9. Raven

9

RAVEN

Iflop down onto a seat across from Leila at the dining table with a sigh. The room around me is like a still image from years gone by. Everything is fancy, especially for a dining hall. It’s nothing at all like what I had back in Shadowmoor. The tall, ornate ceilings, high-back wooden chairs, and the marble floor leave me nervous to touch anything. There are at least thirty tables set up, long oak slabs framed with eight chairs, and a large chandelier hanging above each one.

My stomach instantly grumbles with hunger, reminding me of what the guys had said last night. I definitely need to start eating more. As much as I enjoyed the exercise in ordnance training, it quickly took its toll on my body.

Glancing around the room, I try to figure out where I’m supposed to get my food from, but there’s no one lined up. Despite my independent stance, I turn to Leila for guidance, only to find her swiping her finger through a hologram hovering before her.

“Leila?”

She peers through the transparent display before her, confusion marring her face for a moment until understanding dawns on her.

“Where did you go to school?”

“Shadowmoor.”

Her eyes widen, but there’s surprisingly no judgment there. Which is strange because my body instinctively assumes it’s coming and stiffens, bracing for impact. Shaking my arms out, I try to alleviate the tension as she puts her hand through the projection to wave above a small circle carved into the table before me.

“And I’m assuming this wasn’t how you ordered food?”

“Nope,” I murmur, distracted by the display in front of me.

Thankfully, she doesn’t push further as I tentatively reach a hand out to swipe away from the first option displayed. It moves seamlessly, offering a chowder as my second option, but I know I need a higher level of protein and I keep searching.

It takes a few extra swipes of my fingertips to reveal a chicken, vegetable, and rice option and I know I’ve found my winner. If only I knew how to select it…

“Hover your hand back over the mark. Like this,” Leila states, and I realize she’s been waiting for me to find my option before proceeding herself. Nodding, I do as she says, copying her movement, and the screen disappears as a plate of food appears in front of me.

I’m sure my eyebrows are touching my hairline at this stage, but if Leila notices, she doesn’t mention it. While I’ve opted for the most practical option, Leila decided on the tastiest: pizza. She digs straight in, but I take a moment to observe the room again before I let my guard down.

Every table around us is now filled. My housemates, or the Bishops as Leila called them, are four tables over, surrounded by Genie and her friends. My lips purse, my eyebrows drawing together, and I’m unsure why. I lock eyes with Eldon, my body freezing, before I quickly glance away and focus on my food without another look.

We eat in comfortable silence, sipping from the glasses of water that also appeared with the food until my plate is empty and my stomach is full.

Leaning back in my seat, the swirl of chaos and mumbling from around us continues to hover in the background as my skin tingles with the feeling of eyes watching me. I ignore it, clearing my throat and meeting Leila’s stare instead.

“I need you to catch me up to speed.”

A soft smile curves her lips as she leans forward slightly, bracing her forearms on the table. “Where do you want me to start?”

Lacing my fingers together, I consider her question for a moment and opt for the most obvious one. “Back home, magic wasn’t as prominent as it is here. Like, nowhere close. Even though power is in the air, I haven’t seen a single student use their abilities yet. Is that normal?”

“As first years, we’re only allowed to use our mundane abilities in our houses and our gifted powers in the specified classes, strength training, or any of the trials.”

My eyebrows rise once more. If the wind changes, I’m going to look like this forever since they’re permanently up there with the constant state of surprise and awe I’m in. “Does that change through the years, then?” At least the first year will allow me to fly under the radar somewhat with my nonexistent magic.

“Yeah. Second years can use mundane magic anywhere but must only use their gifted powers in a training capacity. Third years can begin using their strongest powers outside the academy grounds, and fourth years are on assignments before they reach the end of their final year and join the realm as adults.”

I consider her words for a moment, completely baffled by the stark difference I grew up with. Here, they’re trained to wield their power, grow stronger, and protect the realm in a capacity I didn’t even realize was needed. While back in Shadowmoor, everyone is trying to survive each day as it comes, not offered the luxury of a future, no prospects at all. No matter what path I looked at, it always ended in survival. Unlike here.

Storing those details away for later, I glance out of the corner of my eye toward my housemates again. Eldon and Creed are sandwiched between Genie and one of her friends while Brax and Zane sit across from them, another two girls hanging off their every word. Not like either of them are speaking. No. The latter two are both glancing over in our direction.

Fuck.

Sucking my bottom lip into my mouth, I pry my eyes away from them again, already annoyed with the next question.

“What about them?”

“Who?” The mischievous glint in her eyes makes it clear she knows who I mean. She just wants to hear me admit it.

“Them,” I grumble, nodding in their direction, but she cocks a brow at me. “Fine, the Bishops.”

“I don’t even know where to begin with them.” It’s my turn to give her a questioning look but it goes unnoticed as she runs her eyes in their direction.

“I’ve known them since I started school at the age of six. Their presence has never changed. Girls flock after them, boys want to be them, and all the while, they’re generally charming assholes.” Charming assholes? I didn’t realize that was possible. “Eldon is the leader, bossy to his core, while collecting ladies’ panties as souvenirs. Brax is the grumpiest.” I nod, understanding that assessment to a T. “He’s probably who I know the least about. He’s so standoffish. I don’t think I’ve seen him speak to anyone other than Eldon, Creed, and Zane.”

I can’t stop myself from following her line of sight, taking them in through her lens instead of the limited interactions I’ve had with them so far.

“Creed and Zane?”

“The latter is the most amusing, especially when he goes on a tangent and can’t find his filter. He’s also a little nerdy, which some girls love. Creed, however, is quiet and observant, never showing any emotion and keeping the rest of the world at arm’s length from all of them.”

I nod, unable to deny that I’ve picked up on the same vibes as her assessment, but I need her to give me something else, something…more. “Give me some shit on the down low, Leila. I have no idea what I’m dealing with and I need all the help I can get.”

“Brax was orphaned as a baby, taken in by Eldon’s family, who are supposed to be the sweetest people in existence. Creed’s father was a sergeant for Silvercrest’s training army until they ran into an ambush where he died, along with twenty-six students and two other professors.” Holy shit. “Zane’s sister is a council member, and his father is a high ranking member of The Monarchy.” That’s an information drop, but still not what I’m looking for. It’ll help me understand them, though, and hopefully survive living with them.

“Anything I can kind of protect myself from them with?” I push, and she purses her lips in thought before she slowly shakes her head.

“It’s hard. They’re the Bishops of campus, like Gods on land, but they keep everyone at a distance. They don’t show any emotion past a snarl or a flirtatious grin, which is why it’s strange as hell that they have such a protective stance around you, no offense, housemate or not. I won’t be the only person intrigued by the fact, that’s for sure.”

“They’re not anything with me.”

She huffs a laugh. “Are you serious?”

“Of course I am. They’re my housemates, sure, but apart from a little overstepping this morning, they’re fine. I’m going to put them in their place tonight and everything will be fine,” I insist, unsure if I actually believe it myself or not. That’s a complete understatement. They’re a fucking handful, but I don’t need to admit that right now.

“Okay, let’s see if that’s true.” Before I can even ask what she means, Leila yells at the top of her lungs. “Finn!”

It feels like the entire dining hall goes quiet, turning to look in our direction as Leila waves her hand for the guy in question to come closer. He’s sitting three tables behind her, so I get the unhindered view of watching his grin spread with hope while his friends pat him on the back. Rallied to his feet, he tries to muster some swagger in his stride but he doesn’t ooze the confidence he hopes.

“Ladies, what’s up?” He smiles a toothy grin, just as he did earlier, his blond curls bouncing around his face. Finn braces his palms flat against the table, leaning closer to me than I would prefer, but instead of calling him out on it, I turn a deathly glare Leila’s way.

“Finn, I was just telling Raven here that there’s a party on Friday night.” If she senses my frustration, she either loves it or doesn’t care as she flutters her eyelashes at him.

“Yeah, out behind Silvercrest Memorial.” His breath brushes against my cheek and I lean back, offering a tight smile as he grins at me.

“Right,” Leila encourages. “So, what do you say if—” Heavy chairs scraping across the marble floor interrupt whatever she was about to say, but as she looks at the additional guests joining our table, she doesn’t seem mad about it. No. That’s a glimmer of victory in her eyes.

Dammit.

Finn slowly stands, nervously clearing his throat as he takes in the new arrivals. Reluctantly, with my heart pounding wildly in my chest, I turn to find four men who were being fawned over by other women only moments ago.

Creed is right beside me, Brax next to him, while Eldon and Zane sit beside Leila. None of them are looking at me or my friend. They’re all glaring at the guy who is slowly starting to edge away from the table.

Kill me. Kill me right now.

As the chatter of the dining hall slowly reaches my ears again, I squint from one to the other until I settle on Creed. “What the hell? What are you doing?” I bite, hands clenching into fists as I try to act as unfazed as possible and fail miserably.

Creed shrugs, leaving the response to come from Eldon. “Making sure everyone knows you’re off limits.”

I splutter on my breath as I gape at them, feeling Leila’s giddy smile without looking her way.

Swiping a hand down my face, I take a deep breath and repeat his words. “Why are you under the illusion that I’m off limits?”

Zane chuckles, shaking his head as I hear Genie hollering Eldon’s name across the hall. He doesn’t acknowledge her as he stares me dead in the eyes.

“You didn’t read the housemate’s handbook, did you?” Zane says with a snicker, making my eyebrows pinch together. Before I can ask what the hell that is supposed to mean, Brax slams his fists on the table, making the cutlery clatter as he garners everyone’s attention.

Slowly turning to look at him, his nostrils flare as he works his jaw.

“Because we’re the Bishops and we fucking say so.”