’s only for the duration of your
schooling. It’s about time I did something for you, and I’d like to take a few
years off your sentence. He’s agreed that he won’t add time to your
sentence for the years you’re in school if I take up for your missing hours.”
“Dad, no,” I say. “You can’t!” I’m desperate and close to tears. Dad
has barely left the house in two years, and even before that, he was locked
inside his own head most of the time. He changed when my sister Autumn
died. And even when he was at his best before that, he was never involved
in the magical community. Psychics were treated about the same by the
magical community as the human one, so Mom didn’t spend a lot of time
with other magical people.
We grew up basically human in a human world, and even when her
magic led us down this path, she kept us out of it as long as she could. And
yeah, the last two years of working for Silas have been a crash-course in
supernatural people for me, but Dad has no idea what he’s dealing with. I
don’t want him to learn the hard way like I did. And if Silas is bargaining,
you can bet your ass he’s got some slimy ulterior motive up his sleeve.
“It’s okay, Jade,” Dad says. “I want to do this for you.”
My heart breaks a little for him. He just wants to do the right thing,
to take care of me. But I don’t need him to do that. Over the past two years,
I’ve gotten pretty fucking good at taking care of both of us. Even if he’s
trying to make up for that now, I don’t want him to get involved with the
likes of Silas.
“I’m coming home,” I blurt out. “I’ll quit the Academy. They’ll just
have to siphon my magic, and I’ll be fine. I’ll get my job back.”
“You can’t quit school,” Dad says. “It’s the best opportunity anyone
in our family will ever get.”
 “Then I’ll take night classes or something,” I say. “If they suck out
my magic every day, I won’t be any danger to anyone.”
“Don’t get so worked up,” he says. “I know you’re upset, but it’ll be
best for us both in the long run. You’ll get to finish your schooling without
worrying about Silas, and I’ll get out of the house for a few hours every
day. It’ll be good for me.”
“I’m coming home right now,” I say. “Don’t leave before I get
there.”
I hang up and turn to see Ryker standing behind me, his arms
crossed and a scowl on his face. “Not happening, Cupcake,” he says flatly.
“What?” I ask, narrowing my eyes.
“You’re not going home,” he says. “You’re not just a random,
ungifted witch. You can’t leave whenever you want.”
“So, take my magic,” I say. “I never asked for it. I don’t want it,
anyway.”
Something inside me rebels at my own lie, but I ignore it and stride
over to Ryker.
“You saw what happened when three girls stole a little of your
magic,” he says evenly. “Do you want ten people to split your power
between them and see what happens? If your magic was siphoned, even
more people would be affected.”
I hesitate, swallowing hard past the lump in my throat. “Okay,” I
say. “But I have to stop my dad from doing something that’s going to get
him killed.”
“He’s a grown man,” Ryker says, stepping into my path when I try
push past him. “Maybe he needs to figure out that there are consequences to
his actions.”
“You don’t know anything about my father,” I snap. “He’s been
through trauma. Not that you’d understand.”
“Oh really,” Ryker says drily. “Because I’m sure no one else in the
world has experienced trauma and kept their shit together.”
“Yeah, well, he did the best he could,” I say. “At least he didn’t turn
into a cold, sadistic asshole who likes to torture girls for fun.”
“You’re ridiculous,” Ryker snaps.
I cross my arms and tap my toe, staring up at him. “I don’t hear you
denying it.”
 “I’ll apologize if you can honestly tell me you’re not better for it.”
I can’t, and I won’t even try. So I change the subject.
“I don’t expect you to understand, or, you know, suddenly develop
basic human decency,” I say. “But I love my dad, and if you’re going to talk
shit about him, I’m going to get pissed. My dad may not be perfect, but he’s
ten times the man you’ll ever be.”
“Yeah? Then how come he let you work for that lowlife scumbag
wizard for the past two years, and I’m saying you can’t go back to work for
him for even an hour?”
I plant my hand on my hip and throw my blonde hair back over my
shoulder. “You know what? If you were capable of empathy, I might try to
explain it, but you’re clearly not, so I won’t bother. Now, I’m going to see
my dad before he gets himself killed. And you’re not going to stop me.”
I stride past Ryker, snatching Cleo from my belt as I go. Let anyone
come at me. I’ve got plenty of magic to stop any asshole who attacks me
when I’m off campus.
“Are you fucking stupid?” Ryker asks, grabbing my arm and
spinning me to face him.
“Look, I don’t have time for this,” I say, yanking to free myself.
“Let me go. I have to talk to him before he signs his life away.”
“It’s his life,” Ryker growls. “Let him do what he wants.”
“He doesn’t want to,” I argue. “He’s doing it for me. Don’t you see
that? If something happens, and I don’t stop him—”
My breath catches, cutting off my words, and I realize with horror
I’m about to cry. The thought of losing my father is too much. Just as I’m
all he has left in this world, he’s all I’ve got, too.
“Then you’ll have respected his last wishes,” Ryker growled. “To let
him protect you like he should have done all along.”
“You’re incorrigible,” I growl, swinging Cleo at him.
My hand freezes in midair, and Ryker quirks an eyebrow and
smirks. “Do you really think you can take me by surprise, Cupcake?”
“Why the fuck are you calling me that?”
“Because you’re soft as a cupcake,” he says, still smirking. “Now, if
you’re ready to stop acting like a child, I’ll unfreeze your hand, and we can
discuss this like adults.”
“I fucking hate you,” I growl, yanking at my hand.
 “I’ve got time,” Ryker says, leaning against the wall and crossing
his feet. He takes out his phone and scrolls through it while I seethe and
curse and yank at my hand, which is trapped in midair as if frozen inside an
invisible block of ice. At last, I tire myself out, blow my hair out of my
eyes, and glare at Ryker.
“Fine, you win this one,” I say. “But if something bad happens to
my father because of this, I will end your life.”
Ryker shrugs. “Fair enough. Now, if you don’t want to be locked in
your room like a kid in timeout, you need to march your ass back in there
and get your schedule. You can ask for a leave to go home, with appropriate
accommodations, just like everyone else has to do.”
“I hate you, Ryker Braun.”
“I’m crying on the inside,” he says, rolling his eyes and turning
away. My hand comes free suddenly, dropping to my side. I stomp back into
the Great Hall behind Ryker. I’m tempted to spork him in the back of the
neck, but I have a feeling he’d somehow see me even when I’m behind him,
and the consequences would not be good.
Still, a girl can daydream.
*
As soon as we get our schedules, I rush to Darius’s classroom. When I step
inside, I see Blonde Bella sitting on the front of one of the desks, gazing up
at Darius with rapt attention that makes me throw up in my mouth a little.
Her adoration is sickeningly clear. I remind myself I’m there for Dad,
though, pushing away my jealousy and refusing to think about what
happened on Professor Darius’s desk when I was in here alone with him.
“I need to talk to you,” I say, glancing over my shoulder at Ryker.
He looks beyond done with guard duty, but I don’t let that deter me, either. I
don’t care if I irritate him. I just want my father to be safe.
“Jade,” Darius says, rising from where he’s leaning against the edge
of his desk. “Come in. Miss Goodwin, I think we’re done here. I’ll see you
in class later.”
Bella smiles sweetly at Darius as she slides off the desk, revealing a
whole lot of her tan legs as she goes. She pretends to lose her balance, so
he’ll have to reach out and steady her, but I don’t even despise her for her
transparent antics. It must suck to be that desperate.
 When she breezes past me, she shoots me a smug smile, but for once
she doesn’t try to cut me down or call me names. So I guess there’s a slight
improvement in her attitude since I kept her from begin expelled from the
Academy of Sorcery.
“What’s wrong?” Darius asks, his chocolate eyes full of concern as
he studies me.
I turn, taking great pleasure in closing the door in Ryker’s face
before turning back to Darius.
“It’s my dad,” I say, my throat tightening. “He says he’s going to
take over my contract while I’m in school, so Silas doesn’t add more years
onto the end for the time I spend here.”
Darius rubs his hand over the bottom half of his face, looking
thoughtful. “You don’t like that idea?”
“No,” I say with an incredulous laugh. “It’s a terrible idea! Silas will
use him for… For…”
I can’t really think of what Silas will use an unwell human for, but it
can’t be anything good.
“I understand your concern,” Darius says. “I’ll send someone to
speak to them about the situation.”
“Thank you so much,” I say, throwing my arms around my professor
and squeezing him tight. Suddenly, my body remembers every inch of his,
and my mind flashes back to the afternoon in my dorm room. His broad
shoulders covering mine completely. His cock so hard it threatened to tear
through his pants to get to me. His strong fingers around my wrists, pinning
them to the bed while he took control, bringing me to climax but refusing to
go further even when I begged for him to fuck me.
Professor Darius presses a kiss to the top of my head, inhaling
slowly before detangling himself from my arms.
“No problem,” he says, his voice husky. “I’d do anything in my
power to make you happy, Jade.”
“Please don’t let him do anything stupid,” I say, biting my lip and
peering up at him, my heart hammering at the memories that rushed through
me at his touch.
“I won’t,” Darius says, turning away. He mutters something that
sounds a lot like, “It’s not him I’m worried about.”
 But I can’t tell for sure, and when I ask, he says it’s nothing. But I
know it’s something. I know that despite what he said, even if it’s true and
we can’t be together, he still feels this attraction, too.
I step out of the room with a smile on my face and start down the
hall.
Ryker smirks as he falls into step beside me. “Looks like your visit
to Dr. Feelgood did the job?”
“What?” I ask, wheeling on him.
“Faster than I expected,” Ryker says. “I must say I’m impressed.”
“You’re as bad as your brother,” I say, rolling my eyes and heading
for the door again.
“Oh, please,” Ryker says with a snort. “My brother is a cupcake like
you. Don’t insult me.”
I’m not sure what to say to that, so I decide to take the high road and
ignore it. “For your information, I went to see Professor Darius about my
dad.”
“And what did he say?” Ryker asks. “Did he tell you to run home
and rescue daddy?”
“You know what?” I say, turning to him as we reach the doors. “I’ve
got it from here. Why don’t you go fuck a Bella and work some of that
dickishness out of your system? You’re a real asshole today.”
 Chapter Four

We’ve been back on campus for two weeks, getting settled back in, getting
schedules, and adjusting to the food—which for others means having
magical cafeteria food but for me means having a full belly—before classes
start. On the Sunday evening before our first week of regular classes, the
school holds a celebration dinner for those who made it through finals and
are returning for the second semester.
We all pile into the cafeteria, freshmen and seniors alike. Even
Ryker is sitting among the students, since technically he hasn’t graduated. I
try not to look over to where he sits with Thorn, their heads bent together as
if they’re deep in a private conversation. Rocco slides into a chair next to
me, his plate piled high with slices of brisket and potatoes, all of it
smothered in gravy.
“Hey, Cinderella,” he says. “Ready for classes tomorrow?”
“When are you going to stop calling me that?” I ask with a sigh.
“When you let me take you on that date you promised,” he says
easily.
I glance over at the Bellas’ table. “You know, you could guard me
from across the room,” I say. “If you want to sit with your girlfriend.”
“She’s not my girlfriend,” Rocco says, setting down his fork and
frowning. “And that’s not fair. If someone drugged you, would you want to
be held responsible for what you did under the influence, when you didn’t
take the drug willingly or even knowingly?”
“I’m… Thirsty,” Asher says, easing out of his chair. “Elowen, why
don’t we go get more soda?” He grabs our friend’s hand and drags her
toward the drink machine.
“I’m sorry,” I say to Rocco, my face flushing hot. “I didn’t know
you were so upset about it.”
He stares at me. “You didn’t know I’d be upset about someone
basically drugging me to have sex with for two weeks? And the girl I like
throwing it in my face every chance she gets?”
Now it’s my turn to stare. “I’m so sorry,” I say. “I… I didn’t think of
it that way.”
“I know,” Rocco says, running a hand through his hair. “I’m a guy,
I’m not supposed to have any feelings except horny. What’s the big deal
about a hot girl forcing me to be her sex slave? I should have liked it. I hear
that shit all the time, from all the guys. I just didn’t think I’d hear it from
you.”
“Rocco…” I take his hand and squeeze it, but it’s not enough. So I
lean in and wrap my arms around him, pressing my face into his shoulder
and trying not to cry as I squeeze him against me. “I’m so sorry,” I whisper.
“I had no idea you felt that way. I’ve been such a bitch.”
“It’s okay,” he murmurs, his voice muffled by my hair as he buries
his face in my neck. “Just please know that what happened has me all
fucked up, especially because you had to see it.”
“No,” I say, cupping my hand around the back of his neck. “It had
nothing to do with me, and I was a selfish bitch to even say anything.”
Rocco pulls me into his lap so I’m sitting sideways across his legs.
He smooths back my hair with both hands and cups my head in his big,
gentle palms. “But it did have to do with you,” he says. “It kills me that you
saw me with her, and you thought it was real. It kills me that I might have
hurt you. If I could make it up to you, I would.”
“You just did,” I whisper, my heart so full it feels like it’ll overflow.
His sapphire eyes search mine, and he leans in slowly and kisses me. His
lips are gentle but firm, confidently leading mine as he angles his head and
presses his lips to mine, soft and then hard and then soft again.
Behind us, Asher clears his throat. I pull back, sliding off Rocco’s
lap and back into my chair. Shit. I can’t believe I just kissed him in the
middle of the dining hall, in front of everyone. When I glance up, Thorn is
staring right at us, some tumultuous emotion in his eyes that I can’t read.
Ryker is watching, too, his expression a mixture of wariness, anger, and
accusation. I turn my eyes away, not liking the way he’s looking at me, like
he thinks I’m going to do to Rocco what the Bellas did.
I catch sight of the Bellas staring at me, too. In fact, half the people
in the cafeteria are staring. Half of them look excited, as if they’re waiting
for me to do something crazy, like rip off Rocco’s clothes and ride him in
the middle of a crowded room. The other half look as if they’re about to
bolt because they’re afraid they might do that.
Shit. I realize as I meet their gazes that half the school is scared of
me. What the Bellas did to my sorcerers isn’t half as bad as what I did,
though mine was completely unintentional. When my magic was unleashed,
it made them have orgies in public, even people who would never have had
sex at all if not for my magic.
Fuck. Suddenly, I feel like I have some sick, horrible magic, even
worse than necromancy. I’d trade with Elowen in a second.
Rocco squeezes my hand for a second before releasing it and
digging into his food. “That got serious real fucking fast,” he says with a
chuckle. “Sorry about that, Jade. It had to be said, but this probably wasn’t
the right circumstances.”
Asher widens his eyes at me, and I give a tiny shrug with one
shoulder. I’m not sure exactly what it all means, and I’m not going to
dissect it in front of Rocco. I glance over at the other two sorcerers, torn
between wanting them and wanting Rocco. Ryker is still glaring at me like
he’s ready to protect Rocco by slicing off my head with his sword.
I turn back to the table and scoot my chair in before picking up my
fork. “So, anyway. What happens after dinner?”
“Usually we just hang out in the Great Hall,” Rocco says. “There’s a
bunch of games set up, and we get back in the swing of things and stay up
way too late, and someone inevitably spikes the punch, so we’re all tired
and hungover on the first day of school.”
“Sounds like my kind of mixer,” Asher says, sighing when he
catches sight of Topher Stephens across the room. “Maybe I can work up
the nerve to talk to him if I get a little tipsy.”
Half an hour later, we’re finished eating and heading for the Great
Hall. Rocco takes my hand as we walk, then shoots me a bashful smile that
makes dimples sink into his cheeks in the most adorable way. “This okay?”
he asks.
My heart does a little flip, and I squeeze his hand. “More than
okay,” I tell him. “Though it’s making me a little suspicious. I didn’t take
you for a hand-holder.”
“You underestimate me in all kinds of ways, Cinderella.”
 “We better go on that date soon,” I say. “I can’t wait for you to stop
calling me that.”
Rocco wets his lips and lets his eyes drop suggestively to my chest.
“Can’t wait for the end of the date, either,” he says with a wink.
My cheeks heat at the reminder of what he said the date entailed.
“There’s the Rocco I know and love,” I say, rolling my eyes and ignoring
the little pulse of excitement that runs through me at the thought of Rocco
taking my virginity.
“Love?” he asks with a grin. “I knew I was irresistible, but I didn’t
realize we were ready for the big L-word.”
“Not what I meant,” I say, my face flushing.
I’m relieved when we step into the Great Hall, which is set up with
booths of carnival-like magical games on one side and rows of arcade
games on the other. At the end of the hall, a table is set with a huge punch
bowl, lemonade, and a machine filled with several kinds of slushy frozen
drinks.
“I don’t know if I should be here,” Elowen says, glancing around
nervously. “This is for House of Light Magic, isn’t it?”
“It’s for everyone,” I say firmly. “If Rocco can be here, so can you.”
“Oh my god, there he is,” Asher squeals, nodding to where the tall
ginger is standing talking to Darius.
“Let’s go talk to him,” Rocco says, pulling us toward the two
professors.
“Not yet,” Asher squeaks. “I haven’t had a drink yet.”
“He’s just a man,” Rocco says, seeming unperturbed by my friend’s
protests.
“What if I get in trouble?” Elowen asks as she scurries along behind
us, chewing on a hangnail, her big eyes wide with panic.
“Then maybe your dreamy professor can spank you,” Rocco says.
As we arrive at the spot where they’re standing, I realize I’m still holding
hands with Rocco. I gently detangle my fingers from his, feeling so weirdly
awkward about being with another guy in front of Darius. He flat-out told
me nothing could happen, and the rejection is still raw, but for some reason
I don’t want him to think I moved on that fast. My head and heart are all
tied up in knots. Because I still like Darius—a lot. I trust him more than
anyone on this earth, and yet, somehow my belly flips and my thighs quiver
at the thought of Rocco doing to me what Darius did. And that’s not even
the worst part. The worst part is that it’s not just Rocco who does those
things to me. It’s all three of the sorcerers… And their mentor.
“Hi,” Rocco says, holding out a hand to Mr. Stephens. “I’m an
upper-level student of sorcery here at the academy.”
“Topher Stephens,” the redhead says, shaking his hand and fixing
him with a pair of startling eyes. His irises are pitch black, as if his pupils
swelled to the size of the whole iris. A shiver goes through me when he
grips my hand next. “And you are?”
“Jade,” I say. “Jade Silva.”
“So this is the one you were telling me about,” Topher says,
presumably to Professor Darius, though his eyes remain fixed on me with
unnerving intensity. “Fascinating.”
Creepy.
I extract my hand and nudge Asher forward. “This is my friend
Asher,” I say. “A wizard.”
“Big fan,” Asher gushes, shaking Topher’s hand.
“I hope it’s okay that I’m here,” Elowen says, wringing her hands
and peering up at Darius like she thinks he’ll chase her out with his staff.
“I won’t tell if you don’t,” Topher says, giving her a conspiratorial
smile as he shakes her hand. Elowen shrinks under his gaze, but he keeps
hold of her hand. “House of Necromancy, right?”
“Yeah,” she breathes.
“I look forward to seeing more of you around,” he says, still
gripping her hand. She looks like she’s about to faint, and not in a good
way.
“So, where’d you move here from?” I ask, trying to draw the
attention from my friend.
“California,” he says, dropping Elowen’s hand and turning to me. “I
hear you’re a local. How are you adjusting to finding out about your great
powers?”
“You get right to the point,” I mutter. “And I’m fine, thanks for
asking.”
“What exactly are you teaching?” Rocco asks.
A sense of relief washes through me when the weird new guy turns
to my guard. I step aside to Darius. “Did you talk to my dad?” I ask,
lowering my voice. We haven’t had a moment alone since I asked him
about Dad, and I didn’t want to make my guards suspect any more than they
already do, so I haven’t gone out of my way to see him. The last thing I
want to do is put his job in jeopardy.
“Yes,” Darius says, his mouth set in a grim line as he watches Mr.
Stephens talking to Rocco.
“And?” I ask.
Darius turns his eyes to me and gives his head a quick shake as if to
clear it. “Sorry. Yes, I spoke with your father and Silas. Unfortunately, it
seems we were too late. Your father had already signed the contract to work
in your stead while you attend the Academy.”
“I’m going to kill Ryker,” I growl, my heart thumping with terror for
my father and anger at my guard.
Darius holds up a hand. “Before you go after my sorcerer, you
should know that your father signed the papers before he even called to tell
you. We can work to get him out of the contract, but there’s no guarantee.
I’m sorry, Jade.”
“But he signed it without knowing what he’s doing,” I say. “He
wasn’t in his right mind.”
“He’s an adult,” Darius says. “If he chooses to work for Silas,
there’s not much we can do. And even if he wanted to fight it, it might take
years to get through all the bureaucratic red tape.”
“There has to be something we can do,” I say desperately.
Darius touches my elbow and gives me a sympathetic smile. “I
know you worry about your father,” he says. “You’ve had to care for him,
but that should never have been your responsibility. You might have to
focus on your own studies and let your father take care of himself. That
wouldn’t be the worst thing, would it? You’ve told me you wanted to enjoy
the freedoms that your peers do. This might be an opportunity to do just
that.”
I start to protest, but the words die on my lips. He’s right. There’s
nothing I can do. I know enough about how supernatural law works to
know that Dad’s stuck with that contract, for better or worse, just like I’m
stuck with Mom’s. The only thing I can do to free him is to focus on my
studies and get out of here as soon as I can. That, and try to be grateful for
the sacrifice he’s making, take advantage of the opportunity to be a normal
eighteen-year-old whose biggest responsibility is getting good grades,
whose biggest worry beyond that is who likes her and what parties she’s
going to next.
“Are you in a relationship with Rocco?” Professor Darius asks,
frowning at my guard as he chats with Mr. Stephens.
“What? No,” I say quickly. A nervous laugh escapes me. “I mean,
no. Of course not. Why would you say that?”
Darius gives me a no-bullshit look in response to my babbling. “I’ve
known the Brauns since they were children,” he says. “Rocco is not a hand-
holder.”
I knew it. The bastard.
Or… Does that mean he really likes me, maybe more than I gave
him credit for? More than just for a date with sex at the end?
“Would it be the worst thing?” I ask, shaking my hair back. “I mean,
there’s no one else here who can date me.”
Darius clears his throat. “It’s… No. It’s not a bad thing,” he says.
“In fact, it might give you some much-needed protection if your guards are
emotionally invested in keeping you safe. And with your magic, it would be
wise to have someone to share the burden. In fact, the other High Priestess
has quite a few lovers, if I recall correctly.”
“Really?” I ask, glancing sideways at Rocco. I wonder what he’d
think of a sharing situation…
“It wouldn’t be unwise,” Darius concedes. “Your magic may be too
much for one man to handle.”
Rocco said as much once. That he couldn’t handle my magic. Of
course, that’s when he was under Bella’s spell, but that doesn’t make it
untrue.
“What are you saying?” I ask, stepping closer to Darius. His spicy
scent invades my brain, making me dizzy with desire. Damn it. Why does
he have to be so insanely irresistible? Even the smell of him is triggering
memories that have me clenching my knees together.
“I’m saying… I understand,” Darius says. “And if you need
guidance or help navigating the intricacies of that situation, you know you
can come to me.”
Yeah, right. Like I’m going to go tell Darius anything about my
relationship with Rocco. Not that we really have a relationship. Just because
we cleared the air about the Bellas doesn’t mean we’re dating. Just because
he asked me on a date, and we held hands and kissed, and I like him, and he
admitted he liked me…
I shake my head to clear my rambling thoughts and smile at Darius.
“Thanks,” I say. “I appreciate it.”
Before things can get more awkward, I edge over to Asher, who’s
pouting and muttering to Elowen while his crush seems focused entirely on
my guard.
“Let’s go play some games,” I say, grabbing their arms and dragging
them over to a pinball machine.
“He barely even acknowledged me,” Asher grumbles. “He’s all over
your date, though.”
“Not my date,” I say, throwing a ball up the chute.
“He might like guys,” Elowen says, glancing over her shoulder. “He
seems more interested in Rocco than Jade.”
“I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” I assure him.
“Rocco’s definitely not interested.”
“Not a consolation if he’s into body-builders,” Asher points out. “I
can’t compete with that.”
“Aww, just give him a chance to get to know how awesome you
are,” I say, handing him a ball. “He’ll be eating out of your hand in no
time.”
The feedback whine of a microphone cuts through the Great Hall,
and we all turn to see Headmaster Orville standing at a podium. Professor
Darius stands to his left, and another professor stands to his right.
“Excuse me,” Dr. Orville says. “I know you’re all here to have a
good time, and we don’t want to cut into that any more than we have to. For
all of you returning students, welcome back to the Academy of Sorcery for
the spring term. We hope you’ve gotten settled and are ready to tackle the
challenges ahead.”
Polite applause greets his words. The Bellas, who are standing
beside us, give me haughty looks. “That’s my great uncle,” Black-Haired
Bella brags.
“Wow,” I say sarcastically. “That makes you so special. Do you
need a gold star?”
 “We all have important family. What do you have?” Blonde Bella
asks. “A loony dad who’s not even magic?”
“I’ll tell you what I have,” I say. “Self-respect, for starters. A
weapon that’s so badass you thought you’d steal it.”
Brunette Bella curls her lip in a sneer. “Whatever.”
“That’s the best comeback you’ve got?” I ask, rolling my eyes.
“Wow, that one hurt.”
“We just have a couple new introductions,” Dr. Orville goes on.
“You might have seen them around campus. This is Mr. Topher Stephens, a
graduate assistant in the House of Necromancy, and Hattie Clearwater, a
new elementals teacher in the House of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please
welcome them both.”
Asher sighs when Mr. Stephens steps up to the podium and waves
before melting back into the gathering. Ms. Clearwater waves as well, and
then Dr. Orville continues.
“Before you get back to festivities, we’d like to recognize a very
special student,” he says. “Every semester, we like to give an award to an
outstanding student who demonstrated exceptional progress in mastering
the skills required for their magical designation. During the first semester,
this student showed patience and perseverance in the face of every
challenge. She overcame extreme hardships at the school and showed grace
and empathy for everyone around her, even those who did not show her the
same courtesy.”
Dread grips my stomach, and I glance sideways at Asher. “They
give this to an upperclassman, right?” I whisper. “A senior or something?”
“I don’t know,” he says, looking doubtful.
“This student dealt with exceptional magic that we were unable to
properly train, and despite being without her weapon for a large part of the
first semester, she managed to not only pass her finals with flying colors,
but she overcame an attack by the queen of the spirit world herself during
her final trial of the semester, banishing her back where she came.”
“No no no no no,” I whisper, trying to shrink behind Asher.
“I’d like you all to give a round of applause to Jade Silva, and may
you all show such strength and poise in the face of adversity.”
Everyone starts clapping, and I wonder if my magic could open a
hole into the spirit world and suck me in like Lilith, because that’s really
freaking tempting right now.
“Come on up and accept this award, Jade,” Professor Darius says.
I don’t want an award, and I sure as fuck don’t want to accept it with
the entire Academy of Sorcery staring at me and being reminded that I have
magic that causes spontaneous orgies among them. But if I don’t go up,
they’ll stare at me even more, and gossip about me later, so I force my legs
to move. Rocco is grinning his fool head off and still clapping when I pass
him. I give him a withering glare, but he only grins wider, though it seems
impossible.
I make it to the podium and try to graciously accept the award,
thanking Dr. Orville and shaking his hand. “You really are an exceptional
young woman,” he says, his gnarled hand holding mine with strength that
belies his age. “It truly is an honor to have your magic on my campus.”
“Thanks,” I say, sure I’ve never blushed so hard in my life.
“How are you faring with your guards?” he asks.
Shit. Is he telepathic? Does he know I have the hots for all of them?
“Um, good,” I mumble.
“Do you feel unsafe without them?”
“No,” I say. “I can take care of myself.”
Between Cleo being more cooperative since returning to me, and the
knife I still keep in my boot, I’m more than able to kick ass when the
situation calls for it.
“Would you like a bit more freedom?” Orville asks, his shrewd gaze
taking me in. “Your professor mentioned that you’d like to feel more like a
normal witch.”
“You mean I could lose my guard?” I ask, way too excited by the
prospect. I mean, I’ve gotten used to my guards, but it would be nice to be
able to have privacy when I want it.
“I’ll speak with them about lessening their watch,” he says with a
smile. “But only while we’re on campus. When you have outings, it would
be wise to take at least one with you.”
“That would be great,” I say, feeling the absurd urge to hug the old
man. I’m not much of a hugger, but I give him a quick squeeze before he
finally lets me leave the podium. I turn to Darius while the headmaster says
a few more words to the students.
“You knew this was going to happen?” I hiss at Professor Darius.
 “Congratulations,” he says, shaking my hand.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“And miss the look on your face?” he asks with a grin. “Never.”
“I didn’t even defeat Lilith. You did.”
“The award is for more than that one incident,” he says. “And
you’re more than deserving. Your determination in mastering a sword even
in the absence of your own is what got you through that final. And the
kindness and clemency you showed Bella spoke volumes about your
character.”
I snort. “And yet every single person in this place is just thinking,
Hey, look, the sex girl got an award. Wonder who she’s sleeping with.”
Darius smiles and turns me toward the room, nudging me to join my
friends. Before I walk away, he lowers his voice and gives me one more
piece of advice. “You’re very talented, Jade. Don’t let your magic define
you.”
 Chapter Five

We settle into our classes over the next month. I have two classes with
Asher again, which is nice. I also have Intermediate Magic, taught by
Professor Darius, who I refuse to look at after he didn’t warn me about the
award. Speaking of, if I built up any delusions over the break that people
would have forgotten who I was, or think my magic was not a big deal,
they’re gone already.
People stare and whisper, some of them shooting me nasty looks and
others—mostly guys—positively leering as I walk by. Needless to say, I’m
relieved to take my place next to Asher in Spells and Charms every
morning. It’s nice to work with a partner who isn’t either afraid to touch me
because he thinks he’ll go sex crazy or ogling my tits and asking if I can
give him a private demonstration of my magic later. The funny thing is,
they all seem to think that being a priestess makes me somehow dynamite
in the sack, which is sadly not the case, since I have no sack to put all that
dynamite in.
I guess Thorn’s right, though. I could have lots of guys on campus.
The problem is, I don’t want a random guy in one of my classes to deflower
me to see what it’s like. I want it to be special. I mean, yeah, that’s cheesy
and stupid and whatever, but I don’t care. It’s my first time. I don’t want it
to be with a guy who just wants to see if his dick will gain magical powers
after being inside me.
“Would it, though?” Asher asks when I voice my woes to Asher and
Elowen as we picnic under a tree on Saturday. It’s a cool, moist late
February day, and we escaped the cafeteria to eat by ourselves today, since
we don’t have to rush to class afterwards.
“Would your dick gain magical powers?” I ask. “Kinda doubt it.”
“But it might,” Asher muses. “Hm, maybe I could try it out and
see.”
 “You’re gross,” I say, swatting his arm. “I’m not going to lose my
virginity to anyone who would ask that question. Even my best friend.”
“You know ninety-percent of guys on this campus are wondering,”
he says. “So that rules out a whole lot. I mean, what guy doesn’t want to be
endowed with a magical dick? If dipping it in your inkwell would get me
there, I’d even take one for the team.”
“I’m sure you don’t need any magical enhancements,” I say, rolling
my eyes.
“I don’t need them,” he agrees. “But it might be nice. Everyone
wants that extra edge.”
“Anyone in particular you need it for?” I tease.
“Just a certain sexy ginger with a bubble butt and the most intense
eyes I’ve ever seen.”
“If by intense you mean creepy,” I say with a shudder.
“Hey,” Asher says, looking offended. “I don’t make fun of your
guys. Any one of them. Or the fact that you’ve got three of them. Lay off
my lover, okay?”
“Okay, sorry,” I say. “I just got a weird vibe off him.”
“I don’t think you can call him your lover if you’re not sleeping
with him,” Elowen says.
Asher turns to her. “Are you?”
“What? No,” she says, her cheeks reddening as she looks down at
her sandwich. “Of course not. I know you like him.”
“You knew Jade was looking for her spork last semester,” he points
out.
An awkward silence falls between us. At the end of last semester,
Elowen told me she’d taken Cleo and kept her for the Bellas, who had
threatened to get her kicked out if she didn’t do what they wanted. I got
Cleo back just in time to ace my finals, but then the semester ended, and I’d
gone home for the holidays. When we arrived back, Elowen sat with us, and
we’d let her. But we’d never really talked about what happened.
Now seemed a better time than letting it hang between us the whole
semester.
“About that,” I say. “I had a lot of time to think about it over the
break, and I forgive you. But I swear, Elowen, if you ever pull shady shit
like that again, I will use Cleo on you.”
 “I won’t,” she says, her lip trembling. “I’m so sorry, Jade. I was just
so scared.”
“And you could have come to me and told me what Bella asked you
to do,” I say. “I thought we were friends. Friends tell each other when
they’re being threatened.”
“I’m sorry,” she says, a tear trickling down her cheek. “I was just so
scared of losing you. Asher’s the only friend I ever had, and now you. I
thought if I didn’t get them the spork, they’d hurt you instead. I mean, you
can make more magic. Your spork can’t.”
I hadn’t thought of that, but now I do. The students here aren’t
experienced enough to siphon magic from another student, but there are
powerful people in the supernatural community who can. If someone held
me hostage and forced me to make magic for them…
I shake the thought away. That’s what Silas is basically going to do
to me anyway, unless I can find a way out of my mom’s contract. I even
took Supernatural Law last year, but I couldn’t find a single loophole.
Maybe a more advanced class will yield answers. In the meantime, I have to
think up some way to protect my dad, pass my classes, and decide whether I
can trust Elowen. And that’s saying nothing of the mess of feelings I have
for my guards.
I feel better now that I’ve cleared the air with Elowen, too. She did a
shitty thing, but we all make mistakes. And yeah, she was weak and self-
serving in that moment, but she meant me no harm. In truth, I got off lucky.
The boys are the ones who really paid for her misdeed.
“Speak of the devil,” Asher mutters, nodding toward the building.
As if I’ve summoned them, the Bellas come strolling along the pathway that
runs along the edge of the lawn where we sit.
“They better keep walking,” I say. “I’m not in any mood to take
their shit today. And they owe me now.”
“You better think of something good,” Asher says. “Because they’ve
got some serious paying up to do.”
“Oh, look,” says Black-Haired Bella. “It’s the fag hag and her two
puppets.”
Before Asher can be the angel on my shoulder, I’m up and halfway
across the lawn.
 “Such a waste,” says Brunette Bella. “All that sexy magic and all
she can attract is a grave digger and a guy who won’t even fuck her.”
I step into the path in front of them. “Say it to my face, bitch,” I say,
yanking Cleo from my belt.
“Don’t,” Blonde Bella says to her friend, grabbing her arm. “It’s not
worth it.”
“It’s really fucking not,” I agree. “If it weren’t for me, you’d be out
on your asses. Now that I know what sick fucks you really are, I regret
saving your asses. I should have let you rot in jail like the rapists you are.”
“Oh, trust me, there was no need to rape anyone,” Black-Haired
Bella purrs, flicking the ends of her razor-straight hair back.
“Because you drugged them with my magic,” I growl.
Suddenly, the spork in my hand changes shape—into a gun.
What the fuck, Cleo. I’m not shooting anyone.
I feel a little sag of disappointment in my trigger finger, and I know
she’s disappointed that I won’t be using her to kill. Jeez. I hate the Bellas
with all my heart, but I’m not going to go around murdering people like a
psychopath.
Cleo makes no such promises.
“If the only reason they wanted us was for your magic, then how
come Ryker’s still in love with me?” Black-Haired Bella asks, swiveling
her chin like the snake she is.
“Love?” I choke out. “Are you serious? You told him he could fuck
you in the ass while you pretended to be me. If you think that’s love, you’re
even more fucked up than I thought.”
“It worked, didn’t it?” she says. “Maybe that’s how it started, but if
that’s all he wanted, we wouldn’t still be dating.”
My heart flips in my chest, sending a sickening lurch to my belly.
“You’re not.”
“Then how come we’re going out tonight?”
“No way.”
She shrugs, a smug smirk on her lips. “I know it’s hard for you to
believe that anyone could get a guy without hypnotizing them with sex
magic, but believe it or not, you’re the only one who really needs that to get
a guy.”
“You’re one to talk,” I seethe. “Considering you stole it.”
 “More like borrowed,” she says. “But I don’t need it anymore. I’ve
got everything Ryker wants. He’s got everything I want, too—and an inch
more.”
She flips her hair back, smacking it right across my cheek as she
flounces off. Fury burns behind my eyes so bright I see red, and Cleo hums
in my hand, urging me to end that smug bitch once and for all.
“Damn,” Asher says behind me. “I’m sorry, Jade.”
I take a slow breath, trying to calm myself. I don’t know when my
friends joined me, but they’re both standing there. I’m glad they have my
back, but I wish they hadn’t heard all that.
“It’s fine,” I say, shoving Cleo into my belt and planting my hands
on my hips. “I may not have known Ryker was still dating Bella, but it’s not
like we’re going to be together. He already offered, and I said no.”
“But you like him,” Asher points out. “Why would you say no?”
“I don’t like Ryker,” I say. “I mean, he’s hot, sure. I’m attracted to
him. I’m sure he’d blow my damn mind in bed. But we hate each other. It
would never work.”
Elowen gives me a doubtful look. “It sounds like you like him.”
“No,” I say. “There’s a difference between liking someone and
wanting to sleep with them. It’s probably just my magic, anyway.”
“If you say so,” Asher says, clearly not buying it. If only I could
believe my own lies, they’d come out a lot more convincing.
“You don’t think she somehow still has some of your magic, do
you?” Elowen asks.
Unfortunately, I don’t. Ryker’s making that mistake all on his own.
Oh, well. I don’t have time to worry about his love life. I need to take care
of my family, and an idea has just snuck into my head.
“Hey, you went to high school with the Bellas, right?” I ask. “Any
chance one of them has a car?”
“Uh, yeah,” Asher says. “Their families are all stupid rich.”
“From the unscrupulous use of magic,” Elowen mutters darkly.
“Excellent,” I say. “I guess I’m calling in one of my favors, then.”
“Oh no,” Asher says. “Why do I get the feeling we’re about to do
something illegal?”
“Not illegal,” I say. “Though maybe against Academy rules. Anyone
up for a field trip?”
 Chapter Six

“If I get kicked out of school because of you, I swear to Lady Claudia I will
hunt you down and end you,” Bella Goodwin snivels as her fancy pink
sports car slides silently into a spot outside Silas’s manor.
“Lady Claudia is a fashion icon, not a god,” Asher says.
“And she’ll never know my name if I get kicked out of the
academy,” Bella moans. “It’s my last chance to catch Thorn’s eye.”
Rocco snorts in the back seat. I didn’t want to make any of my
guards share space with a Bella, but Rocco insisted I couldn’t leave campus
alone. Judging by the last few times I left campus, I grudgingly agreed that
I needed at least one guard. Since Rocco was the one who overheard my
crazy scheme and insisted on coming, he’s the one breaking the rules with
us today. I know he’d be in just as much trouble as the rest of us if we get
caught. Which is why we cannot get caught this time.
“How is landing Thorn going to get you in with your style idol?” I
ask, distracting myself from the nerves fluttering in my belly.
All four of my companions stare at me with open mouths. “She
can’t be serious,” Bella says after a second, turning to Asher and Elowen.
“Tell me she’s not serious.”
“You do know who Lady Claudia is, right?” Elowen asks.
“Well, yeah,” I say. “She’s basically the First Lady of Supernaturals.
Even I know that.”
In truth, I’m more familiar with her work as a high-end fashion
designer than as the equivalent to the First Lady of the supernatural world. I
mean, I grew up as the daughter of a shunned, barely magical woman and a
human man. Most of what I knew about this world was gleaned from reality
shows. Considering how many times Silas threw Lady Claudia’s name
around when talking to influential people, I figured out that she was pretty
important in her own rite, so I looked her up and discovered that she was
married to Master Hardin, the head of the Society of Supernaturals. I still
have no idea why they’re all staring at me, though.
“She’s the matriarch of one of the most influential magical families
in the world,” Asher says, watching me like he’s waiting for something to
click.
Bella sighs. “The Cristofaros.”
I shake my head. “But she’s a Hardin. Lady Claudia Hardin.”
“By marriage,” Bella says. “God, how do you not know this? I
thought you and Thorn were close, but you must not even know him at all if
you don’t know who his family is.”
I suddenly feel like I might faint. “Master Hardin, the head of the
Society of Supernaturals, is Thorn’s father?”
“Grandfather,” Rocco volunteers with a grin. “Their son is Thorn’s
dad.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask, smacking his arm.
He shoots me a lazy grin. “Never came up.”
“Holy shit,” I say, sitting back in my seat. “Thorn’s basically
royalty.”
“Duh,” Bella says. “Why do you think I’m going to marry him?”
Like hell.
I start to protest, but Elowen interrupts. “We shouldn’t be gone any
longer than we have to,” she says. “I don’t want to get kicked out, either.
Me and Bella are both on our last strike.”
“Okay,” I say, trying to focus on what’s important right now. “I’m
going in.”
“I’ll wait here,” Bella says with a nervous titter. “In case you need a
getaway driver.”
“I’m not doing anything illegal,” I say, mostly to reassure myself.
Without waiting for an answer, I step out of the car onto the too-familiar
parking lot behind Silas’s.
“The rest of you stay here,” Rocco orders, climbing out and
slamming the door behind him. He joins me and looks up at the big,
ostentatious mansion. “Lead the way, Cinderella.”
Before I lose my nerve, I stride across the lot and up the steps to the
back door. I enter without knocking, since this is the servants’ entrance. By
habit, I wipe my feet before stepping into the kitchen.
 “Jade, how lovely to see you,” Robert says without turning from the
stove, where he’s whisking some kind of sauce while slowly pouring a
stream of cream into it. I always thought Silas put a vampire in the kitchen
because he’s such a tightwad he’s worried someone else might steal a bite
of food.
“Hey, Robert,” I say. “I’m here to see my dad. Know where I might
find him?”
“I think he’s cleaning the second floor right now,” Robert says,
sparing me a smile. I wave and head for the stairs, feeling strangely foreign
here, as if I’m trespassing. I suppose I am.
Rocco stays close behind me, on alert like a bodyguard. When I
arrive at the top of the stairs, I hear the vacuum cleaner and start that way.
Suddenly, tears press behind my eyes, and I’m almost running by the time I
reach the bedroom and see my dad’s thin, stooped figure holding the handle
of the machine as he tackles the floor in one of the guest rooms.
“Dad,” I cry, throwing my arms around him.
“Jade,” he says, choking on a laugh of surprise. “What are you
doing here?”
The vacuum quiets with an echo that seems to amplify his words.
They hang in the air as we stand facing each other.
“Hey, Mr. Silva,” Rocco says, reaching past me to give my father’s
hand a pump. “Nice to see you again.” He grins as if this is great fun,
reminding me of the totally awkward way he accepted the invitation to
come in over Christmas and have dinner with us. Much to my irritation, the
bastard made fast friends with my dad by sucking up with no shame.
“I flew the coop,” I say to Dad. “I came to talk to you about Silas.”
“Right now?” Dad’s eyes fly around as if Silas might be lurking
nearby. I wouldn’t put it past the creep.
“Yeah, Dad,” I say. “You can’t just take over my contract. I know
you think you’re protecting me, but I don’t want you to do this. It’s not
protecting me. I’ll just worry twice as much as I did before. I’m going to
owe Silas thirty-plus years of my life, anyway. A few extra years won’t
make a difference, and it’ll be worth working those if it means you’ll be
safe at home.”
“I’m safe,” Dad says, his eyes roving nervously. It nearly breaks my
heart. He obviously is not safe, and he knows it.
 “Just let me see your contract,” I say. “I’m sure there’s a way out of
it.”
“Silas has it.”
“Silas has your copy of the contract you signed?”
Dad wrings his hands. “He said he’d keep it safe for me. You know
how absentminded I can be.”
My heartbreak quickly turns to anger, and I push past Rocco and
march out of the room and down the hall, bellowing for my boss. He tried
to pull shit like this with me all the time, but I wasn’t having it. I’m sure as
shit not having it now, either—not when he’s taking advantage of a delicate
man.
Silas steps out of an office, a twitchy little smile on his lips. “Yes,
Jade?” he asks, the smile growing as he leers at my body like I’m the lone
piece of bacon on his breakfast tray.
“Where’s my dad’s contract?” I ask, glaring at Silas.
“I suggest you find it quickly,” Rocco rumbles, crossing his arms to
show his impressive muscle-man build while staring down the little weasel
I owe my life to.
“It’s alright, Jade,” Dad insists behind us. “I know what it says. I
knew what I was doing when I signed it.”
“I know, Dad,” I say, turning to him and taking his hands. “I know
you were trying to help. But I don’t want you to do this for me.”
Especially when I can see that he’s literally trembling in Silas’s
presence. I knew it was a bad idea for him to work for the wizard, but I
hadn’t realized how bad it was. He’s positively terrified, and I seethe at the
thought of Silas terrorizing him to scare him this much.
“Maybe he wants to do it,” Silas says in his hissing, slimy voice.
“Don’t you, Don?”
“Y-yes,” Dad says. “Yes, I do.”
“See?” Silas says with a toothy grin. “Such enthusiasm. It’s no
wonder, too. My accommodations may be humble, but they’re still better
than what he’s used to.”
“What?” I ask, turning to Dad with wide eyes. “You live here?”
“It was part of the agreement,” he says, wringing his hands and
giving me a pleading look. A look that makes me hold back my protests, the
ones that remind him how many times Silas tried to get me to live here, and
I said no. My contract said I didn’t have to, and even though Silas offered
me one of his fancy guest rooms, there was no way I was leaving my dad.
And when he offered to let Dad move here with me, I still refused. It was
better to be poor and free than to live in some rich man’s house, where he’d
own my life even more fully than he already did.
“No,” I whisper. “Dad, you didn’t.”
“Oh, but he did,” Silas says with a chuckle.
I whirl on him, narrowing my eyes at the bastard. “What are you
getting out of this? You love torturing me, and you know what magic I have
now. You realize you’ll be cutting short your access to that by having him
work for you.”
“But I have an insurance policy, don’t I?” Silas asks. “You’d never
try to skip town on me, use your magic to disappear now, would you? Not
when your father’s in my custody.”
“So that’s what this is all about? You think I’m going to break my
contract?”
“No,” Silas croons. “I know you’re not going to. Before, you might
have tried. You might have gotten your father out and escaped with him.
But now, you’ll have to come here to get him. And we know what will
happen when you do.”
“So, what you’re saying is that he’s a hostage.”
“Oh, no,” Silas says with a smile of pure triumph. “I’m not saying
that at all, Jade.”
I’ve never hated someone so much in my entire life. It’s all I can do
not to punch his lights out right here and now. Cleo buzzes in my pocket,
urging me to use her, but I know I can’t. Not if I want to live to see another
day.
“I’m not going to escape,” I grind out through clenched teeth. “I’m
bound to that contract every bit as much as my mother was.”
“And you won’t try to get out of it now,” Silas says, glancing up at
Rocco with a nervous yet gleeful twitch at the corner of his mouth. “Your
little boyfriends won’t come around bullying me anymore, either. Now will
they, Jade?”
I want to slap his face, to bash my name off his moist lips, to claw
the greedy scheming look from his eyes. I want to laugh in his face and tell
him my boyfriends are three times his size and ten times the man he’ll ever
be. But I hold myself back, knowing that the punishment will fall on my
father’s back if I let loose my fury on him. He’s threatening me, and there’s
nothing I can do but agree to it if I want my father to be safe and unharmed.
“No one will bother you,” I mutter, hating myself as I force the
words out.
“Good,” Silas purrs. “And when your schooling is done, you’ll be
strong and bursting with magic that no man can resist. For just a taste of it,
everyone in the world will do your bidding, which will be my bidding, since
I own you. You’ll be the greatest weapon the world has ever known, Jade.
And you’ll be all mine.”
His eyes gleam with pure greed and malice, as if he can hardly
contain himself at the thought. The little man is sick with power, drunk with
anticipation. He’s practically drooling at the prospect of so much power in
his gropy little hands. And the worst part of it is, I’m doomed to be a tool in
his corrupt quest for more. Hell, I’ll be the crown jewel in his arsenal.
 Chapter Seven

“Jade,” Ryker barks. “Pick up the pace. You have your weapon, so quit
fucking around. Either take my class seriously or leave.”
“Fine,” I say, stuffing my spork back into my belt. “I’ll leave. I don’t
need this shit. I already passed swordsmanship.”
I turn away, and the next second, I feel a blow in the center of my
back, and a foot-long sword blade protrudes from my chest. I scream and
fall to my knees.
I realize too late that there’s not enough pain. In one swift motion,
I’m flipped onto my back, hitting the floor with a clatter of elbows and
tailbone and the back of my skull. I stare up at Ryker in shock. He’s holding
his sword, which is not dripping with my blood, and staring down at me
with his lips pressed into a hard line. It takes me a full three seconds to
realize I’m not in any pain. It wasn’t real. He cast an illusion spell.
“You bastard,” I yell, jumping to my feet. “You scared the fuck out
of me.”
“Don’t turn your back on an enemy with a sword,” he says coolly.
“You got one thing right,” I growl. “You are my enemy.”
“Good,” he says. “Then fight like it.”
“I passed your class,” I say. “I don’t need your sadistic teaching
methods anymore.”
“You passed Intro to Swordsmanship,” he says. “You’ll be able to
take down an unarmed man, maybe a demonling, and someone with less
skill than you. Is that good enough for you?”
I shake my hair back and plant my hands on my hips. “What if it
is?”
“Well, it’s not fucking good enough for me,” Ryker says. “Now get
out your weapon and fight like you’re worthy of it.”
“I’ll never be good enough for you,” I say, my voice suddenly
choked.
 “What are you going to do about that?” Ryker asks. “Crying won’t
change that. Only practice will change it.”
But I’m not sure I’m talking about swordplay anymore. I stand there
breathing hard and staring at him, trying to get a hold on myself. I know
there’s nothing between us, and there never was. Nothing but my magic.
Still, his continuing to see Bella feels like a betrayal, and every time I have
to come to this class and see her fawning over him like he’s a sultan, I want
to puke, or punch him, or punch her. It hurts, even though I have no right to
feel that way, no claim on him.
I mean, yeah, he kissed me a few times, and when my magic came
out, he sank his fingers into me and…
“What are you doing?” he asks, his nostrils flaring as he stares at me
suspiciously.
Shit. Thinking about our encounter has magic radiating from me.
“Nothing,” I say quickly. I can’t tell him what’s really going on.
That I don’t want to get better at magic, that I don’t want to practice it and
be good at it. Not when I know that it’s just going to be used for evil when I
fall back into Silas’s hands. If I stay terrible, he won’t be able to control me
because I won’t even be able to control myself—or my magic, at least. If he
throws a party for the Society of Supernaturals and sets me to seduce one
guy he wants something from, and instead I cause a giant orgy, he’ll be
humiliated.
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
“In my office,” Ryker says through clenched teeth. “Now.”
I gulp and stare at him for a second before turning and stomping
past the shelves where we stash our stuff while we practice and into the
small office off the side of the training studio. Ryker strides in after me and
pulls the door closed behind him.
“What the hell are you doing?” he growls. “When your magic starts
flowing, you’re supposed to put it in your weapon.”
“I know,” I say. “Sorry. I was just thinking about…” I break off, my
face warming. I’m not about to tell him what I was thinking about.
I see the moment Ryker switches over, the moment my magic wins.
It’s terrifying, and strangely, horribly addicting. He steps toward me as if in
a trance. I remember the look on Thorn’s face when I summoned him to
come and dance with me once, not realizing it was my magic affecting him.
Now I know, and I know I should stop it somehow, but before I do, Ryker
takes one step forward, his long legs closing the distance between us in one
stride. He slides a hand behind my neck and cradles the back of my head,
pulling my mouth up to meet his in one swift, sure motion.
His mouth crashes against mine, and like every time we’ve kissed,
it’s primal and passionate. I react instinctively, my hand closing around his
tie and yanking him closer while the other clamps around the back of his
neck. My body writhes against his like a live wire, electrified by magic.
Heat and wetness bloom between my thighs, and I moan as his mouth
demands my surrender, his tongue almost violent as it thrusts between my
lips to claim mine.
I give in without thought. The swell of pleasure inside me is
addictive and dizzying. I arch against him, parting my knees as his body
pins mine to the door, his hips rocking against mine. He’s already hard, the
ridge of his erection biting into me through too many layers of clothes. I
want them gone, want only him, his bare cock plunging into me the way his
tongue his doing my mouth.
I rake my nails down his back, grabbing his ass and pulling him
harder against me as I spread my knees for him. He groans into my mouth,
sliding his hands down my body and grabbing my hips. He lifts my feet off
the floor, and I wrap my legs around him as he cups my ass, squeezing and
kneading my flesh as his cock throbs against my soaked panties. He slides
his hands lower, pulling aside my panties and sinking a long, strong finger
deep inside me. My pussy clenches around his finger, and he moans into my
mouth.
He pumps his finger into me over and over, circling it forward
against the wall of my pussy to force a second finger into the straining
tightness of my virginity.
“God, I would rip you wide open,” he growls, tearing his lips from
mine.
I can’t respond except to rock against his hand as my walls clench
tighter and pleasure wracks my body, making me writhe helplessly in his
skillful fingers. I’m breathing so hard I think I’ll faint, and when he strokes
my aching clit, black spots bloom over my vision as the orgasm grips me
harder and harder, going on and on. My toes curl and my muscles spasm,
my head falling back against the door with a thud. I gasp out my pleasure,
wordless except for his name tearing from my lips over and over.
Only when I feel him starting to push his pants down do I come
back to myself enough to push at his chest. “No,” I manage. My head is
spinning, and my knees are like rubber, and Ryker’s fingers are still inside
me, but I know this isn’t how I want my first time to be.
“No,” I say again, pushing harder against his chest.
Ryker’s eyes are glazed with lust, and he looks at me with complete
bewilderment. “No?”
“Ryker, we’re… We’re in your office. We can’t do it here. There’s a
whole class of students outside this door.”
Ryker stares at me another moment, then pushes off the door, away
from me, and turns away. I straighten my skirt as he grabs a handful of
tissues from a box and wipes his fingers. “Jesus Christ, Jade,” he mutters.
“You’re going to get yourself into something you can’t get out of if you
keep doing this.”
“Doing what?” I ask. “It seems to me there were two of us doing it.”
“Only one of us was stopping it,” he mutters, tossing the tissues in
the trash.
“You want to just throw me up against the door and fuck me like
one of your fangirls?” I ask. “Sorry that I want my first time to be a little
more special than that.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he says. “I wouldn’t fuck you anyway. I’m
too big for a virgin.”
I let out a huff and cross my arms over my chest. “Didn’t seem to
bother you a minute ago.”
“You need to get your magic under control. You have Cleo. There’s
no excuse anymore.”
My jaw drops. “You’re going to blame all this on magic? That was
more than magic, and you know.”
He glares at me. “At least Bella had the decency not to say no after
enchanting me with your fucking magic.”
Stung, I back against the door, gripping the handle to keep my still-
trembling knees from going out. “That’s why you’re still seeing her? Just
because she never says no to you?”
 “I’m not seeing her,” he says. “I’m fucking her. And unless you’re
going to let me fuck you instead, it’s really none of your business.”
“It kinda became my business when she used my magic to get you
in the first place.”
Ryker’s glare softens, but it’s not kindness in his eyes. It’s cruelty.
“You’re jealous,” he says.
“No, I’m not.”
He prowls closer, smirking down at me. “Then what do you want,
Jade? You want to know if I was thinking about you while I fucked her?
Yeah, I was. Does that make you feel good? To know I was picturing you
while I came inside her?”
“No,” I snap. “It makes me sick.”
The truth is more complicated than that, though. Yeah, it makes me
want to punch him in the face, but it also makes something sick inside me
awaken. Some sick little part of me thrills at the thought, and more than
that, it makes heat tingle between my thighs.
Ryker smirks like he doesn’t believe a word I’m saying. He leans
down, running his fingers along my throat and lifting my chin. “If I can’t
have you, you can’t tell me who to fuck,” he purrs. “You can’t even tell me
not to picture it’s your ass while I sink my cock into it.”
My heart thuds in my ears, and I can barely breathe. I shove his
chest as hard as I can, but he doesn’t even budge. He gives me a final
chuckle before slowly backing away and slipping his hands into his
pockets.
“Maybe you can keep your magic under control for the rest of class
now that you’ve had some release,” he says. “Feel free to stop by early any
day if that’s what you need in order to focus.”
“Thanks, but I already have someone for that,” I say, tossing my hair
as I spin around and yank the door open.
“He’s not doing a very good job,” Ryker calls behind me.
I march out into the class, ignoring the looks from the other students
—curiosity glances, jealous glares, knowing smiles, and hidden grins.
Fucking hell. Every single person in the room looks like they know
exactly what happened in that room. I take a deep breath. I’ll just pretend
they’re wrong, that nothing happened, and hope they didn’t hear my body
knocking against the door and my voice crying Ryker’s name.
 I pull out Cleo and stand straight and tall, ready to fight.
“Alright,” Ryker says, from behind me. “Bella, spar with Jade.”
Well, that’s great. He picked the one person who hates me more than
he does. I can hardly even look at her. I don’t want to fight, to get better and
have my skills used by Silas, but if I don’t fight back, I’m as good as dead.
One look at Bella’s face, and I know she truly wants to murder me. I grip
Cleo with both hands and step up to Bella, focusing intently. It’s not like
swordplay uses much magic, anyway.
“You do that on purpose, don’t you?” Black-Haired Bella asks,
parrying.
“Do what?” I ask as we circle each other.
“Suck,” Bella says with a sneer.
“Better to suck intentionally than because you’re just a sucky human
being,” I shoot back.
“He doesn’t like you, you know.”
Our blades clash together with a metallic clang.
“Who?” I ask.
“You know who,” she says, her eyes blazing with fury. “I know
what you’re doing, and it’s not going to work.”
“Oh, and you know what works.”
“I got him, didn’t I?” she asks with a smug smile. “And you’re
never getting him back.”
“Yeah, well, if what it takes is letting him put a bag over your head
and fuck you in the ass while pretending you’re someone else, you can have
him,” I say. “He’s all yours.”
“I do whatever it takes to get what I want,” she says through
clenched teeth. “If you really wanted him, you’d do the same thing.”
“Then I guess I don’t really want him,” I say, swiping at her. This
time, I touch her body with my blade, which gives me a point.
“Fine,” Bella snaps, breathing hard and blowing her hair out of her
eyes. “If you don’t want him, then stop playing the helpless little victim
who can’t do it, so he’ll have to give you extra tutoring like Professor
Darius does.”
“I’m not,” I growl. “And there’s nothing going on with me and
Professor Darius.”
 “You know, it’s really sad,” Bella says. “All that amazing magic is
just wasted on you. Even with all that magic inside you, you still can’t get a
single guy to like you. You might get a pity fuck to get rid of your magic
because the alternative is to stick your spork up your twat, but no one likes
you. It must suck to be that repulsive.”
I can feel Cleo tingling in my hand, and I will her to stay in sword
form and not go rogue on me now.
“Yeah,” I say, refusing to let Bella get to me. “It really sucks not
being a fucking date rapist.”
“You whore,” Bella snarls.
“I thought I couldn’t get a guy,” I say. “Which is it, Bella? Am I a
whore or a pathetic loser? Surely I can’t be both.”
Bella lunges at me. In a burst of white magic, Cleo transforms
instantly into a pistol. Fuck. What can I do with that but kill?
With a triumphant gleam in her eyes, Bella lunges again, this time
with her sword aiming straight for my heart.
In a flash, I’m flying through the air and landing flat on my back.
The air whooshes out of my lungs. I hear cries and shrieks and
exclamations as if from far away. It takes me a second to draw a breath and
roll over. I drag myself to my feet and see that everyone in class has
crowded around someone. Someone right where I was standing.
Fuck. Did I shoot Bella?
I look down at Cleo, who has turned into an innocent daisy in my
hand. Fat lot of good she’s going to be in helping me get out of this one. I
push my way through the students to see what I did.
But it’s not Bella. She stands frozen, her mouth open in an “O” of
shock, her face chalk white and her hands pressed to her heart. On the floor
where I stood seconds ago, Ryker kneels, his head bowed, the blade of a
sword protruding from his back.
This one is no illusion. Blood streaks the point of the blade as it
protrudes. Blood trickles from his abdomen, down the length of the sword,
dripping from the hilt.
I look down at Cleo, momentarily too stunned to realize what’s
going on. Cleo is still a daisy in my hand, not a smoking gun. I didn’t fire
Cleo. And she’s not a sword. I didn’t stab Ryker. Bella did.
 “Ryker!” I fall to my knees beside him. He doesn’t move, his breath
coming in short, ragged gasps. A painful pressure builds behind my eyes,
and I take his hand gently. “We’re going to get you some help,” I say softly.
“Just hold on. You’re going to be okay. I promise.”
“We should pull the sword out,” someone says, stepping forward.
“No,” I bark, holding up a hand as if to ward him off. “Don’t touch
him.”
“Okay, jeez,” the guy says, shaking his head and stepping back.
“What do you need?” I ask Ryker, sinking onto my heels. “Do you
want me to help you lie down?”
“Your magic,” he whispers, barely loud enough for me to hear. He’s
fading fast.
Without hesitation, I call on the magic I spend so much time
repressing. I feel a sharp tug from outside me, and instinctively, my magic
curls in on itself, closing like a morning glory in the sun. Swallowing hard,
I press past the protective instinct, pushing my magic toward Ryker’s
fading, reaching essence.
I feel the moment our magic connects, a firm grip as if someone has
reached a hand inside me and wrenched at my heart. A gasp escapes my
lips, and I nearly fall sideways onto Ryker. I’m filled with the
overwhelming urge to wrap myself around him, and heat builds between my
thighs. I squeeze my eyes closed, pushing past that, too. This isn’t time for
sexual thoughts. Ryker is dying. I hold my body steady and press my magic
further, allowing it to flow into him.
And then it’s like I’m somehow inside him, and I realize he’s not
gripping my magic, pulling it into himself. I’m the one doing it. My magic
is gripping his, trying to pull it back toward us. Toward him. And
something else is pulling on his, like a vortex sucking it further and further
inside him, down into some unknown reaches. I hold on, letting my magic
be pulled into him, letting it fill him, refusing to let go. Some part of me
knows that if I let go, his magic will disappear into that black hole and
never return.
I know, because I’ve seen that vortex before. It’s an opening to the
spirit world. To Lilith.
Not today, bitch, I think, renewing my hold on Ryker. She can have
him some other time, when he’s good and ready, when he’s a grumpy old
man with as many grandbabies as a man can ask for, with a whole lifetime
of love and adventure behind him. Today, she’s not getting my man.
Just as I think it, I can feel the completeness of my magic filling
Ryker. There’s none of him left inside his body. It’s just me. He’s all the
way gone. His body sways and begins to topple forward, but I catch him.
“No,” I scream, yanking Bella’s sword from his chest and hurling it away. I
tumble to the floor with Ryker’s heavy, unwieldy body. Scrambling up, I
leap onto him and place my hands on his chest. Blue light shimmers from
my palms, pouring into him like phosphorescent water as tears course down
my cheeks. “You don’t get to fucking die,” I cry, pushing more and more
magic into him.
I don’t care if I give him every bit of magic I own, if I never get it
back. He has to live. I haven’t had nearly enough time to get to know him,
to find out if he feels the same crazy, complicated way for me that I do for
him. I haven’t even told him that I feel something other than fury when I’m
with him.
Suddenly I feel a flicker of magic licking back against mine. I
snatch at it, dragging him toward me even though I’m so exhausted I think
I’ll collapse on top of him. I feel like someone just dragged my soul from
my body, drained my veins of all my blood and left me empty and depleted.
But I won’t stop fighting. Pain ripples through me, but I force myself to stay
upright, keep my hands over the wound in his chest and sink into him. I’m
so tired and empty that I can’t tell if my soul is inside his body or mine. I
only know that I’ve got a hold on him, and I’m not letting go.
Finally, strong hands grab me from behind and draw me away, and
I’m too weak to resist. I fall backwards, and everything goes black.
 Chapter Eight

I wake up in a room that’s unfamiliar but unmistakable—a hospital room. I

try to sit up, but my body feels too heavy to possibly move.
“It’s okay, Jade,” says a familiar, comforting voice. “Just rest.”
I open my eyes again to find Darius leaning over the bed, his eyes
filled with concern and relief. “Where am I?” I ask, because somehow it
seems the logical, familiar thing to say.
“You’re in the Academy’s clinic,” he says. “You overdid it by a long
shot.” He smooths my hair away from my face, then glances at the curtain
beside the bed before leaning over and pressing his lips to my forehead.
“Shit,” I mutter. “Is Ryker okay?”
“He’s alive,” Darius concedes, his gaze warming with love and…
And pride. “You saved his life, Jade. But using that much magic to do it
knocked you out cold.”
“How long have I been here?” I ask.
“Three days,” he says. “Ryker’s on the other side of the curtain if
you’d like to see him. I’m sure he has some things to say to you.”
“He’s awake?”
Darius peeks around the curtain and then shakes his head. “Not just
now.”
“Is he going to be okay?”
“Yes. He’s lucky that someone with the magic of life just happened
to be nearby.” He gives me a small, impressed smile. “You did a brave
thing, saving him like that. We would have lost him if not for you.”
“How long will we have to be in here?”
“Your magic will take a while to recover, but you can probably
leave in a day or so now that you’re awake.”
“And Ryker?”
“Our healers are working to make sure he makes a full recovery, but
even magic has its limits. It’ll take him a bit longer than you. His heart was
badly damaged in the accident.”
Accident, my ass. If it weren’t for Ryker, Bella would have put that
sword through me.
And no one would have been around to save me, either. Ryker
would have tried, but I don’t know how much healing magic he has. Not
enough to bring me back from death itself, I’m guessing.
“What about Bella?” I ask.
Darius’s lips tighten. “Unfortunately, Bella Lu had to be suspended
pending an investigation,” he says. “Small injuries are not unusual in our
training classes, which is why we have an infirmary. But students in the
class said she deliberately struck while not using the correct forms.”
“Finally, the Academy got something right,” I say. “I mean, she was
pissed, and I don’t know if she actually wants me dead, but that was no
accident.”
“You’re lucky Ryker threw himself in front of you,” Darius says,
stroking my cheek. “We’re all lucky.”
Our gazes lock, holding onto each other for a long moment. I lift my
hand to cover his, so he won’t withdraw his touch. “Are we?” I ask,
searching his eyes.
“Jade,” he says, glancing behind the curtain before sinking onto the
edge of my bed. He pulls his knee up next to me and faces me. “When I
think about how close I was to losing you…”
“Don’t think about it,” I say, reaching for his hand again.
“When I think about it, I think how silly it is to lose you
intentionally every day,” he says.
I gulp, staring up at him, waiting. “You’re not losing me,” I whisper
at last.
“I don’t want to,” he says, leaning down slowly. He slides his hand
behind my head and gently presses his lips to mine.
And even though my magic is entirely absent, the swirling, tingling,
dizzying feeling of his kiss is no different. My heart flips over in my chest,
and the world falls away around us.
Professor Darius pulls away too soon. “I can wait three years for
you to finish school,” he says. “I won’t see anyone else, Jade.”
“What if I can’t wait?” I ask, curling my fingers around his tie to
keep him from pulling away.
 Darius rests on his elbow, smiling down at me. “I don’t want you to
wait. I want you to experience everything your peers do. You should have
boyfriends, ones you can be seen with. As long as you come back to me at
the end, I’ll be the happiest man on earth.”
My face reddens at the realization that he thinks I’m talking about
sex. “No,” I say. “What if I can’t wait that long for you?”
“Then I’ll quit my job if I have to,” he says. “To be honest, I don’t
know if I’ll be able to wait that long, either.” He skims his lips over mine
and whispers, “I want to touch you again, Jade. I think about you all the
time. I want to taste you, and make you moan, and feel you cum against my
lips.”
I picture Ryker waking up on the other side of the curtain, hearing
the raw desire in the professor’s voice, the dirty words sliding from his lips,
and my clit throbs. A shudder of pure lust runs through me, and my knees
clench together—no magic required.
“Maybe we can have it,” I whisper. “No one has to know.”
“There are people at this school who can read minds,” Darius says.
“And people who might as well be human lie detectors. We’d be caught.”
I know he’s right, but I want it so badly I almost don’t care that he’d
get fired. Almost.
“You’re right,” I say with a sigh. “Ugh, this sucks.”
“Three years isn’t so long,” Darius says. “You’ll have time to figure
out what you want, to explore your sexuality with different partners.”
“To get good enough that I’m a proper match for you,” I say,
peeking up at him from under my lashes.
Darius swallows. “Did I just say three years wasn’t a long time?”
I grin and loop and arm around his neck, pulling him down for one
last, long, lingering kiss. When he pulls back, his eyes are as clouded by
lust as they were when I was dripping magic down his fingers as they
fucked me.
“I’d better go before Nurse Dunlavy gets suspicious,” he says,
drawing away at last. “I’ve been hanging around more than is excusable.”
He untangles my arms from around his neck and stands from the
edge of the bed where he’s perched.
“Thanks for visiting,” I say, snagging his hand and squeezing. “I’ll
be thinking about you when you’re gone. And looking forward to
graduation.”
He grins and ducks behind the curtain, disappearing from view. I
smile as I listen to his footsteps in the hall. Damn. Three years is a long-ass
time to wait, but it’s nothing compared to what I would wait if I had to. It’ll
be worth it—more than worth it. Professor Darius is the best man I know,
not to mention sexy as fuck.
On top of that, he’s completely understanding of my need to explore
and be young, to do what I’m sure he did at my age. He wants me to
experience the world and all it has to offer, to date and hook up and be a
normal girl. He even gave me his blessing. The best part is knowing he’ll be
waiting for me when I’m done. Knowing that after I’m done having fun and
sowing my wild oats and all that, he’ll be there for me just as he has been
all along. He’s not going anywhere—and I’m not going anywhere but back
to him.
I already know my destination. The only question is, where will I
explore before that? Where will I go and who will I love on my journey
back to him?

“You saved my life.”

I stare back at Ryker as the nurse bustles around taking his vitals
and fussing over the hot sorcerer in his care.
“So?” I ask after a long minute.
“Why’d you do that?” Ryker asks, his blue eyes searching mine.
“Really?” I say. “Now you’re pissed that I didn’t let you die? You’re
unbelievable.”
“I’m not pissed,” Ryker says slowly. “I’m wondering why you did
that.”
“Why’d you save mine?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest and
scowling back at him.
“What?” he asks, narrowing his eyes. “You’re the one who brought
me back to life, not the other way around.”
“Bella stabbed you when you jumped in front of her sword,” I say.
“Protecting me.”
A long, tense moment passes.
 Nurse Dunlavy clears his throat. “I think I left my tablet on the
nurses’ station,” he says. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” With that, he
disappears out the door, leaving me and Ryker in a stare down.
“I wasn’t saving you,” Ryker says at last. “I was doing what any
instructor would do. Stepping between students who had gotten too heated.”
“Okay,” I say, my chin jutting out stubbornly. “You saved me for
strictly professional reasons, and I repaid the favor. So, I guess we’re even.”
“I guess so.”
“Sorry I got your girlfriend expelled.”
“She’s not my girlfriend.”
“Why not?” I challenge. I don’t really want the answer to that, but I
can’t tear my gaze away from his sapphire orbs, away from the troubled
furrow in his brow, and the tightness in his chiseled jaw.
“It doesn’t matter,” he says.
“Why are you so scared of me?” I ask. “And don’t give me some
shit about how it’s my magic, and you don’t want to be controlled like Bella
controlled you, because you know perfectly well I never did that. And you
kept fucking Bella even after she didn’t have my magic.”
I can’t believe I just said all that, but now it’s out there, and I wish I
could shove it back in my mouth. Ryker’s expression is completely
unreadable, which makes me want to scream in frustration. I laid out my
whole life in front of him, and he just stares at me without speaking.
“You just found out you had that magic,” he says at last. “Imagine
knowing your whole life that you were going to have it.”
I shake my head. “I thought no one knew for sure until the
Unleashing.”
“Not officially,” he says. “But there are ways to predict it.”
“Oh, you mean with a lowly psychic?” I ask, rolling my eyes. I wait
for him to make a dig about my humble magical background, or insult my
mother, but instead, he grimaces and looks down at his hands that are folded
on top of the white hospital blanket.
“Never mind,” he mumbles, turning away.
I start to protest, but before I can ask further questions, he hits the
call button on the side of the bed. Nurse Dunlavy appears literally a second
later, as if he were just standing outside waiting to be at Ryker’s beck and
call.
 Ugh. I’m so done with the grumpy sorcerer. I’m checking out of
here at the first opportunity. After all, Ryker made it quite clear that we’re
even, and that saving me wasn’t at all personal. If he wants nothing to do
with me, then I’m not going to sit around begging and groveling for his
attention like the starstruck nurse. Especially because I want to. There’s
something new between us, something deeper than I’ve felt before. A
completely unwelcome emotion, considering the complicated feelings I
already had.
This is something new, something I haven’t felt with anyone else.
This time, I know it’s just the magic, the consequence of giving him so
much, of flowing into him the way I did. There was intimacy in what I did,
though not in the sexual way. To take over someone’s body like that, to
bring him back from the dead, it somehow bound me to him. And I’m
pretty sure he feels it, too, and that’s why he made sure to tell me it was
strictly business. I’ve lied to myself long enough to recognize it in someone
else.
Well, that’s just super. I have some weird bond, some tie, to the
worst of all the sorcerers. We both know it, and we’re both too proud to
acknowledge it. And the worst part is, I don’t know how to get rid of it.
 Chapter Nine

“You did it!” Asher crows, holding up both hands in a sign of victory.
“Brought Ryker back from the dead?” I ask, falling into step beside
him on our way to class the following Monday.
“No,” he says. “You got a Bella expelled. And not just any Bella.
Bella Lu.”
“I thought Blonde Bella was head bitch.”
“Yeah, but Bella Lu is the headmaster’s great niece or some shit.”
I remember her saying something about being related to him, and
my heart sinks. She’ll definitely be back. Her suspension will last until the
drama blows over and Ryker gets out of the hospital. But she won’t be
expelled if she’s related to Headmaster Orville.
“Is everyone here related to someone powerful?” I ask.
“Not everyone,” Asher says. “But magic does run in families, and
this is the best magic academy in the country. Obviously the big shots in the
magical community are going to send their progeny here.”
“Great,” I say. “Now Headmaster Orville is going to hate me, and
her suspension will never stick, even though she basically murdered
someone.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Asher says. “Believe me, that psycho
should have been expelled from the high school for magical progeny years
ago. I figured once we got to her grandpappy’s school, there was no getting
rid of her.”
“Has she ever gotten in trouble for that kind of thing before?”
He shrugs. “Many have tried, but none have succeeded. Until you.”
“Thanks,” I say, a smile tugging at my lips. “I guess.”
We come up on the other two Bellas strolling down the sidewalk
like they don’t have a care in the world, expensive coffee drinks clutched in
their well-manicured hands.
“One down, two to go,” Asher whispers, elbowing me in the side.
 I hold in a laugh, but the Bellas must hear us, because Blonde Bella
turns around to cast a withering glare over her shoulder. When she sees that
it’s me, her eyes widen.
“You conniving bitch,” she hisses, her eyes narrowing to slits. “I
can’t believe you got my best friend expelled.”
“Hey,” says Brunette Bella, looking wounded. “I thought I was your
best friend.”
“Shut up,” Blonde Bella growls through her teeth. “You’re both my
best friends.”
“Oh,” says her friend, flipping her shoulder length bob back. “Okay,
then cool. Let’s take this bitch down.”
“Try it and see what happens,” I challenge. “Bella Lu did.”
Blonde Bella’s nostrils flare, her eyes burning with hatred. “You
might have had me fooled into thinking we could be friends for one second,
but you showed your true colors. You better sleep with one eye open,
because I’m coming for you, bitch.”
“You thought I’d want to be your friend?” I ask. “Oh, that’s cute.”
“You did me a favor, and I repaid it,” she says. “The grace period’s
over. You’re going to pay for what you did.”
“I’m already paying,” I say. “I’m paying for being a gullible idiot
who thought you might have a speck of human decency inside and not
getting you all expelled when I could have. But trust me, I learned my
lesson. You’re all a bunch of sociopaths who think the rules don’t apply to
you.”
“You could use some people like us on your side,” Brunette Bella
says. “Too bad all you’ve got is a beard and a zombie maker.”
“She’s the beard,” Blonde Bella snaps.
“Whatever,” Brunette Bella says, waving a lazy hand. “Let’s go
learn some spells to set her hair on fire.”
“Try it,” I snarl. “I dare you. I can’t wait to get your ass kicked out
of here, too.”
Blonde Bella shakes her head and pushes through the doors into the
building, but I’m too pissed to go in. I head over and hop up on a picnic
table instead. Asher joins me, absently twirling his nunchucks.
“Could she really light my hair on fire?” I ask, running my fingers
through my long blonde strands.
 “In class, maybe,” Asher says. “She’d probably say it was an
accident. If you couldn’t definitively prove otherwise, she wouldn’t get
expelled, though.”
“Damn it,” I say. “Why didn’t I do it when I had the chance?”
“Because you’re a better person than she is.” He lets out a wistful
sigh, and I look up to see Topher crossing the lawn toward the College of
Dark Arts building.
“Just ask him out,” I say, nudging Asher.
“No way,” he says, looking dejected. “I don’t even know if he likes
guys. I usually have great gaydar, but for some reason, I can’t tell with him.
He’s such a mystery.”
He lets out another heaving sigh.
“You’ve got it so bad,” I say, laughing.
“You’re one to talk,” he says, glancing around. “Speaking of, what
ever happened to your hot guards? I miss them following us around.”
“I’m allowed a little freedom this semester,” I say. “Headmaster
Orville said I could walk around campus without them as long as I’m with a
friend, and if I leave campus, I have to take a guard.”
“Wow,” Asher says. “I guess the danger’s really over.”
“Well, we know who was trying to get me, and as long as we stay on
campus, the wards against Lilith should be strong enough that I’m safe from
her. The Bellas are another matter.”
Asher laughs and hops up, holding out a hand to help me up. “Don’t
tell me you’re afraid of those sad little rich girls.”
“Nah,” I say. “I just wish they’d leave us alone. But now that I’ve
picked off one of their herd, I have a feeling things are going to get even
worse.”
“Maybe Elowen could put a spell on them to make them nice,” he
whispers as we head toward the building.
“I’m not sure that’s possible.”
He shrugs. “Dark magic is supposed to be able to change people’s
minds.”
“We’re not allowed to use dark magic.”
“Of course not,” Asher says. “Interfering with someone’s free will is
the great taboo.”
 “That’s what the Bellas did,” I say, narrowing my eyes at him. “With
my magic.”
“You know your magic isn’t just light magic, Jade,” he says. “You
have both light and dark magic.”
“Right,” I say, remembering something the sorcerers said when
Lilith tried to take me. “But I have to learn light magic first, because I could
go dark if I let the dark part take me over.”
I consider that on my way to my class, and through the rest of the
day. I know a lot of light magic already. Maybe it’s time I started to
embrace the dark side… Just a little. Just enough to do good with it, to save
the people I love. If I could change my father’s mind, or Silas’s…
The thought of freedom sends a shiver through me, and goosebumps
break out on my arms. Could it really be so easy?
No. Of course not. If it were, someone would have already done it.
Silas works with dark magic, after all. He would know if I was
trying to trick him. Hell, he’d probably turn it back on me and end up
making me fall in love with him or something equally abhorrent. In fact, he
probably has some kind of dark magic spell on my father that’s making him
want to stay there and work for him.
The thought fills me with rage.
My father is not a strong dark wizard. He’s no equal to Silas… Or to
me.
I hate myself for thinking of doing this to him, but if I’m only
breaking the illegal spell Silas has on him…
He’s just a human. I probably wouldn’t even get in trouble for
influencing him. And I wouldn’t make him do anything terrible, anything
that could hurt him. I only want to make him see sense, to open his eyes to
Silas’s manipulation.
And everyone keeps telling me it’s my magic, that I should control
it, embrace it. So why not learn all of it? If I’m not supposed to be afraid of
my own magic, why is everyone keeping me from half of it?
By the end of the day’s classes, I’ve come to a decision. I need to at
least begin to learn the dark side, to see what the other half of my magic is
all about. I don’t want to learn it from Lilith, that’s for damn sure. Luckily, I
have a friend in the College of Dark Arts who owes me a favor.
 After dinner, I make my way toward the dorm where Elowen stays,
tucked off behind the Dark Arts building. I glance over my shoulder every
few steps, so used to being followed by my guards that it seems impossible
that I’m actually alone. I feel kind of bad for ditching Asher, but I can’t
drag him into this. If I get in trouble, so be it. I’m not taking my BFF down
with me.
I step into the lobby of the dorm, only to see someone at the front
desk. Well, damn. If it isn’t Topher Stephens himself. I smile tightly and
turn away to call Elowen while he watches me with keen interest.
“Hey, I need to see you,” I say when Elowen answers her phone.
“I’m down in the lobby. Want to come get me?”
“You’re here?” she asks in a panicked voice.
“Yeah,” I say. “Is that okay?”
“I don’t think you’re supposed to come into the Dark Arts dorm.”
“I have dark magic, too, Elowen.”
“Yeah,” she says slowly. “But you also have light. Aren’t you scared
it’s going to turn you?”
I can’t help but laugh. “I think I’ll be okay,” I say. “I doubt I’ll turn
dark from one visit.”
After a long pause, she agrees and hangs up. I bounce on my toes,
trying not to notice how intently Topher is watching me. A minute later,
Elowen appears at the bottom of the stairs.
“Did you sign in?”
“No,” I say, glancing at Topher.
He holds up a tablet, and I approach the desk. “What brings you
here, Jade?” he asks with a pleasant smile.
“Just here to see my friend.”
“I see,” he says, turning it around so I can sign in. “I suppose it’s not
so unusual for you to have a friend in this college, considering your magic.”
“Yep,” I say, pushing the tablet back.
“Has anyone introduced you to the dark parts of your magic?”
Fuck. How does he know that’s what I’m thinking? Am I really that
obvious? I glance at Elowen, but she only chews on a hangnail and watches
with her usual skittish expression.
“I’m told I’m not ready for that,” I tell Topher. My heart thuds in my
chest as I gaze into his deep, dark eyes. There’s something terrifying about
him, and most of me wants to turn and run up the stairs, away from him.
But another part of me is drawn to that darkness. It calls to mine the way
Lilith did.
“I see,” he says. “Well, when you’re ready, you know where to find
me.”
With that, he takes the tablet back and sets it aside, turning his
attention back to the book that lays open on the desk. Before I can think
better of it, I lean closer to see the title of the book.
“Ready?” Elowen asks.
“Yeah,” I say, jumping back like I was caught doing something bad.
I know I’m only drawn to Topher because he has magic that matches the
unexplored side of mine, but I still feel guilty about it. I have Professor
Darius. I trust him. I know I’m not ready to learn.
And yet… Isn’t that exactly what I came here for?
In Elowen’s room, I look around, realizing I’ve never been here
before. Her roommate’s side of the room is straight-up goth, but Elowen’s is
more normal. It’s somehow plain and cluttered at once, as if she tried to
copy someone else’s idea but didn’t quite have the interior decorating skills
to pull it off. Somehow, it’s just so Elowen. Suddenly, I can’t help the swell
of affection for my awkward, nervous little friend.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asks, her eyes darting
around the room.
“Is your roommate here?”
“No,” she says.
“I just realized I’ve never been here before,” I say. “That’s not being
a very good friend.”
Elowen snorts softly. “I’m the bad friend.”
“Do you want to make it up to me?” I ask, sinking onto the edge of
her roommate’s black and hot pink comforter.
“How?” Elowen asks, looking like she’s about to panic.
“Well, I was thinking maybe you could teach me some basics,” I
say. “You know, whatever you learn in class, you could come home and
teach me.”
“You want to learn dark magic?” Elowen asks, her eyes widening.
“Why?”
“I don’t think I should tell you,” I say. “In case I get in trouble.”
 She gulps. “I’ll get in trouble anyway, for teaching you. And
besides, aren’t you afraid of going dark?”
“Not as much as you’d think,” I admit.
Elowen nods like that makes sense, and I’m not sure whether to be
offended or complimented that she thinks I can handle dark magic, for
whatever reason.
“I don’t know,” she says, chewing at her nails until I think they’re
going to bleed if she bites them any shorter. “I mean, what if it turns me
darker? To be a teacher, you have to have a lot of control. What if I hurt
you? Or your magic somehow makes mine stronger, and…”
“Hey, you’re the one who said you wished you had some of my
magic so guys would be drawn to you,” I remind her, trying to lighten the
mood. “Besides, my magic is pretty well drained at this point. I could just
try out a few things while it charges. I’ll stop before it gets strong enough to
hurt anyone.”
Elowen hesitates a long minute, and I know she doesn’t want to do
this. If I was a better friend, I wouldn’t make her. But I need to make sure
my father is safe first. Then I’ll stop.
“Okay,” she says at last.
“You’ll do it?” I ask, jumping up. “Awesome. Thank you so much.”
I think about hugging her, but I’m not much of a hugger, so I hold
back. We stand there awkwardly for a minute, and then I turn to her wall,
where she’s pinned up a poster of a fae prince along with a dozen pictures
of her and Asher in high school. There are a couple pictures of them at the
Academy, and one with all three of us from the beginning of the year.
“You and Asher go back a long way, huh?” I ask.
“Yeah,” she says. “I mean, he’s been my best friend for three years.”
“It must have been pretty hard for you last semester,” I say. “I hope
you don’t feel like he picked me over you. He loves you, Elowen. He just
wanted you to find your own way.”
“I know,” she says. “He’s my best friend, but he’s never going to do
the wrong thing even for a best friend. He took your side because you were
right. And it’s not like he was my boyfriend.”
“A best friend is just as good as a boyfriend—if not better.”
“Maybe,” she says with a sigh, sinking onto the edge of the faded
floral quilt covering her bed. She doesn’t look convinced by my words, and
it strikes me that at some point Elowen definitely had a crush on Asher,
even if she knew she’d never have him.
I feel bad for the girl, but I’m not sure how to help her in that
department. I’ve never had a boyfriend, either, unless you count the middle
school variety. Before Mom died, I was too busy with school and helping
around the house, and after that, I didn’t have much of a social life.
“Maybe we can go out sometime,” I say. “I’m sure we could both
use a boyfriend. We can be each other’s wing-woman.”
Elowen lets out a sad little scoff. “Like you need one,” she says.
“You’re gorgeous.”
“So are you,” I say lightly. “You just gotta work what you’ve got.”
“No one with light magic would go out with me.”
“Then go out with a dark magic student,” I say. “It’s not like they’re
pure evil.”
“What if they make me even darker?”
I shrug. “You have that magic, Elowen. Just like I do. We’re just
going to have to figure out how to work with it and not let it take over our
lives. Sorcerers have dark magic. That’s why they come here—to learn to
control it. Just like us.”
“I don’t know…” Elowen says.
“You can’t change who you are or what magic you have,” I remind
her. “I know it’s not what you wanted, but it’s what you got. A boyfriend
isn’t going to change that. All you can do is love yourself just as you are
and find a guy who will do the same.”
“Yeah,” she says looking glum.
Suddenly, I know I can’t ask her to teach me dark magic. She’s more
afraid of her own magic than I am. It wouldn’t be fair to push her into
something she doesn’t want to do just because she stole Cleo last semester.
It’s one thing to borrow Bella’s car, but this is different. For one, I don’t like
Bella. Besides that, she shows no signs of remorse. And that was a favor
that required very little of her, certainly not putting her in a position where
she felt uncomfortable or scared.
What I need is someone confident in their magic, someone who has
already mastered the Dark Arts. I need a proper teacher. And there’s one
right downstairs who offered. Not only that, but I snuck a peek at the title
he was reading—a battered volume called Potions of Persuasion. That’s
exactly what I need. Sure, he makes me a little uncomfortable, but that’s to
be expected. He has a magic that scares me a bit, one that I have but I
haven’t even begun to learn.
“You know, I shouldn’t have asked you to teach me dark magic,” I
say. “You’re not a teacher, and I shouldn’t put that pressure on you. Can we
just forget it?”
She nods solemnly. “I won’t tell Asher.”
“Shit,” I say. “Yeah, he definitely wouldn’t be on board with this,
would he?”
She shakes her head. “No. I think Professor Darius knows best. If he
says you’re not ready to learn, then you should listen to him.”
I nod, deciding not to bring her in on what my real plan is. I leave a
few minutes later, hoping to find Topher still manning the front desk. For
once, I get lucky, and he’s still there reading his yellowed old tome. He
looks up when I arrive, smiling pleasantly as I approach.
“Okay,” I say. “Let’s do it.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Are you sure you’re ready?”
“No,” I say. “But I don’t have time to wait.”
“Alright,” he says slowly. “When would you like to start?”
“Tomorrow,” I say. “I’ll come by after my classes.”
“Okay,” he says. “Feel free to bring your friend from upstairs if
you’d like. I’m sure the extra practice wouldn’t hurt her, either.”
“Thanks,” I say, touched that he’d be so considerate. I don’t know
him, and he’s making me feel safe by inviting one of my friends to join us
so we’re not alone together. Not only that, but he’s discrete enough to make
it sound like it’s for Elowen’s sake instead of coming right out and accusing
me of not being comfortable around him. I decide maybe I misjudged him.
Just because his eyes are weirdly black doesn’t mean he’s a bad person.
Maybe I can even put in a good word for Asher.
 Chapter Ten

As I step out of the Dark Arts dorm on Friday night a few weeks later, I run
smack into Rocco’s broad, muscular chest. God, even the man’s muscles
have muscles.
“Shit,” I mutter, glancing around for an excuse.
Rocco lifts his eyebrows and peers down at me. “Want to tell me
what you’re doing here?”
“Not really,” I say, tightening the elastic in my hair. “What are you
doing here?”
“I live here,” he says, as if I should know this.
I guess I should. He’s a Dark Arts student, after all.
“I was visiting Elowen,” I say, tossing my head and congratulating
myself on my brilliant cover. It’s not technically a lie. I was with Elowen.
She, Topher, and I have been meeting in a conference room off the lobby
and working on some basics. He’s the Resident Assistant on duty for three
hours every evening, which mostly entails sitting around reading, so he has
plenty of time to work with us between occasional phone calls or requests
from students in the dorm.
Rocco rests his hands on my upper arms and smiles down at me,
those adorable dimples sinking into his cheeks and making my head spin.
“Well, it’s a good thing I caught you,” he says. “You’ve made yourself
scarce since ditching us as guards.”
“Are you saying you miss me?” I ask, fluttering my lashes.
“Maybe,” he says, wetting his lips as if to hide a smile.
I start toward my dorm, hoping to lead him away from the scene of
the crime. “I knew you were a big softie somewhere deep inside there.”
“Not a chance,” he says, falling into step beside me and flexing so
his pecs bulge inside his shirt. “Does this look soft to you?”
I roll my eyes and bite back a smile. “I said inside.”
“For the right woman, maybe.”
 “And who might that be?” I ask, folding my arms and frowning at
him.
“I’ll let you know when I find her.”
“Ouch,” I say, laughing.
“How could you be the right woman when you won’t even go on a
date with me?” he asks. “I mean, I won that bet like four months ago, and
you haven’t come to my door with flowers a single time since then.”
“I didn’t realize you wanted roses,” I tease. “That’s so traditional of
you.”
“I might surprise you in even more ways if you got to know me,” he
says. “But since apparently all that stuff you said about us being friends was
bullshit, and you really just wanted me for my muscles, I guess you’ll never
know.”
“Fine, fine, we can go on the date,” I say. “But I’m not sure about
flowers. I mean, I don’t know if you’ll make it worth my while.”
“Oh, I’ll make it worth your while,” Rocco says, his eyes raking
down my body in a way that makes butterflies flutter in my belly.
“No flowers,” I say. “But we can go out. Where to?”
He halts outside my dorm. “How about dinner?”
“Cool, I’m starving.” I start toward the parking lot, but Rocco takes
my arm and turns me toward him.
“Slow down there, Cinderella,” he says, laughing. “Don’t you need
to change?”
“What’s wrong with this?” I ask, gesturing to my uniform.
Rocco takes my hands in his, his brows furrowing as he searches my
gaze with seriousness for once. “I want to take you on a real date. I mean
it.”
I swallow, my belly fluttering for a different reason now. I know
Rocco so well, know his jokes and his flirting and his teasing. But this
Rocco, the serious one? Not so much.
“Okay,” I say. “Sorry. What do you want me to wear?”
“I’m going home to change, too,” he says with a little smile. “I’ll
pick you up in an hour.”
He turns and hurries away, leaving me frustrated and excited at
once. Frustrated because I have no clue what to wear on a date, seeing as
I’ve never been on one, and excited because… Well, because I’m about to
go on my first date. And not just the kind that friends do, or the kind people
do when they’re first meeting and just want to hang out in a group to see if
they like each other, or even hang out alone with no commitment at a coffee
shop.
This is a date-date. A real date. The kind where I need an hour to get
ready, and he’ll probably open my door for me, and maybe expect sex
afterwards. Okay, it’s Rocco, he’ll definitely expect sex. Am I ready for
that?
Fuck. Suddenly an hour doesn’t seem like nearly enough time. I turn
around and race into the dorm and up the stairs to my room. Having a
roommate would come in real handy right now, but since I don’t have one, I
grab my phone out and call Asher while I strip.
“I have a date,” I say, surprised at the excitement spilling from me. I
mean, it’s Rocco. The guy who likes to tease me, the one who I’ve known
for months as both an asshole and now, something more. But I’m as giddy
as if it’s the first time we’ve ever hung out.
“Oh my god,” Asher says. “Who is it? What are you wearing?
Where are you going? Spill, girl.”
“Rocco,” I say, rushing into the bathroom and then back out to the
closet. “Oh, shit, Asher. What do I do?”
“Okay, first, breathe,” he says, laughing. “This is exciting, but you
don’t want to pass out and end up back in the infirmary instead of heading
out on your big date.”
“Well, I don’t know if it’s a big date,” I say. “He won it in a bet.”
“Ohhh,” Asher says slowly, drawing the word out. “The one where
you promised him your virginity?”
“Yes,” I groan, slumping against the closet door. “I like him and
everything, but what if I’m not ready?”
“Girl, you keep saying you need to get laid,” Asher reminds me.
“You’ll never be totally ready. After that first time, it won’t be such a big
deal. I promise. And it’s Rocco. You’ve liked him for ages. It’s not like
you’re going to Gideon’s Bar to meet the first rando who smiles at you so
you can hook up in the alley just to get it over with.”
“Is that what you did?”
“This is about you, remember?” he says. “So, what are you
wearing?”
 “Asher!” I say, not sure if I’m more horrified or amused. “That’s
terrible.”
“Actually, it was pretty special,” he admits. “No regrets.”
“Oh my god,” I say, rolling my eyes and opening my closet. As
usual, talking to my bestie has totally settled me and made me feel better. I
pull out a red dress, then decide it’s too fancy for dinner. Not that I know
what that means, but I want to be comfortable. I decide on a pair of black
skinny jeans, black stilettos, and a silky peach blouse that flatters my
complexion.
After getting off the phone with Asher, I jump in the shower,
making sure to run a razor over my legs and underarms. I’m not one
hundred percent sure we’re having sex, but if it does happen, I don’t want
Rocco to think he’s in bed with a porcupine. When I get out, I’m so giddy I
think about calling Asher to chill me out again, but I power through,
dousing myself in enough lotion to moisturize an elephant. I stand in front
of the mirror as it soaks in, staring at my reflection. I usually don’t take
time to look at myself after a shower, but I have to admit, I feel sexy
standing there in the nude.
My blonde hair is full and wavy from having it up in a bun most of
the day. My boobs are a handful with some to spare, my waist is trim
enough, and my hips are nice and round. I don’t exactly feel like the
goddess of life yet, but I’m definitely fuckable.
By the time I’ve dressed, done my makeup, and tucked Cleo into my
belt, it’s been almost an hour. Rocco calls to say he’s in the lobby, inviting
me to come down like he would a real date. Before I can gather my bag and
get out the door, a knock sounds. I totter to the door on my heels, barely
able to keep from giggling aloud in my excitement. He’s early, but I’m
ready. I pull open the door to see Thorn standing on my doorstep.
“Oh,” I say, drawing back in surprise. “Hey, Thorn. What’s up?”
He looks me up and down with obvious admiration. “You look…
Hot.”
“Don’t act so surprised,” I say with a grin.
“I wasn’t surprised about that,” he says quickly. “I just don’t see you
out of uniform very often.”
“Well, here I am,” I say. “But I can’t stay. I’ve actually got a date.”
I raise my eyes to his, watching for a reaction.
 He scowls. “You’re leaving campus?”
“Yes,” I say. “But don’t worry, I’ll have a guard with me.”
His frown deepens, as if he’s personally offended that I didn’t
choose him. “Who?”
“Rocco.”
His emerald eyes darken, and his jaw clenches. “Your date is with
Rocco?”
“Yep,” I say, stepping out into the hall and pulling the door closed
behind me. I didn’t think that through before I did it, but now I’m so close
to Thorn that I’m nearly in his arms. My heart picks up speed at his
nearness, and when I catch the scent of his aftershave, it makes me dizzy. I
should not be feeling like this about someone when I’m about to go on a
date with his best friend. But my body doesn’t care. My body craves his
touch, aches to close the distance between us and press up against his
sculpted pecs and tight abs and…
Well, fuck. Here I thought it was my magic all along, but it turns out
I’m a slut all on my own.
“I’ll be on guard duty,” he says after a long pause.
“Rocco can guard me just fine,” I say, rolling my eyes.
“You deserve your date’s full attention,” he says darkly. “Don’t
worry, I’ll sit across the restaurant. You won’t even know I’m there.”
“How do you know we’re going to a restaurant?”
Thorn scoffs. “I know Rocco.”
I try not to think about what that means. That Rocco’s had lots of
first dates. They probably all start with a restaurant, and they probably all
end with sex.
“Okay,” I say. “If it’s okay with Rocco, then I don’t mind.”
“I’ll get my car,” Thorn says, not bothering to stick around to ask
Rocco. He takes off down the hall, sidesteps Blonde Bella as she steps out
of the stairwell, and disappears down the stairs.
Bella’s gaze follows Thorn down the stairs before she turns to me.
Her eyes narrow as she looks me up and down before pursing her lips.
“Where are you going?”
“None of your business,” I say.
“You’re going out with Thorn, aren’t you?” she asks, her jealousy so
apparent she might as well have it tattooed across her forehead.
 “Not that you have the right to know, but no,” I say, shaking my
blonde waves back.
“Liar,” she hisses.
I roll my eyes. “I may be many things, but a liar’s not one of them.
Not that you deserve it, but I’m in a good mood, so I’ll put you out of your
misery. Thorn’s my guard tonight, not my date.”
“You’re leaving campus?”
“Yep,” I say. “I’m going on a date. But not with Thorn.”
“With who?” she demands.
“That,” I say. “Is none of your business.”
I get way too much joy from her sour expression. I give her a smug
smile and push past her to the stairs, seething inside over the fact that the
bitch fucked my date before I had the chance. I try to put it out of my mind
and focus as I make my way down the stairs in my heels. This night is about
me and Rocco. Not Thorn, and not Bella.
Rocco stands in the lobby, his hands in the pockets of his dark jeans.
His hair is styled back from his forehead, and he’s wearing a blue polo shirt
with tiny stripes in the exact same peach color as my shirt.
I narrow my eyes at him. “Were you spying?” I ask. “Your shirt
cannot be a coincidence.”
He widens his eyes, a picture of innocence if not for the smile
twitching at the corner of his lips. “I have no idea what you’re talking
about,” he says, sliding an arm around my waist and pulling me close. He
gazes into my eyes and gently brushes a stand of hair from my forehead
while still holding me against him. “You look ravishing, Jade.”
“You, too,” I say, lightheaded at the sensation of his body pressed up
against mine. A shiver of anticipation races through me, settling into a
delicious pressure between my thighs.
“Ready?” he asks.
I lift my chin, but he steps back instead of kissing me, leaving me
with an ache for more. Damn, he’s good.
He takes my hand and leads me outside, opens the passenger door,
and helps me into his car before circling around to climb in the driver’s
seat. I expected him to drive something big and flashy like he is, so I’m
surprised to see a small SUV that I recognize as an electric model.
“What are you smiling about?” he asks as he shifts into drive.
 “Nothing,” I say. “Just that I didn’t expect a big, mean sorcerer to be
environmentally friendly.”
He shoots me a grin. “Any other assumptions you’ve made about
me that you’d like to clear up?”
“I’m sure I’ll think of something,” I say, glancing in the side mirror
to see Thorn’s little black sports car on our tail. “Oh, yeah. We have a
chaperone.”
Rocco glances in the rearview and flashes his dimpled smile. “I see
that. Want to give him his money’s worth?”
“Why do I have a feeling you’re about to do something stupid?”
“Me?” He bats his eyes at me and slowly runs his hand down his abs
to the bulge in his pants. “I was thinking you could give me a little
something on the way to the restaurant. That’ll make him think twice about
crashing our date.”
“Very funny,” I say, turning to the window to hide my smile.
“Just a little taste?” he says. “Aren’t you even a little curious about
what’s under all these clothes?”
“Yes,” I admit, laughing. “But I’m not giving you a blowjob on the
way to dinner.”
“Okay,” he says, holding up a hand. “Just thought I’d offer. You
know, something to get the juices flowing. A little appetizer, if you will.”
“Gross.”
“Hey, I’m just trying to mentally prepare you,” he says. “You’ve
never seen me naked. I figured you’d appreciate a little preview of what
you’ll be getting later.”
“Little, huh?”
“What?” he asks, jerking around to stare straight at me. “No.”
I can’t help but laugh. “Hey, you said it.”
Shaking his head, he returns his gaze to the road. “Shoulda taken the
preview. If you think I’m little, you definitely won’t be prepared.”
He winks at me, and my face heats with both embarrassment and
excitement. Maybe Asher is right. I just need to take the leap. And Rocco’s
making it easy, so I don’t have to do any of the work. With the other two,
I’d be spending the evening trying to read them, wondering what they
thought of me, if they wanted me. I’d have to wonder if they’d make a
move, and if it was worth the potential humiliation if I made a move and
they rejected me. There’s none of that with Rocco. It’s easy and
uncomplicated.
We slide into the parking lot of a restaurant in a part of town I’ve
rarely visited, seeing as how it’s the good part. Not the most upscale part of
town where the judges and high society supernaturals like Silas might go to
wine and dine their clients and escorts, but a nice place for a date. Thorn’s
sports car slides past ours before zipping backwards into the spot beside us.
He steps out of his car and opens my door just as Rocco’s circling the front
of his car to do the exact same thing.
“Thanks to both of you,” I say, rolling my eyes. “But I’m perfectly
capable of opening my own door.”
“Of course you are,” Thorn says. “I was trying to be nice.”
“Thorn,” Rocco says, sliding an arm around my waist and holding
out his free hand to shake Thorn’s. “So nice of you to join us. If you want to
hang around after, that’s when the good stuff happens. You know, since you
obviously like to watch.”
He winks at Thorn, who answers with a thunderous glare.
“Okay, then,” I say. “Thorn, you promised I wouldn’t know you
were there. If you’re really just here to keep a look out for danger, then
please do that. I’ve never actually had a date, and I’d like to be able to
enjoy it without you two going at each other the whole time.”
“Don’t worry,” Rocco murmurs, steering me toward the restaurant.
“You and me will be the only people going at it tonight.”
“Very funny,” I say. “Anyway, Thorn promised to behave, so don’t
worry about him. I’m all yours.” I circle an arm around his massive trunk as
we arrive at the door. He holds it open, and we walk in together. Rocco
smiles down at me like I’m the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen, barely
glancing at the fae waitress even though she’s cute as a button with a black
pixie cut and glimmering alabaster skin.
Once we’re seated, Rocco takes my hand across the table. “I’ve
been waiting for this date for way too long,” he says. “Thanks for finally
going out with me. I was starting to think I’d never get a date out of you.
Unless I broke my strict no-begging policy, of course.”
I can’t help but smile. “Damn. Guess I should have held out longer.”
“Trust me, you’ve held out long enough,” he says. Then his face
grows serious, and he squeezes my hand. “You know I’m kidding about
that, right?”
I swallow hard. “About…?”
The waitress hovers nearby until Rocco waves her away. He gazes
into my eyes and strokes the back of my hand with his thumb. “You don’t
owe me sex,” he says, then smiles a bit. “I mean, technically, you do, since
you bet me, and I won. But I’m not going to hold you to that part of the
date.”
“Really?” I ask, drawing back a bit. “I thought that was the whole
reason you wanted to collect so badly.”
He shakes his head. “Jade, come on. Don’t tell me you really think
that badly of me. I like you. You must know that.”
“Well, I mean…” I draw my hand away to discreetly wipe it on my
black jeans. Damn. I’m sweating. I didn’t know Rocco could make me so
nervous.
“You do know I like you, right?” he presses.
“I thought maybe,” I say. “But then you got with Bella, and yes, I
know why, but you said my magic was too much for you. And… I don’t
know. You were such a dick to me when I started. And you still call me
Cinderella all the time.”
“I thought that was our thing,” he says. “You know. Flirting. If you
really want me to stop, I will.”
I think for a minute, then shake my head, biting back a smile. “No,
you don’t have to stop. It is kind of cute. As long as I still get to call you
Pumpkin.”
 Chapter Eleven

Rocco and I sit there holding hands and gazing into each other’s eyes like
two love-struck puppies until the waitress interrupts, a bottle of wine in one
hand and two glasses in the other.
“Give us another minute with the menu, please,” Rocco says, barely
glancing at her.
“Actually, the gentleman by the door sent this over,” she says,
setting down the glasses. “He said he wanted to make sure the lady had the
best.”
My belly flips, and I look up, already knowing who I’ll find. Thorn
quirks one eyebrow at me, giving me the faintest hint of a smile, and my
pulse flutters.
Well, shit. Totally inappropriate, since I’m on a date with his friend.
But not as inappropriate as what he did.
“Tell him thank you,” Rocco says graciously, ignoring the dig.
I frown over my shoulder at Thorn and mouth, “What the hell?”
He smiles placidly back at me.
“Shall we toast?” Rocco says, drawing my attention back to him.
I turn back and pick up the glass. “You’re right,” I say. “Let’s just
enjoy our dinner.”
“To our first date,” Rocco says. “And many, many more.”
I clink my glass against his. “Cheers to that.”
We sip our wine, and then Rocco leans across the table, circling the
back of my neck with his hand. He leans in and presses a soft kiss to my
lips. Tingles explode over my skin, and I sigh and melt into him, a soft
moan escaping my lips.
“Damn, you make it really hard not to rip your clothes off and
ravage you,” he says, smiling against my lips.
“In a restaurant?” I ask, smiling back.
 “I don’t give a fuck,” he says. “As long as it’s you, we could be in
the middle of the street. You have no idea how hard it was to watch you
riding my brother the day of the Unleashing. I’ve been waiting for you to
want me that much ever since.”
“Oh my god,” I say, covering my face. “Don’t remind me. Most
embarrassing moment of my life.”
He pulls my hand down, grinning at me. “One of the hottest
moments of mine.”
“You hated me then,” I point out.
“I didn’t hate you,” he says. “I may not have known you enough to
like you yet, but I’ve known I wanted you since the moment I saw you on
your knees in that bathroom scrubbing the toilet.”
“Let’s just relive all my finest moments,” I say, laughing.
“Hey, you like to remind me of mine,” he says, leaning back in his
chair. “Now let’s order before the waitress flips out on us.”
We order our food, and when the waitress is gone, I take Rocco’s
hand again. I know he said we didn’t have to have sex, but that only makes
me more sure that I want to. It was a little weird to be doing it on a bet. If
it’s just because we want to, well, that makes it even better. And I can’t
seem to stop touching him. It’s reassuring to know that even without my
magic, my feelings for Rocco, and apparently his for me, haven’t changed.
“So, is this where you take all your dates the first time you go out?”
I ask him.
He shakes his head. “No. It’s just a place I like.”
“You’ve been here a lot?”
“Enough,” he says, sipping his wine. “Actually, my parents used to
bring us here a lot.”
“Oh,” I say, surprised that he took me to a place with intimate
memories for him. It makes me feel even closer to him, as if he’s sharing a
part of himself with me that he doesn’t with anyone else. “Do your parents
live around here?”
“Yeah,” he says. “We see them just about every week.”
“That’s sweet,” I say, fiddling with my silverware. I wonder what
it’s like to have a close, functional family that takes you out to dinner at a
decent restaurant. Or hell, a father who will leave the house and a mother
who’s alive.
 “Not as sweet as you might imagine,” Rocco says, shifting in his
chair.
“What’s that mean?”
“Nothing,” he says. “I know I should be grateful for what I have. I
know not everyone is so lucky.” He takes my hand gently in his. “I’m sorry
about your mom.”
“It’s okay,” I say, even though it’s not. “It was years ago.”
“I’m sure it still hurts,” he says. “Were you close?”
“Not that close,” I say. “I mean, when I was a kid, kind of. We’d go
out, not to places this nice, but to burger joints and diners and stuff. But
when my sister died when I was twelve, that all ended. My mom had to
work so much, and she was always exhausted. My dad got more and more
withdrawn, and to be honest, they didn’t spend much time with me. They
weren’t really involved in my life at all.”
“That must have been hard,” he says, his eyes sympathetic. And I
can’t believe I’m telling Rocco Braun about my family, but it feels good to
be so honest with someone. My parents weren’t saints, no matter how much
I love them.
“It was,” I say. “But I don’t blame them for anything. They did the
best they could.”
“I guess that’s the most we can hope for,” he says, bitterness
creeping into his tone. “For parents who give a shit.”
“Your parents don’t?”
Rocco grimaces. “On the contrary. I think they give way too many
shits.”
“How so?”
He shrugs. “They’re what some might call helicopter parents. In our
business twenty-four seven. We see them every week because there’s no
escaping it. I thought it would get better when we left high school and
joined the Academy, but it didn’t.”
“Doesn’t seem too bad,” I say lightly. In truth, it seems like a dream.
“Yeah, I guess it’s not,” he says. “I got it good compared to Ryker.
He’s the oldest, so they ride his ass so hard. I think they would have
disowned him if he didn’t get into the Academy. They’re obsessed with us
getting top marks, all that shit. After a while, they kinda gave up on me.”
“Why?” I ask. “You’re one of the best students at the Academy.”
 “I fuck around too much,” he says. “They used to freak the fuck out
all the time, like, ‘why can’t you be as good as Ryker?’ and ‘why can’t you
be more like your brother?’ It pissed me off growing up. No matter how
hard I tried, I was never as good as him. I pretty much hated his guts.”
“I’m sorry.”
He shrugs. “It’s fine. Eventually my parents gave up on me and
realized I was never going to be Ryker the Second, so they just focused on
him and let me do my thing. I was happy to be the family fuck-up if it got
them off my back. I feel bad for Ryker now. They’re still on his ass all the
time.”
“Still,” I say. “You’re not a fuck up. And it’s shitty of your parents
to make you feel that way.”
“Yeah,” he says. “When Ryker left to come to the Academy, I
realized I didn’t actually hate him. My parents had just made me think so by
comparing me to him all those years—and finding me lacking. Ryker’s the
only one who actually accepted me the way I was and didn’t expect me to
be like him. He appreciated the other things I brought to the table besides
my magic.”
“Your magic is really strong though.”
“Not as good as his,” he says. “He practices a lot harder, learns all
the spells, studies like eight hours a day—after classes. I’d like to actually
enjoy my life, you know?”
“No wonder your brother’s such a super fun guy,” I say with a grin.
“He’s not so bad,” Rocco says. “He’s just under a lot of pressure to
be the best all the time. But he’s more chill with me. Sometimes I can even
get the guy to laugh. Don’t tell him I told you.”
I laugh and shake my head. “Well, now it makes more sense that he
hates me for being a distraction.”
“He said that?”
“Yep,” I say, leaning back as the waitress arrives to set our plates
down. When she’s gone, I dig in.
“I think you’re probably just the distraction Ryker needs,” Rocco
says after a minute.
“What?” I look up from my food.
Rocco shrugs. “I mean… Your magic is a lot for me to handle. But
if I had some help…”
 He searches my gaze, his eyes questioning and even vulnerable.
“You’re saying you want… What? A threesome?”
“No,” he says quickly. “Jade, that’s not what I meant. I just meant,
well, I’ve seen the way you two look at each other. And he’s my brother. I
want him to be happy, to enjoy his life, too.”
“And you think I’m going to make him happy?”
“If you and I started dating, and then things got a little
overwhelming for one or both of us, with your magic… I’m just saying I
wouldn’t mind if you were with him sometimes, too.”
“Oh,” I say, laughing nervously. I was so not expecting that, but I’m
not going to pretend it’s not tempting. Or even that a threesome wouldn’t be
tempting. I don’t know how Rocco feels about that, but I’ve had fantasies. I
mean, of course I have. After what happened at my finals, how could I not?
The only problem is, Ryker doesn’t seem to have any interest in my
brand of distraction. He likes Bella’s kind. Rocco may think his brother
looks at me in some sort of way, but I know the only way he looks at me is
with daggers in his eyes. I can pretend all day that it doesn’t hurt, but in
truth, it does. Even after I saved his life, and I thought things might change,
he seems to hate me even more. I can’t help but feeling something for him,
though; something deep and tender. He may not look at me the way Rocco
thinks, but I look at him that way. The thought of dating both of them isn’t
just hot. It’s a relief to know I won’t have to choose. It’s the perfect
solution.
Except for the problem of him hating me, of course.
“Did I freak you out?” Rocco asks with a smile, popping a dumpling
into his mouth.
“No,” I say. “I was just thinking. It’s awesome that you’re so open
to our relationship being non-traditional, but I don’t think Ryker’s
interested.”
“Oh, he’s interested alright,” Rocco says. “But that’s between you
and him. I just wanted to put it out there, in case you were feeling conflicted
about liking us both. I just wanted to clear the air and let you know that I
know how you feel about him, and it doesn’t freak me out or anything. You
guys can sort that out however you want. But I already know what I want.”
He fixes me with those playful, sparkling blue eyes, and butterflies
flutter inside me. I gulp before speaking, my voice coming out a bit
squeaky. “What’s that, exactly?”
“I want to go out with you,” he says. “I want to date you. I want us
to be a couple.”
“Me, too,” I admit, my heart suddenly hammering.
“And I’m not going to tie you down,” Rocco says.
I know I’m supposed to say it back, but fuck that. After seeing all
three of my guys with the Bellas, I know I can’t handle competition. Or
rather, I don’t want to have any competition to handle. I could bring down
any one of those bitches. I just don’t want to have to fight over my men. I
want them to be one hundred percent mine, just as I’d be one hundred
percent theirs if we were together.
Theirs and Professor Darius’s, anyway. I’ve already promised
myself to him.
I’m not going to think about that now, though. I’m going to do what
I said I would and live a normal life. I’m going to enjoy the moments as
they come and embrace each new experience. We linger at the restaurant,
enjoying each other’s company until there are only a few others left in the
place.
Rocco flags down the waitress at last, but she shakes her head. “It’s
been taken care of,” she says.
“What?” Rocco demands, finally looking pissed.
I glance over, realizing I forgot that Thorn was watching. He’s gone
now.
“It’s okay,” I say, grabbing Rocco’s hand. “If he wants to pay for our
meal, so what? He’s not getting anything out of it, and we got a free meal.”
“No,” Rocco says, standing. “Fuck that. He’s not going to come
swooping in flashing his money around to try and steal my date.”
“He didn’t steal me,” I say. “I’m right here. Don’t let him ruin a
perfect evening.”
“It’s not perfect if it’s funded by that asshole,” Rocco says. “Look,
I’m sorry, Jade. Maybe it’s a stupid pride thing, but a man doesn’t take the
girl he… He doesn’t take a girl out and then let another man pay for their
dinner.”
Seeing he’s never going to let it go, I sigh. “You can’t do much
about it now.”
 His brows knit as he takes in the few tables still populated. “I’ll be
right back,” he says. “It’ll only be a minute. I’ll pay for our meal, and they
can let his money take care of someone else’s.”
I grew up poor, but I understand pride, so I tell him to go on while I
duck off to the ladies room. When I get back, I stop in my tracks. Thorn is
sitting at our table.
I walk over warily and slide in opposite him. “What exactly are you
trying to prove?” I ask.
“Are you going to sleep with him?” Thorn asks.
“I don’t know,” I say. “Maybe. Not that it’s any of your business.
You’re being a complete asshole, Thorn.”
“I left you alone,” he says. “I sat over there and had to watch you
kiss him and say those things. I didn’t interrupt.”
“Paying for our dinner isn’t interfering?”
His jaw clenches. “I think I did pretty well, all things considered.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask. “You act like I was rubbing
it in your face. Why do you even care what we say to each other?”
I want him to tell me why he cares, to tell me how he feels. He’s so
fucking guarded all the time. I want to open his floodgates and let him rush
over me.
“You don’t think I care about you?” he asks.
“Do you?”
“Of course I care,” he snaps, sitting back in his chair and rubbing his
temples. Well, it wasn’t the heartfelt confession I wanted, but it’s probably
the best he can do.
“I care about you, too,” I say, running my fingers across the back of
his hand.
“I didn’t—that’s not…” He shakes his head, staring down at my
fingertips gently stroking his skin. After a few seconds, he pulls back with a
scowl. “You didn’t answer my question. Are you going to fuck Rocco? Just
tell me so I know how much to drink tonight.”
“I answered,” I say. “I told you I don’t know.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“Are you jealous?” I tease, grinning up at him, trying to lighten the
mood.
 “Of course I’m fucking jealous,” he says. “You’re on a date with
another man.”
“If you’re that concerned about what I do on a date, maybe you
should ask me on one.”
“You’re right,” he says, leaning forward and taking my hand in his,
wrapping his long, strong fingers around mine. “Let’s go for drinks.
Anywhere you want. Just name the place, and we’ll go.”
“Right now?” I ask.
“You’re done eating,” he says. “He had his date. Now let me have
one. Please?”
He gazes into my eyes with a quiet desperation that rips my heart
right down the middle. I gulp, my heart hammering so hard I can feel it
through my whole body.
“Dude, you better get your hands off my date if you don’t want
things to get real ugly, real fast,” Rocco growls behind me.
I jerk my hand from Thorn’s, the spell broken.
Thorn stands and faces Rocco calmly. “Your date’s over,” he says.
“You took her to dinner, and now you’re done.”
“Jade picked me,” Rocco says. “Sorry that pisses you off, but she’s
my date, and I say when the date’s over. Not you.”
With only a handful of tables occupied, the place is quiet, which
means everyone in the restaurant can hear us. They cast furtive glances our
way, a few outright staring. I feel my face warming, and I’m about done
with this bullshit. I’m on a fucking date. If Thorn wants to ask me out
properly, he can. Hell, if he didn’t want me going out with Rocco, he could
have asked me out already. It’s not like he didn’t have the whole entire first
semester to tell me he liked me. But no, that would have been too healthy
and normal. He had to crash my date, disrupt things, and try to steal
Rocco’s date out from under his nose.
I stand and push in my own damn chair. “Actually, I think I’ll say
when the date is done,” I say. “Which is right now.”
“See, date’s over,” Thorn says.
I cross my arms and glare at him, letting Rocco put a hand on my
hip from behind. “You have crossed so many fucking lines tonight, Thorn,”
Rocco says. “You’re a real piece of shit, you know that? Jade picked me
because she likes me more than you. I know it’s hard for you to believe
anyone would be immune to your name, let alone your many charms, but
proof’s in the pudding, man. And I’ll be the one eating the pudding
tonight.”
I pull away from Rocco and plant my hands on my hips. “Rocco,
now’s not the time. Thorn, I’m sorry, but you had plenty of chances. If you
can’t ask me out until you see me with someone else, you don’t really want
me. You just don’t want me to be with anyone else. And I’m not into that
kind of game. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I turn and storm out of the restaurant. The moment I step into the
parking lot, I feel a tug at my belt and the next second, Cleo smacks into my
palm.
“Damn, girl,” I mutter, casting a look around the parking lot. That’s
never happened before—I didn’t even know she could move on her own
accord—but I know better than to question her. It took the bitch long
enough to trust me the first time around.
She buzzes in my hand, and I turn just in time to see a wrinkly little
grey being with twisting horns come hobbling from between two cars.
“Oh, hell no,” I say, brandishing my spork. “Stay back, demonling.”
The thing pauses and eyes me. Demonlings aren’t inherently evil,
they simply lack the thing humans call a conscience. They’re also very
good at finding things and people, so if this one is stopping to chat, it means
she was sent for me. If she wasn’t hired to fuck me up, she’s no danger to
me. If she was sent for that reason…
“What do you want from me?” I demand. Demonlings also aren’t
very intelligent, which makes them great weapons. They don’t remember
people’s faces or names for long, so there’s no use interrogating them. They
find people using some other sort of compass that humans don’t have.
Luckily, they aren’t deceitful, so I might get a straight answer if I ask the
right question.
“I have a message,” the demonling says, standing her stout little
body to its full two-foot height. “Silas Hunt says to tell Jade Silva that
Father went for walk and never came back.”
“What?” I ask, my heart staggering in my chest.
“Jade,” Rocco cries behind me, rushing up to steady me when I
sway on my feet. “What happened?”
Thorn grabs the demonling by the throat. “Did this thing hurt you?”
 “Don’t hurt her,” I yell, jumping toward them.
“I’m not hurting her,” Thorn says sourly. “I’m detaining her.”
“When did my father leave?” I ask the demonling.
“No time,” she says. “Don’t hurt me. I only relay message. This
assignment has no blood. Easy peasy, says the boss. Low pay but no mess.”
“When did he send you?” I demand.
She scratches her patchy black hair with a gnarled fingernail.
“Today.”
I sigh. Shit, this is impossible. I sink down, but Rocco catches me
and hauls me back to my feet. “Keep it together, Cinderella,” he says. “Let’s
just see if she has anything else to say.”
“Her father left, and you don’t know what time,” Thorn says to the
demonling.
“You think he ran away?” Rocco asks.
I shake my head. “I don’t know for sure, but I doubt it. Dad’s not
about to cross Silas. He’s terrified of him and magic in general.”
“Would anyone want to hurt him?” Thorn asks gently.
My throat is tight, but I force myself to swallow past it. All those
years, Dad said magic was dangerous. Turns out, he was right. A month
after messing with it, and he’s missing.
He also said the city was dangerous. Since when does he go for
walks? The thought of how bad it must be to drive him out on a walk makes
my heart break a little. I was told he’d be protected. And now he’s gone.
Maybe attacked at random on the way home by any desperate human or
supernatural out looking for food or money or shoes.
Or maybe not.
“Lilith,” I whisper. “She wouldn’t want to hurt him, but she wants to
hurt me. She might know that he’s the way to do that.”
“How would she know that?” Rocco asks.
“I don’t know,” I say. “How does she even know about me?”
“You have her magic,” Thorn says. “When you die and go to the
spirit world, you can’t take most of it with you. It stays in this world. But
you might still have a tie to her, since she was powerful enough to retain
some magic even after death.”
“Could she know about my dad, though?” I whisper, tears
threatening.
 The sorcerer’s share a concerned frown. “I don’t know,” Rocco says
at last. “We should go back to the Academy immediately.”
“No,” I say sharply. “We need to find my dad first.”
“Jade, we don’t have any information,” Thorn says, his eyes
sympathetic. “It won’t help to go running in and getting ourselves killed.
Let’s return to the Academy, where we know you’ll be safe. Then we can
make a plan.”
“You’re right,” I admit, even though every fiber of my being is
screaming for me to run after Dad before it’s too late. But if Lilith took my
father to get to me, that’s exactly what she’ll want, maybe even what she
expects. I’m not about to make things easy for her.
If something happens to my father because I didn’t do anything, I’ll
never forgive myself. And I will make that bitch from hell pay if it’s the last
thing I ever do.
 Chapter Twelve

“I don’t know what we can do right now,” Darius admits. We woke him
when we got back from our date. He came to the door in a robe, which he’s
still wearing as we stand in his living room area. His hair is mussed, and if I
wasn’t freaking out right now, I’d be swooning over how adorably unkempt
he looks. But I can’t think about anything but Dad—not the professor’s
sexiness, and not how rude it is to show up in front of him with my date.
Some things are more important than manners, and my dad is one of
them.
“We have to find him,” I say. “Can’t someone do a spell and see
where he is? Or hell, I’ll hire a demonling.”
“We don’t allow those on campus,” Darius says, rubbing his jaw and
frowning at me.
“I know where to find some,” I say. I almost blurt out that I’ve been
practicing a little dark magic, too, so I might be able to summon one here if
I learned that spell.
“If we go to Silas’s, he’s liable to try to make you stay,” Thorn says.
“He just lost his collateral.”
“I’d like to see him try,” I growl.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Darius says, holding up a hand.
“Thorn, can you attempt to see where he is? Jade, try to think of something
you might have in your room that belonged to your father. An item that is
meaningful to him can sometimes work wonders to help find a person.
Rocco, keep watch for a few minutes. I’m going to change, and then we’ll
pay Silas a visit.”
When he ducks down the hall to change, I stare after him, wishing I
could follow. Wishing he could make me forget all this, and I could wake
up in his arms and find that it was all a dream.
“I don’t have anything of my dad’s,” I say, tearing my eyes away
from the door through which the professor disappeared. “He’s not really
sentimental. We moved a few years ago, and he didn’t bring any mementos
to remind him of Mom. He said it hurt too much to see them around.”
“I’m sorry,” Thorn says, slipping his arms around me and pulling
me into his chest. I rest my forehead against him, listening to the steady
thump of his heartbeat and letting it calm me.
“It’s okay,” I say. “Maybe we can go by his house on our way. We
might not find anything meaningful to him, but he probably has something
you could use. A hairbrush or something.”
“If there’s any chance he did run away from Silas, he won’t go back
home, right?” Rocco asks. “I mean, it’s the first place Silas would look,
right?”
“I don’t know,” I mumble. Silas would probably look here first
because like me, Dad has only one person. He’d come here if he ran away.
Which is just another reason I know he didn’t run. Someone had to have
taken him.
“If someone took him to get to me, then walking into his house
might be just what they expect me to do,” I say.
“It seems they’d expect you to go to Silas,” Thorn says.
I have to admit that’s true. If anyone knows that Dad’s the way to
get to me, then they know he’s living with Silas.
A few minutes later, Professor Darius emerges wearing street
clothes, which makes him even hotter if possible. I want to curl up in his
arms even more, let him comfort me, but I can’t do that in front of three
students. I’ve had enough guy drama for the night, anyway. It’s time to kick
ass now.
“Let’s go,” Darius says, grabbing his snake-head staff. We all file
out the door and toward the parking lot. “Were you able to see anything,
Thorn?”
Thorn scowls and shakes his head. “Nothing. Someone’s got him
hidden with magic.”
“Fuck,” I curse under my breath. “When I find him, someone’s
going to pay. With blood.”
“It’s what we expected,” Darius says, resting a hand on my lower
back for a moment. “I’ve laid protection spells on the car and on you. Since
ours were laid first, we should be protected.”
“Unless it’s Lilith,” Rocco says.
 Darius grimaces. “Yes, if it’s truly Lilith’s doing, I’m afraid I’m
outmatched.”
“Maybe the four of us aren’t, though,” I say. I have to believe that.
“Your magic is still very low,” Darius murmurs, a frown creasing his
brow.
“Well,” I say, widening my eyes at him. “It’s not like anyone is
offering to help me recharge.”
He swallows and takes his hand off me, much to my irritation. I
need this. I need magic. Yes, I can get a little by myself, but to really build
it or release it, I need help. Tonight was a chance, but it looks like that’s not
going to happen now. I wonder if Lilith somehow knew that I have no
power. If our magic is really connected, maybe somehow she can tell… Or
maybe someone told her. If she has a spy on campus, they could have told
her how to lure me out. Not just how, but when.
My mind immediately flashes to Elowen, and then I feel ashamed.
She’s my friend, and yes, she made a grave mistake, but I’ve forgiven her. I
didn’t think she’d do it last time, and maybe it makes me a fool, but I don’t
think she would now, either. Topher also seems a good suspect. I mean, he
suddenly appeared, he’s a master at Dark Arts, and what do we really know
about him?
But then, what does he really know about me? Nothing about my
dad whatsoever.
It could be a coincidence that Lilith struck now, right after I got out
of the infirmary, but somehow, it doesn’t feel like it. Something’s fishy.
Just as we step into the parking lot, a shadow looms over us,
stretched across the asphalt like a spectral demon. I scream and spin around,
grabbing for Cleo.
Ryker stands there looking amused. “Taking a little unauthorized
field trip?” he asks, quirking an eyebrow.
“Ryker,” I say, barely able to hear myself over the ruckus in my
chest. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
“I couldn’t miss out on all the fun, could I?”
“You scared the shit out of me.”
“I noticed,” he says. “I forgot how piercing your scream is.”
“Very funny,” I say, crossing my arms and glaring. “You shouldn’t
be here.”
 “Don’t worry,” he says, striding past me toward the car. “You don’t
have to thank me.”
“You’re injured,” I say, hurrying to catch up.
“I’m still your guard,” he says.
I look to Darius, who shrugs. “He’s assigned to guard you when you
leave campus, Jade,” he says. “Headmaster Orville assigned them all guard
duty. It’s not really optional.”
“There must be an exception,” I say. “He’s hurt.”
“The only exception is when you’re on campus, where it’s safe,”
Thorn says. “Otherwise, we’re compelled to obey the headmaster.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” I say. “You mean, you’re actually magically
bound to do his bidding? Like, hypnotized into following the rules?”
“Sort of,” Rocco agrees. He opens the door of a black SUV, and I
step inside while Darius climbs behind the wheel. “We can appeal if we
really don’t like an assignment, but we’re required to follow laws just like
everyone else.”
“So you couldn’t walk away from this assignment even if you
wanted to,” I say, feeling somehow hurt by this realization.
“Nope,” Rocco says with a smile. “I’m afraid you’re stuck with us,
Cinderella.”
“More like you’re stuck with me,” I mutter.
“You sure you’re up for this, man?” Rocco asks his brother as Ryker
slides into the passenger seat beside the professor.
“A hell of a lot more up for it than you are,” Ryker mutters.
“I told you he had the hots for you,” Rocco says with a smug smile.
“I had an exception until I recovered,” Ryker says. “Time’s up.”
“If I recall correctly, you got to make that call,” Rocco says. “It’s
nothing to be ashamed of, bro. We’re all dying to bone Cinderella here.” He
throws an arm around me and pulls me in, kissing my forehead.
“Get off me,” I say, but I find myself smiling for the first time in
hours, and when I push Rocco away, it’s a playful shove.
“Cut it out,” Ryker snaps. “We’re on an assignment. Pay attention.
This is dangerous.”
“Ah, don’t be so hard on yourself,” Rocco says, leaning forward to
squeeze his brother’s shoulder. “We’ve all got needs. At least you’re not as
lovesick as Thorn here.”
 “What?” Thorn growls.
“Don’t even worry about it,” Rocco says. “I’d have done the same
thing. I admire you, really. It took a lot of balls to do what you did tonight.”
“What did you do?” Professor Darius asks, but he doesn’t sound as
amused as Rocco.
“Nothing,” I say. “He just came along to guard us when we left
campus, apparently because he’s magically compelled to protect me.”
“That’s not why,” Thorn murmurs, his fingers brushing my knee.
Rocco laughs and lays a hand on my other knee. “Thorn here
crashed our date and made a scene in the restaurant,” he says. “Apparently
he can’t handle seeing Jade having fun if it’s with another man.”
“That’s not true,” Thorn growls.
“Okay, stop,” I say, pushing both their hands off me. “Look, this is
not helping. I don’t need to hear this right now. I don’t want any fighting,
okay?”
“We’re not fighting,” Rocco says with a grin.
“Fine,” I say, taking a deep breath. “Let me just make this easy for
you. I like all of you. Yep, there it is. Every single one of you. Even you,
Ryker, though I don’t know how I manage it. But if you can’t get along,
then I’m not going out with any of you. I’m not going to be the person who
fucks up your friendship, or brotherhood, or whatever you have going. I’m
just not. So now you know. You can do whatever you want with that. Call
me a slut, tell everyone in school that I’m a whore who wants all the dick. I
don’t care. I can take it. The question is, can you guys handle it?”
No one speaks for a long minute.
“Good,” I say at last, glad it’s dark in the car so they can’t see my
face. “You guys can figure it out amongst yourselves, and then you can
come tell me what’s going to happen. I’m not going to talk about it again
until you do.”
I cross my arms and sit back, and no one speaks again until we pull
up to Dad’s apartment a few minutes later. We all climb out, and the guys
are too busy readying their weapons to comment on my little rant. I’m glad
we have something to distract us. Heart hammering with nerves, I hurry to
the door and twist the knob. Nothing happens.
I pull out Cleo, who helpfully transforms into a sledgehammer.
“Key, Cleo,” I urge. “I need to unlock it, not damage property.”
 With a shimmer of magic, she turns into a key. I rush into the
apartment, Thorn and Rocco beside me. I hear Darius call out in warning,
telling us to slow down, but I’m already in the living room. The empty
living room. I turn in a slow circle, staring at the blank walls and dingy
carpet and the couch that came with the furnished apartment. There’s
nothing else to see.
“What the hell?” I breathe, rushing into the kitchen. Thorn stands in
the doorway, his hands in his pockets, looking awkward and wary.
“I’m sorry,” he says as I stand there taking in the empty room. No
toaster on the counter, no dishes in the rack, no clock ticking loudly from
the wall. The counters are wiped clean, the sink is empty, and the walls are
dingy and bare. All that remains is the sad table that was here when we
moved in after Mom died.
“He moved,” I say, turning to face my guards. “How could he have
moved out and not told me?”
“Well, he told you he was living with Silas,” Rocco reminds me.
Thorn shoots him a glare.
“I know,” I say. “I just… I didn’t know he moved out completely.”
Somehow, seeing the empty house makes it more real. It hits me,
really hits me, that he’s gone. Not just from here, either.
“Come on,” Rocco says, taking my hand. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Wait,” I say. “I want to see my room first. I know I didn’t live here
that long, and I already got all my stuff when I moved out. I just…”
I pull my hand from the sorcerer’s and head down the hall, holding
back tears. I stand in my doorway staring at the bare, single bed and the
dresser with broken handles. Cleo throbs gently in my hand, urging me into
the room even though its depressing.
“What do you want?” I whisper to her, but of course she doesn’t
answer. I wander around the room, then stop in front of the dresser. I
already know it’s empty, since I took my clothes when I moved to the
Academy. I don’t know why it feels like a betrayal that my father moved
on, too.
I stand before the mirror, staring at my pale, stricken face. Cleo is
urging me to do something, but I don’t know what. I can just feel a pull
from her, an urgency, as if she’s my intuition telling me there’s something
here for me, that it’s not over, and I shouldn’t give up. Idly, I pull open the
top drawer of the dresser. It’s empty, as I left it. I sigh and push it closed
with my hip.
“What do you want, girl?” I ask Cleo, holding her up. She sings in
my hand, pulling me to stay. I open the closet, but it’s empty, too.
“What are you looking for?” Thorn asks from the doorway.
“We’d better go,” Rocco says, glancing at the window. “There are
some shady people in your neighborhood.”
“Yeah, okay,” I say, stuffing Cleo in my waistband. I start toward the
door, then stop and yank open the middle drawer in the dresser. Empty.
Cleo must be wrong this time. I pull open the bottom drawer, anyway, not
expecting to find anything more than I did in the first two. A small silk bag
sits in the middle of the empty drawer. I grab it out and stand.
“Let’s go,” I say. “Before the others get attacked.”
“I think it’s too late,” Rocco says just as a commotion starts outside
the front door.
I take off running, yanking Cleo from my belt as I go. This time, she
transforms into a sword without me even asking. I burst through the doors
to see Professor Darius and Ryker fighting off a pack of emaciated
vampires with red eyes and clothes hanging in tatters. I feel bad for the
bloodsuckers, but I’m not about to become their next meal. When one of
them shrieks and leaps at me with fangs bared, I don’t hesitate to swing my
sword. It slices through her neck with a satisfying finality, and her head
rolls across the concrete and into the ditch.
“Take that, bloodsucker,” I yell, swinging at another one as he
creeps up behind Darius. Darius spins his staff in a blur of shimmering
magic, and it’s all I can do not to stop and watch the mesmerizing dance of
his weapon as it twirls and slices through the air. And then he stabs the
snake head into the gut of a hulking shifter that’s so big it must be on some
kind of steroid, and the spell is broken.
I dodge away from another creature, one whose species I’m not
even sure of. It has a humanoid shape, a hairless head, and skin with the
pallor and moistness of a frog’s belly. Its eyes glow red as it pulls back its
colorless lips and hisses at me, revealing a row of jagged, broken teeth. It
swipes at me with elongated fingers tipped with silver, razor-sharp nails.
“Not today, asshole,” I say, swinging Cleo in a smooth, controlled
stroke just like Ryker taught me. If I could take down my bastard teacher, I
can sure as hell take down this mutant. It’s quicker than I expected, darting
back and then diving for my legs like a football player going in for a tackle.
Rocco’s club meets it halfway, slamming into it with a sickening crunch.
The creature sails across the road, smashing into the building across the
street.
“Let’s roll,” he says, grabbing my arm and manhandling me toward
the SUV while Ryker holds off two vampires with his sword, and Darius
faces off with the injured roid-infused shifter.
“Don’t push me around,” I bark. “I’m not helpless. I can fight just as
well as the rest of you.”
“Just get in the damn car,” Thorn says, opening the door and
scooping me up. He slides into the car with me kicking and flailing in his
arms.
“Let me go,” I yell, lurching for the open door as I see Ryker go
down under the vampires.
Rocco slams the door in my face, hurls a vampire over the building,
and yanks Ryker free. Darius smacks the werewolf in the side of the head,
and it hits the ground with the force of a giant. In a flash, the three men pile
into the SUV with us, and it takes off.
“Wait,” I yell. “I dropped something!”
“What?” Darius asks, looking at me in the rearview.
“I dropped a bag back there,” I say.
“Is it worth risking our lives to go back for it?” Rocco asks.
“Fucking vampires,” Ryker swears, sounding as irritated as he
would if a mosquito bit him. He swipes a hand across the side of his neck,
and it comes away bloody.
“Are you okay?” I ask, leaning forward. I could have helped him if
the other two hadn’t been shoving me out of the way like I’m some damn
damsel in need of protection. I have Cleo for a reason. And Rocco is right.
The loss of Mom’s cards leaves an ache inside me, but losing one of my
sorcerers would destroy me.
“I’m fine,” Ryker snaps. “I’m sure as hell not going to sit on the
sidelines while everyone else does their job.”
“What the hell was that?” I ask Rocco, glaring at him. “I could have
helped out there.”
“It won’t help anyone if you’re dead,” Thorn says.
 I turn to him. “You agree with this asshole stuffing me into the car?”
“This asshole just saved your life,” Rocco says. “What even was
that creature that attacked you?”
“That alien mutant thing?” I ask. “I don’t know. I figured you
knew.”
“I think it was some kind of demon,” Professor Darius says. “I’ll
have to do some research before I know for sure.”
“That means Lilith sent it, right?” I ask. “If it’s from hell, or the
spirit world, or whatever you want to call it?”
“It’s possible,” Darius says. “I don’t want to speculate before we
know more.”
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“Back to school,” Darius says.
“What? No. We’re supposed to be finding my dad.”
“We will,” he says. “But it was irresponsible to take you off campus
like this. I’m going to drop you off inside the protection of the campus. You
need at least one of your guards with you at all times until we’ve found
your father. Two would be better.”
“I need to find him,” I say, leaning forward in my urgency. “He
could be hurt.”
“If someone took him to draw you out, he’ll be safe until they have
you instead,” he says. “I’ll drop you off and then go directly to Silas’s. I
promise.”
“You can’t shut me out of this,” I say, panic edging my words.
“I can and I will,” he says, pulling into the parking lot at the
Academy. He shuts off the engine and turns to me. “This is for your
protection, Jade. That’s always my first and foremost concern.”
His voice is soft, and that’s what does me in. Before I can stop them,
tears blur my vision.
“But I have to find him,” I cry.
“Go inside with your guards,” Darius says gently. “Get some sleep if
you can. I’ll come and tell you what Silas says as soon as we’ve had a
word. I promise.” He takes my hand and squeezes, and I wish more than
anything that I could kiss him right now, feel his kiss like the seal of a
promise. But I can only squeeze his hand and nod before he lets go.
 Thorn opens the door and steps out, pulling me with him. He keeps
his arm around me and steers me toward the dorm. I bow my head to hide
my tears, allowing him to lead me. My legs are numb, and my mind is
blank. Only my heart is alive, full of an ache I’m scared to express. If I let it
out, this chasm of pain inside me, it might swallow the whole world.
Rocco jogs ahead and opens the door of the dorm. “Ryker’s going to
get the vampire bites fixed up, and then he’ll join us,” he says as we step
through. I hadn’t even noticed the third sorcerer was missing. I want to say
something to Rocco, but I can’t think of the right thing. He’s good at
making me laugh, but I’m past that now. I’m too stunned for humor.
When we get to my room, the three of us stand there for a second.
Thorn and Rocco stare at each other, some silent communication seeming to
pass between them. Then Thorn’s arm tightens around my waist. “I’ll sit
with you,” he says. “Rocco will stand guard the first shift.”
Inside my room, I fold over onto my bed and lie there. Thorn kneels
to remove my shoes, then pulls me onto the bed and covers me with a
blanket.
“What do you need?” he asks softly, tucking the covers around my
shoulder.
“Nothing,” I say, closing my eyes.
Nothing he can give me. I need my dad to be alive. For him to be
okay. For Silas to be dead. For Darius not to be scouring the city for him in
the middle of the night.
Thorn sinks onto the edge of the bed. For a moment he doesn’t
speak. Then he flicks his fingers, and the light goes off. He lies down
behind me, pulling me into his arms and curling his body like a spoon
around mine. He nestles his chin into my shoulder, his arms strong and tight
around me like a protective shell that could shield me from the news that
I’m sure Darius will bring back. He may have tried to reassure me, but his
insistence that I not go with him only makes me more sure that something
terrible has happened to my dad. Something he didn’t want me to see, that
he wanted to protect me from.
“I’m here,” Thorn says, pressing a kiss to the back of my neck as he
holds me.
He doesn’t say or do anything more, but somehow, it’s enough.
 Chapter Thirteen

“For fuck’s sake,” snaps a voice, yanking me from my warm cocoon of

sleep. I blink my eyes open and twist to see a tall, angry sorcerer standing
over me. Thorn’s arms tighten around me, and his face presses into the back
of my neck. He stayed with me all night. My heart fills with warmth at the
realization.
And then I realize that he did exactly that—stayed all night. Early
morning light filters through the window, showing a grey day outside the
window.
“Darius,” I cry, scrambling upright in the bed.
Thorn groans and tries to pull me back down with the arm still
looped around my waist.
“He came back a few hours ago,” Ryker says. “There was no news,
so I decided to let you sleep. He didn’t get anything out of Silas. He says he
wants some other guaranteed way to control you since your father is gone,
but Darius told him to go fuck himself. That’s it.”
“There must be something we can do,” I say desperately.
“We can get more sleep,” Thorn mumbles behind me.
Ryker’s scowl turns fierce. “If I’d known you weren’t sleeping, I
wouldn’t have bothered waiting to tell you,” he says, glaring at his friend.
“She needed sleep, not to be fucked.”
“If we’re not fucking, it’s none of your business,” I say.
“Remember?”
Ryker looks like he’s about to put his fist through a wall. “I
remember,” he grits out through clenched teeth. “Now get up. It’s time to
practice.”
With a sigh, I throw the blankets off, not missing the change in
Ryker’s expression when he sees that both of us are still fully clothed. I’m
not going to think about that, or the flicker of relief inside me that I didn’t
hurt him. Oh, god. Why do I even care? He obviously doesn’t give a single
fuck whether he hurts me. Disgusted with myself, I head to my closet to
grab out a uniform.
“It’s Saturday,” Thorn says, grabbing my pillow and shoving it
under his head with his own. He rolls onto his side, his arm sandwiched
between the pillows, and smiles at me. “Come back to bed?”
My heart flutters at the sexy, sleepy smile on his face and the messy
state of his black hair. There’s nothing I want more.
“No,” Ryker says sharply. “You need to be ready when Lilith shows
up. You can sleep when you’re dead. Today, you need practice.”
I sigh because he’s right. Isn’t he?
As I quickly shower off and get dressed, a jumble of thoughts swirls
through my head. How can I find out where my dad is? If Silas doesn’t have
him, who does? If Silas does have him, then what is he trying to gain by
lying? He knows the Academy isn’t going to send me back to him until I’m
done training. He even agreed to that himself, since he wants me to master
my magic for him.
Secondly, if I can’t find him, what am I going to do? I can’t just go
about my routine like he’s not missing. I don’t know how I was able to
sleep last night, but my body seemed to take over and give me what I
needed even when my brain thought it was impossible. Is this how the
world works without my dad in it? I just go on like nothing happened?
It doesn’t seem possible, and yet here I am, brushing my teeth like I
do every morning. I wind my wet blonde hair into a bun, then hesitate
before pulling on my clothes.
What if Ryker is wrong?
What if fucking is exactly what I need? After all, he’s the one who
took all my magic. If I’m going to face Lilith, I don’t need more
swordsmanship lessons. I need my magic back.
I kick aside the jeans and sweater I chose while in a daze, take a
deep breath, and open the bathroom door.
My gaze falls on the bed, but Thorn is nowhere to be found. My
sheets lay in a rumbled tangle, but only Ryker stands in the room, tapping
his foot impatiently. When he sees me, he freezes, his eyes widening and
then raking down my body with ruthless efficiency. Suddenly I want to run
to the bed, to crawl under the blankets, still warm from my sweet sorcerer’s
body, and hide from Ryker’s brutal gaze.
 “What are you doing?” he asks. The door slams shut behind him
with a bang. We’re alone. I’m trapped. Naked and alone with a man who
despises me for what I am, and probably wants to punish me for getting his
lover expelled. Now he has no one to take out his aggression on, and I’m
standing in front of him like an offering.
“I thought Thorn was here,” I said stupidly.
“He left.” Ryker’s cold blue eyes rake over me again, lingering on
the swell of my bare breasts. My nipples harden under his gaze, and I feel a
dangerous thrill trembling in my lower belly. Ryker swallows hard.
“I want my magic back.”
“Go get dressed.”
“That’s probably what I should do,” I say, growing bolder. He can’t
tear his eyes from me. “But if I want to be ready for Lilith, I need my
magic. And I think we both know more practice isn’t going to bring it
back.”
Ryker swallows again, then strides toward me. I can’t help but
cringe back, even though I invited him. He grabs me by the arm, spins me
around, and marches me into the bathroom. My clothes lay discarded on the
floor in front of me, and Ryker stands behind me, so close I can hear his
heavy breathing. I bend slowly to retrieve my shirt, peeking over my
shoulder at Ryker when I’m folded in half in front of him.
Ryker looks like he’s about to choke on his own breath.
“Oh, fuck it,” he says, yanking the shirt from my hands and tossing
it aside. “I was trying to do the decent thing, but you obviously don’t give a
fuck about decency.”
He plows me against the wall, his lips crashing violently against
mine. His tongue plunges between my lips without prelude, and he groans
into my mouth as his body pins my naked one to the wall. When my ass hits
the cold tile, I let out a shriek of surprise, and Ryker rips his mouth from
mine.
“What?” he asks, his eyes blurry with lust. “I thought you wanted
your magic back.”
“It’s cold,” I say, arching my back to get my skin away from the
wall.
Ryker stares at me a minute, and then he laughs. It’s just a small
laugh, barely more than a chuckle, but it’s the first time I’ve ever heard him
laugh. It’s warm and genuine and changes his whole asshole demeanor. I
can almost see the man he would be without the incessant pressure to
succeed, to be the best, to be perfect.
I slide a hand over his cheek, feeling the roughness of his stubble,
and pull his face down to mine again. “Can we move this in the shower?” I
ask. “I’m getting a little chilly.”
“I can see that,” he says, a smile on his lips as they meet mine. He
cups my breast, his thumb stroking across my erect nipple. Walking me
backwards, he steps us into the shower stall without breaking our kiss. He
fumbles behind me, and a moment later, hot water rushes down on my back.
I moan in pleasure, palming his cock through the front of his jeans. Water
splashes onto the shoulders of his T-shirt, soaking it and making the fabric
cling to his muscles in the most delicious way.
After a minute, he pulls back, cupping my face between his hands.
“This is just to return your magic, right?” he asks, his piercing sapphire
gaze searching mine.
“Yeah,” I say. “Totally.”
“Good,” he says. “I don’t want you to get any ideas about us being
together.”
“This is so romantic,” I say. “It’s really turning me on.”
Ryker offers a small smirk. “I know you’re into my brother,” he
says. “And he’s into you. So there can’t be anything else between us. This is
strictly business.”
“Oh, stop,” I say, arching against him and making big, fluttery eyes
at him. “You’re getting me so wet.”
Ryker shakes his head. “I mean it, Jade.”
“If you’re really so worried about my relationship with your brother,
how come you’re about to fuck me?”
He shrugs. “Rocco knows fucking doesn’t mean anything,” he says.
“He fucked Bella. Why shouldn’t I fuck you?”
“I don’t see any reason whatsoever,” I say, looping my arm around
his neck and pulling him down for a kiss. I run my finger gently over the
angry red scabs where the vampire bit him last night, and he sucks in a
breath and kisses me harder. His hands move down my body to my ass. He
kneads my flesh, spreading my ass cheeks and touching the knotted
entrance while he grinds his cock against me. I tense up, and he chuckles
into our kiss. I run my hands down his back, over the soaked fabric, and
grab the hem of his T-shirt. When I start to pull it up, he pushes my hands
away and breaks our kiss. He stoops to run his lips along my jaw to my ear.
“Take your time, princess,” he whispers, flicking his tongue into my ear.
Shivers run down my body with the hot streams of water, and I sigh
and let him take over. He drops lower, then grabs me around the waist and
picks me up. I wrap my legs around his hips and shiver as his hot lips latch
onto my nipple. He sucks hard, and I yelp, but he doesn’t let up. He sucks
harder, and pleasure races through me along with the pain. He grabs my ass
with both hands, squeezing hard and yanking me against him while he
grinds the ridge of his cock against me. My clit throbs with every suck of
his hungry mouth, and I let out wordless sounds of pleasure as he devours
me.
I don’t know what I’ve gotten myself into, but fuck it feels good. I
run my nails over his scalp, his neck, the shoulders of his soaked shirt. I can
see darker patterns beneath the wet fabric, and I’m dying to see his tattoos,
but I can only pull his shirt up halfway because he refuses to let me go. He
spreads my ass cheeks wide and slides his fingers lower, opening my pussy.
He plunges two long, wet fingers deep into me without warning. I cry out,
pleasure and pain darting through me at once. He drives them into me
harder, until I’m sure I’m about to burst.
I cry out his name, begging him for more, for more of him. I love
what he’s doing to me, but it’s all for me. I want him, too. I want to make
him lose control the way I am.
Ryker grabs me around the waist and with one powerful motion,
lifts me all the way up onto his shoulders. He buries his face between my
legs, and I forget everything else. My thighs clench around his head, and I
gasp in ecstasy as his tongue owns me.
With his hands supporting my ass, he feasts. I cling to the wall with
one hand and the ceiling with the other, forgetting everything as he takes
me higher and higher. He licks and sucks and bites, stroking my clit until
I’m panting frantically, and then I’m cresting the waves of pleasure so high
I don’t know if I’ll ever come down. I flail, my hand wrapping around the
shower head where it comes from the wall, my body jerking in helpless
spasms.
 I think I’m begging him to stop, that I can’t take it, but he doesn’t.
His tongue plunges into my opening, opening me wide and deep, taking me
further still. Black spots swim before my eyes, and I feel something
building inside me like a scream, threatening to rip me apart from within if I
try to hold it back. Orgasm gripping every inch of my body, I finally can’t
hold back. I open my mouth and scream.
 Chapter Fourteen

When I finally come back to reality, Ryker is lowering me to my feet again.

Water is spraying out of the wall, and I realize I’m holding the shower head
in my hand.
Ryker swears and smacks a hand over the water, and it stops
instantly. He tries to set me on my feet, but I sag against him, my jelly legs
beyond worthless.
“Again, I forgot how piercing your scream is,” he says. “I’m going
to need hearing aids when I really fuck you.” He laughs quietly, picks me
up, and steps out of the shower. The floor is covered in half an inch of water
from the broken faucet. Ryker plucks it from my hand and set it on the sink,
grabs a towel, and carries me to the bed. He lowers me onto it, but I slide an
arm around the back of his neck. “Stay.”
“I’m pretty sure I got you charged up again,” he says, a smirk on his
lips. They’re still shiny with my cum, which is strangely erotic.
“What about you?” I ask, refusing to let go of his neck.
“You really want me to fuck you?” he asks. “Didn’t you say you
wanted your first time to be with someone you love or some bullshit like
that?”
“Yeah, but…” I toy with the neck of his shirt. I’m dying to see
what’s inked on his skin, the outline of them barely visible through the wet
fabric.
“You don’t love me,” he finishes. Instead of leaving, though, he
sinks onto the bed beside me.
“Maybe we could, you know. Practice other things. So I can be good
for that person I love.”
The smirk comes back to his lips. “You’re saying you want to give
me a blowjob?”
“Maybe,” I say, smiling shyly at him. “I mean, it’s only fair. You got
to give me one. Let me give you one.”
 He looks at me a long moment, and then grins. “Not going to say no
to that.”
“Then we’d better start by getting rid of all these wet clothes,” I say,
turning and climbing onto him, straddling his hips. I grab the edge of his T-
shirt and start to lift it, but he grabs my wrists.
“Is that really necessary?” he asks. When our eyes meet, I see
something strange in his gaze. Almost… fear.
“Well, you’re wet, and we’re in my bed,” I say softly. “So I’d rather
get them off sooner than later.”
“Just… Don’t stare,” he says, still looking oddly vulnerable lying
under me. I wonder if he’s feeling as vulnerable as I would feel under him.
It’s an odd sensation, to be the one in control here. I’m also dying to know
what’s tattooed on his skin that’s so personal he’s freaked out about me
seeing it.
“You’re a guy with huge muscles and tattoos,” I point out, smiling
to try to lighten the mood as he sits up so I can pull off his shirt. “I don’t
know if I can help myself.”
I peel his shirt off and gasp. It’s not tattoos that cover his skin—not
only tattoos, anyway. Along with a fresh, pink, raised vertical scar over his
heart, are older scars. He’s covered in them, like lightning bolts exploded
out of his heart and ripped open jagged furrows in his skin. He’s since inked
over his entire chest and abdomen, but there’s no hiding that many scars,
that extent of injury.
“What happened?” I whisper, too shocked to realize I’m staring until
he sits up and dumps me unceremoniously onto my mattress.
He snatches up his wet shirt and drags it over his head and down his
torso, covering his skin. “I told you not to stare,” he snaps.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “I didn’t mean to. I’m so sorry, Ryker. For how I
reacted, and for… Whatever happened.”
He mutters something unintelligible and heads for the door.
“Ryker, no,” I say, jumping up and rushing to stop him. “Don’t go.
I’m sorry. I was just surprised. I don’t mind, and I won’t ask again. You can
tell me whatever and whenever you want. Or not, if you don’t want to.”
He turns the knob and then hesitates, giving me a sour look.
“Everyone knows what happened,” he says. “Don’t you use the internet?”
“I don’t really follow the gossip sites,” I admit.
 “My parents had someone unleash my magic before it was time.”
“Why?” I blurt, my eyes widening. I didn’t even know that was
possible.
“Gotta get that head start,” Ryker says. “Speaking of which, I need
to be practicing, not fucking around with you. You don’t need me here
anymore, anyway. You got what you were after.”
Without giving me a chance to protest, he steps out and closes the
door in my face. Great. He makes it sound like he’s some kind of escort,
and I just got what I paid for. I hate to think that he believes something like
that. Yes, I wanted my magic back. I even told him it was nothing more. But
I thought he knew I was lying just as I knew he was.
Wasn’t he?
I flat-out told him I liked him yesterday in the car. I told them all I
liked them, and only Rocco has said it back. Am I arrogant to believe that
the others feel what I do, too?
I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts as I quickly dress.
What matters now is finding my dad. If what Ryker did was enough
to give me even a bit of magic back, it was worth it. I can feel the magic
already, the slight hum of its presence swelling inside me. I don’t know how
much I’ll get back from that, but it’s something. Enough to make both me
and Cleo stronger. I can feel her approval from across the room. She wants
to be strong even more than I do. The magic is unwieldy for me, hard to
manage. Not for her. When I pick her up, she takes what I give her and
preens with the new power.
“Okay, you little minx,” I say. “Want to go see what we can do?”
She hums her approval, and I tuck her into the pocket of my leather
jacket and head out. When I step out my door, Rocco is standing there. Over
the past few months, I’d gotten used to not having a guard attached to my
hip, and I pull up short when I see him.
“Surprised to see me?” he asks with a grin.
Was he out here the whole time? Super.
“No,” I say, crossing my arms. “Why would I be surprised?”
“Ryker’s supposed to be on duty with me,” he says. “But apparently
he really, really needed to practice this morning.”
“Maybe he’s afraid I’ll kick his ass again.” I smile at the thought as I
start down the hall.
 “You look refreshed,” Rocco says, falling into step with me. “Or…
What’s different?”
So maybe he wasn’t out here listening to my screaming orgasm.
That’s a relief.
“I’m not wearing my uniform?” I offer, trotting down the stairs.
“No,” Rocco says. He peers at me a minute and then snaps his
fingers. “You got your magic back.”
I can already feel my face reddening. I’m pretty sure he knows how
I spend and recharge my magic. I can only assume they all know by now.
Rocco grins and wiggles his eyebrows at me. “Wanna tell me all
about how you did it?”
“No,” I say, scowling at him as I push out the front doors. “I most
certainly don’t. It’s none of your business, in fact.”
As usual, he falls in beside me on the walkway toward the main
building. “It was Ryker,” he says with a grin. “Wasn’t it?”
“Why would you say that?”
He shrugs. “That’s what he always says. So, what’d you guys do?”
“Oh my god, not having this conversation with you.”
He gives me an appraising look. “You didn’t fuck him. You’re
walking too normal for that.”
“Oh my god,” I say again, starting to laugh despite myself. Mostly
it’s embarrassment, but damn.
“What?” Rocco asks, the picture of innocence. “You’re a virgin, and
he’s a fucking stallion. Just saying.”
“Well, don’t,” I say. “I did not have sex with anyone, and beyond
that, you don’t need to know anything. For all you know, I took care of it
myself.”
“Oh, really?” Rocco asks, running his tongue slowly along the seam
of his lips. “I definitely want to hear about that. Every…Last…Detail.”
“Stop,” I say, laughing.
“Hey, there’s no shame in it,” he says. “Every guy on this campus is
jerking off after spending time with you. If you have to spank the monkey a
little after hanging out with me, I don’t blame you. I’m pretty fucking
sexy.”
He flexes his bicep, which is ridiculously sexy even when he’s
playing around, and I can’t help but laugh again. I swat his arm, and he
takes my hand, linking his fingers through mine. “Seriously, though,” he
says. “I told you last night, and I meant it. I don’t care if you fool around
with Ryker. I mean, I’d like to be first, obviously, but it’s not something I’d
be torn up over. If I get even half your time, I consider myself blessed.”
We turn and start toward the guys’ dorm, where Professor Darius
has his apartment.
“What if it wasn’t Ryker?” I ask, peeking at Rocco from the corner
of my eye.
He frowns. “I don’t know how I’d feel about that.”
“So now you get to tell me who to hook up with?”
He shrugs. “You get to tell me who to hook up with. Which is you
and you alone. That’s all I want, Jade. I don’t need anyone else.”
“I’m not sure I can agree to that,” I say, extricating my hand from
his.
“It’s Thorn, isn’t it?” he asks with a scowl. “That bastard. I knew it.
I shouldn’t have let him tag along on our date.”
“I thought you were friends.”
“We are,” he says. “We’re also competitive. And since I’m the fuck-
up, and he’s the golden boy, you can guess who wins most of the time. I
guess I just thought I might win this time.”
“You did,” I say, taking his hand and pulling him to a stop. I stand
on tiptoes and slide an arm around his neck, pulling him down for a kiss. “I
went out with you, didn’t I? I said we could keep seeing each other. We’re
dating. You’re my boyfriend, Rocco. No one else has that promise from
me.”
He twists his lips to one side and peers down at me for a second, his
hands linked behind the small of my back. “Okay,” he says at last. “I know
I fucked up royally last semester, but that’s what I’ve wanted all along.
That’s all I’ve wanted. A chance.”
“How did you go from being the biggest asshole in the world to the
sweetest?” I ask, smiling up at him.
He squeezes me to him and leans down to press his lips to mine. “I
was always the sweetest asshole in the world,” he says. “You just didn’t
give me a chance to show you.”
“Fine, you win, I’m the asshole,” I say, laughing. “You are
competitive, aren’t you?”
 “A little bit,” he admits, flashing his dimples.
“We’d better go talk to Darius,” I say before I can get sucked in by
his charm.
We head up to Darius’s apartment. Rocco enters without knocking,
and I trail behind, feeling suddenly awkward. I’m not used to traipsing into
men’s living quarters unannounced.
Darius quickly sits up and snaps off the TV. He’s sitting on the
couch eating a bowl of cereal, wearing nothing but a robe. It’s so oddly out
of alignment with the suave professor I know that I have a momentary
stumble. Like the night before, I’m overcome with a swell of love for the
man. He’s so normal, so unaffected by his position and status. Under it all,
he’s just a regular guy like the rest of us.
“What were you watching?” I ask, pretty sure I already know and
that I love him even more for it.
He clears his throat. “Just… Some news story.”
“Porn,” Rocco says with a grin.
Darius frowns and sets his bowl down, adopting his stern professor
face. “I assure you, it was nothing inappropriate.”
Rocco reaches for the remote, but Darius snatches it up. Rocco
laughs. “Definitely porn.”
Darius glances between me and Rocco like he’s trying to decide
whether to let us think it was porn or tell the truth.
“So,” I say, dropping onto the couch beside him. “Who do you think
will make it to the Final Countdown? I’m betting on Svetlana and Thomas.
But my money’s on Svetlana to take home the vial. I mean, who’s ever
heard of a vampire named Thomas?”
Darius’s eyes widen for a second, and he swallows and glances at
Rocco before returning his gaze to me. “What?”
“Come on,” I say, nudging his knee with mine. “I may not have
money to indulge in the luxuries certain other people do, but I sure as hell
indulge in trash-TV. You might even call it my guilty pleasure. I know an
episode of America’s Next Top Vampire when I see it.”
Darius allows a small smile before shifting on the couch, adjusting
his robe in a way that makes me pretty sure he’s not wearing much, if
anything, under it. Damn it. Why did I let Rocco accompany me here?
Oh, yeah. Because this is a strictly-business call.
 “I assume Ryker told you that Silas didn’t have any information,” he
says.
“He’s lying,” I answer immediately.
Darius shakes his head. “I’m sorry, Jade. I even called in a telepath.
He doesn’t know where your father is.”
“Then what do we do?” I ask, collapsing back against the couch and
closing my eyes, holding back the tears that threaten again every time I let
myself think of my father being held somewhere against his will. Who
knows who took him, or what sick thing they might be doing to him right
now? There are magical tortures I can’t even imagine.
“For right now, we can only wait,” Darius says, placing a gentle
hand on my knee. “I’m sorry, Jade.”
“Wait for what?” I ask. “For his body to be found?”
“No,” he says firmly. “I’ve alerted Headmaster Orville, and I was up
most of the night making calls to every magical organization and individual
I know, both in Jacksonville and all over the country. A lot of people are
looking for him, Jade. We’ll find him.”
“Really?” I ask, tears pooling in my eyes as I search his steady,
warm eyes.
“Really,” he assures me. His eyes drop to my lips, and I know he
wants to kiss me and comfort me as much as I want it right now.
“Why would they do that?” I ask. I could have asked why he’d do
that, but I know why. “What motivation do others in the community have
for helping a random, untrained freshman student they’ve never met?”
“You’re the High Priestess,” Rocco says, as if that explains
everything.
“Jade, you do know how special you are, don’t you?” Darius asks,
giving my knee a gentle squeeze. “You’re not a random, untrained
freshman. You contain the magic of all life on earth. You’re one of the most
powerful people in the world, and definitely the most powerful sorceress.
Not everyone knew that yet, but we had to tell them how important this
matter was.”
“Now everyone knows?” I ask.
“We did tell a significant number of people,” Darius says. “Of
course we asked for their discretion, but you should know that it may be
leaked to the press.”
 “The press?” I ask, gulping and staring at the blank TV screen,
imagining film crews like they have on the reality shows coming here,
hounding me on campus.
“Awesome,” Rocco says, a rumble of laughter shaking his
shoulders. “Good thing I asked you out before it happened. Now I can say I
dated the badass Jade Silva before she was famous.”
“Shut up,” I say. “I don’t want to be famous.”
I feel all weird just thinking about it. It was bad enough getting all
that attention on campus from other students.
“Don’t worry,” Darius says, his kind eyes finding mine. “No one is
allowed on this campus without an invitation. We’ll make sure you’re
protected while you’re at the Academy. Nothing has to change. But we
needed people to know how important it is to find your father.”
“Yeah, I guess,” I mutter. I hate to admit it, but he’s right. Why
would a bunch of powerful wizards and witches look for a random human if
I wasn’t important? The simple answer is, they wouldn’t.
Ironically, they wouldn’t have to be looking for him if I didn’t have
such dangerous magic to begin with.
“What do we do now?” I ask. “I can’t just sit around while my
father’s in danger.”
“I’m afraid that’s exactly what you’re going to have to do,” Darius
says. “Or at least continue going to your classes and studying as usual. The
worst thing you can do is go running off campus again. If they want
something from you, they’ll contact you. We need to be ready for that.”
“Like, for a ransom?” I ask. It sounds so outlandish. We don’t have
any money. No one would kidnap my father for a ransom.
But that’s exactly what it sounds like. I may not have money, but I
have magic.
“What do you think they’ll want?” I ask, swallowing hard. There’s
one sure way to get magic out of me, but the thought of having to seduce
some creepy kidnapper to get my father back makes me want to hurl.
“If it’s Lilith, we all know what she wants,” he says. “Speaking of
which, I did some research on that creature that attacked you last night. It
appears to be a demon of some sort.”
“That didn’t look like any demon I’ve ever seen,” Rocco says.
 “What does a demon look like?” I ask, looking back and forth
between Darius and Rocco.
“Like a regular person,” Darius says.
“Like Topher Stephens,” Rocco says.
“What?” I squeak. “You invited a demon onto campus?”
Professor Darius lifts a hand. “Demons aren’t inherently evil any
more than the rest of us,” he says. “And yes. Who better to teach the Dark
Arts than one who has so much experience with it?”
I suddenly feel sick. I’ve been with Topher way too many times,
sometimes alone. If he’s an agent of Lilith or Lucifer…
“You should have told me,” I grumble.
“Why does it matter to you?” Rocco asks, narrowing his eyes at me.
“You won’t be learning Dark Arts for another year.”
“It… Doesn’t matter,” I say at last. I’m not about to rat out my
friend, and if I admitted what I’d been doing, they’d probably find out
Elowen had been doing it, too. Even Topher deserves my loyalty until he
proves otherwise. He’s risking his job by teaching me, and he’s never done
anything wrong. Until he does, he deserves the benefit of the doubt just like
Elowen. After all, I always scold people for their prejudices against
necromancers. If I automatically suspect Topher because he’s a demon, I’m
no better.
Besides, what possible reason could he have to want my father
gone? He already has access to me.
“So what’s up with the mutant demon?” Rocco asks, turning back to
Darius.
“Basically, a demon is like… Like a soul without a body,” Darius
explains. “It needs a host. It possesses a host, usually a human, and takes
that form.”
“Like a parasite,” I say.
“Yes,” he says. “It’s their nature. They can’t change what they are
any more than you or I can. That’s what they require to live, just as we
require a body.”
“Our own body,” Rocco says with a grimace.
“Yes,” Darius says. “Unfortunately, they cannot live forever in one
host. Eventually, it will need to move to a new host. How long they can stay
in one host depends on how strong they are. You can usually see signs when
they begin to use up the reserves in their host.”
“You don’t think…” I trail off, swallowing hard before forcing the
next words out. “You don’t think one of them possessed my dad?”
“There’s no reason to suspect that at this point,” he says. “If he
shows up acting very strangely or completely different, then we can explore
the possibility. But it would be easy to get rid of it before it became too
entrenched.”
“And there’s no way Topher could have possessed him?”
“As long as Topher’s still around in his current form, we know he
hasn’t possessed someone else,” Rocco assures me. “Besides, Headmaster
Orville can control demons. He’d never let him hurt anyone on campus.”
“Well, that makes me feel a little better,” I admit. Although I’m not
sure how much control he has over Topher, since he’s doing something
illegal in teaching me Dark Arts before he’s supposed to.
“Topher is a typical demon,” Darius says. “The creature that
attacked you, I believe, is a demon that has been in its host for far too long.
It has used up every bit of life in that body, but it hasn’t found a new host,
either because it’s been bound to that host by magic, or because its not
strong enough to leave and possess someone new.”
This time, a full-on shudder grips me. “It was trying to possess me?”
“It was probably trying to kill you,” Rocco says. “That’s the only
way it could possess your body, since it’s not strong enough to possess a
living person with a strong soul. It would snatch your body the second your
soul departed for the spirit world.”
“Should we really have a teacher on campus who could possess
someone?” I ask. “I mean, if he’s strong, couldn’t he possess some other
student. Or one of you?”
Darius shakes his head. “He’s still got a few years left at least. He’s
only just starting to show signs of aging.”
“His eyes,” I say with a shudder.
 Chapter Fifteen

Though it feels wrong in every capacity, I go on with the rest of my day,

and then the next. I can’t think of a single thing to do to help my father,
which breaks my heart. But until we have a clue, until someone contacts us
with demands or someone from the Society of Supernaturals calls with
information, there’s not much I can do. So, I go to class, where I’m worse
than useless. Even Asher’s lovestruck sighs about Mr. Stephens don’t
lighten my mood. Not when I know my father is gone, and Mr. Stephens is
a demon who might have something to do with it.
I don’t really think that. Still, it’s hard not to associate demons with
evil since, well, that’s what they’re associated with. Maybe Elowen was
right all along. Maybe dark magic is evil, and by learning it, she’s becoming
evil. Maybe we both are. Because when I think of the things I’d do to the
person who took my father, to anyone involved, I know there’s a hell of a
lot more in my heart than sunshine and butterflies.
After classes, I go back to my dorm. I can’t bring myself to train
with Mr. Stephens, and even if I wanted to, my guard is back. They may be
warily accepting of having a demon on campus, but somehow I don’t think
that would extend to me taking illegal private lessons with him. Not seeing
him means I barely see Elowen all week, though. By Friday, I miss her too
much to avoid the Dark Arts hall any longer. I shoot her a text and head
over, telling her to meet me in her room with Mr. Stephens. It’s the only
way I can think to see him without my guards barging in and kicking his
ass.
When I step into her room, she’s sitting on the edge of the bed,
fidgeting with the trim on her duvet. Mr. Stephens stands at the window, his
back to her and the door, probably watching Ryker, who guards me from
afar today while Thorn has close guard duty.
“Hey, how are you?” I ask, rushing over and taking a seat beside
Elowen.
 “I’m okay,” she says, her shoulders tense. She glances at the
window, then back to me, her eyes anxious. I shouldn’t have asked her to
bring him here. Damn it. Now she’s all nervous from being alone with him,
I’m wondering if he did anything inappropriate before I got here, and
neither of us can speak freely.
I turn to Mr. Stephens. “How come you didn’t tell us you were a
demon?”
His shoulders tense, and for a second, he doesn’t move. Finally, he
turns from the window. “Because of that,” he says, nodding to us.
“What?” I ask, glancing at Elowen. Her face is pale, and her mouth
is hanging open in an O. Her brown eyes are wide and terrified.
“You’re a… A demon?” she asks, seemingly on the verge of
hysteria.
“Yes,” he says calmly.
“And you didn’t think we had a right to know that?” I ask.
He shrugs. “If it became relevant, I would have told you. It didn’t
affect what we were doing. You came to me ask me something, and I shared
what I knew.”
“You’re right,” I admit after a moment.
“No,” Elowen says, shaking her head slowly back and forth. “No,
it’s not right.”
“Are some demons evil?” Topher says, spreading his palms. “Of
course. Maybe even the majority. We have dark magic, and that’s how it
manifests. That’s our persuasion. That doesn’t mean we go around
murdering babies. We can’t help what we are any more than you can help
being a necromancer and the High Priestess.”
“Right, okay,” I say. “I get it. I’m sorry. It was shitty to stereotype.”
“Elowen?” Topher asks, eyeing my friend.
“I—I have to go.” She stands from the bed, but I grab her wrist.
“You can’t go out there,” I hiss. “Thorn’s out there.”
“He knows I’m here,” Topher says quietly.
“Of course he does,” I say, rolling my eyes. They knew Elowen was
living with me last semester. They can either hear through walls, or they
know by some magical way.
“Are you okay?” Topher asks Elowen, almost gently.
 I look back and forth between them, a new suspicion dawning. Were
they seeing each other more often than when I was around? Have they been
training all week when I haven’t come?
“I don’t know,” she says. “You’re a demon?”
“If you can’t believe that I’m not inherently evil, then be assured by
the knowledge that Dr. Orville is a Demon Master,” he says, reaching for
her hand and then drawing back without touching her. “I can’t act with
malice toward any student on campus, even if I wanted to.”
Elowen swallows and searches his face, shrinking back a little.
“Really?”
“If I was any danger to you or Jade, don’t you think one of the most
powerful sorcerers in the Academy would have barged in here and run me
through with a sword?”
Thorn doesn’t have a sword, I think, but I don’t volunteer the
information. I don’t know how much Topher knows about them, or me, or
anything, really.
“How do you know that Thorn knows you’re in here?”
Topher smiles a little, his creepy black eyes moving to me. “I read
minds a little.”
Holy shit. A telepathic demon? That cannot be safe.
The corner of his mouth twitches. “Some people broadcast more
than others.”
“What am I thinking?” I challenge. “Wait, no, don’t answer that.
What is Thorn thinking?”
Topher smiles again and shakes his head. “I’m not really supposed
to do that.”
“Do what?”
“Tell other people what someone is thinking.”
“Then what’s the use of telepathy?”
“Well, it comes in handy for knowing when to keep my mouth shut
about what I am.”
“Oh,” I say, giving Elowen a meaningful look. I don’t need to read
minds to know she’s freaking out. “I’m sorry. I admit I don’t know much
about demons. I’ve only heard things, and they weren’t especially good
things. I based my reaction on that, not anything you’ve done.”
 “I get that a lot,” Topher says with a small, sad smile. “It’s not easy
to make friends with people who see you as a parasite.”
“So you’re a good demon,” I say, pulling Elowen down beside me.
Maybe this is for the best. After all, if a demon can be good, surely a
necromancer can be.
“I’m not sure how good I am,” Topher says. “Everyone has good
and evil inside them.”
“You must have the darkest magic,” Elowen whispers. “How can we
trust you?”
Topher shrugs and sinks onto the bed on her other side. “Your magic
can affect who you become if you let it. I just have to fight harder to
remember that than others. But somewhere inside, we’re all the same, no
matter what magic we have and what kind of being we are. We all want to
be accepted, and happy, and loved.”
I narrow my eyes at him. Now I’m sure there’s something going on
between them. I can’t believe she didn’t tell me.
Topher leans over and pulls a wallet from his back pocket. He flips
it open and shows us a black and white photo that’s so faded I can barely
discern that it’s a group of people. “That’s my second family,” he says.
“There were no pictures when I had my first.” He flips the photo to show a
newer one, this one more recent, maybe a hundred years ago. The colors are
exaggerated and dated, but I can make out a man with brown skin and black
hair standing in front of a fireplace with a woman, each of them holding a
baby. “That’s my third one. After that, I decided not to do that again. Too
hard on them. I might last until they grew up, but one day, I’d have to
disappear again. So that time, I told them why. I told them what I was. Let’s
just say it did not go over well.”
“You’re, like, really old then?” Elowen asks, her eyes wide.
“I’ve had a lot of incarnations,” he says.
But it’s not really an incarnation. It’s more like an infestation. I
mean, he freaking possesses people and takes over their lives.
I catch his eyes flicker toward me, and I curse myself for thinking
that in his presence.
“Well, that’s about all I wanted to tell you,” I say, standing. “Just
that I know what you are, and I wanted to know why you hadn’t told us.”
 He glances at the door and then back to me. “If you have more
questions, or need anything else I can offer, you know where I’ll be.”
I realize he’s being cryptic because Thorn is there. If Thorn knows
he’s seeing Elowen, it might not sound so strange that I’d be upset. I’m not
sure if I should tell him, but considering all three of us could be in trouble
for it, I decide to let it go. Right now, it’s not hurting anyone. If Topher does
something evil, I’m not going to protect him, but all he’s done is teach me
something I asked to learn, sticking his neck out for me. Now I realize it
was probably because he liked my friend, but still. That’s hardly evil intent.
“Thank you,” I say. “I’ll be sure to do that. Now, I’d better go. You
coming?”
“Do you want me to go, too?” Topher asks Elowen.
She looks down at her lap and shakes her head almost
imperceptibly.
“Okay,” I say. “I’ll leave you two to talk it out. Call me later?”
Elowen nods. She’s got some serious explaining to do. I can’t
believe she’d keep this from me—and from Asher. Well, I guess that one
makes sense. But it’s not like he’ll hold it against her that Topher’s not gay.
She’s going to have to break it to him eventually, and sooner is better than
later.
That’s not my business, though, so I slip out the door to find Thorn
standing in the hall, his hand on his weapon and his posture alert. He
relaxes visibly as I close the door behind me.
“I guess you heard all that,” I say, rolling my eyes.
“Yeah.” He frowns at me, searching my gaze. “You’re mad?”
“It would’ve been nice to know you were spying on me all this
time,” I say, starting for the stairs. “I’m sure I would have censored some of
the things I’ve said if I knew you could hear me through the wall.”
“Our job is to protect you,” he says. “Keeping you safe comes
before keeping you happy.”
“Well, it’s good to know where your priorities lie.”
Thorn takes my arm, his grip firm but gentle. “I said that’s my job,”
he says. “I didn’t say I don’t care about you being happy. Obviously I do.”
“What does that mean?” I ask, narrowing my eyes. Suddenly, all I
can think about is the day after finals when I went into my room with
Professor Darius. Could he hear what happened? And he didn’t say
anything because he wants me to be happy?
“It means I stood guard so you could go on a date with my friend,”
he says, his voice hard. “Even though I had to watch you laugh, and talk,
and kiss him.”
“And…?” I cock my eyebrow at him, daring him to go on. I know
I’m being needy, but I want him to say it.
“And it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done,” he says
quietly, his eyes clear and earnest. “I’m sorry I was a dick. I should have
behaved better. You don’t know how hard it was to see you two together.”
“Oh, really?” I ask. “I had to watch you take Blonde Bella to the
ball.”
He swallows, his eyes darkening. “I’m sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry,” I say, shaking my head. “I know you were
enchanted. I don’t blame you. But it was still hard at the time.”
“Why?” Thorn asks, searching my face.
Shit. Now it’s my turn to give him the answer he needs, and I want
to run away and hide. Mastering a sword—when I didn’t have a sword—
was easier than this. But he answered my question. He admitted he liked
me. I should be able to do the same. Because I do. I do like him.
But when I open my mouth, nothing comes. Suddenly, I feel faint.
My palms break out in a sweat. My jaw clenches shut and refuses to open.
Thorn doesn’t push me or turn away. I wish he would even as I’m
grateful that he’s giving me the time I need to come up with an answer.
“It was hard because…” I break off and swallow hard. Stupid
answers fly through my head, answers that are easier than talking about my
feelings. I told him I liked him before, when I was going on a rant about
them not fighting in the car. But this is different. This is personal, and
intimate, and terrifyingly vulnerable. And then the lamest thing I’ve ever
said falls out of my mouth. “Because I didn’t have a date.”
Thorn nods, turns, and starts off toward my dorm again. I hurry to
catch up him, my heart racing and uncertainty twisting in my gut. He
admitted his feelings, and I didn’t. Somehow, that’s supposed to mean I
won. But I don’t know what prize I get for it. I feel like shit now.
“I’m sorry,” I blurt.
 “It’s okay,” Thorn says. “I know you like Rocco, and I want you to
be happy, Jade. Even if it’s with someone else.”
For a minute, we walk in excruciating silence. Our footfalls on the
path make the only sound. At last, when we’re almost to the dorm, Thorn
speaks. “I have something for you.”
He reaches into the pocket of his blazer and hands me a soft silk bag
with beaded tassles hanging from the bottom. My heart nearly stops.
“Mom’s deck,” I gasp, snatching them and clutching them to my chest.
“You dropped it outside your father’s house.”
“What is it with you picking up things I drop and not telling me
about it?” I ask, glowering at him.
“You’re welcome.”
“You couldn’t have given them back right after I dropped them?”
“I wasn’t sure they were yours,” he says. “I thought they might be,
but we’ve not seen each other much since then. Are they important?”
“No,” I admit, then shake my head. “I mean, yes. They’re important
to me.”
“I guess I knew that,” he says, his shoulders slumping. “I’m sorry. I
should have asked you when you said you dropped something. I think… I
don’t know. I was pissed at you. Sorry I’m such a dick.”
“Thank you,” I say, too grateful to be pissed at him. “What are you,
the keeper of lost things?”
He shrugs. “I saw them on the ground. I didn’t know if you or one
of the vampires dropped them. And then you said you dropped a bag. That
didn’t seem like the important part. It’s like calling a present ‘wrapping
paper.’ So I told myself maybe they weren’t yours.”
“Did you look inside the bag?” I ask.
He gives me a funny look. “Yes.”
“These were my mom’s,” I say softly. “The cards she read as a
psychic.”
He nods.
“Even though he blamed magic for what happened, my dad kept
them after she was gone,” I say, my heart hitching in my chest. Now Dad’s
gone, and I’m their keeper. I don’t know how much magic they really have,
but that’s not the point.
 “I left them as they were,” Thorn says. “I didn’t touch them. I just
looked inside the bag.”
“Thank you.”
My mom was adamant about people not touching her cards when
she was alive, but I’ve seen Dad rifling through them a hundred times since
then. Still, I appreciate Thorn’s respect for a tradition held by psychics,
people the magical community considers far below him.
“Do you think it means anything?” he asks.
“What?”
“The card on top,” he says.
“I didn’t look yet,” I whisper, my pulse pounding even harder.
“Do you want to know what it was?”
I want to look myself, but I can’t stand him knowing something I
don’t. “What?”
“Some kind of chalice.”
I wrack my brain, trying to remember what that means. “Oh,” I say,
disappointed.
“Do you want to be alone?” he asks as we reach my dorm.
“No,” I say, excitement building with each step I take. “But Thorn.
That’s the only thing my father left in the entire house. And he left it in my
room. I’m sure it means something. Let’s go read the meaning!”
I race up to my room, Thorn on my heels, and drag him inside. I
carefully slide the cards out and lay the deck face down on the bed. My
hands are trembling as I draw out the booklet my mother used to help her
read fortunes.
“That’s not the card I saw,” Thorn says when I turn it over. “I saw
the card that was already showing.”
“That’s the bottom of the deck,” I say, my breath catching in my
throat as I stare at the card facing me. “That doesn’t mean anything. You
draw from the top of the deck.”
“And that card means something?”
“It’s the Master,” I whisper, barely able to get the words out.
“What does that mean?”
“It means Silas,” I say, jumping to my feet. “Let’s go.”
“Wait,” Thorn says, taking my hand. “Jade, are you sure? Darius
questioned him, and he said Silas didn’t know anything. Are you saying
Professor Darius is lying to us?”
“No,” I say firmly. “I’m saying Silas is.”
“There were people there who could read his mind.”
“I don’t know what happened, but I know my father left me this
message,” I say. “We have to go there. It’s the only thing we have to go on.”
Thorn looks at me a long moment, and I know he thinks I’m crazy,
but I don’t care. After a minute, he nods, his lips tight. “Okay.”
“Okay?” I repeat. “You’re going to go with me even though you
don’t believe me?”
“It’s not about whether I think your father is there,” he says. “You
believe it.”
“So?” I ask, planting a hand on my hip.
“So… I’m going with you.”
We stare at each other a long moment. “Thank you,” I say at last.
“But I’m not going to let you go charging in there, guns blazing,” he
says. “If Silas really was lying, he must have some advanced magic at work
to keep telepaths from knowing.”
“Really?” I ask, thinking of Topher and what he might know about
me. “It’s that hard?”
“It’s easy enough to keep them out of your head completely,” he
says. “It’s much, much harder to selectively keep them from knowing only
one thing. If I ask you a question, your words can lie, but your mind is
thinking loud and clear about the truth and how you’re hiding it. It’s almost
impossible not to think about something once someone asks. And the harder
you try not to think it, the more you think about it.”
“He couldn’t just think something else to distract himself?”
“It would be very difficult,” Thorn says. “If we’re going to go in
there and accuse him, we need to be prepared. You need a plan of attack if
he won’t let us in, a plan of escape if he won’t let us out. You need backup
in case things go wrong, distractions in case he won’t tell you where your
father is. And you need as much magic as you can get to counter what he
and his cronies have.”
“Okay,” I say, nodding. I sink onto the edge of my bed, grateful to
have such a level-headed sorcerer on my side. “Let’s do it. Let’s take the
bastard down.”
 Chapter Sixteen

“I need a power-up.”
“Jade,” Professor Darius says, glancing out into the hall behind me.
“Don’t worry,” I say. “I ditched my guards.”
“You really shouldn’t do that,” he says with a frown. But he takes
my arm and gently draws me into his apartment, closing the door behind
me.
I lean back against it, biting my lip as I peer up and him through my
lashes. He’s so close I can smell the spicy scent of his aftershave, the
masculine aura about him making me tremble. “I shouldn’t have come to
you?”
“It’s not safe to slip your guard,” he says, not stepping back from
me. “He’s there to protect you.”
“I didn’t want anyone to know where I was going,” I admit. “I
wanted to protect you.” My heart hammers in my chest as I watch his
handsome face while he absorbs my words. I can’t believe I just said that,
so blatantly admitting what I want.
“Jade,” he says, his eyes dropping to my cleavage. Before leaving
my room, I searched my closet for the perfect dress for the occasion,
settling on a red wrap with a V-neck that plunges so low I had to skip the
bra. My nipples harden as he gulps, and I know I chose the right dress for
seduction.
“Professor Darius,” I say, stepping forward and pressing my palm
against his chest. His heart beats hard and fast against my hand as I smile
up at him.
He covers my hand with his. “Is this really what you want? Just to
increase your magic?”
“No,” I say. “It’s what I want because I want you.”
“You’re so young,” he says, gently stroking my cheek. “You haven’t
even…”
 “You’re right,” I whisper. “I’m a virgin.”
I watch his Adam’s apple bob as he swallows.
“Does that turn you on?” I ask, smiling coyly up at him.
“Jade… We can’t.”
I press my body closer, my breasts grazing his chest. My nipples
harden at the contact, straining against the thin fabric of my dress. I go up
on tiptoes and let my lips skim the stubble on Darius’s sculpted jaw until
they reach his ear. “I want you to be my first.”
He closes his eyes and inhales sharply. His hands land on my waist,
his long fingers digging into my flesh. “What happened to waiting three
years?”
“I don’t want to wait that long for the man I love,” I say. “I don’t
want to learn from other people. I want to learn from you. You’re my
teacher. Teach me.”
Darius’s eyes cloud with lust, and his lips descend on mine. He pins
me to the door, his lips firm on mine. I sigh and melt against him. His lips
caress mine, softly at first and then harder, firm and commanding. I wrap
my arms around his neck and sway into him, moaning into his mouth. He
slides his tongue between my lips, caressing mine. Heat shimmers through
my body, melting down me and settling between my thighs.
After an endless kiss, I pull back, my breath coming quick through
my swollen lips. “Take me to the bed,” I say, my voice husky with desire.
Darius scoops me up in one motion, his chocolate gaze never
leaving mine as he carries me across the living room and into his bedroom.
He lays me gently on the bed, shrugging out of his suit jacket before
lowering himself onto me. “Are you on birth control?” he asks, propping
himself on his elbow as he settles himself on top of me.
“No.”
“I’m clean,” he says. “I’ve been tested since my last relationship. I
can wear a condom, if it makes you more comfortable, or I can use a little
magic to make sure you won’t get pregnant.”
“You can do that?”
His full lips spread into a smile. “The perks of fucking a sorcerer.”
“Then let’s do that,” I whisper. “I don’t want to feel anything but
you inside me.”
 Darius lets out a low growl of approval, and I feel his cock throb
against my thigh as he leans down to kiss me again. “Then I’ll fuck you
raw,” he murmurs against my lips.
My clit throbs at his words, heat and wetness swelling my pussy as
his tongue slides between my lips, plunging against mine. He grasps my
hand, pulling it above my head and stroking my palm with his thumb while
his mouth trails along my jawline to my throat. He licks my skin, pulling it
between his lips, moving down the column of my neck to swipe his tongue
against my collarbones. Shivers of pleasure race through me. Darius slowly
draws my dress down over one shoulder.
“God, your tits are perfect,” he breathes, flicking his thumb across
my nipples until they ache with hardness. “So fucking perky.”
“Let me have some fun, too,” I say with a smile.
I reach for him, but he grabs my other hand and pulls it over my
head, holding them both in one of his. “I’m the teacher here,” he says. “You
do as I order.”
“Yes, sir,” I say with a teasing smile.
He slides down the bed to take my nipple into his mouth. I gasp in
pleasure, drawing my knees up around his body and arching my back as
desire swells in my cores. My pussy aches for his touch, throbbing with
every suck of his wet mouth against my flesh. He slides his free hand up the
back of my thigh, pushing my dress up and moaning in pleasure when he
finds my bare sex.
“You’re not wearing panties,” he says, his rough voice almost
scolding.
“I came to be fucked, Professor,” I say, panting for more. “So fuck
me.”
“Oh, baby,” he murmurs against my skin. “I’ve wanted to do this for
so long. I’m going to do it right.”
He spreads my pussy open and slides his fingers through my
wetness, coating them as he slicks them over my clit, circling it and
stroking until I’m moaning aloud with every touch. I’m about to explode
when he sinks his fingers into me, fluttering them against my walls. I cry
out, arching up and clawing at him, raking my nails down his back as
climax grips my body.
 Darius flicks his tongue against my nipple in rhythm with the pulses
throbbing through my pussy. When I finish, he slides his fingers out of me
and into his mouth, sighing with pleasure at the taste.
“Spread your legs and let me go down on you,” he says, his voice
hoarse but commanding. “I want to taste your cum.”
I part my shaking knees, feeling both vulnerable and powerful as he
kneels and pushes my dress up around my hips. He lowers his lips to my
freshly shaven mound, mouthing my lips open and tonguing my swollen
clit. I cry out, still sensitive from the orgasm he gave me. He moans and
sucks, nips and caresses me with his tongue until I go over the edge again,
crying out his name as I tear at his sheets and lift my hips to his thirsty
mouth.
At last, he slides up the bed and smiles down at me. “Ready for the
final?”
“Give me all you’ve got,” I say, though I’m not sure I can take
another orgasm. I might explode. I reach down and undo his pants, sliding
my hand along his hard, hot cock. I wrap my fingers around it and squeeze,
and Darius groans. Sitting up, I push him back on the bed and straddle him,
tugging his pants down to reveal his thick, pink shaft.
“Show me how,” I say, peering up at him through my lashes. He
wraps his hand around mine, helping me to stroke his cock until a drop of
precum oozes from the tip. I smear it over the thick head, my mouth
watering. I lean down and swipe my tongue over it, and Darius growls, his
hands tightening on my arms.
“Get on your back and let me teach you a real lesson,” he says, his
voice rough. In one motion he flips me onto my back. His body looms over
mine, hardened with muscle and experience. I feel naïve and vulnerable
under him, but at the same time, it sets me free. He’s in control, and I don’t
fight it. I let him take control, and I know he’ll use it to give me pleasure
I’ve never known before.
So, I let go. His mouth finds mine, commanding it and bending it to
his will. His tongue explores my mouth, sliding over mine as he lowers his
body to mine. I gasp at the shock of his hot skin on mine, grasping his tie
and leaning up into his kiss. He pushes me back, taking my hands and
holding them pinned beside my head, his strong fingers lacing with mine.
He begins to roll his hips, the ridge of his bare shaft gliding through my
wetness until I’m panting for more.
Professor Darius takes my hand, guiding it to his cock. “Put it in.”
A thrill races through me, and I spread my knees wide and press the
thick head of his cock to my unopened flesh. I open myself for him, and he
rests on his elbows, watching my face as he begins to press forward. My
entrance strains to keep him out, but he doesn’t relent. An ache builds
inside me even as a different pain builds with the pressure of his rigid cock
demanding entrance. I gasp, biting my lip against the urge to tell him to
stop. Just as I think it won’t fit, his cock breaks past the resistance and sinks
into me.
I cry out, a soft sound that’s both pleasure and relief. His cock
throbs inside me, and he groans and rolls his hips, opening a path deeper
into me. A sharp pain pierces through me, and I cry out in pain this time.
But the ache inside me is filled as his cock sinks deeper still, stopping only
when he’s buried to the hilt in the grip of my sex.
“Tell me when you’re ready,” he says, searching my face. His warm
eyes are filled with concern and a raw, white-hot lust that sends a shiver of
delicious want straight to the center of me.
“Okay,” I say, panting through the swirl of pleasure and pain that’s
gripping me in equal measure. Darius leans down and kisses me, his full
lips caressing mine, giving me exactly what I need—a connection that is
more than physical, that is comforting as well as passionate, familiar as well
as erotic. As his tongue guides mine in a sensual rhythm, the pain inside me
ebbs and is replaced with a hunger aching to be satisfied. At last, the desire
for more, for friction, for the ache inside me to be eased, takes over.
“I’m ready,” I gasp, and he begins to move. At first, the size of his
cock inside me strains against my walls, aching with each thrust. But soon,
the pain is forgotten as pleasure rolls through me when he hits all the right
places inside me. I moan out my pleasure with each thrust, and Darius
answers with a growl of his own, slamming into me with such force I think
I’ll explode. He fucks me harder and harder, pounding me into the bed, into
submission, until I’m drowning in ecstasy. He pushes me further than I’ve
ever been, higher and higher on the wave of pleasure. Suddenly, I can’t take
it any longer.
 “I’m coming,” I pant out, and then all words are gone. My pussy
clenches around his length, my heels dig into the bed, and I lift my hips so
he can drive even deeper. He slams into me with a final, vicious thrust that
lifts my feet from the bed. I scream as waves of ecstasy grip my entire body
from my toes curling to the chills racing across my scalp. Darius grinds into
me, smashing his pelvic bone against my clit and forcing himself so deep
that his full balls press tight to my ass. His grip crushes my hands, and his
whole body jerks as his cum spurts into me again and again.
My own orgasm seems like it will never end. Pleasure rolls through
my body, overwhelming me again and again. I don’t know where I am or
who I am or anything but the power of the sensations gripping my body
over and over. Finally, I begin to come back to myself, my clenched
muscles easing out of their contractions. My calves are cramping with
Charley horses, and my throat is sore from screaming.
Darius’s voice cuts through my bliss. “Rein it in, Jade.”
Dazed, I drag my eyes open, thinking he’s scolding me for being too
loud. But the protest dies on my lips when I see the swirls of blue magic
filling the room, so bright they nearly blind me.
“Pull it in,” Darius instructs. “You need that power.”
“How?” I manage, my brain only functioning at about two percent
capacity after that orgasm.
“The same way you let it out,” he says. “Draw it back in, baby.”
He rocks his hips against mine, and I can feel the fullness of his
cock inside me. I close my eyes again and feel the magic, feel it swirling
inside me and out of me. I begin to pull it in, letting the orgasm turn
inwards. I can feel it building inside me, and I almost cum again. Darius
urges me to keep going, though, to work through it. I hold my gaze on his
and breathe, forcing my body to differentiate between the magic and the
orgasm he gave me. After a few minutes, the visible magic in the room is
gone.
Darius leans down and gently kisses my lips. “You are magnificent.”
“You’re one to talk,” I tease, squeezing my knees around him.
“Do that again a few times, and I’ll be releasing it all over again,”
Darius warns.
I bite my lip and squeeze him again, rocking my hips against his. I
can feel him start to grow hard inside me again. “I could probably use the
practice,” I muse, trying not to grin my fool head off. “I’ve never done that
before.”
“You said we’d do this once,” he reminds me.
“I did?” I ask, my eyes widening. “I don’t remember saying that.”
“Jade,” he says. “It has to be once. I’m honored you chose me to be
your first, and I admit that the offer was too tempting to resist. But after
this, we have to control ourselves.”
“After this,” I say, running my nails up his back. I run my hands
around his collar and begin to loosen his tie.
“Jade…”
“Come on,” I whisper. “It’s my first time. Don’t I get to enjoy it for
more than a few hours?”
He growls against my neck. “You’re impossible.”
“I prefer persistent,” I answer, sliding his tie over his head. “Now, if
you get naked with me, I’ll behave.”
“I don’t think you know how.”
I bite my lower lip to keep from smiling even bigger. “I’ll be an
obedient little student if you teach me more.”
He rolls his hips against mine, his cock full and hard inside me
again. “Is that right?”
“That’s right,” I whisper, pulling open his shirt and sliding my hands
over his sculpted pecs. “At least for tonight.”
 Chapter Seventeen

“Ho-ly shit, you got laid,” Asher crows.

“Shut up,” I hiss, glancing around the lawn where we’re sitting.
Now that May’s closing in, it’s hot and muggy as hell, but we’ve made a
habit of eating outside under the trees to avoid the cafeteria as often as
possible this semester.
“He’s right,” Rocco says from beside us. He’s leaning back on one
elbow, tossing grapes in the air and catching them in his mouth.
“What?” I ask, twisting around toward him.
“Dude, everyone on campus knows that,” he says. “You’re glowing
like a freaking unicorn.”
“I am not,” I say, laughing through the embarrassment. The dopey
grin on my face isn’t helping.
“So, who’s the lucky guy?” Asher coaxes.
“No one,” I say, picking up my sandwich. “How do you know I
didn’t get the magic on my own?”
“Oh, no,” Rocco says. “I can tell when you do that. This is way
stronger than that.”
“You can tell when I—Never mind,” I mutter, my cheeks warming.
“Well, you don’t have to tell me when he’s here,” Asher says. “But
you’re going to tell me.”
“I’m as curious as everyone else,” Rocco says. “Do tell, Jade.”
“You’re not mad?” I ask.
Rocco munches a grape, a smile on his face. “Nope.”
“Why?” I ask, narrowing my eyes at him.
“Because now that you’ve gotten over your hangup about sex, I’m
hoping you’ll turn into a regular slut, and I can finally get some.”
“Pig,” I say, throwing a grape at him.
He ducks to catch it in his mouth. “I prefer Pumpkin, if you’re
handing out nicknames.”
 “On to more important topics,” I say. “We’re going to go raid Silas’s
house to get my dad back this evening. Who’s with me?”
“Really?” Rocco asks, sitting bolt upright. All signs of the relaxed,
goofy sorcerer are gone, replaced with a protective intensity that makes my
heart swell. I know it would make his parents proud if they could see how
easily he goes from lounging around to businesslike and ready to act. He’s
every bit as good as Ryker and Thorn, even if they don’t see it.
“Yes,” I say, taking his hand and smiling shyly at him. “You’ll come
with us, right?”
“You couldn’t stop me if you tried,” he says, smiling back at me
with those dimples that make the world disappear. He slides a hand along
my cheek, cradling my head and bringing it forward as he leans in to press
his lips to mine.
“Get a room,” Asher says. I can tell he’s rolling his eyes without
even looking at him.
“Don’t be jealous,” I say, drawing back and giving his knee a little
shove. “You’ll find someone.”
“I better,” he says. “Your sexy juju is giving me a non-stop boner.
You think a certain, smoldering Dark Arts teacher would help me out with
that?” He wiggles his eyebrows at Elowen, who stares down at her lap, her
cheeks flaming.
Tell him, tell him, tell him, I will her silently.
“I don’t know,” she mumbles. “But I’ll go with you, too, Jade.”
I don’t know what assistance she’ll be, since she’s too scared to
really use her magic, but I’m grateful for any support I can get.
“Thank you,” I say with a nod.
“It’s the least I can do,” she says.
“You don’t owe me anything,” I say. “I forgave you. That didn’t
come with conditions. You’re not a Bella.”
“Still,” she whispers, chewing on a hangnail and staring at me with
her big, saucer eyes. “I wish I hadn’t done that. You’ll probably never trust
me again.”
“I trust you, or I wouldn’t have asked you to come along,” I say
firmly before turning to my other friend. “Asher?”
“Is a certain, smoldering Dark Arts teacher going?” Rocco teases in
a dramatic imitation of Asher’s earlier words.
 “Of course I’m in,” Asher says, flicking his bangs off his forehead.
“I can’t let you go in there and start shit without knowing what you’re
talking about, as you’re apt to do.”
“Hey,” I protest. “I don’t start shit with people. I just end it when
people start shit with me.”
*
That evening, we rendezvous in the parking lot behind the school. My
fingers are shaking as I grip Cleo, trying to find some stability in her four-
tined little form.
My three guards are there, along with Elowen and Asher. I glance
around, wiping my hands on my jeans and pretending I’m not looking for
Professor Darius, pretending my heart doesn’t do a flip at the very thought
of him. I haven’t seen him since this morning, when he kissed me goodbye
before heading to his first class. The last kiss we’re supposed to share for
three years.
I made it count.
I’m pulled from the sweet memory by the sound of familiar,
obnoxious laughter. The next second, the Bellas step around the corner of
the building.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, narrowing my eyes and stepping
toward them.
“We heard there was a field trip,” Brunette Bella says, twirling the
ends of her short hair.
“Not a field trip,” Blonde Bella snaps. “A mission.”
“Whatever,” Brunette Bella says, sounding bored. “We owe you, so
we’re paying up.”
“You already took me to Silas’s,” I say to Blonde Bella.
She snorts. “I owe you more than a car ride,” she says. “I don’t like
to be in anyone’s debt, and I know you’ll just hold it over my head forever
if I don’t repay you. So, here I am, risking my life for your lame-o human
dad. Does that make us even?”
“If you try to sabotage this, I will kill you,” I say flatly.
“Whoa,” Thorn says, laying a gentle hand on my hip.
“We’re not going to sabotage you,” Bella says, rolling her eyes. But
I catch the ache in her gaze as it drops to Thorn’s hand resting protectively
on me.
 “Good,” I say, waving my weapon, which is currently in pistol form.
“Cleo’s a bloodthirsty little bitch, if you haven’t noticed. She’s not afraid to
let me know exactly what she wants to do to you. If I were you, I’d be
really sure who’s side I’m on before I go on this trip. Silas isn’t the only one
who might murder your ass.”
“Oh my god, she’s threatening to shoot us,” Brunette Bella wails,
huddling against Rocco and clinging to his giant bicep. “Do something!”
“Get a grip,” Blonde Bella snaps at her.
“Yeah, but not on me,” Rocco says, prying her hand loose and
shooting me a guilty look.
I give him a reassuring smile and peek at Ryker. Nothing has
happened between us since the morning of the shower, but I still feel a pull
to him. I want to know his secrets, to know him. But he barely
acknowledges me most days and rides my ass harder than ever in class. If I
didn’t know better, I’d think he hated me. I still think it half the time, even
when I catch the anguished longing in his eyes when he thinks I’m not
looking.
Right now, he’s staring ahead with his jaw clenched and his eyes
steely. No one would ever know he had a heart at all, let alone one that has
been scarred so deeply it spreads across his body like rivers flow from it.
The crunch of footsteps on gravel sounds, and the next moment,
Professor Darius and Topher Stephens appear from between the buildings.
When I see the man who took my virginity, my heart stammers in my chest.
This time, it has nothing to do with the nervousness over what’s about to go
down. I fight to swallow, to breathe. It’s all I can do to stay upright as I
watch him cross the lot. My pulse races faster and faster as he approaches,
stopping in front of me.
“I see your magic is at an all-time high,” he says, his chocolate eyes
melting me.
“I’m going to need it tonight.”
“Then let’s get going,” he says, opening the passenger door of his
SUV for me. I check him quickly to see if he’s going to reconsider that
move, seeing as how everyone on campus apparently knows I got laid
because I’m glowing like some kind of magical disco ball. Seeing my hottie
professor treating me like a princess might be a dead giveaway.
 But he only smiles, a secret smile meant only for me, and closes the
door behind me. I catch Thorn’s frown, but no one else reacts. Maybe he’s
not as obvious as I thought. I’m being paranoid, that’s all. It’s probably not
surprising to anyone that a gentleman like Darius opens doors for women.
He starts to open the back door for Elowen, but Brunette Bella knocks her
aside with her shoulder, batting her lashes up at Darius and laying a hand on
his arm. “Thank you,” she says in a breathy voice, climbing into the back
seat and showing a whole lot of leg as she does. “You’ll protect us if
something happens on this trip, right?”
“Sure,” Darius says. “But our hope is that everyone coming along
can contribute in some way, not be a liability.”
I hide my grin as he closes the door before she can answer. Outside,
Blonde Bella stands next to Thorn, her hands clasped in front of her,
looking awkward for probably the first time in her life. Darius says
something to them, and they climb in a second vehicle. Topher and Elowen
slide in with them, while Ryker and Rocco climb in the back of Darius’s
SUV with Bella.
“If Jade’s right about Silas, this man is dangerous,” Darius warns.
“If anyone isn’t sure about going, it would be wise to sit this one out. We
need full commitment from everyone in attendance.”
“Got it,” Rocco says. “Let’s go.”
“Last chance to stay on the safety of the campus,” Darius says,
turning the key to start the engine. I glance over my shoulder at Brunette
Bella, but she doesn’t move. Her face is pale, but she gives a curt nod when
our eyes meet. I shrug it off and turn back to face forward as the car starts
moving.
We arrive at Silas’s too soon. As we pile out of the car, I spot a pair
of red eyes in the shadows of the shrubbery, and I shiver and clutch Cleo
tighter. Demonling guards, of course. I should be used to them, but tonight,
I’m not coming to work for the same master they obey. Tonight, I’m on the
attack.
“You might want to put some more magic into your vessel,” Ryker
mutters to me as we start for the door. “You’re sending off more fuck-me
pheromones than a shifter in heat.”
“Well, excuse me,” I say. “I obviously wasn’t intending to send
them your way.”
 “Yeah, I know,” he says. “That’s why I told you to put more in
Cleo.”
Before I can retort to the impossible asshole, we’re climbing the
steps. My heart stampedes in my chest as I imagine what fate could have
befallen my father. Darius told me that no one’s gotten wind of any humans
being held hostage. Where is he?
If anything happened to him, I might just go psycho and shoot Silas
in the balls. By accident, of course. Temporary insanity.
Darius knocks on the door, and a moment later, Robert draws it open
and gives a slight bow. “An esteemed sorcerer,” he says. “Won’t you come
in?”
I smile at him as we enter, despite my nerves, but he maintains a
professional air in the presence of so many powerful magic-wielders.
“Is Silas home?” Darius asks.
“Just this way,” Robert says, motioning for us to follow him into the
opulent den. Gold-trimmed columns flank the doorway, the gold crown
moldings so extravagant as to be gaudy.
“Good evening, Professor,” Silas says, rushing forward and reaching
out a hand to Darius. “Any news of my employee?”
“If anyone had news, it would be you,” I growl.
“Jade,” Darius warns gently, but I barely hear him over the
hammering of my own heart. This bastard took my father, terrorized him,
and now who the fuck knows what he’s done to him.
“I wish I could help,” Silas says, the slimy little man visibly
sweating. “But I’m afraid I’ve already answered all your questions to the
best of my ability.”
“You have him,” I blurt out, my eyes aching with tears and my
hands balling into fists. “I know it was you. He left me a clue. Where are
you hiding him?”
“Why would I hide my own employee?” Darius asks, licking his lips
and glancing from one of member of my group to the next.
“To get me to come back,” I snap.
Bella sighs as if terribly inconvenienced by this visit.
“As I’ve said before, I encourage you to master your trade,” Silas
says in a rush, his eyes bulging as Rocco looms over him. “I wouldn’t get
rid of the only guarantee I have that you’ll come back to me.”
 “Nice try, dickwad,” I say. “I’m going to search every inch of your
property until I find him.”
“G-Go ahead,” Silas says, shrinking back from Ryker, who steps
forward and grabs my former master by the back of his neck.
“Why don’t you just make it easy for everyone and tell us where he
is,” he growls, giving Silas a shake.
Blonde Bella whimpers and cowers against Thorn, who gives her a
disdainful look, as if something distasteful is attached to him. Like a leach.
Seems fitting.
“I don’t know where your father is,” Silas wails, throwing up his
hands. “I already told you. Search my house, read my mind, look anywhere
you want! It won’t change the answer.”
“He’s telling the truth,” Topher says behind me.
Ryker’s eyes narrow as he stares over my head at the demon. “Is this
the person you brought with you last time?” he asks Darius. “This is who
read his mind? He’s a demon. What if he’s lying?”
“Ryker,” Darius says quietly. “Release the judge.”
“I’d rather snap his neck,” Ryker growls. “This piece of shit owns
Jade’s life. He fucking owns a person. Or does that not matter to you as
long as it’s all legal and sanctioned by the Society?”
“It is sanctioned by the Society,” Silas says, gasping in pain as
Ryker’s grip tightens until his knuckles turn white. “I didn’t do anything
illegal!”
Ryker’s eyes are dark with malice as he shakes the little man again.
A wet stain blossoms on the crotch of Silas’s khakis, spreading down his
leg. For a second, the only sound is his pained whine. I turn away, horrified
and disgusted by the violence even if I am totally impressed that Ryker’s
standing up for me, in his own twisted way.
“Sometimes what’s legal isn’t the same as what’s right,” Ryker says,
his eyes locked with Darius’s in some silent communication. No, not a
communication. A challenge.
“Ryker, bro,” Rocco rumbles, approaching his brother cautiously.
“You can’t just kill a man, even if you hate what he’s doing.”
“This isn’t a man,” Ryker asks, not moving a muscle to release
Silas. “It’s a cockroach.”
 Rocco sets a gentle hand on his brother’s shoulder. “I don’t think
you get to make that call,” he says. “And you don’t get to decide when
someone’s life is over. Not this someone. Come on. Let him go.”
Ryker glares at Darius another second, his nostrils flaring before he
drops Silas like a sack of dog shit. He strides past him, past me and Darius
and everyone else and out of the room. Blonde Bella huddles closer to
Thorn, and Brunette Bella stands alone, frozen in place and alone. She
stares at Silas, who lays on the floor in the puddle of his own piss,
whimpering and sniffling and holding onto his bruised neck.
I have no idea what just happened, if Ryker is pissed at Darius
because he somehow found out about what passed between me and the
professor or if it’s something that has nothing to do with me. I don’t know if
it has something to do with the scars on his chest and his past. I just know
it’s not only about Silas. As slimy as he is, Silas hasn’t done anything to
earn Ryker’s deathly hatred. As much as I want to believe Ryker’s
defending me, I know it goes beyond that.
“So, is that true?” Elowen asks, biting at a hangnail as she turns to
face Topher. “Are you the one who questioned Silas last time?”
“I questioned him,” Darius interrupts. “You have no reason to
suspect Topher of anything but offering assistance in the interrogation.”
Offering. He offered to help. Is he really as bad as everyone
suspects? I mean, he does practice Dark Arts. And why would he volunteer
to help Darius with something he has no reason to be involved in? Did he
lie and protect what was in Silas’s head, helping him hide my father?
“What’s going on?” Asher asks me, looking bewildered by the
whole scene. “Did Ryker say Mr. Stephens is a demon?”
“I’m afraid so,” I say. “I’m going to search the property. I know
every inch of this place.”
“I’ll come with,” Asher says, hurrying along beside me. “Shit, I
can’t believe someone so hot is evil. That’s just my luck, too. I’m glad
nothing happened between us. I mean, can you imagine?” He shudders
dramatically.
“You’re probably better off looking elsewhere,” I agree.
“I hear they have black cum,” he whispers, glancing over his
shoulder to make sure only our people are there and not Topher. “Oh my
god, can you imagine having that little surprise sprung on you when you
weren’t expecting it?”
“Ew, TMI,” I say.
“It’s true,” Brunette Bella says, sounding slightly bored as usual
now that she’s snapped out of her trance.
“Shut up,” Blonde Bella hisses at her friend.
“What?” Brunette Bella asks. “It’s not like it’s a secret. Asher
already knew.”
Blonde Bella huffs in irritation but doesn’t answer.
We search every inch of the mansion from the attic to the basement
and every room in between. When we step into my dad’s room, it’s all I can
do to keep it together. Rocco steps up behind me and wraps his arms around
me, holding me together when I’m falling apart. For once, he doesn’t say a
word. Neither does Asher or Thorn. Even the Bellas are without snarky
comments and put-downs. After glancing around the room, I swallow back
my tears and back out, giving Rocco a grateful smile before continuing our
search.
When we’re done with the house, we search the outbuildings and
property, but there’s no sign of my father. By the time we finish, the others
are waiting by the car, having interviewed the staff yet again.
“I don’t get it,” I say, sagging against the bumper of Darius’s SUV.
“Why would Dad leave me the cards if they weren’t trying to tell me
something?”
“You have cards?” Topher asks, looking way too curious, as always.
“Yeah,” I say. “My mom’s deck. She was a psychic.”
“I know,” he says, which does not increase my trust for him. I mean,
to be fair, a lot of people know about my case, as she’s kind of infamous.
“Why do you care about her cards?” I ask, narrowing my eyes at
him.
“Maybe your father didn’t leave you a card,” he says. “Maybe she
did?”
“What are you saying?” I ask, swallowing hard. “That my mom is
warning me from beyond the grave?”
Bella snorts with derision, but Topher only spares her an annoyed
glance. “Yes,” he says slowly. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“She can do that?” I ask, not daring to hope.
 “Dark magic isn’t just evil,” he says. “I know there’s a
misconception. But it’s not about that. It is about death. The spirit world.
People in that world communicate with the living all the time, though most
people in this world aren’t receptive to hearing what they have to say.”
“And you are?” I ask, sounding more resentful than I mean to. It’s
just that my mom’s been gone for almost three years, and I’ve never had
any visitations or anything. If she’s able to communicate, why didn’t she? If
she did, and I have so much potential for magic, why wasn’t I able to hear
her?
Darius moves to stand beside me, resting a comforting hand on my
shoulder. I trust him completely, and he trusts Topher completely. That
makes it a lot easier to trust Topher, though he’s barely more than a
stranger.
“I practice the Dark Arts,” he says, shooting Darius a grateful look.
“I have open communication with the dead and the spirit world. Eventually,
you will, too, Jade.”
“What do you think my mom is telling me?” I ask. “It doesn’t really
matter if she or my dad left the card. It’s still the same card.”
“What was it?” Topher asks.
“You know how to read cards?”
He smiles slightly. “Yes.”
“How?” Thorn asks, crossing his arms and frowning at Topher.
“I’ve lived many lifetimes,” Topher says evenly. “I’ve dabbled in a
lot of things.”
“The card on top was the Master,” I say. “My father’s master, and
mine, would be Silas. If my mother left the card as a clue about Dad, I don’t
see how it changes things. And if she left it as a clue about herself, well,
Silas was her master, too. Unless she’s talking about Lilith…”
Topher’s face goes tight, and he nods grimly.
“What?” I ask, glancing between him and Darius, who looks like a
light is dawning in him, too. I can’t stand not knowing, so I shoot to my feet
and repeat the question.
“There’s another master in your life,” Topher says slowly.
“Who?” I demand.
“My master.”
 “Headmaster Orville,” Thorn says, a scowl on his face. “A demon
master.”
“If he’s evil, and he’s your master, that means… You’re evil,”
Elowen says, stepping away from Topher.
“No,” he says, holding up a hand. “I swore not to do harm when I
came to the school. I stand by that.”
“But your master could compel you to do otherwise,” Ryker growls.
Topher doesn’t answer, which is answer enough.
“He could compel you, too,” I say, remembering the conversation
about them being forced to guard me. “If it’s really the Headmaster, he can
compel any of you, right?”
I don’t want to scare anyone, but I feel like I have to stand up for
Topher. He’s been teaching me for over a month and has never done
anything even remotely shady. Plus, he’s on our side for now, and he’s a
very powerful person to have on our team.
The sorcerer’s shoot each other alarmed glances.
“Okay,” I say. “Okay, let’s not point fingers. Why would the
headmaster want my father?”
“He doesn’t want your father,” Ryker snaps. “He wants the same
thing Silas does. To control you through your love for your father.”
“He’s already got me on campus,” I say. “Why would he need to
kidnap my dad?”
“Did you not hear what I just said?” Ryker says.
“We don’t know anything yet,” Darius says. “Let’s not jump to
conclusions.”
“There’s only one way to find out,” I say, heading for the car. “If my
dad’s there, I have to get him out. Now!”
With that one clue, I have an idea where he might be. My fraying
nerves go haywire, and I’m shaking with adrenaline. I have to save him.
“You did get his grandniece suspended,” Blonde Bella says, crossing
her arms. “Maybe he wants to pay you back for being such a meddling
twat.”
“What are you all standing around for?” I demand, yanking open the
door. “Let’s go confront Headmaster Orville.”
 Chapter Eighteen

We arrive at a large, white stone house with a boxy shape and high
windows, tucked away behind the school and an area of palms that I always
thought was the edge of campus. Turns out, Headmaster Orville lives on the
very back of the property, set apart from the school but overlooking it from
afar. As soon as the car stops, I leap out, not even waiting for Darius to shut
off the engine before I’m racing for the door. My heart is beating double-
time. Dad is here. I’m sure of it. I can feel it.
“How are we going to play this one?” Rocco asks me, jogging to
catch up. “You got a plan?”
“Kick ass and take names,” I say. “All I care about is getting my dad
out alive. If they’re holding him hostage, I’m not really into negotiations.”
“Kill first, ask questions later,” Asher says, sounding nervous. “That
sounds like our Jade.”
“Sorry, were you wanting to have tea and ask civilly if he’s
kidnapped anyone recently?”
“Why don’t I do the talking?” Darius asks, slipping ahead of us to
the front door.
“If he has the man in question, he’ll know why we’re here the
moment we ring the doorbell,” Topher says. “It’s after midnight.”
I glance around, only then realizing how late it is. It took us a while
to search Silas’s property, but I hadn’t realized how long we’ve been out
looking. Palms sway in the night breeze as we make our way along a lit
walkway to the front door, and the moon hangs low in the eastern sky.
“Another reason to get right to the point,” I say, yanking Cleo free.
“Can I just wait in the car?” Brunette Bella asks with a yawn.
“Go,” I say, not caring what she does right now. I’m interested in
one thing only—saving my father.
I silently thank Cleo as she transforms into a key without me even
having to ask. I slide her into the knob and turn. The door swings open,
showing a spacious white-tiled foyer with potted plants decorating the
sparse room. In the center of the room, with a sword clutched in both hands,
stands Bella Lu.
“Get out,” she yells, her short hair tangled and her lips pulled back
from her teeth in a snarl.
“Bella,” Blonde Bella says on a gasp. “What the fuck? I’ve been
calling you for weeks, leaving voicemails. I know you got suspended, but
you just ghosted us!”
I can hear actual anguish in her voice, and I feel sorry for the witch
for a second. I don’t know how I’d get through my days without Asher, and
I’ve only known him for one school year. They’ve been best friends all their
lives.
“Oh, I got them alright,” Bella Lu says. “I heard all the gossip. But
you just went on without me like nothing happened! But it did. She stole
my boyfriend!”
She points her sword at me, but all I can do is gape. This bitch is
straight up crazy.
“First off, I didn’t steal anyone,” I snap. “And are you really worried
about whether I’m sleeping with Ryker right now?”
“Bella, what are you doing here?” Brunette Bella asks. “Why didn’t
you go home to your parents?”
“My parents disowned me,” Bella snarls. “No daughter of theirs is
getting suspended.” She aims the last words at me, jabbing her sword in my
direction like she did the last time I saw her, when she nearly killed Ryker.
“Bella,” Darius says gently, stepping forward with his palms open,
showing her he has no weapon. “Who’s taking care of your magic? You
know someone is supposed to be siphoning that while you’re not training.”
“I am training,” she hisses. “I don’t need your stupid school, and no
one is siphoning my magic. It’s mine!”
“Does Headmaster Orville know you’re here?” Darius asks. I realize
then that he doubts Topher’s story, too. He thinks maybe Bella took my
father. I wouldn’t put it past her. She’s clearly unhinged, and she has a
personal vendetta against me.
“Get back,” Bella Lu says, swinging her sword in an arc in front of
her, warding us off. “You’ll never get through me alive.”
 Now it’s my turn to step forward. “Do you know where my father
is?”
“You can’t come past these stairs,” Bella says, stepping onto the
bottom of a staircase that winds up and disappears from view on the second
floor. “He has protections on this house, and you’re uninvited guests.”
“Where is he?” Darius asks.
But I don’t have time to calm her down with chitchat about her great
uncle. I want my father back. “Tell me where he is,” I say, a note of warning
in my voice.
“Leave me alone,” Bella says, spinning on the stairs and starting up.
On the third step, she freezes. She lets out a shriek of fury as her
body is jerked around to face us as if by an invisible hand.
“Ask her again,” Topher says softly behind me.
I glance back to see his creepy black eyes lit up with some internal
glow, a hellfire I’ve never seen before. I shiver and turn back to Bella. I’m
not sure what will happen when I use the dark magic he’s taught me, but if
there’s one person I don’t mind testing it on, it’s her.
Maybe that makes me a psycho, but I didn’t survive the streets of
post-apocalypse Jacksonville by being a sweet little puppy. I pull on that
darkness now, on the part of me that did the things she had to do to survive,
the part of me that has no mercy for little fuckwits who try to kill me and
then kidnap my father when she’s punished for her crime.
“Tell me where my father is,” I say, my voice low and deadly.
“I have no—”
“The power of dark compels you,” I growl.
Someone behind me gasps. Bella’s eyes go wide, and her mouth
gapes open.
“The power of dark compels you,” I repeat like a chant. “The power
of dark compels you.”
I hear Topher’s murmur of approval, and the shuffling of feet behind
me, but no one stops me. I hold Bella in my spell, a surge of addictive
power rising in me like a column of unstoppable wind, a tornado of
darkness and light swirling inside me. I push myself to the dark eye of the
storm, my eyes locked on Bella’s face as she gasps like a fish out of water.
“The power of dark compels you.”
“The power of dark compels you.”
 “The power of dark—.”
“He’s in the basement!” Bella yells, then collapses onto the stairs
like she’s used every drop of her energy and can’t even stand upright.
“Bella said in the voicemail that you were going out with Rocco that night,
so I knew you wouldn’t be able to stop us. I knew Silas would send a stupid
demonling the second his janitor disappeared. But it would take the gross
little thing a lot longer to find you if you weren’t home. And it did! He was
already locked up safe here by the time Silas’s minion found you.”
“You bitch,” I snarl, stepping toward her.
“You’re the bitch,” she says. “You think I don’t know what you and
Ryker were doing in his office that day? I had to stand out there with
everyone else and hear you! And everyone knew I was his girlfriend. I was
humiliated!” She shrieks the last word, looking like she’s ready to try to
murder me for the second time.
“If you think being embarrassed is cause for murder and kidnapping,
you need serious help,” I say. “I’m not even sorry I got you suspended. You
almost killed Ryker. And now you’re going to pretend you’re all worried
about him? Bitch, please. You don’t care about anyone but yourself, and
you never have.”
Bella launches herself at me, but this time, there are a half dozen
people to stop her, to wrestle her to the ground. I don’t wait around to see if
she’s okay. I race for the door that Cleo is pulling me towards. Someone
shouts my name from behind me, a warning, but I’m beyond listening.
Dad. I’m coming, Dad!
I grab the knob and twist, but nothing happens. Suddenly, at the
worst possible time, tears spring to my eyes. Dad is down there. Just a door
between us. He’s there, and I can’t get to him.
But fuck if I’m going to break down now. It’s no time for being
selfish or self-pitying. No time for tears. I suck them up and grab Cleo,
ready to make a key again. But instead of a key, she transforms into a
chainsaw.
I look down at her, dismayed. “Come on, girl, don’t fail me now,” I
whisper. “You’re the best thing I’ve got going. The only thing I’ve got
going for me.”
She buzzes with pleasure in my hand, soaking up the adoration. But
she doesn’t change into a key. Instead, she thinks I’d prefer a
sledgehammer.
Behind me, Bella Lu starts shrieking like a banshee at being
restrained.
“Oh my god, shut up,” Blonde Bella huffs at her. “You’re going to
damage my ears, and I’m not about to wear those hideous hearing aids
when I’m older.”
“You’ll never get in there,” Bella Lu yells at me, a triumphant gleam
in her eyes. “My uncle will be here any second, and he’ll butcher every one
of you for this. You used dark magic on me, you psychotic demon fucker!”
“Hey,” Brunette Bella says.
“She’s not talking to you, idiot,” Blonde Bella retorts. “Now shut up
about that. No one wants to know about you slumming it with dark
magicians.”
“You always ask me about it,” Brunette Bella says, sounding
wounded.
I ignore them and turn my attention back to the knob.
“There’s no lock,” Thorn says, appearing at my side and voicing the
words just as I see the same thing. The knob is smooth and round, with no
lock on it or beside it. Now that I’m focusing, I can feel the crackle and
shimmer of magic all around the door. Fuck. There’s no way to unlock it
except, presumably, with magic. Even I know that the one who laid the
spell almost always wins in a battle of magic.
Suddenly, running footsteps sound in the upstairs hallway, and
we’ve got company. No doubt they were summoned by Bella’s screams.
Bella Lu and Bella Goodwin are in the middle of a full-on screaming match
now, with Brunette Bella adding random, unhelpful comments at every
opportunity.
I look up just in time to see a handful of people arriving, though I
have no idea who they are. The only one I recognize is the headmaster.
Cleo promptly transforms into a gun. This bitch wants to commit
murder in the worst way.
“Professor Darius,” Orville thunders from the top of the stairs.
“What on earth is going on?”
Suddenly, Elowen appears at my elbow. “Come on,” she whispers,
cutting her eyes toward a darkened doorway to our left. “Let’s sneak out
while they’re busy fighting and see if the basement has any windows.”
 “I’ll distract them,” Thorn says before turning and crossing the
lobby toward the group at the bottom of the stairs.
I don’t wait to see how he’ll pull it off. I know we only have
seconds at best before someone spots us slipping away. I grab Elowen’s
hand, and we dart through the doorway.
“You think they saw us?” she whispers. I hold a finger to my lips,
then turn to the darkened dining room. I can just make out a long wooden
table lined with chairs. I motion for Elowen, then start forward across the
room. Behind us, I hear a commotion start. People shout and weapons
clang. I run faster, through the dining room and into a kitchen.
“There’s always an exit in the kitchen,” I mutter, searching for the
door. I find it, grab Elowen’s hand, and tear out the door. We emerge onto a
concrete walkway lined with small stones and ferns. Without a word, we
creep around the house, searching for low windows. At last, we find a row
of three small squares set at ground level along the back of the house.
“Jackpot,” I say, grinning at Elowen. “Good call.”
“It’s the least I can do,” she says, peering warily at them. “But I
don’t know if we’ll fit through.”
“We definitely will.” There’s no way I’m coming this close and
giving up. “If I’m too big, at least you can go in and untie him.”
“I don’t know…” she says, chewing at her lip frantically. Her face
has gone as pale as a moon in the night.
“Elowen? What’s wrong?”
“I… I don’t do well in small spaces,” she says. “If I get stuck…”
“You won’t.”
“What if it’s a trap?” she asks. “What if there’s someone down there
who grabs me, too? If they tie me up…”
“Then I’ll get you out.”
“You don’t understand,” she says, her voice quavering. “Jade, if
they trap me in there…”
“What?”
“I’ll panic,” she says. “I can’t help it. I have claustrophobia so bad
I’ll do anything to get out. Use dark magic, betray my friends…”
“Okay, okay,” I say, holding up a hand. “Calm down. I’ll go in.”
“I’m sorry,” she says, her eyes brimming with tears.
 “It’s okay,” I say. “I was going to try, anyway. And if I can’t fit,
well… I don’t know. We’ll figure out something.”
She nods, pulls back a foot, and kicks in the window.
“Damn,” I say. “I was going to use Cleo, but okay.”
“Hey!” a voice yells from a short distance away. “Stop right there!”
I look up in time to see a guard with a flashlight hurrying toward us
from maybe a hundred feet away. So much for figuring out if the window’s
big enough to fit through. Guess I’ll find out the hard way.
“Go,” Elowen hisses. “I’ll keep him out as long as I can.”
“Thanks,” I say. There’s no time to say more. I kick out the last
shards of glass from the window and dive through. My top half slides in
easily, but my hips get wedged in the opening. I squirm frantically when I
hear the guard yelling, his footsteps hammering on the path as he breaks
into a run.
Just as his footfalls reach us, I give a giant heave, but there’s
something holding me back. I brace my hands on either side of my hips,
wrenching and kicking with all my might. Behind me, I hear Elowen
making panicked excuses to the guard.
“Fuckity fuck,” I mutter, flailing as hard as I can. I vow to cut back
on the snacks, and like magic, something gives way, and I slide through. As
my body plunges through into the darkness, I realize what it was. It wasn’t
magic. It was my jeans ripping. Cleo was caught on the sill. And now she’s
out there, and I’m in here.
I hit the floor and roll across concrete. Leaping to my feet, I grasp
frantically at my waist, though I know she’s not there. The feeling is
horrible, like panic and loss at once. I almost cry out, but I hold it back.
Fuck. I can’t reach out, and I can’t tell Elowen to get it. Not without
distracting her from the guard or letting the guard know who I am. For a
minute, I stand there, my heart being ripped in two. I can go back for Cleo,
or I can go forward and find my father. I’m ashamed of how hard the choice
is. Forcing away my selfishness, I turn away from the window, even though
I can feel Cleo calling to me like I’m leaving my very soul behind.
Ignoring the anguish inside me, I turn away from the window. I grab
the only thing I have, the ancient little phone that gives off barely enough
light to see two steps in front of me, and I aim it around the room. I make
out a figure, and my heart nearly stops.
 “Dad,” I cry, rushing over. He’s slumped in a chair, his head hanging
forward on his chest and his arms taped to the armrests with duct tape. I
drop my phone on the floor face-up to give me a scant bit of light as I begin
to yank at the tape.
Dad groans and moves his head, and I see that he has duct tape
across his mouth, too.
“I’m going to fucking kill her,” I mutter as I reach up and gently
peel the tape away. He groans again, and tears sting my eyes. I finish
uncovering his mouth and reach for his arms. Cleo would be really fucking
helpful right now, but I can’t regret leaving her. Not when it means getting
Dad back. I find the end of the tape at last and quickly unwind it, yanking it
free as fast as I can.
“Jade?” Dad asks, staring at me without comprehension.
“Yeah, Dad,” I say, swallowing the ache in my throat. “I’m getting
you out of here.”
I make quick work of his other hand and then move down to his
legs, which are also taped to the chair.
“Jade, don’t,” he mutters. “Get out. It’s dangerous here.”
“Shut up, Dad,” I say. “I’m not leaving without you. I made that
mistake by leaving you at Silas’s. I knew better, but I left you anyway. Not
this time.”
“He’s dangerous,” he repeats.
“I know,” I say, peeling the last of the duct tape free. I slide an arm
around my dad’s middle, feeling how frail and slight he is. I wonder if
they’re even feeding him. Rage explodes inside me at the thought of them
starving him. But right now, I can’t worry about that. All I can do is get him
out of here and make sure he gets plenty of good meals from here on.
“Put your arm over my shoulders,” I coax. “I’m going to lift you up
now.”
With his arm over me, I hoist him to his feet. “Jade,” he says. “You
need to get out now. Before he hurts you.”
“I’m getting out,” I say. “And I’m taking you with me. So, let’s get
out of here.”
I shine the light around the room, holding it high to cast as much
light as I can. That’s when I see the man standing between me and the
stairs.
 “Not so fast,” Headmaster Orville says, stepping forward out of the
darkness with his weapon raised.
“No,” I cry, lurching forward.
“Oh, yes,” he says, a gleeful grin stretching across his thin lips. In
his gnarled old hand, he holds a small, unimpressive metal spork.
 Chapter Nineteen

“You bastard,” I cry, struggling forward with my dad’s weight leaning

heavily on me. “Give me back my spork!”
“But it’s so much more than that, isn’t it?” Orville says, turning the
spork over in his hand to read the inscription. I’ve tried a hundred times, but
the words aren’t in English or any other language I’ve found on the internet.
“Give it to me,” I growl. “She won’t obey you, anyway.”
“Ah, but she’ll obey you, won’t she?” Orville says with a delighted
grin, holding Cleo aloft.
“What do you want?” I demand.
“The same thing we all want,” Orville says. “Don’t think too badly
of me for luring you here to get it. I couldn’t very well ask for it. Not from
someone so young and naïve. You wouldn’t understand.”
Ew. He better not be thinking what it sounds like. There’s no way
that crusty old dick is coming anywhere near me.
“You kidnapped my father and lured me here to get… What? Sex
magic?”
Orville blinks at me before beginning to laugh. “You think I’m
interested in sex? I’m nearly two hundred years old, Jade. I’ve had plenty of
sex. What I need isn’t sex. It’s life.”
“Life?” I ask. “And you think you’re going to get that from my
weapon?”
“Not from your weapon,” he says, taking a step toward me. “From
you.”
“You’re going to kill me?” I stare at the spork in his hand,
wondering if I can control Cleo from here. I know one thing for sure. She’s
not going to kill me.
“That wasn’t the original plan,” he says. “I was content at my little
school. But seeing this student with such power squandering it, not even
appreciating it? That was too much. As they say, youth is wasted on the
young. I wouldn’t waste it. I would use it for the good of the world.”
“Thanks for the offer, but I think I’d rather do that myself.”
“Such foolhardy notions,” he says. “You see, I wouldn’t have even
considered such a thing at first. I was so busy thinking of how I could
protect you, get you a proper teacher, it never crossed my mind what you
could do for me. But then Lilith came to visit me.”
“Lilith?” I ask, glancing around. That bitch again.
“Oh, yes,” he says. “She was quite anxious to see you. You see, she
wanted your magic so she could live again. Of course I told her no.”
“I want to say thank you, but I have a feeling your answer isn’t as
nice as it sounds.”
“You see, after she left, I kept thinking, why should I let her go after
you again and again, seeking your magic, when I have it right in front of me
every day? I don’t know if you know this, Jade, but I have run short on
magic.”
“I’m really sorry to hear that,” I say. “But that’s your issue to deal
with.”
“And I have been,” he says. “At first, I thought it would be enough
to release your guards from duty. I was sure that I could lure you here on
my own. But you were never alone. That pierced and dyed little wizard was
always with you.” He sounds disgusted by Asher, which only pisses me off
more.
“Sorry I have friends,” I say, glaring at him. “Such an inconvenience
for a psychopath.”
“I grew impatient,” Orville says, ignoring my snark. “I won’t live
forever, you know. Not like this. But I just happened to have a very useful
tool delivered right to me.”
“Bella,” I say. If I can keep him talking, someone is sure to get
through that door to help us.
“Yes, Bella,” he says. “And luckily for us, she had a friend so
desperate to contact her that she told her all about the gossip on campus,
including when you were leaving for a date. It was nothing to get your
father here. He came on his own, in fact. I simply told him who I was, and
he got right into the car.”
 “Is that why you tied him to a chair?” I ask. “Because that doesn’t
look much like agreement.”
“Yes, well, things went badly when we arrived here,” he says with a
dismissive wave. “But even so, it all worked out, didn’t it? I left you a card
in his house, knowing you’d come right to the master.”
“You left that.”
“Of course,” he says, looking cross. “What other master do you
have?”
“Arrogant much?” I mutter.
Orville goes on, obviously so pleased with himself that he has to
brag about his success. “You came and found him, just as I hoped you
would. I didn’t expect you to bring a small army with you, but I’ve
compelled them to stay out of my basement. They’re all standing around up
there like a bunch of geese!” He cackles at his own cleverness.
Okay, then. No rescue team for me. It’s up to me to take down this
power-hungry psycho. I don’t even have Cleo.
Or do I?
Maybe I can get her to bite his hand off or something.
“So you think you’re going to kill me and steal my magic because
you ran out?” I ask. “Is it really that simple?”
“Oh, I won’t kill you, dear,” he says. “I’m no murderer. I simply
want what has gone from me. Killing you would be the worst possible
solution. Then you couldn’t provide me with a steady supply of everything I
desire.”
“That’s sick,” I growl. It’s bad enough that Silas was going to use
me. Now this guy wants the same thing but for different purposes.”
“Not sick,” Orville says. “I suppose one might call it selfish. But
anyone in my position would understand. You see, this happens sometimes
to an old wizard. Much like impotence, since you brought up sex. Only this
is magical impotence. I haven’t been able to hold onto my magic as well as
I used to. It simply drains away. But you… You have magic in spades. And
not just any magic. You have the magic of life. Not only can you fill me
with magic, but you can make me able to hold onto it again. You, Jade, are
going to give me back my youth.”
“Don’t count on it,” I growl.
 “You’re the only person who can,” he says. “Even my grandniece
can only give me a temporary fix. You can give me back all that I’ve lost.”
“Are you fucking serious?” I ask. “You did all this for some
mythical fountain of youth?”
“It’s no myth,” he says, his eyes gleaming with greed as he steps
closer still. I need to put my dad down, but there’s nothing around but the
floor. Still, I don’t want him to get hurt, to be stuck between us if we fight.
And I can’t very well fight with my hands full.
“The mistake people make is thinking it’s something out there, a
place they can find. But it’s not a place. It’s a person. The High Priestess is
the fountain of youth. And now, I shall drink.”
He leaps forward, quicker than I thought possible for such an elderly
man.
“No,” I cry, swinging my dad’s body between us and smacking him
against Orville. It’s the only weapon I’ve got. Dad groans, but it’s enough to
knock Orville back.
“I’ve been taking some of his life every day,” Orville says, goading
me. “It’s almost gone. Humans don’t have very much, but they have some.
They don’t have magic, though. That’s why I had to get Bella to come
home.”
“You’re siphoning magic from your own family?” I ask in disgust.
“That’s what is supposed to happen to a witch when she’s kicked out
of the Academy,” he says. “In fact, if it wasn’t for you, this whole plan
wouldn’t have come about. I didn’t know how I was going to keep running
this school. My magic was so low, I’d grown desperate. But then you got
my niece suspended, and the answer landed in my very lap.”
“I’m going to put you down, Dad,” I say. “Don’t worry. I won’t
leave you. I just need to kick some grampa ass before we leave.”
I bend to set him down, and Orville darts in. He swipes my legs
from under me, and I tumble to the concrete floor with Dad. I roll away
from him, drawing Orville away in case he gets any ideas about grabbing
Dad and using him to negotiate.
Fortunately, something goes my way at last, and Orville’s attention
stays fixed on me. Not so fortunately, the old geezer attacks. He swipes at
me, plunging the spork into my thigh. I scream in shock and pain, making a
swipe for his hand. He jerks back, though, dancing out of my reach.
 It gives me a second to spring to my feet, though. Ignoring the pain
ripping through my muscle and the blood running down my leg, I crouch
and yank my knife from my boot. Even though I have Cleo, old habits die
hard. Me and my switchblade go way back. I relied on it long before the
spork came into my life, and I’m thankful I have it now. Apparently, Cleo’s
not going to have my back tonight, after all.
“You’re a sick old bastard,” I say, wielding my knife. “You might
have some of your niece’s psycho magic, but you’ll never take me down.”
“Such confidence,” he says. “Too bad it doesn’t come with the skill
to back it up.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” I say. “I took your niece down, didn’t I?”
“She’ll be a great witch one day,” he says. “But right now, she’s
dumber than you. Don’t worry. I’ll give her some of your magic to
replenish hers. I told her I was giving her some of mine, but all along, I was
taking what I needed from her. Just enough that I’m strong tonight. Strong
enough to defeat you.”
“Then come at me,” I say. “I’m ready.”
To my horror, Cleo springs to life in his hand, transforming into a
long, gleaming sword. The traitorous bitch! Orville laughs and darts in,
jabbing at me. I have no reach with my knife, so all I can do is dart aside. I
back into a set of stairs, then have no choice but to step up or be impaled.
Orville grins with triumph and attempts to impale me again. I
stumble backwards up another step, then another.
“Keep going,” Orville taunts. “I will drink your magic like the
nectar it is, savoring every swallow. You don’t even know how to use it.
You waste it and prattle on about the shame of it. I would never squander
such treasure as you do.”
“It’s not yours to squander,” I yell, darting up to the top of the stairs.
And then I’m at the top, backed against the door that was locked from the
other side. But he must have come down these stairs. I reach behind me and
grab the knob, sending out a prayer as I twist it.
My luck has run out. The knob holds fast.
Seeing that I’m trapped, Orville grins with malicious victory and
points the sword straight at my heart. He presses the tip to my chest, his
eyes gleaming with triumph. “Pour your magic into your vessel,” he says.
“You’re so full of it you won’t even notice. And you can make more! I can’t
do that, Jade. That’s why you’re going to help me.”
“Like hell,” I growl, grabbing Cleo’s blade to push her away. “You
had your chance. You had a nice long life filled with incredibly strong
magic. Now it’s my turn to live. I’m not going to be someone’s magical
cow locked in your basement while you milk out my magic. Fuck that shit.”
“I know how you got so strong,” Orville hisses, his lips pulling back
from his yellowed teeth. He presses the sword harder to my chest, refusing
to let me push it away. “Don’t think I don’t know about you and Darius.
You don’t want him to lose his job, do you? Because of you and your
magic, too. But I could help you manage it.”
For one second, I consider it. I mean, maybe he’s on to something. I
have too much magic to manage by myself. Why not let it help an old man
live? If it means Darius keeps his job…
But then I hear the voices outside the door. “She’s here!” a male
voice calls. Running footsteps approach the door.
“We’ve got to break through the door.”
“We can’t go to the basement.”
“No, she’s not in the basement anymore. She’s here!”
And I remember that he compelled them all to stay here so they
couldn’t help me. He stole my father’s life force, kidnapped him and tied
him to a chair. I’m not helping this psycho.
Cleo buzzes in my hand, and though I thought she was betraying
me, I know now that I was wrong. Her energy, her magic, is aligned with
mine. If I could trust no one else on earth, I could trust her. She fits in my
hand like a kitten, comforting and warm, but I know her power is that of a
lion. I grip her tighter, not caring that the edges of her blade cut into my
fingers. She begins to glow a soft blue with magic. I pour more magic into
her, flood her with it, drown her in it, until she’s throbbing with a blinding,
electric blue light.
Orville’s eyes brighten, a grin spreading across his face. “There you
go,” he croons, his teeth gnashing with greed. “Give it all to me.”
I don’t give it to him, though. I give it to Cleo. I grip her as tight as I
can, pushing back against the blade. “You think I’m going to help you so
you can lock me in your basement and have men come fuck me to build up
my magic so you can steal it all over again?” I ask. “Not happening,
asshole.”
I shove back against the blade until Orville braces himself and
forces it back to my chest. When his full weight it leaned on it, I can feel
blood dripping from my hands that grip the blade.
This is it, Cleo. We got this, girl.
With one swift movement, I dive to one side, releasing the blade.
The sword plunges into the door, and I fall aside, scrambling to keep from
tumbling off the side of stairs. A pop sounds, like a jar being opened and
releasing the suction, and a twinkling of magic rains down over me like
fairy dust.
Orville bellows with fury, but I know there’s no time to celebrate my
victory. I gave Cleo enough magic to break his spell, but she’s still not in
my hands. Before I can scramble to my feet, the door is yanked off its
hinges and flung across the foyer on the other side. I blink against the bright
light as I’m grabbed and dragged through the door and onto my feet.
Instead of finding Orville’s guards, I find myself surrounded by my little
team of armed sorcerers and friends, all of them aiming their weapons at
Orville except Ryker, who holds me tightly from behind.
“No,” Orville cries, his voice quavering. “I must defeat the Priestess
to live!”
“You want to defeat Jade, you’re going to have to come through all
of us,” Rocco says, brandishing his club.
“Don’t hurt him,” Bella Lu shrieks. “He’s a helpless old man.”
“Helpless, my ass,” I say. “He’s been stealing your magic, and he
kidnapped my dad and almost killed him.”
“You don’t deserve such magic,” Orville howls. “I was so close! It
was almost mine!”
He charges from the basement and straight at me, Cleo clutched in
his gnarled hand. Thorn steps into his path, deftly grabbing the
headmaster’s arm and spinning him away from me.
“Give me the magic,” Orville shrieks, clearly mad with hunger for
my power. He rushes wildly toward me. Suddenly, Professor Darius’s hand
shoots out, and Orville stops dead in his tracks. He hangs in midair for a
second and then blasts backwards through the wall. Ryker releases me,
spins on his heel, and races out the front door, Topher close behind him as
they go to retrieve Orville before he escapes.
Where Orville stood, Cleo hangs in the air like a bolt of lightning.
“Come to Mama,” I whisper, holding out a hand. With a zap of
magic, she transforms into a spork and shoots across the room, landing hard
in my hand. I feel my magic pouring back into me, flowing between us in
perfect harmony. I clutch my little metal spork to my chest, a glow of
warmth filling my heart. I pat her and murmur, “Good job, killer.”
Thorn wraps an arm around me, pulling me tight against him. “Are
you okay?” he asks, his green eyes filled to the brim with concern that
makes my heart swell even bigger.
“Fine,” I say, wanting nothing more than to relax into his embrace.
Well, I want one thing more.
“My dad,” I say, urgency returning to my words. “He’s in the
basement. He’s really weak. We’ve got to help him.”
“Let’s get him to the infirmary,” Thorn says, his voice gentle and
understanding.
“On it,” Rocco says, jogging down the stairs. A minute later, he
emerges with my father’s body cradled in his arms. The tenderness of his
hold makes my throat ache with tears.
“Thank you,” I say. “Thank you to all of you. Even you.” I turn to
the Bellas, but only Blonde Bella remains. She’s disheveled from the fight
with Orville’s people, and one of her shoes is missing. She has a cut on her
upper arm, which she’s bandaged with her shirt. At least I’m assuming
that’s her excuse for being topless.
Darius is cut and scraped, too, and Thorn’s eye is quickly swelling
shut. Rocco’s lip is split, and Asher’s sitting against the wall, pale-faced and
panting, clutching his knee. Elowen crouches beside him, talking him
through the pain. A half dozen of Orville’s staff members lie crumpled on
the floor, but I don’t spot either of the other Bellas among them. I turn my
attention back to the wounded, touching Thorn’s cheek gently before
pulling out my phone.
“Looks like everyone needs a trip to the infirmary,” I say. “Or she
needs to come here. Who needs immediate attention?”
I dial the campus infirmary and order all the help they can send. A
minute later, a squadron of doctors and orderlies arrive, and I ask what I can
do to help. Elowen and I flit around helping to bandage and administer
doses of potion to help with pain and healing. When the injured have been
carted off to the infirmary, I collapse onto the wide staircase going up to the
second story. Elowen slumps beside me.
Ryker and Topher returned with a sobbing Orville, bound up in
magical wraps so he can’t escape or use his own magic, while everyone was
rushing around helping the wounded. Now, I look over to where the
headmaster lies alone on the floor, Ryker standing over him.
“What’s going to happen to him?” I ask Darius, who wasn’t badly
injured and has stayed to help take away the prisoner.
“He’ll lose his job,” Darius says. “A new headmaster will take over
the Academy of Sorcery.”
I can’t keep the selfish thought from entering my head, that maybe
that means I can be with Darius now. But it’s quickly replaced with
anxieties about who will replace Orville. That, too, is a question for another
day, though.
“Speaking of people losing their jobs,” Topher says, clearing his
throat and standing from where he’d sat to rest for a minute. “I’m the one
who taught Jade the dark magic. I assume I’ll be dismissed for that.”
“I asked him to,” I say quickly. “And thank you, Topher, for risking
your job for me.”
Darius frowns. “I’m afraid I can’t answer one way or another on
that,” he says. “If it was my decision, you know what I’d choose. The new
headmaster will have to make the final call on whether or not you stay,
Topher.”
“I’ll vouch for you,” I say to the demon. Then I haul myself up from
the steps and stifle a yawn. “I’d better get going. “I should go over to the
infirmary. I want to be there when Dad wakes up.”
“I’ll walk with you,” Elowen says.
“I’ll go, too,” Topher says.
“Me, too,” Darius says, standing and holding out a hand. I take it,
then hesitate and glance over at Ryker. He’s watching us silently, his
expression inscrutable.
“Want to come?” I ask.
He glances down at Orville. “I should stay.”
“He’s not going anywhere,” Darius assures him.
 Ryker shrugs. “Still. I want to be here when the Society of
Supernaturals gets here to collect him.”
“We’ll all have to testify,” Darius says. “We might as well get some
sleep.”
“You go on,” Ryker says. “I think I’ll just stay here.”
I give him one long, last look before stepping out of the house onto
the path back across campus. To my surprise, the campus is already light.
Bright streaks of pink and orange light up the sky to the east.
“We stayed up all night,” Elowen says, stifling a yawn.
“Let’s get you home and to bed,” Topher says, slipping an arm
around her waist.
I wait for her to protest, but she leans into him instead, confirming
my earlier suspicions.
“Same for you,” Darius murmurs to me.
“What happened to Bella Lu?” Elowen asks suddenly.
We all glance around at each other. “She must have gotten away,” I
say. “Brunette Bella’s missing, too. I wonder if they went rogue.”
“We’ll put extra wards around campus to keep her off,” Darius says.
“Don’t worry. She’s not strong enough to break through and hurt anyone.”
He gives me a meaningful look, and I give him a sleepy, grateful
smile. “Thank you,” I whisper.
He arches a brow, and I lean into his shoulder and wrap an arm
around him.
“You got me all that magic,” I say. “Without it, I don’t know if I
would have been able to break the spell on that door.”
“Don’t mention it,” he says with a wink, squeezing me tighter to
him.
Despite everything that’s happened tonight, I can’t help but smile.
My father is alive and safe, even if he’s weaker than ever. My friends all
came through for me when I needed them most, letting me know who can
be trusted. I have a whole squad of amazing supporters, including a couple
who are more than friends. Orville has been caught, and no one was
seriously injured except a few of his guards, who will make a full recovery
eventually. And with Orville gone, I might have a chance to have a real
relationship with Darius.
Maybe, just maybe, it’ll all work out in the end.
*
 Author’s Note

Thanks for reading Academy of Sorcery 2: Fallen Master! Click here to

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Read on for a short excerpt from Broken Princess, our dark paranormal
romance set in the same world as Academy of Sorcery!
 Broken Princess Excerpt

Itzel
Princess, Ocelot Nation

From my position behind the dense shrubbery, I eased my head up just

enough to take stock of the enemy. Ducking down quickly, I flattened my
back against the prickly bushes and waited, blood thudding in my ears, the
darkness ominously quiet around me. When no shots came, my eyes swept
back and forth along the line of crouched warriors. “Ready?” I whispered,
slotting the ammunition into my blowgun.
My team followed suit. When all guns were loaded, I waved my arm
to signal them to move out, and they scrambled from seated positions to
crouched and ready for action.
“Charge!” I screamed, leaping to my feet and clearing the shrubs in
a single bound. Battle cries rose up around us as my team barreled onto the
field, and the enemy scrambled to avoid being shot. I blew the dart from my
gun, swerved to miss an opponent, and kept running. I had to find another
hiding spot to reload, or I’d be vulnerable to attack.
“Itzel, you devil,” Tadeu cried, leaping after me. His fingers snagged
at the ends of my black hair, but I wrenched free, ignoring the sting in my
scalp. I leapt over another hedge only to hear footsteps heavy in pursuit.
Shit! I kept running, swerving down a narrow, shadowy lane. It lay
abandoned to the night, like everywhere else in the kingdom. No one else
dared break the king’s weeknight curfew. Only the faint glow of paint on
the toes of my shoes provided illumination. I darted through the streets
where I’d played as a child, my footsteps echoing behind me as I ran.
Pausing at the end of an alley, I flattened my back against the wall, my heart
pounding with exertion.
I slid my feet from my shoes, meaning to pick them up and sneak on
silently. But a pursuer’s footfalls alerted me he was near, so I abandoned my
shoes and darted out into the empty street. I streaked across, digging into
my pocket for the keys I’d nicked from my father’s chambers before
heading out that afternoon. I doubted he’d missed them—or me—that day.
Keeping my blowgun in one hand, I shoved the circular key into the
indentation on the arena’s door. The door gave way with a groan, and I
flinched at the sound. Without checking for a pursuer, I slipped into the
inky blackness within. Feeling my way with my bare feet, I sidestepped
along the wall until I found the tunnel that led onto the arena floor. I heard
the door scrape behind me, followed by loud whispers.
Shit. There were several of them.
I darted forward, praying a janitor hadn’t left a bucket or other
random item in the tunnel. Hard-packed dirt greeted my feet as I reached
the main floor, and a grin spread across my face. The quiet patter of my
footsteps on the ground echoed off the high ceilings, but I couldn’t afford to
stop now. I ran at breakneck speed across the floor, counting on the echo to
throw them off.
I ran smack into a pile of hay. Bundles topples in front of me, and I
went sprawling on top of them, rolling to the floor on the other side.
Heart slamming, I scrambled around into a defensive position. Lying
in wait, I raised my blowgun to my mouth and inserted a paint-dart. I was
ready.
 A footstep sounded somewhere in the arena, the soft padding almost
inaudible. I tensed, straining my eyes against the darkness, my ears against
the silence ringing inside them. Not another sound.
Where were they?
Suddenly, the rustle of hay sounded just behind me. Before I could
twist around, strong hands grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to the floor. I
struggled, fighting to stay silent as he pressed my face into the straw.
“Gotcha,” a rough voice murmured in my ear.
“Tadeu,” I growled, bucking under him. “Took you long enough.”
He crushed his body onto mine, pinning me with his weight. “Itzi,”
he purred. “Game’s up, Princess.”
“I thought you’d never catch me.”
“But I did,” he said, his calloused fingers sliding under the edge of
my shirt, skimming along the band of my shorts. “Are you my prize?”
“You wish,” I said, my breath quickening as his hand slid under me,
pressing against the front of my shorts. I could feel his hard length pressing
against my ass as I struggled.
“Why not?” he asked. “How long are you going to make me wait?”
“We’re in an arena with at least one other player,” I said. “Not now.”
“I’m starting to think you share your father’s opinion of me,” he
growled, his fingers biting into my mound.
“I don’t,” I shot back. I squirmed against his fingers, but they only
worked my shorts further into me. “How could you think that?”
“Maybe a stable hand isn’t worthy of Her Grace’s cherry,” he said,
slipping a skillful finger under my shorts, tapping my clit through the layer
of silk beneath.
“Of course you are,” I said. “And don’t call me that.”
“Why not? You are a princess, aren’t you?”
 I snorted. “Try telling my father that.”
“I don’t have to,” he said. “He reminded me just the other day.”
“What?” I asked, finally twisting my body free and rolling over to
face him.
“He’s noticed that we still spend time together,” Tadeu said bitterly.
“He told me we should have outgrown these games, and I shouldn’t indulge
you.” He slithered onto me, pressing a thigh between mine. “And that if I
had too much time on my hands, he’d send me elsewhere, where someone
could keep me better occupied.”
“No,” I said, gripping the corded muscles of his arms. Tadeu was
my childhood best friend, my first kiss, my first and only love. As soon as
my sister took the throne, I was going to convince her to let us marry.
Father had laughed at me when I’d asked, but I’d been only a child then. I
hadn’t dared ask once I’d been of marriageable age. Father would never
allow such a disparate match, even for a human daughter like me. My sister,
however, could be persuaded.
Tadeu slipped his fingers under the edge of my shorts again, this
time beneath my damp panties. “What’s it going to be, Itzi? Are you going
to give it up at last, or am I going to have to dream of your tight pussy while
I fuck a stable maid against the barn wall again tonight?”
“Poor tragic Tadeu,” I said. “At least you get fulfillment every
night.”
“I can fill you full every night,” he said, sliding his finger into me.
I gasped and arched up, stifling a cry when I saw a paint splatter
glowing like stars on another player. I bit down on my lip, holding in a
moan of pleasure as Tadeu’s finger pumped into my wetness faster and
faster. I squeezed my knees together, increasing the pressure on my clit. He
pulsed his finger inside me, and a tiny whimper escaped my throat. Seconds
later, a paint dart burst on my chest.
With a cry, I released Tadeu’s hand. He chuckled and drew away,
flicking on a flashlight. His accomplice, Josue, stood grinning a few paces
back.
“You cheater,” I cried, punching Tadeu furiously in one solid
pectoral. “You just got me going so I wouldn’t run while your partner snuck
up on me.”
“I could have just held you down and called for him, but this was
more fun.” He popped his finger in his mouth and sucked greedily. “Tastes
like cherries.”
“Stop calling it that, or I’ll give you a taste of my fist.”
Josue was laughing his ass off. “Rejected again,” he hooted.
Tadeu stood and offered me a hand, which I slapped away. “Have
fun with your stable maid tonight. Too bad you can’t get anyone better.”
“Says the woman who begged me to fuck her the day I first kissed
her.”
“You’re a vulgar, horrible man.”
“The best kind to fuck.”
“Then how come we haven’t?” I shot back. It wasn’t a fair question.
I was the one who had stopped it every time. I wanted Tadeu, and I wanted
him to be my first. I always had. But despite my wild upbringing, where I’d
run free with the kitchen boys and stable hands, as dirty as a street urchin
and as seldom watched over, some of the royal attitude must have worked
its way into me when I wasn’t looking.
The truth was, I wanted my father’s approval. I didn’t want to, but I
did. I longed for him to one day tell me he was proud of me. To tell me I’d
done something right. I knew I’d never be queen—only the first child of
two shifters could rule, as only they had the ability to shift. I was a
throwaway child, an extra, an ordinary human like Tadeu and the other
commoners I’d grown up playing with. As a commoner, I was lucky to live
in the palace at all.
And yet, it wasn’t enough. Just once, I longed for Father to smile at
me the way he did at Camila. I wanted him to tell me I’d chosen well. I
wanted, one day, to elevate Tadeu’s status by marrying him. I didn’t want to
be another girl he fucked in the hay loft. I wanted to be his proper wife.
Proper wives did not get fucked on the arena floor where the king
hired dancers and fighters and magicians to entertain him. Proper wives
didn’t get fucked by stable hands. Even if they were ordinary humans,
proper wives definitely didn’t get fucked as a distraction tactic during a
game of paint-darts in the dark.
“I’d better get home,” I said. “I need to return the keys before Father
notices they’re gone.”
“The princess needs her beauty sleep,” Josue said.
“Don’t call me that.”
“You sleep in the palace, don’t you?” Tadeu asked, throwing an arm
over my shoulder. I cuddled against his muscular chest, the frustration of
my near-orgasm building inside me. If only Josue hadn’t interrupted us just
then. He could have had the decency to wait until I’d come before he shot
me. Of course, he probably hadn’t known exactly what was going on. Or
hell, maybe he did. It wasn’t like Tadeu was some kind of gentleman who
wouldn’t tell his friends how much the princess liked his fingerbanging.
“Damn, my shoes are gone,” I said when we got to the alley.
Josue cracked up again.
“It’s not funny,” I said. “Someone stole my shoes.”
 “Maybe you shouldn’t leave them in the street,” Tadeu said.
“Besides, whoever took them probably needs them more than you.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” I said, laughing as I started back toward the
palace on bare feet, along streets as familiar to me as my own bedroom.
There were the stairs where I’d fallen and broken my first bone (age eight),
the doorstep where I’d had my first kiss (age eleven), and the bakery where
I’d been caught stealing pastries and told I was too old for such shenanigans
(age fifteen)
Who was I kidding? I was the worst princess ever. Father was never
going to approve of me. I might as well get it over with and at least have
some fun before I shriveled up and died of sexual frustration.
I stopped at the gates and threw an arm around Tadeu’s neck.
Standing on tiptoes, I gave him a thorough kiss. “I’ll give it up when you
invite me over to your house and make me feel special.”
He scoffed. “The princess wants to feel special.”
“Every girl wants to feel special,” I said, pressing my breasts against
his chest. “And I don’t mean special to the Ocelot Clan. I mean special to
you.”
“Oh,” he said, his hands falling on my hips and his eyebrows rising.
“That’s it?”
“That’s it,” I said, nipping at his chin.
“Consider it done,” he said, his voice husky. “Tomorrow night.”
“See you then, Cowboy,” I said, giving his ass a squeeze before
releasing him. I watched him swagger off towards the servants’ quarters
behind the stables. With a smile on my face, I turned and jogged up the
steps and into the palace, hoping no one would notice my bare feet or paint-
splattered shirt.
 I shouldn’t have bothered. No one gave me a second glance. I
slipped by Gabor, the guard at the end of the hallway, and ran toward my
room on tiptoes. By now, the guards were used to me running off at all
hours and coming home in all conditions, but my heart still raced until I
reached my door and could relax. It wasn’t until I slid through the door of
my room that I realized my absence had been noticed.

Who noticed Itzel sneaking out? What will happen to her when she’s
discovered? To find out, click here!